Categories
Mobile Apps Wearables

Consumers Want Watches with Some Brains

It’s that time of the year again.  The time when everyone realizes they should have probably said no to the second helping of dessert at their office/family holiday party.  With the guilt of the holiday diet comes the motivation to be fit, and this shows with the recent survey conducted by The Consumer Technology Association.

The survey was comprised of 1,001 U.S. Internet users and 74% of respondents said they intend to purchase a health or fitness tracker within the next year.  Of this group, more than a third (35%) had plans to purchase a smart watch in the next 12 months.  According to eMarketer, usage in wearable technology is growing dramatically with an estimated increase of 60% in the coming year.  The number of U.S. adults that uses wearable technology in 2016 is estimated to be about 63.7 million, up from 39.5 million in 2015.  This can mean big things for smart watches, fitness apps, smart apparel, sleep trackers, and other wearable fitness devices.

To read more about which wearables consumers plan to buy, click here.
 

Categories
Mobile Apps

The Top Mobile Apps of 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, we would like to take a look back at the top mobile apps throughout the year.  After looking at the top trends in smartphone apps and operating systems, Nielsen compiled a list of the top 10 smartphone apps of 2015.  To no one’s surprise, Facebook maintained its dominance with more than 126 million average unique users each month, a growth of 8% from the previous year.  YouTube and Facebook Messenger claimed the number two and number three spots respectively, causing Google to fall from number two the previous year to number four, with around 95 million average unique users per month.

“In third-quarter 2015, a majority of subscribers used Android (53%) and iOS (43%) devices to access their apps.”

To read more about the top mobile apps of 2015 click here.
 

Categories
Mobile Apps

Give the Gift of ‘Appiness This Holiday

If you are a business owner and have yet to buy gifts for your loyal customers/clients or important business partners, do not fret.  There is an app for that!  An increasing number of businesses are turning to mobile applications for their holiday gift giving strategy, and with good reason.  Smartphones have already taken over the world and now the apps on smartphones seem to be accomplishing the same feat.

Paired with either an iTunes or Google Play gift card, a recommended list of mobile apps is a great way to give a unique gift that your customers have not received before.  It is probably a good idea to get to know your clients well enough to be able to recommend a few specific apps that will appeal to their interests.  But, even if you do not know your customers that well, you can still give personalized apps by recommending ones that are relevant for their company's industry.

This is a great way to show appreciation to your customers, as well as partners, during the holiday season while avoiding the impersonal touch of gift cards only.  A personalized message and a recommended list will show your clients that you really care and did not just slap something together in the last moments.

To read more about the perfect holiday gift this season on PC Mag, click here.

Categories
Mobile Apps

Give the Gift of 'Appiness This Holiday

If you are a business owner and have yet to buy gifts for your loyal customers/clients or important business partners, do not fret.  There is an app for that!  An increasing number of businesses are turning to mobile applications for their holiday gift giving strategy, and with good reason.  Smartphones have already taken over the world and now the apps on smartphones seem to be accomplishing the same feat.

Paired with either an iTunes or Google Play gift card, a recommended list of mobile apps is a great way to give a unique gift that your customers have not received before.  It is probably a good idea to get to know your clients well enough to be able to recommend a few specific apps that will appeal to their interests.  But, even if you do not know your customers that well, you can still give personalized apps by recommending ones that are relevant for their company's industry.

This is a great way to show appreciation to your customers, as well as partners, during the holiday season while avoiding the impersonal touch of gift cards only.  A personalized message and a recommended list will show your clients that you really care and did not just slap something together in the last moments.

To read more about the perfect holiday gift this season on PC Mag, click here.

Categories
Uncategorized

Nothing like a Good Comeback!

Nokia may be looking to make a comeback to the mobile phone market. According to USA Today, just last year, Nokia finalized a deal to sell its device and handset business to Microsoft for a whopping $7 billion.

Since the company made the deal with Microsoft, Nokia will be at a stand still when it comes to re-entering the mobile phone space…for now.  Per their agreement, Nokia will be able to get back into it near the end of 2016.

As of right now, Nokia is focused more on mobile networking and other technologies, and returning to the mobile phone industry will require a brand new approach. Nokia was a leader in the market until the emergence of smart phones and companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung.

It will be interesting to see Nokia re-enter the market, and what new approaches they will take to be successful in the mobile space.

Categories
Mobile Apps

“Your Kids Will Not Know What Money Is”

As soon as 2016, Apple is reported to be coming out with person-to-person mobile payments. With this, there is no question that Apple is looking to be the powerhouse and leader of mobile payment technology.

The system would be just like PayPal's Venmo, except with the convenience of being a part of your Apple device. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company has been in contact with a plethora of banks regarding the possibility of this new feature.

Apple is definitely looking to get ahead when it comes to getting away from using paper cash and it is very clear that Apple is looking for Apple Pay to be the “go to” option for mobile payments. Adding this new person-to-person feature is a smart move in growing its functionality. Apple's CEO Tim Cook spoke to a group of students in Ireland earlier this week, saying: “Your kids will not know what money is”.

(Source: Mashable)

 

 

Categories
Mobile Apps

"Your Kids Will Not Know What Money Is"

As soon as 2016, Apple is reported to be coming out with person-to-person mobile payments. With this, there is no question that Apple is looking to be the powerhouse and leader of mobile payment technology.

The system would be just like PayPal's Venmo, except with the convenience of being a part of your Apple device. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company has been in contact with a plethora of banks regarding the possibility of this new feature.

Apple is definitely looking to get ahead when it comes to getting away from using paper cash and it is very clear that Apple is looking for Apple Pay to be the “go to” option for mobile payments. Adding this new person-to-person feature is a smart move in growing its functionality. Apple's CEO Tim Cook spoke to a group of students in Ireland earlier this week, saying: “Your kids will not know what money is”.

(Source: Mashable)

 

 

Categories
Mobile Apps

Feature Creep

By: Bob Kernen

No, it’s not the latest horror movie thriller. It’s much scarier than that.

It seems that nearly all of our clients are in the midst of launching apps, websites and other new digital initiatives. This is great news as our industry really needs to keep moving the digital ball forward. Of course change is hard – both for us and our audiences. Our collective goal should be to improve our digital products without being scary to our audience. Give them something new and better without depriving them of the familiar. It’s hard.

Frequently, media companies get so excited about the opportunity to improve their product that they feel compelled to cram their digital products with more and more new stuff – feature creep. The result is often a confused and disappointed audience.

A good way to avoid this is to adopt a concept from the software world called “MVP” or minimum viable product. This concept asks product designers to determine the simplest version of the product required to satisfy the audience and focus on that. It’s a good guideline for anyone in the media space.

When I worked for Martha Stewart, we didn’t launch anything until Martha herself anointed it perfect.  This makes sense if it’s a bowl to be sent to China and have ten thousand copies return months later. But in the digital realm where a product can be launched, iterated and launched again, Mark Zuckerberg’s mantra holds sway: “Done is better than perfect.”

Mobile apps and websites provide such an immediate feedback loop that you’re much better off putting it out, getting feedback and improving it. That outside feedback is far more useful than your staff sitting in a conference room worrying it to death.

The other advantage of the “MVP” approach is that you can focus on your product’s most important features and get your users accustomed to them before beginning to roll out additional capabilities. There’s no point overwhelming your listeners with a lot of bells and whistles. It just makes it harder to tout what’s great about your new product. Let them have the most important features first, get used to them, and then add new things.

Besides, it’s hard to let your audience know about a long list of new features. Why not leave yourself something to talk about next month (or next quarter). The pattern we see in app downloads is an initial rush of downloads (those super-P1s), then much less activity. So going back to your audience in three months with something new gives you another chance to encourage both new downloads and more use of your app by existing users.

So when you think about your launch plan keep these three simple rules in mind:
• Keep the initial product simple and don’t worry it too much
• Listen to user feedback carefully and work it into your on-going plan
• Offer new stuff regularly to keep interest strong and appeal to new user groups.

Categories
Mobile Apps

Nobody Likes a Cold Car in the Morning!

Since our DASH Conference a few weeks ago, we have been buzzing about mobile and car connectivity.

Mobile is a progressive platform that is always changing. We hear about new and innovative technologies revolving around mobile almost daily. This is music to our ears, and opens up a lot of new doors (literally) for individuals and businesses alike.

According to Mashable, Ford’s new SYNC Connect app will let you start your car remotely. As a company based in Michigan where the weather gets brutal in the winter time, we think that is pretty awesome. The new app is being debuted with the new 2017 Ford Escape. Along with the remote start feature, the app also has features that will lock and unlock the car, and monitor the car’s oil, fuel, and battery.

Although this is currently only available with the new Escape, we should expect to see more of this technology from Ford as time goes on.