Posts in iPhone

We’ve Updated our iPhone App!

posted by on Jun 12, 2013 Leave a comment

We are pleased to announce the launch of Kijiji Local Classifieds iPhone app, version 3.3!
New features in version 3.3:

  • Search for free stuff! Hunt for bargains on the go by browsing the free stuff category.
  • Purchase features! We’ve now added the capability to buy top ads, urgent, and highlight in addition to bumping up via the app. Credit card information can be saved securely, and features can be purchased with just a couple clicks.
Purchase More Features on the Kijiji iPhone app 3.3!

Purchase More Features on the Kijiji iPhone app 3.3!

  • Gallery view! Get a more visual experience of categories by browsing pictures using the new gallery view.
Browse with gallery view, and see ad features in version 3.3!

Browse with gallery view, and see ad features in version 3.3!

 

  • Updated browsing: view featured ads, such as top ads, urgent and highlighted ads.
  • Bug fixes.

We’re excited to introduce all these new features in our iPhone app! What other features are you hoping for in future releases?

Categories: iPhone, Site Updates + Improvements

Kijiji Local Classifieds is an all time Top Free iPhone App in Canada (number 9, to be exact!)

posted by on May 13, 2013 Leave a comment

The App Store is approaching 50 billion downloads, and in honor of this, has released the charts of the all-time top paid and free applications. We are excited to announce that Kijiji Canada’s app is number 9 on their list of top free apps in Canada! You can check out the full list of top iPhone applications here.

Thank you to all of the users of the app who have helped us achieve this – we couldn’t have done it without your support! What would you like to see in future app releases?

Browse, Post, and Manage your Classified Ads with the Free Kijiji iPhone App

Browse, Post, and Manage your Classified Ads with the Free Kijiji iPhone App

Categories: Awesomesauce, iPhone

We’ve updated our mobile apps!

posted by on Apr 17, 2013 Leave a comment

Now, you can bump up your ad on the go using both our Android and iOS apps! Log into My Kijiji, click on any of your ads, and tap the Bump Up icon. After that, just enter your credit card details (you can also save them for a faster process next time), click on Place Order, and voila! Your ad has been bumped.

Bumping up an ad moves it to the beginning of the category by resetting the post date, so it appears to be freshly posted. You can now also view the rank of your ad in its category, as well as the number of visits.

Get the Kijiji app for iPhone on iTunes

The updated free Kijiji iOS app

Get the Kijiji app for Android on Google Play

The updated free Kijiji Android app

Let us know what you think! Are there any other features you would love to see added to future releases?

Categories: Android, iPhone, Site Updates + Improvements

Guest Blog: Reusing Electronics for the greater good

posted by on Oct 15, 2012 3 Comments

Remember the days when you bought a gadget and it stayed with you for years? Doesn’t seem like so long ago does it?

The life cycle of electronics is getting shorter every year; you might think that devices left behind for newer, shinier gizmos are obsolete. Chances are, it probably isn’t. And by trying to sell it, you’d be doing yourself, the buyer and the environment each a favour. It’s not often you can kill three birds with one stone.

There doesn’t appear to be a definitive number, but some electronics’ recyclers estimate that Canadians dump as much as 300,000 tons of e-waste to landfills every year. Smartphones, computers, iPods, old DVD players, and many other product categories can contain metals and other materials that are harmful to the environment.

Recognizing this, Kijiji Canada committed to a donation of $1 to Evergreen Canada for every smartphone sold on the site during the launch of the iPhone5 and rapidly reached its goal of $10,000.

This kind of commerce around the iPhone is a clear indication of what I mentioned above regarding life cycles of electronics. A MacBook Air from three years ago may not be good enough for a self-described “power user,” but the average person might find plenty of life still left in it. The same goes for other smartphones, tablets, computers, cameras, headphones, Blu-ray players and flat-panel TVs.

Of these categories, smartphones are probably the device with the highest turnover. The reason why is obvious. New models appear on the market every few months, and over only the last six years, the average length of ownership has plummeted from two to three years down to  just 12 months or less. The rate of advancement and sophistication in new models is growing faster than some consumers can manage. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of buyers and sellers on Kijiji looking to make a deal.

It’s a cliché, but one person’s trash is another’s treasure, and that can’t be any truer with electronics. That old turntable set might be useless to you, but not to someone who loves vinyl. A film SLR camera might seem like a relic, but not to a photographer who likes to shoot with them for fun. And an iPod nano from four years ago might seem pointless to sell for $30 – $40, but it’s worth it if it keeps the device out of a landfill and lets a buyer listen to music without breaking the bank.

Even phone and electronic cases and accessories are a good example of how selling for low amounts can still make sense if you have something that is in good condition and not easy to find anymore. Price, scarcity and compatibility — those are pillars of resale.

So, if you are in the market to sell or buy used electronics, what are the Top 3 categories you should look for?

Smartphones and tablets

 

This is a no-brainer based on the sheer number of devices posted on Kijiji. You don’t have to lock into a contract with a carrier if you can buy a good condition phone used and unlocked. And you don’t have to have the latest tablet if a used one that still functions perfectly suits your needs and the cost is reasonable. A phone or tablet, first and foremost, needs to be functional and perform consistently well. There are a lot of those on Kijiji right now.

Here’s an example: The Galaxy Nexus came out in Canada in December last year, and yet, it’s arguably been dethroned as many as three times as a top Android smartphone. Even so, the phone is still very capable and offers great performance and features. The phone can be found in excellent condition for $300 or less on Kijiji.ca. This is a perfect example of a phone that is nowhere near obsolete being sold on Kijiji’s open market for a more affordable price than some other premium handsets.

Laptops

Speaking of functional, a laptop is usually about productivity, especially if you need them for school or work. But can you trust buying a used laptop? How good is the battery life? Will the thing fry after a month?

All of these are valid questions and ones that require you doing some research. Was there a particular part of the laptop that caused people problems? Do a search online and find out. The buyer should also be forthcoming on what he or she did with it and why they’re selling it. Specs can be a confusing mess of numbers, so recruit a tech-savvy friend to help translate them in real terms.

TV and home entertainment

This is a broader category because of what it includes. Anything from flat-panel TVs to media players, Blu-ray or Harmony One universal remotes apply. The thing about TVs is that consumers with money and space are looking to go bigger, leaving smaller sizes ready to go on Kijiji for great deals. And by smaller, these could be 42-inch sets that are perfect for small living spaces or bedrooms.

The same goes for the products that support a TV environment. Media players are great for playing content you have or stuff you stream from online. Apple TV, Boxee Box, Asus O!Play, Roku XS — look for these on Kijiji. Some of the products in this category could be as much as three years old, but can be kept up to date with firmware updates, so keep that in mind when looking for something in this category.

 

Bio: Ted Kritsonis  is a respected reporter, editor and TV personality who covers the high-tech industry and specializes in consumer electronics, gadgets, video games, industry trends and Internet and online developments. He is based in Toronto.

 

Categories: Android, Guest Post, iPhone

Guest Post: The iPhone 5 has arrived

posted by on Sep 21, 2012 2 Comments

Here we are.

The iPhone 5 officially launches today and the hype leading up to it has now turned into anticipation for actually getting the device in hand to play with. People have pre-ordered and lined up — if that sounds familiar, that’s because it happens with each iPhone launch.

 

Line up at the Toronto Eaton Centre

This is one of the biggest device launches of the year, and the pre-order numbers (over 2 million in just the first 24 hours) seem to indicate that. It’s stating the obvious that consumers want to get their hands on Apple’s latest handset, and there may even be some who would like to get one of the models that came before it.

In my previous post, I outlined what the iPhone 5 has to offer and included some tips on selling and buying an iPhone on Kijiji. And with the focus centred on the newest iPhone, the preceding models kind of get lost in the shuffle. Still, just because there’s a new iPhone hitting the market, it doesn’t mean there’s no demand for the iPhone 4S, or even the 4.

Only two days ago, Apple released iOS 6, the latest update to the iPhone’s operating system. Over 200 new features (though many will fly under the radar) are part of the rollout, and older iPhones as far back as the 3GS are supported. That means that a lot of these features will be relevant to the iPhone 4S and 4, and in effect, make those handsets better, too.

So, what are they? Well, the new Maps app developed by Apple now replaces Google Maps, so you can get spoken turn-by-turn directions, for driving, cycling or as a pedestrian. It’s true that this new app has gotten some negative press so far because of various kinks, but these can be fixed with software updates, so you will have to be patient and muddle through the inconsistencies for now. There’s no Google Maps app in the App Store, but you can still access it through a mobile browser and save a bookmark to your home screen. That’s a quick fix to at least keep your options open.

You also get a Canadianized Siri voice assistant to search for local places or ask for information. Find a restaurant you want and make a reservation straight from within the app. You can even ask it for the score in whatever sports game you want. Naturally, because the technology behind Siri was only made available on the 4S, you won’t get any of this on the iPhone 4. Keep that in mind in case you like the idea of having an assistant.

Passbook is designed to be a repository for everything from movie tickets to your airline boarding pass. You can also keep store loyalty cards and coupons in there, too. It’s still pretty barebones right now, but it’s early and will take time to get retailers and airlines to jump on board.

Facebook and Twitter integration is much improved, letting you even update your Facebook status by voicing it through Siri. Snap a photo and you can upload it to either site with a tap. Facebook, in particular, is pretty much tied into every core iOS app, so you’ll be seeing plenty of the social network here.

Other things include FaceTime video chatting over a cellular connection, sharing Photo Streams with friends, auto-replying with a message when you decline a call and creating panoramas with the Camera app.

There are more features, of course, but the point is that there is an iPhone on Kijiji in your budget range. If you can’t necessarily dish out the money for an iPhone 5, or you prefer to start with a slightly older model in the 4S, you have options.

Sure, the hardware is obviously not the same, and you will have a smaller screen than the average smartphone out there now, but you will still get the best iOS has to offer. That counts for something, especially considering that you can scour Kijiji’s iPhone landing page for an affordable iPhone of your choice.

Some sellers might even sweeten the deal a little bit by adding a case or other accessories to give you some added value. And if they don’t, finding sellers with accessories won’t be hard at all. Do a search and you’ll see for yourself.

Now, because you’re likely to buy an iPhone 4S or 4 used, there are some things you might want to consider or look out for when scouring the site:

-       Do your research so you know what iOS 6 features will and won’t work, depending on which previous iPhone model you’re looking at. Read the fine print on Apple’s site here.

-       Always, always, always consider the internal storage size of the phone you want to buy. You might think 16GB is good for you, but if you’re an app junkie or you have a ton of music, that space will fill up fast. Contrarily, don’t go for a 64GB model if you don’t plan on downloading a lot of apps or storing it with a ton of your own content.

-       Good photos from the seller matter even more in these cases because you don’t get to touch the merchandise as the buyer. Don’t be shy in asking questions that give you a better sense of what the usage was like, and what imperfections the phone might have.

-       As a seller, be descriptive and honest in appraising your iPhone. The most important blemishes that hurt your chances are ones on the screen. A flawless screen with a signs of wear on the back is not necessarily a bad thing, but be clear about that and take photos to back up your assessment. Buyers will appreciate the honesty.

-       If you are selling accessories with the phone, a group shot with the items flanking the phone is always a good idea. Links to the products on the Web is also great at offering resources to back up your value proposition

-       It doesn’t hurt to ask the seller if he or she would be willing to unlock the phone for you in advance (in case it’s locked to a specific carrier in the description), but prepare yourself in case you have to go about doing it on your own.

The good news is that it’s both a seller’s and buyer’s market when it comes to Apple’s iconic phone. The supply is obviously there with all the postings people put up, and the demand never seems to cease. Join in and you can probably benefit from the iPhone-inspired commerce on Kijiji right now.

 

Bio: Ted Kritsonis  is a respected reporter, editor and TV personality who covers the high-tech industry and specializes in consumer electronics, gadgets, video games, industry trends and Internet and online developments. He is based in Toronto.

Categories: iPhone