Sandfield What’s going on

Les Mills NZ - Members' App now available

Ana Petreska — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 12:00:00 GMT

Les Mills New Zealand have just gone live with a brand new mobile app developed here at Sandfield, available on Android and iOS.

Fully integrated with the existing Les Mills backend systems, we have delivered a solution for Les Mills that allows their members to book classes directly from their phones, instead of calling Les Mills reception. Members can add classes to their customised schedules, purchase RPM credits, cancel bookings and get notifications reminding them that their scheduled classes are about to start. Notifications are built using the Pushwoosh API and include system-generated notifications as well as in-app ones that Les Mills can manually push out to club-specific app users.

Non-members can also access the app to view the Timetable, Group Fitness classes, Club information, apply for a Free Day Pass and even join as a new member.

A desktop portal with the same functionality is currently being worked on and is set to launch in a couple of weeks.

Here is a link to a page on the Les Mills website promoting the app.

Download it and have a play - 5 star ratings are welcome!

Check out the Apple App Store listing and download for iOS here (iPhone only).

Check out the Goole Play Store listing and download for Android here (Android 4.1 and up).

Track, Watch, Delivered - the updated Mainfreight app

Jonathan Clarke — Thu, 14 May 2015 12:00:00 GMT

The new Mainfreight app is now live on iOS and Android! A significant upgrade from the original version, the iOS app is a complete re-write using PhoneGap. We have also developed an app for Android (which was previously unavailable) and a version for Windows Mobile is coming soon.

Among other features, the app allows both Mainfreight’s customers and their customers' customers to track and monitor freight movements. Items can be added to watchlists and push notifications can be received if desired. For logged-in verified customers, the “On The Go” feature automatically populates with all current activity without any need for the user to configure anything.

Another interesting feature is the persisting of watchlist and recent tracking across platforms. With the next release of mainfreight.com, if you add an item to your watchlist on the tracking web site, it will be automatically added to the iOS and Android apps. This concept of continuity is something we plan to support for future features across the Mainfreight customer facing application suite.

The app also features sections on the home screen for promoting Mainfreight services, quotes of the day, news, and an investor centre.

The apps rely heavily on the Identity Index (IDi) which is essentially a global index of every Mainfreight freight item worldwide. The IDi allows very fast searches and the ability to show activity from any of the systems used by Mainfreight.

You can check out and download the apps here:

iOS App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/mainfreight/id393454122?mt=8

Android Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.sandfield.mPhone

Wilson ParkMate - The easiest way to pay for your parking

Aaron Hill — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 12:00:00 GMT

Wilson Parking have recently gone live with a brand new mobile app called "Wilson ParkMate", developed here at Sandfield. It is now available on Android and iOS.

Combined with payments via Kashin, we have delivered a solution for Wilson Parking that allows them to change up their conventional pay and display parking method to allow mobile app users full control over when their parking starts and stops.

The app currently has five live Wilson Parking car parks around the Auckland city centre with further sites in Auckland being added each week. The rest of the Wilson Parking car parks around New Zealand shall also have the app available later in the year.

Here is the full description from the App Store page:

Wilson Parking ParkMate (New Zealand) is the smartest and easiest way for you to pay for your parking. Using your phone's GPS and Google Maps, Wilson ParkMate allows you to easily find a car park or select the car park you are in. Then you simply hit 'Start Your Parking' to commence and 'Stop Your Parking' when you are done. It really is that simple!

With ParkMate, you no longer need to queue up in the rain to pay for your parking. You no longer need to carry a huge sack of coins around with you. You no longer need to keep putting your credit card into a pay & display machine. Best of all, you no longer need to guess how long you may need to park for. You control your parking from your smartphone!

Once you have easily registered your ParkMate account, ParkMate provides you with the best parking rate available including the Earlybird rate (if available). ParkMate also allows you to select how often you would like reminders that your parking session is active or when you would like to be reminded that your Earlybird parking is ending (if you want to extend your stay, you can without needing to return to your car!). For 'peace-of-mind' ParkMate displays a timer on your phone, so you can always see your parking session is active and how long you have parked for.

Check out the Apple App Store listing and download for iOS here (iPhone only).

Check out the Google Play Store listing and download for Android here (Android 4.1 and up).

How to get Internet in the Desert

Ruchira Liyanagama — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:00:00 GMT

iSavi™ is a lightweight, highly portable device that enables you to get online via a satellite connection within minutes.

It can turn any smartphone or tablet into a satellite communication device for phone internet and texting. This new satellite technology allows your iPhone, iPad or Android device to stay connected to the grid no matter where you are on the planet - even on the North and South poles!

iSavi features at a glance:

Weighs 850 grams (1.9 lbs)

Voice calling with VoIP - Call any phone worldwide with applications such as Skype

Data speeds of up to 384 Kbps down, 240 Kbps up.
Wireless range up to 30 meters (100 feet) from the iSavi
Up to 8 hours standby, 2 hours transmit (at max power 100% of the time).
Works with contact lists on smart devices

It doesn’t quite have the grunt to allow video streaming but it can give you enough to surf the internet. iSavi - IsatHub costs $1350 and it uses Inmarsat IsatHub network for global connectivity, costing $1.20 a minute talk time and $6 a megabyte for data.

Finally the hardware you need to directly access the satellite constellations are entering the consumer space.

Learn more:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02fr9z9

https://www.ocens.com/iSavi-IsatHub-P585.aspx#Description

Room Temperature Superconductors?

Paul Joiner — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 11:00:00 GMT

Seems that a strange new phase of matter has been stopping our computers from getting the speed and efficiency they deserve.

Scientists have found the first direct evidence that a mysterious phase of matter known as the "pseudogap" competes with high-temperature superconductivity, robbing it of electrons that otherwise might pair up to carry current through a material with 100 percent efficiency.

Superconductivity has the potential to revolutionise pretty much everything that relies on electricity, such as computing, our electricity grid, and transport. But science has struggled to achieve superconductivity at practical temperatures.

In the past, it was thought that superconductivity could only occur at close to absolute zero (around -273 degrees Celsius), but thankfully over the past couple of decades, scientists have managed to achieve superconductivity up to comparatively mild temperatures of -135 degrees Celsius.

Now that the cause of the blocking has been identified, it creates a starting point on how to overcome this previously insurmountable problem.

I expect my superconducting PC to arrive early next year….

Reference: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141220104104.htm

Ingress & The Future of Augmented Reality

Guy Woollett — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 11:00:00 GMT

Ingress is an immersive, geolocation-based augmented reality game by Niantic Labs, a startup from Google.

Gameplay consists of establishing "portals" at real-life places of public art, landmarks, monuments, etc., and linking them to create virtual fields over real geographic areas. The 'Resistance' battle the 'Enlightened' for the sake of humanity. Players must travel with their smart device and go to each of these portals to interact with them or claim them for their team.

Newly added missions give even more motivation for players to get out and move about their town or region.

With smartphones becoming increasingly powerful and with the advent of innovative devices from big players like Facebook, Sony, Microsoft, and Google, will augmented and virtual reality be the next big thing...this time, for real?

Released in December 2013 for Android devices, Ingress has been made available for Apple's iOS since July 2014.

3D Printed Tools in Space

Jeremy Vanderpump — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:00:00 GMT

It's official: you can now "upload" tools to space. NASA is presently experimenting on the International Space Station (ISS) using 3D printing to make a ratchet based on instructions sent from Earth. This will save expensive visits to the ISS, replacing them with a simple email. It's not exactly a difficult process to implement; NASA is working with Made In Space (the company that makes the printer), and designed, tested and manufactured the ratchet in less than a week - even if a conventional tool/part was ready to go, it would have had to wait days or weeks or possibly months for a ride on a rocket to the ISS. Scientists still need a while to study the feasibility of 3D-printed tools in space (including the effects of microgravity) before they're put into regular service on the ISS, but it's easy to see other real world applications where it is currently not feasible to deliver or provide a tool or part as quickly as we need.

Google releases Android Studio 1.0

Jamie Crawley — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT

Looking at developing for the Android platform? Then check out Google’s Android Studio, which recently hit version 1.0 after a year and a half of development. Based on the open source community edition of IntelliJ IDE, it is designed solely for creating Android apps and provides all the tools needed to get started. This also includes direct access to Google Cloud services for backend support, exposing RESTful APIs and instant push notifications to user devices.

Existing Android developers using the Eclipse IDE for development should consider shifting to Android Studio because the Eclipse Android plugin is no longer in development and Google has recommended moving to Android Studio. Fortunately, Android Studio provides the functionality to easily import existing Eclipse projects for fluid migration.

Even though Android Studio is quite young and fresh on the scene, it is more stable than Eclipse and is, therefore, preferred as the official IDE for Android development.

Check out and download Android Studio.

Cheap Windows Notebook or Chromebook for School?

Wayne Hyman — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT

Many schools these days have a BYOD (bring your own device) policy that provides parents with options on how to equip their children with a suitable device. Faced with having to purchase two such devices for next year, I looked at the options and it came down to either a small Windows notebook or a Chromebook. There are a number of new Windows 8.1 notebooks hitting the shelves now that share very similar specifications - and prices - with Chromebooks. So how would you decide which device best suits your needs?

A key decision factor is what the device needs to run. Generally speaking, a Windows notebook will run anything a Chromebook can, but the reverse is definitely not true. In our case, the device needs to support Flash, connect to the school’s wifi network, and produce basic documents containing with images. Both platforms have that covered. If you need to run applications that live outside the browser (say a specific software development tool), you'll want the Windows notebook.

The Windows notebook will be more adaptable and give you more capabilities when it comes to running applications. The trouble is, if you don’t need this capability, you'll have to deal with the other aspects of Windows we’ve all come to know - constant updates, anti-virus, keeping your applications up-to-date, and slowly degrading performance over time. By contrast, a Chromebook is a maintenance dream as it keeps itself up-to-date, you don’t need anti-virus, and its performance won’t degrade over time. Setup is also simple and should you need to replace the device, just login to your Google account and you’re done. And should it all turn pear-shaped, you can restore your Chromebook to factory new condition with a few clicks. One final consideration - battery life on a Chromebook is generally considerably better than many (not all) small Windows notebooks. Being able to get through a full school day on a single charge is important when you consider most NZ classrooms don’t have power sockets at each desk.

So for me, the die was cast and a Chromebook was the chosen solution because it ticked all of the boxes for our situation.

Parents, one last thing - Chromebooks do not run Minecraft out of the box. That in itself may be an incentive to embrace the Chromebook and leave Windows behind forever. There is a way (fortunately or unfortunately - you decide) that your game-starved teen can get their crafting fix on their shiny new Chromebook. It just requires a quick search (I’m guessing Google here, not Bing) and a couple of hours following instructions (and a Chromebook with an Intel-based processor). I’m picking they’ll be testing the factory restore capabilities a few times along the way. I know what mine will be doing on Boxing Day.

How Blu-ray Discs Can Improve Solar Panels

Mathew Porter — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT

Researchers have found that Blu-ray discs could make the solar cells used in solar panels more efficient.

It is common knowledge that solar panels convert photons of light from the sun into electricity. Microscopic structures that are nanometres (billionths of a meter) high are placed in quasi-random patterns on the surface of solar cells to scatter light in ways that increase light absorption.

Quasi-random patterns - patterns that are not too random nor too orderly are expensive to fabricate, which has limited the widespread use of solar panels. Now, scientists have found that the quasi-random pit patterns created on Blu-ray discs when data is saved to them are very effective at scattering light when applied to a solar cell.

A quasi-random pattern taken from a Blu-ray of the movie “Police Story 3: Supercop”, which stars Jackie Chan, was one of the first used to create a surface texture mold for a solar cell during testing. This pattern was found to boost light absorption by 21.8 percent over the entire solar spectrum.