Test out FREE iOS apps and get rewarded with iTunes Gift Cards & more

Discover great free iPhone apps and get rewarded with iTunes gift cards and more! Click here

This way, you can download commercial apps for FREE, using the gift cards you receive. But you would need a US iTunes account to be eligible for that.

I have tried this out and have received $20 worth of iTunes gift cards upto now, and still getting more points here as well.

This is a truly legal way to get paid apps for free on iTunes app store. Just click the link and register from you iPhones and iPads.

Radheef – The new Dhivehi Dictionary app for iOS

The Radheef app running fine on an iPhone 4.

The all new Dhivehi dictionary app for iPhone & iPad has been released on 21st June 2012, by Semicolon Maldives. According to its iTunes info page, the current version features over 31,000 Dhivehi words and its definitions, in Dhivehi. And yes, this app is totally FREE!

The app doesn’t require an additional Dhivehi keyboard to be installed to your phone, meaning this app will work just right without Jailbreaking your device. You can type in Dhivehi using the normal english keyboard, just like its done in computers, or if you got it Jailbroken already, you can acquire the iThaana Keyboard by Kudanai as well.

To download the app to your device, click the button below.

Updated Thaana Fonts Packages for iOS 5.0.x and 5.1.x

Releasing update for the previous iThaana Fonts for iOS 5.0.x as well as the iThaana package for the iOS 5.1.x, made available by Kudanai.

HOW TO INSTALL THE PACKAGE

It is IMPORTANT to remove earlier versions of Thaana Fonts packages before installing this.

Add the cydia source below (open Cydia, goto Manage tab, tap Sources, then Edit, and Add)

http://cydia.myrepospace.com/phaariz/

After you add the above cydia source, goto that source (phaariz – MyRepoSpace) and install the iThaana Fonts package that matches with your  iOS version (To check your iOS version goto Settings, General, About and Scroll down till you see Version).

Feel free to comment below if you face any problems.

Add an extra 1GB to your Dropbox for FREE – DropQuest 2012

UPDATE: You have until the 2nd of June 2012 to get your FREE 1GB Extra Cloud Space by this method! Hurry now!

Starting from last night 10pm (MVT), the Dropbox team initiated their DropQuest event for this year (2012) and gave out FREE storage and other amazing prizes.

• 1st place (1) Dropbox employee hoodie, LIMITED EDITION Dropbox Hack Week t-shirt, Dropbox drawing signed by the entire Dropbox team, invitation to help write the next Dropquest, 100 GB for life
• 2nd place (10) Dropbox employee hoodie, Dropbox t-shirt, 20 GB for life
• 3rd place (15) Dropbox t-shirt, 5 GB for life
• 4th place (50) 2 GB for life
• 5th place (100) 1 GB for life

Everyone who completes Dropquest will get at least 1 GB of extra free space. So try them out now and receive your gift from Dropbox, by following the walkthrough below, (thanks to the shared Google Docs file):

Thaana Keyboard for iOS 5 Released

Kudanai has released the new Thaana Keyboard for iOS5 devices (iPhone, iPad etc).

Unlike previous releases of Thaana Keyboard, this version is NOT FREE.

According to Kudanai, currently this keyboard is available from PDALink (Near artificial beach). The keyboard is packaged with Thaana fonts and Dhivehi Quran Translation, and is charged a small fee of Mrf 300.

Thaana for “ABC Match Kids” Game (aka DhiMatch)

Presenting you DhiMatch, a mod for ABC Match Kids game, showing Haa-Shaviyani letters instead of ABC. A “Thiyabeyfulhunge Furusathu” type memory game, for matching letters of the Thaana alphabet for your iPhone. Features:

• Spoken thaana letters
• 4 Difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert)
• Develops memory and cognitive skills.
• High scores and best time.
• Teaches Haa-Shaviyani

Please note that this mod only works if you already install ABC Match Kids through AppStore (or Installous).

Thaana Fonts Package for iOS 5.0.x (iPhone)

Want to view the tweets by local news websites on your iOS device? How about Facebook pages in dhivehi? Or dhivehi websites on your iPhone?

We just released iThaana Fonts package for iOS 5.0.x., made available by Kudanai.

HOW TO INSTALL THE PACKAGE

Add the cydia source below (open Cydia, goto Manage tab, tap Sources, then Edit, and Add)

http://cydia.myrepospace.com/phaariz/

After you add the above cydia source, goto that source (phaariz – MyRepoSpace) and install
iThaana Fonts 5.0.x.

Feel free to comment below if you face any problems.

Dropbox shared files

Since many students have been requesting access to our dropbox shared materials, below are the important links we got there.

Library (http://db.tt/fFQ5AlcH)

A collection of Ebooks on different topics, from IT, Business, HR to Dhivehi and Islam.

Shared Folder (http://db.tt/jfvdWYz1)

Contains OUM Modules soft copies as well as module summaries.

How to change iBooks Night theme text color

iBooks Night theme after changing color to dark green.

This is for those who are serious about reading ebooks on their iOS devices, in dim light conditions.

Before anything, I recommend Apple to make it possible for users to easily change the theme colors etc. through iBooks itself, maybe in your next release.

Remember the ease in reading Stanza ebooks, where we can customize the text color of the Night mode option, well, we can change that in iBooks as well. Read on to learn how.

It became very difficult to me, after using Stanza for so long, switching over to iBooks (due to its simple interface, after they released the Night theme). The night theme text was too bright for my eyes (maybe my night light is too dim). Anyways, with just a simple tweak using iFile, I was able to change the text color to a dark green, which is cool on the eyes and easy to read.

You can change it to any color you like, just visit  w3school.com and find the hex value of your chosen color.

Identity Crisis: Is the Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL) logo an Original?

Spot the difference: Logos of BAA and MACL

The new logo and branding for the Maldives Airports Company Ltd. (MACL) was launched on April 2006, as part of celebrating its 40th Anniversary.

The new corporate identity for MACL was made by the UK based PR and marketing services consultancy Montpellier, for which it received PRIDE Award – Silver Winner 2006/2007 for the “Use of Photography, Design and New Media” from CIPR, UK.

The branding of BAA was designed by Lloyds Northover in 1986 and is still being used for the company as well as the major airports in Britain; Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton.

Maybe for some, there might not be any sort of resemblance between the two logos, citing the differences; the colour, shape of the runway and plane, and there’s even a palm tree!

But is the extent of “originality” really worth the money spent on the UK firm for the company, or do you feel a hint of plagiarism? I’ll leave this question to be answered by the reader.

Please leave your views below in the comments area.

Reference Links:

• http://www.johnlloyd.uk.com/ln_sub_content.php?main=2&chp=1
• http://www.montpellier-creative.com/portfolio/brand-identity/
• http://www.montpellier-pr.com/our-experience/case-studies/maldives-airports/
• http://www.montpellier-pr.com/awards/
• http://www.baa.com
• http://www.macl.aero

Watch Villa College Graduation Ceremony 2011 LIVE on MNBC One & VTV

Villa College is organising a grand ceremony for its first graduating batch of about 67 students, who completed their University degree programs affiliated with Open University Malaysia.

According to the College, the ceremony is going to be held at 08:00pm on Sunday, 2nd of October 2011, and is going to be totally different from any other graduation ceremony that took place in Maldives.

With a mixture of Maldivian culture and international university convocation norms, the event is set to be broadcasted LIVE on two local television channels; MNBC One and VTV.

Additionally, Students who acquired a CGPA above 3.67 will receive the prestigious OUM Book Awards, and also the Top achievers from all the different programmes will receive the Qasim Ibrahim Award of Excellence (QIAE).

Family, friends, and the public are welcome to view this joyous event on TV and join the graduates as they celebrate and receive recognition for their academic achievements.

Ali Nazim Sir, A True Maldivian Hero

Ali Nazim (Second from right) with the BIT Batches 1 and 2 of Villa College, and Adhil sir and Leela miss.

Ali Nazim sir, the Principal of Hiriyaa School in Maldives, is one of the five who was martyred by drowning with four of his students, at K. Atoll Huraa this morning, during a Fisheries Science trip.

He had also been our beloved lecturer at Villa College. He taught several modules for the OUM affiliated Degree Programmes, including English for Oral, Written, etc. Communications and other Education related modules at Villa College.

More than a lecturer, he had been a friend and a fellow coffee buddy. Almost always, we saw him smiling, always waiting for a good laugh. We have lost a very special person and the best lecturer we ever had, and will never be able to fill the void that has been left behind.

According to several reports, Ali Nazim sir single-handedly tried to rescue several drowning students, and was able to save the lives of four of them, making him a true Hero. He died while trying to rescue the rest of the students.

We deeply respect and love Ali Nazim sir. He was a huge asset for this country and is a True Maldivian Hero. We, the students of Villa College, send heartfelt condolences to his family, and pray that he receive eternal peace and blessings in heaven. May Allah give strength to the family of Ali Nazim sir and provide them with courage in these hard times.

Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Raaji-oon. May Allah Subhanahu Watha’Aala grant him the highest place in Jannat. Ali Nazim Sir, you’ve left us precious memories, your wise words will be our guide, Deep in our hearts you will always stay, Loved and remembered every day.

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Congratulations to those of us who have successfully completed their OUM Degree course at Villa College.

Class Timetables for May 2011 Trimester (UPDATED 19/05/11)

Click Here to View

Official Timetables are uploaded at Villa College Website Download Section.

Access BEEA Modules for May 2011 Trimester

Update: PDF files of some modules below as well as their Past Papers are now in our Dropbox share. To access these files, Join Our Shared folders at Dropbox. Comment in this post to request more PDF files.

In order to view and download the Modules, Log into your account at http://www.oum.edu.my, and click any of the links below: