You are guaranteed to a get a dumbfounded look if you had to ask your grandparents what an ‘App’ is.
This will not be the case for 68-year-old Application Designer, Ian Armstrong. His love for reading world-wide news from his cell phone gave him the idea to launch an App called Flexi Reader.
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“I read the news every day and I thought to myself, why not make this the way I want it to be,” Mr Armstrong explained.
The best thing about the App is that it’s free. Mr Armstrong resided in Denmark for over 30 years. After retiring as a Network Administrator, he relocated to be with family in Estcourt.
It was then he realised how expensive data is; as well as how bad internet access is.
“We don’t have good internet in South Africa, it was a big adjustment for me. We pay lots here for data because the costs are much higher,” said Mr Armstrong.
Flexi Reader serves to be a flexible way to bookmark all your favourite news websites. The App gives you the option to skim just headlines if you prefer and don’t want the clutter of advertisements bombarding your screen. It’s fast, safe and secure – no logins are required and no personal information is needed.
The Port Elizabeth-born man is certainly moving with the times, having five Apps under his belt. He has developed one for a local motoring company as well as ‘Confessions of faith’, which he created for his church to store hymns.
Mr Armstrong has a Developer’s Licence with Google and has two years’ experience in this field.
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Yes, it is a hobby but he is considering teaching youth how to develop applications to create job opportunities.
Mr Armstrong is sure that his App is a winning one as it saves data, images can be turned off, and increases speed on slow network connections. For the techno savvy gentleman, technology helps him stay in the know.
“I remember the first computers during the 80’s, and since then technology has never been this easy. It helps us share ideas and view points and I think that is important. All you need is a computer and internet,” he shared with great interest.
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