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With 2.5 billion smartphone users worldwide and the average user spending five hours per day on their device, it’s fair to say that smartphone usage might be getting out of hand. It’s particularly unsettling when you consider that extended smartphone use has been linked to insomnia, depression, headaches, anxiety, stress, poor eye health, back problems, and a wide range of other ailments.

While Apple would have you believe that its fancy new features are the only way to cut back on smartphone use, there are plenty of strategies, adjustments, and apps you can utilize to make sure you stay off your device for long enough to fall asleep at night.

Strategies to Limit Smartphone Use

The best way to limit your smartphone use is to focus on yourself. After all, relying on your smartphone to help you cut back on smartphone use is kind of like buying a chocolate cake to help you lose weight. Use these personal strategies to limit your phone use, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier life.

Wake Up First

Using a smartphone first thing in the morning has become painfully commonplace. Most people haven’t even gotten out of bed before finding themselves neck-deep in a Facebook argument, a Twitter thread, or a chain of emails from work. And this habit is perhaps one of the worst signs of smartphone addiction.

If you want cut back on smartphone use, you need to get through your morning routine without picking up your device. Wake up, brush your teeth, have breakfast, and then pick up your phone. Otherwise your entire day will be defined by those first screen-filled moments.

Store Your Smartphone Elsewhere

Having your smartphone in your pocket all day can make it pretty hard to cut back on usage. Fortunately, there are plenty of other phone-shaped locations where you can store your smartphone until you need it.

Bags, purses, lockers, drawers, file cabinets, impenetrable safes, and even just slightly out of reach are all great places to put your phone to curb your addiction. Just make sure it’s out of sight so you can’t see those pesky notifications.

Phone a Friend

Kicking a bad habit is hard, particularly when you’re doing it on your own. Luckily, having a good friend can make putting down that smartphone a whole lot easier.

When it comes to your smartphone addiction, asking friends to manage your usage is not only an acceptable idea, it’s a downright good one! Whether it’s at meals, social events, or in your living room, simply ask your friends to hold on to your device for you, or even just make them yell at your when you go to check your feed.

Smartphone Adjustments to Limit Smartphone Use

Utilizing personal strategies to limit phone use is great, but relying on self-control to squelch your smartphone addiction is far from easy. If you really want to make a difference, these smartphone features should make putting your phone down a little bit easier.

Disable Notifications

With notifications from apps like Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter blowing up your phone all day, it’s pretty hard to ignore your smartphone at any given moment. All that vibrating and ringing that notifies you of all the exciting stuff happening on the internet can be pretty distracting. But there is a better way.

Disabling notifications is as easy as a few clicks and you’ll be on your way to a less smartphone-filled life. Plus, disabling notifications saves battery, so you’ll have your smartphone for when you really need it.

Do Not Disturb Mode

When disabled notifications don’t do the trick, busting out the big guns can keep your phone absolutely silent throughout the day.

Do Not Disturb mode, which is found on most modern smartphones, allows you to completely forego any and all notifications that could possibly get through to you. Just turn on Do Not Disturb, and your smartphone temptations will be put to rest.

Apps That Limit Smartphone Use

Getting a little outside help on managing your smartphone use is always a good idea. Fortunately, there are dozens of apps out there designed to make sure you don’t use your smartphone too much.

Checky

This app is all about data. By tracking your smartphone usage, Checky allows you to get a better picture of how often you’re actually using your smartphone from day to day. It even tracks how often you unlock your smartphone, making it a great tool to manage your progress as you get better.

Flipd

This app is a little more hands-on when it comes to managing your smartphone usage. By blocking certain apps for set periods of time, Flipd helps you stay present during your everyday life. Plus, it connects you with other people trying to stay off their phones through “communities,” and everything is easier when you have a friend to do it with.

Forest

This app takes gamification of smartphone addiction to a new level. Forest asks users to “plant a seed” every time they want to stay off their phone. As long as they don’t leave the app to open Facebook, play a game, or engage in other smartphone activity, the tree will grow.

If they do leave the app however, the tree will die. It’s a bit dramatic, particularly if you’re a conservationist. But hey, nipping smartphone addiction in the bud is an important issue that needs fixing.

Read more about managing smartphone addiction on TechCo

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The pick of the bunch is the Nokia 5.1 – something of a mid-range handset, but with a low price point. It’ll cost around $219 when it goes on sale in July, but packs in some features normally reserved for premium phones.

All the phones are ready for Android Oreo, the eight-generation version of Google’s mobile operating system. The 5.1 and 3.1 are also designed as Android One phones (the bone-stock version of Android) and the 2.1 will use Android Go, a stripped-back version of Android designed for low-powered, cheap phones. According to Nokia they’ll all offer “large screens, enhanced performance… and stunning designs”.

Reading between the lines of the marketing spiel, it looks like Nokia is really looking to emulate the premium features and feel of its 8 Sirocco phone on cheaper devices, without sacrificing the quality. All too often, budget and even mid-range phones simply lack basic polish – low-res screens, slack design and poor materials, but Nokia seems to be trying to find a way around it. And it’s great news for everyday consumers seeking good features at fair prices.

More on this – Can Nokia Still Succeed in the Smartphones Market?

Nokia 5.1

The Nokia 5.1 comes with an 18:9 aspect ratio display, giving it the now customary tall and thin design of phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S9. The screen itself is 5.5-inches across the diagonal and features a Full HD+ resolution. This makes it 0.3-inches bigger than its 2017 predecessor, the 5, and offers an improved resolution from 1280×720 to roughly 1920×1080.

The phone also has a 73.1% screen-to-body ratio. While that’s not the kind of edge-to-edge display you’d get from a premium Samsung phone, it’s impressive stuff for a sub-$250 handset.

Decent Processor

The Nokia 5.1 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P18 processor. Again it’s nothing to be too excited about, most MediaTek chips are slower than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or even 820 (pretty much the go-to choice for mid-range to premium phone processors). However, Nokia does say that it should be 40% faster than the phone it replaces, which is nothing to sniff at.

Improved Camera

The 16Mp camera is again, an improvement on the 12MP shooter offered on the 2017 Nokia 5 model this replaces. The Finnish brand said that the 5.1 will feature a “wide-angle front camera” with an 8MP sensor – nothing special, but it should be more than adequate for the odd selfie.

Fingerprint Sensor and Google Pay

The fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back of the phone, like nearly all Android phones, and can be found underneath the camera housing. The 5.1 will also feature Google Pay for contactless transactions.

You’ll have a choice of two colours and two memory/storage configurations at launch: Copper or Tempered Blue, and 2GB/16GB or 3GB/32GB. We’d opt for the 3/32GB version. The 5.1 will also be available in Black a few weeks after launch.

Nokia 3.1

For all the premium features of the 5.1, the Nokia 3.1 is the phone that really matters for Nokia. Its predecessor, the Nokia 3, was the most successful phone in Nokia’s line-up and a big part of its recent resurgence in the smartphones market.

The 3.1 has an 18:9 aspect ratio display (just like the 5.1), but it’s smaller than the Nokia 5.1, at 5.2-inches diagonally, and has a less detailed 1440×720 HD+ resolution. The 3.1 screen is still a little larger and more detailed than the older Nokia 3’s, however.

The Nokia 3.1 features a 13MP rear camera with autofocus. It can record 720p videos at 30 frames per second. Round the front, you’ll find an 8MP camera, although Nokia didn’t mention any wide-angle abilities for the 3.1.

The phone will land on shelves in June and you’ll have a choice of three colours: Blue/Copper, Black/Chrome or White/Iron as well as two choices of memory/storage: 2GB/16GB or 3GB/32GB. Again, we’d probably opt for the 3GB/32GB version, depending on the price.

Nokia 2.1

While the 2.1 is the baby of the range, it has a bigger screen than the 3.1, at 5.5-inches. It also packs in an enormous 4,000mAh battery. The iPhone X, for reference, has a 2,716mAh battery and Samsung’s Galaxy S9 has a 3,000mAh unit.

While the screen is big, the resolution detail is low. It’s 1280×720, which means it won’t look particularly sharp by today’s standards, despite Nokia’s assertion that the 2.1 is great for watching videos on-the-go. Still, if its dual speakers are halfway decent, videos shouldn’t sound too bad.

Processor Claims

The 2.1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, which Nokia claims will make it “50% faster and smoother” than its predecessor. But, if we’re honest,  it’s unlikely that the 2.1 will be anywhere near the speeds you’d get from a high-end Apple, Samsung or OnePlus phone.

Android Go

This lack of zip from the processor explains the decision to run the new Android Go operating system on the 2.1. Originally designed to serve the needs of emerging markets with lower purchasing power, it takes up half the space of regular Android Oreo and uses a suite of optimised Google apps to run better on the low-end smartphones. Android Go users will also get access to an exclusive version of the Play Store. All told, it should be a good fit for the Nokia 2.1.

The 2.1 comes with a 5MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera with auto-focus. Again, nothing special, but it should be good for taking the odd picture or two.

If you’re after a cheap, long-lasting smartphone the 2.1 will likely be a good option and it’ll be available in July for $115 in three colours: Blue/Copper, Blue/Silver or Grey/Silver.

Is This the Right Direction for Nokia?

It’s refreshing to see a company making a fuss about phones that might not be particularly exciting at first glance. Not everyone needs a grand’s worth of iPhone, and having a company releasing cheap, but not trashy, device will certainly service an important part of the market.

However, whether it’s a sustainable business model is yet to be seen. Most consumers on both sides of the Atlantic want, and often need, the newest and fastest phones on the market. The Nokia 5.1 – let alone the 3.1 or 2.1 – are certainly not that.

There may be a space for Nokia alongside brands such as OnePlus or Huawei, in producing phones with premium features for mid-range prices. They certainly have a more recognisable brand name to bank on – especially given Huawei’s recent troubles breaking the U.S. market.

Nokia needs to establish its future soon. The brand has had a resurgence over the past two years, but the novelty of Nokia being a player in the phones market again will wear off. The company needs to work out a long-term plan for success – cheap but respectable-spec phones may just be a lifeline for Nokia at this stage.

Read more about mobile trends on TechCo

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App-Based Birth Control

Almost 12 million women in the United States take the pill. Nevertheless, many women, particularly those who live in rural areas, or in states where access to birth control is impeded by legislature, find it difficult to get hold of.

That’s where a whole host of new digital ventures – including Lemonaid, Prjkt Ruby and Nurx – come in handy. These now provide women all over the US with prescriptions, following an online or video consultation. Some will even deliver birth control directly to your door.

For a variety of reasons, many women are increasingly seeking non-hormonal and non-invasive methods of birth control. This is where apps come in again. Clue, Fertility Friend, Kindara, and Glow are just some of the new apps which use data collection and algorithms to give a modern update to an age-old method of birth control – the Fertility Awareness Method.

These apps require women to monitor their basal temperature each day upon waking, because this is said to rise by about 0.3 degrees on the day of ovulation. On the sixth day of the month, when a couple’s risk of getting pregnant is highest, the app will warn them.

Wearable and portable devices are also big news. The Swiss startup Ava, for example, has created a bracelet to be worn at night. It measures nine key physiological areas to work out whether a woman is fertile. While it’s currently aimed at women trying to conceive, the brand hopes to develop the product as a form of contraception. Meanwhile Daysy, a company which has been making personal fertility monitors for 30 years, saw a 129 percent rise in sales between 2016 and 2017.

Natural Cycles

Last year, Swedish company Natural Cycles became the first app to be granted medical approval by the European Union to be used as a contraceptive. It was devised by the Nobel Prize winning physicist Elina Berglund and her husband Raoul Scherwitzl. The app is now used by over 500,000 users in 161 countries, with 100,000 registered users in the US.

Before being authorized for use, Natural Cycles studied over 22,785 women and analyzed 224,563 menstrual cycles – the largest prospective study ever carried out on natural contraception. The results gave Natural Cycles a 99 percent efficacy rating for “perfect use” and 93 percent for typical use, making it almost as reliable as the pill. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks.

“The efficacy of fertility apps is highly dependent on correct usage of the app, but perfect use is very difficult,” says Dr Jane Dickson, VP of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and Consultant.

 

“Anyone who has an irregular cycle – maybe they’ve just had a baby, or they have polycystic ovaries or other hormonal imbalances such as diabetes – should be very careful. Fertility awareness apps have great potential to broaden contraception choice, but at the present it is important to treat apps for contraceptive purposes with caution.”

The app is currently under fire in Sweden, after a hospital reported 37 women who had been using the app became pregnant by mistake. The gathering of this much intimate data also raises questions about privacy, but Natural Cycles CMO Daniel Bromberg is keen to reassure us.

“We take data privacy extremely seriously – and part of being a certified app means that we have several processes in place that ensure we meet the highest standards,” he says. “Since we don’t collaborate with third parties, we don’t share our data and it will never be for sale.”

Ultimately, while more studies of fertility apps have been called for, their growth and popularity represents an important shift in the way we all think about contraception – a shift which is being fueled by technology.

Male Contraception

There have been some encouraging developments in low-hormone, long-acting contraception choices for women in recent years. The Jaydess, for example, is a much thinner than usual three-year coil with a small dosage of hormone in it, while Kyleena, another low-hormone IUD, is set to launch in the UK in the near future. But as many of us start to question if men and women could share responsibility for birth control more equally, male contraception is another a growing area within the tech world.

While we might not be seeing the “male pill” widely used until more research has been done, advances in biotechnology are also driving investigations into various non-hormonal pills for men. A pill derived from Gendarussa, a herb native to Indonesia, has gone through successful human trials, while researchers are working on a so-called “clean sheets pill,” which results, as you had probably guessed, in semen-free ejaculation.

German carpenter Clemens Bimek has even invented an internal valve switch (felt through the skin), which can temporarily turn off the flow of sperm from a man’s testicles. The Bimek SDV has been surgically implanted into a small number of men, including Bimek himself, who is currently still searching for further support.

Remote Control Microchips

One of the most exciting development in contraception and technology could come from Microchips Biotech Inc, a company backed by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Photo: Microchips Biotech

Their team has built a tiny wireless device, only 20 millimeters long, that can be implanted under the skin to last in the body for 16 years. If used as a contraceptive, the chip would slowly release levonorgestrel, a hormone used in some types of the pill and some hormonal IUDs. Users would be able to switch the implant on and off via a remote control, without a visit to a doctors. If the product passes approval, it could be used in the US later this year.

What’s Next?

It’s important to remember that one of the very oldest and most basic methods of birth control – the condom – is still the only widely and easily available method that can prevent against the whole spectrum of STIs. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that technology is going to play a very exciting part in the future of contraception.

“I think technology is the future whichever side you stand on,” says Holly Griggs-Spall, author of Sweetening The Pill (Or How We Got Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control). “For hormonal birth control advocates it will mean, for example, more sophisticated implants and a more diverse range of hormone-based IUDs, and for non-hormonal birth control advocates we will see fertility femtech become more effective, accurate, and integrated into our lives.”

Read more about parental leave trends on TechCo

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With a number of wireless companies announcing plans for a mobile network overhaul, everyone is buzzing about what 5G could mean for the future of the tech world. Because 5G could be the new norm before you know, understanding what it is, when it will launch, who’s behind it, and why it’s important is more valuable than ever before. Fortunately, we’ve answered all those questions for you right here.

What?

5G, which stands for fifth generation mobile network, is the progression of everyone’s current mobile network, 4G LTE. The improvement will see faster speeds, higher capabilities, and will provide the infrastructure necessary for the ever-growing Internet of Things. It will provide data for technology like self-driving cars, improve connections for home internet, and generally advance the connectivity of the entire country. Sounds pretty great, right?!

While it wasn’t necessarily referred to as such back in the day, mobile networks started out at 1G in the early 1990s, eventually expanding to 2G to accommodate the ability to text message between two cell phones. Naturally, 3G came next, giving phones the ability to access the internet. Then came 4G, which improved internet capabilities on phones, most notably the ability to download files without crashing. Today, most cellular devices run on 4G LTE, providing impressive speeds and seamless browsing, as long as you aren’t underground. And while we’ve had 4G for quite some time, the next step in the process could be right around the corner.

When?

Unlike most world-changing technology, 5G doesn’t have a specific release date. Because a roll out relies on wireless companies pulling it off, Verizon users, for example, could have the technology before AT&T users, or vice versa. Despite the lack of consensus across the board, particularly when it comes to a standardized network, companies have been fairly consistent in saying that they plan to roll it out sometime within the next two years.

Considering the numerous applications of an improved mobile network, the journey to 5G has been a long one. While plans to develop the evolved wireless system have been widely talked about, this is the first time a solid release timeline has been announced. Is it all hype? Or will our phones be running faster than ever before the end of the year? It all depends on who’s behind the curtain.

Who?

Wireless companies have been trying to get 5G out there for years, and it’s looking like it might finally happen. But depending on who you ask, the timeline can be a lot different.

Verizon

As the nation’s largest wireless company on the list, Verizon is likely the front-runner to have (or at least test out) 5G first. After announcing the concentrated effort at CES, the company has reiterated that they plan to build out the infrastructure now, before a standard has been established, so that they are ready when the final shoe drops. And that could mean some serious upgrades for their customers.

“[Verizon is] very comfortable with being able to deliver a gigabit of service to everyone that we’re providing service to,” said Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon, in a conference call reported by VentureBeat.

AT&T

The country’s second largest wireless company is apparently more than happy with their silver medal finish, as they plan to launch 5G in 2018 as well, although reports have suggested it will be much later in the year. AT&T’s service, as they mention in a press release, will be entirely based on the industry standard, which could be what is slowing them down right off the bat. However, they’re working diligently to launch the new and improved mobile network for customers and businesses alike.

“We’re moving quickly to begin deploying mobile 5G this year and start unlocking the future of connectivity for consumers and businesses,” said Melissa Arnoldi, president, AT&T Technology and Operations in a press release.

T-Mobile

While the big dogs fight it out, T-Mobile has taken a more conservative route when it comes to rolling out 5G for their customers. Despite AT&T and Verizon making bold claims that 2018 is the year of 5G, T-Mobile is managing expectations by holding strong at their prediction that it will be available in 2019, with nationwide coverage established by 2020. Neville Ray, CTO of T-Mobile, explained that in a blog post, along with a few choice words for their competitors.

“AT&T breathlessly announced they’ll launch 5G in 2018 – with zero details. (Of course, AT&T already launched “5G Evolution” – aka #Fake5G last year),” he wrote.

 

“Never one to be left behind when the BS train is leaving the station, Verizon jumped on board and declared they’d be first – and doubled down on their commitment to launch a pre-standards fixed wireless 5G offering in late 2018. Why does it matter that Verizon doesn’t use 5G industry standards? Well, it won’t scale and won’t work with the vast majority of 5G smartphones that will come to market, which will be standards based.”

Sprint

Sprint is even less anxious to enter the fray of this battle for mobile network supremacy, as they have merely announced plans to develop technologies for 5G, with a projected launch date of late 2019. Along with parent company SoftBank and Qualcomm, they plan to use their “3GPP New Radio (NR) standard in Band 41 (2.5GHz) for accelerated wide-scale 5G deployments.”

Very few details have been revealed about Sprint’s plans, and that speaks much more to their slow-going plan than any quote possibly could. With no testing plans on the books and their competitors in full swing, who knows where Sprint will end up in the fight for 5G.

Why?

This question should have pretty much answered itself by now. In addition to providing the stability needed to effectively support the projected 20.8 million internet-connected devices in 2019, it will also dramatically improve speeds, making a whole bevy of applications possible through the mobile network.

Self-driving cars, immersive virtual reality, realistic augmented reality, smarter artificial intelligence, and more secure smart homes will all be made infinitely more possible thanks to 5G. Public entities, private businesses and everyday consumers could finally enjoy the seamless digital experience we’ve been promised all these years. The future of technology is knocking on our door. Are you ready?

Read about how tech companies are spreading internet to rural America on TechCo 

Photo: Flickr / Kārlis Dambrāns

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I get this question a lot, and it often comes from a shell-shocked CEO or CIO who discovers his five-figure-budget project ends up being six or even seven figures. That’s crazy.

The easiest explanation to the question is that apps are cheap-it’s the engineering and design talent that’s expensive. If you look in the App Store, you’ll see over a million different apps. These were all built by independent developers, yet the bulk of these apps will never earn a penny.

Using Hundreds of Developers

A different set of apps serves as the foundations of million- and billion-dollar businesses. Solo developers typically don’t build these apps; instead they’re built by teams of developers and designers. These teams range in size from nimble three-person teams to large enterprise organizations that employ hundreds of engineers.

Seriously: hundreds of engineers. Facebook, Google, Twitter, FitBit and many other tech giants have teams numbering over 100 people, often all working on a single mobile app. Teams this large aren’t typical, but it is important to understand that there is a lot of work that goes into making products that on the surface, may seem simple.

You might be thinking, “OK, but my project doesn’t need hundreds of engineers.” It’s true that most projects don’t need hundreds of engineers, but most products do need at least a small team of experienced engineers, designers and product people to produce an end product that is competitive and that will generate true business results. It’s common to have between three and 10 people working on a single platform (iOS/Android) app.

The typical timeline for an initial project is often four to six months. Much like building a ship, you’ll end up doing architecture, schematics, design, building and launching.

How to Easily Build Android Apps From Scratch

Doing the Math

At this point, the math is pretty simple. Labor costs are the No. 1 driver of the cost of your final product. Look up the salaries of top developers and designers in your region, and you’ll likely uncover an annual range of anywhere from $60,000 to $150,000 for most of the roles. Multiply your average salary by team size to determine your annualized product design and development costs.

Your annualized costs are often a good reflection of the true costs of building a product. Even if the initial version of the product takes three months and not six months, it’s common for product teams to continue to improve the product and further drive revenue and key metrics for the core business.

Driving core metrics of the business is the reason why the companies have the larger product and engineering teams. An improvement of one-tenth of one percent is still a million dollars in the upside. Larger businesses are simultaneously driving multiple new product feature initiatives that each aim to impact business’s bottom line.

Here’s How to Build iOS Apps in a Week

Deciding Whether to Build or Buy

At this point, you have an annualized expected cost, and you may be considering hiring people and build this in-house or look for a services team. This often comes down to a question of timing and core competencies. For companies that consider themselves to be technically savvy, it may make sense to try to build the technology in-house. The biggest challenge we’ve seen with an in-house strategy is hiring and staffing the appropriate level of engineers and designers to the effort.

For companies that aren’t technically savvy, there’s a second challenge, and that’s retaining talent once you’ve found it. Non-tech companies often experience high turnover when it comes to tech initiatives. This is often due to the fact that the culture and speed of a non-technology company may inhibit tech organizations from getting things done quickly.

Looking for the Best of Both Worlds?

If you want to have your cake and eat it too, there are always options. Based on what I’ve seen, many teams can be successful by using an external team to do the heavy lifting, and a lower cost in-house team to keep the product running year-over-year. In general, you’re trading cost for speed to market. You don’t want to trade on quality of the product.

At the end of the day, I’ve found that it’s about the moving the needle for your business, and finding a team that can deliver is the most important part of growing your business for the mobile generation.

Read more advice on building mobile apps on TechCo 

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How Does It Help Your Customers?

I always ask my clients the following questions when they are not sure if their business needs a mobile app: Would an app bring new customers or help existing customers, would it help increase internal productivity, would it help beat the competition, would I get good ROI? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you should build an app for your business.

– Piyush Jain of SIMpalm

Where Does Your Audience Shop and Research?

If your audience uses their phone to do research, shop for what you offer, or needs to tap into what you offer on the go, then you need to get a mobile app to facilitate these tasks for your customers. Especially if you take a payment from them, then you really should get a mobile app.

– John Rampton of Calendar

What’s the Context of Use?

Think about the “context” of the user. They’re likely on the go, looking for immediate information/action and don’t have time for complicated multi-step experiences. If your business can play to these contextual clues, then an app might be helpful. If, however, your business can’t provide simple and immediate value, then a mobile app is likely not the best tool for engaging with customers.

– Ross Beyeler of Growth Spark

Is There a Niche for It?

With the millions of apps available and being created yearly, consumers are getting tired of having an app for everything. Before investing in an app, consider whether or not this app will provide significant unique functionality. Are there other apps out there that do something similar? Would you be better off having a responsive version of your site? Make sure there’s a niche for your app!

– Marcela De Vivo of Brilliance

Will It Add Value to the Customer Experience?

While it might be neat to have, if it doesn’t really add value for the customer in a way that excites them, then it’s not necessary. For example, if you are in a business where the on-demand concept is hot, you may want to consider adding an app to bring the mobility feature to the process. Also, if you think your customers may be enticed with loyalty programs and coupons, an app works well.

– Murray Newlands of Sighted

Here’s How to Build iOS Apps in a Week

Who Is the App for?

The best apps delight users and empower their professional or social lives. Some of the worst apps exist solely to serve the interests of the company that made them. Ask yourself: Do you want an app to “increase engagement,” bombard users with promotional notifications, or harvest their data? Or do you want an app because you can see the real-world benefit to its future users?

– Vik Patel of Future Hosting

Will It Provide a New Utility?

Begin with usability testing of your mobile site to see if an app will bring value to your most loyal customers. Brands with repeat customers who do very specific repetitive tasks on a mobile site can benefit by creating a seamless app experience with wanted push notifications, in-store beacons, customized offers, reminders and profile management.

– Dan Golden of BFO (Be Found Online)

Can It Be Handled Via the Web?

As CEO of a software company, I hear this question often. Thankfully the filter is straightforward – can what you need be handled via a website? If so, save your investment in an app. Visiting a website is simple, but the inertia of searching an app store, downloading and then actually opening and using an app is so high that it rarely pays off.

– Jeff Jahn of DynamiX

Will the Mobile App Deliver ROI?

Developing a native mobile app can get expensive depending on functionality. However, there are many cost-effective solutions that allow you to create an app without breaking the bank. Mobile apps are a great way to increase customer engagement and loyalty. Over time, that increase in customer engagement and loyalty will translate into an increase in revenue.

– Duran Inci of Optimum7

How to Easily Build Android Apps From Scratch

Has Anyone Asked You to Create a Mobile App?

Questions your team needs to consider as it relates to customers include: Did they tell you they were trying to find you in the app store and couldn’t? Have they complained about your mobile experience or lack thereof? What research have you done to find out how your customers feel about these matters?

– Ismael Wrixen of FE International

Will It Increase Your Sales?

We had an e-commerce client who successfully converted about 1.5 percent of their visitors to paying customers who made at least one purchase. To decide if the business needs a mobile app or not, we tested the market with a simple minimum viable product and saw the conversion rate doubling. When asking yourself is a mobile app required for your business, build a prototype and test the results with your user base.

– Andrey Kudievskiy of Distillery

Will It Be Easier for Customers?

The biggest difference between being on a phone and being on a laptop is screen size. If your business depends on pictures, and customers need to see certain details before making a decision, a mobile app will not be used much. Ask yourself if your business requires a lot of subjective decisions on the customer’s end. If so, don’t do a mobile app. If not, why not try it?

– Adam Mendler of The Veloz Group

Find more tools for building a mobile app at TechCo

The answers above are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

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At least, that’s what a group of academics just figured out. Here’s the lowdown.

The Study

The cheekily titled study, “Exploring ADINT: Using Ad Targeting for Surveillance on a Budget — or — How Alice Can Buy Ads to Track Bob,” will be presented at the Workshop on Privacy in the Electronic Society in Dallas later this month, but the data is out now, and already reported on by Wired.

“The research team used 10 Moto G Android phones for testing, a mobile banner ad they created, and a website that served as the landing page if someone clicked on the ad. Then they spent the minimum $1,000 deposit to place orders with a so-called Demand Side Platform—think Facebook, Google AdWords, MediaMath, Centro, Simpli.fi, and others—that allows ad buyers to specify criteria like where their ad appears, for which unique phone identifiers, and in which apps. (They declined to reveal which specific DSP they tested, arguing that nothing about that platform was more intrusive than many others in the industry.)” Wired explains the study.

The researchers focused on a three-square-mile chunk of the city of Seattle. The results? They found they could track their users to “about 25 feet” whenever that user left an app open in one location for around four minutes, or if they closed and then reopened it while staying in the same location for four minutes.

Yikes. As University of Washington researcher Paul Vines told Wired. “[T]he potential person using this information isn’t some large corporation motivated by profits and constrained by potential lawsuits. It can be a person with relatively small amounts of money and very different motives.”

The moral here seems to be that if you’re going somewhere that you want to keep quiet, you should just leave the smartphone at home like a Luddite.

Read more about your worst security nightmares here at TechCo

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However, outsourced teams can become a source of unexpected costs and quite the handful if you don’t know how to manage them properly. Before you outsource overseas, make sure you’ve addressed these 5 key questions.

Do You Have a Plan?

Before you go down the path of hiring a freelance or an outsourced team, you need to have a clear vision and objectives in mind. Ben Hood, Chief Strategy Officer of GogoApps, said:

“It is critical for companies considering outsourcing to have a plan for what they need before they look for outsourced talent. Outsourcing can be the most effective way to quickly build an engineering team, or to help realize your vision. But you need to bring that vision and a plan to achieve it, or you risk wasting time and money.”

Is the Team Design-Savvy?

When evaluating teams, pay particular attention to their design skills. Having a team that can integrate the latest interface trends will help you create a more user-friendly experience and could impact your bottom line. Anthony Conti, CCO of Software Ops said in an article by TechCo’s Adam Rowe:

“The increased use of AI and bots will change the practice of interface design into the hyper use of interaction design. Micro interactions within the UI will become a highly focused design study. Interaction design is evolving very quickly as brands want to have their product/services in the messaging space.”

If your outsourcers can’t keep up with the latest innovations, your app could quickly fall behind the curve.

Do They Specialize in Your Industry?

A team that is experienced in your industry can save you a lot of headaches during the development phase, especially if your product needs to follow regulations, security, or other strict requirements.

“If possible, find an outsourcing company that has already worked in your industry, so they already have some of the domain knowledge,” Ben said. “It won’t always be possible to find an exact match, but by reviewing their portfolio you can gain insight into how your application could fit in with some of the work they’ve have done in the past.”

How Well Do They Communicate?

Globalization is becoming the norm over the exception, and your outsourced team could live anywhere around the world. Where they are doesn’t really matter, but how well they communicate with you does. Everything from support tickets and updates to bringing on new developers to your project can create potential communication barriers. To ensure seamless communication overseas, make sure the team has a liaison who can communicate fluently in both languages, and that you take the time to “get it in writing.”

“Real-time collaboration platforms like Slack, Google Hangouts, and Skype make it easy to connect with teams halfway around the world. However, to ensure that objectives and instructions are well-defined and understood by all, you might want to be a little more formal with important communications,” Ben said.

 

“For instance, send an email about approving a new engineer, or expanding the scope of the project, instead of just discussing it over a video chat. And, at least when you are first working with a team, it can be helpful to over-communicate so that everyone gets on the same page.”

Will Your Code Be Secure?

Any code developed for your company is your code. Before entering into any outsourcing agreement, make sure that you own all code, understand how it’s protected, and know who has access to it. Always have legal counsel look over any contract to ensure your code is protected before you sign.

“Intellectual property issues are critical to understand before you start working with the outsourcing company. Because you are paying for the development work, you should have exclusive rights to use the code. You should know exactly what you are getting from the developers,” Ben said.

If you are dissatisfied with how long your product is taking to get developed, an outsourced team might be the answer to getting your product built and launched for an affordable price. Complete this form to discover how we can help you build your product, fast, with the results you want.

This article is brought to you in partnership with GogoApps. To find out more about hiring a development team learn more here.

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Xiaomi, the Chinese electronics company headquartered in Beijing, is on the verge of launching their newest smartphone. As the company’s first Android One device, the Xiaomi Mi A1 will run stock Android software without the need for modification. While it won’t be available in the US, you can find the smartphone in 40 different international markets, including Mexico, India, Singapore, and many others.

Marketing a new device, particularly one that could be this popular, can be pretty stressful. Do you spread it around like wildfire or play things close to the chest? Do you leak information ahead of time or keep things a secret to build suspense? Unfortunately, all of these strategies often pale in comparison to the marketing dynasty that Apple has created. So Xiaomi decided that the best way to market their new device was to just compare it to the newest iPhone.

#MiA1 is similar to a DSLR that fits in your pocket with both 12MP Telephoto lens + 12MP Wide Angle lens that is similar to iPhone 7 Plus! pic.twitter.com/r8xQZfDkm4

— Mi (@xiaomi) September 5, 2017

That’s right, Xiaomi is apparently a firm believer in the “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” mentality, as their latest campaign has overtly referenced their competition to make their smartphone appear more attractive. Sure, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has a dual 12-megapixel camera, a 5.5 inch screen, 4GB of RAM, a 3,080mAh battery, a metallic body, and a fingerprint sensor, which is undeniably similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, but that’s not really the point.

Most smartphones are pretty similar, being as they’re internet-enabled, metallic rectangles that house our social media accounts. And while imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, abandoning the competitive nature of smartphone sales by referencing your competition is, in the words of Dodgeball announcer Pepper Brooks, “a bold strategy. Let’s see if it works out for them.”

Read more about mobile devices on TechCo

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Companies are seeing a sharp decrease or complete halt in downloads. Even the biggest app publishers notice growth moving at a snail’s pace. A recent report showed that the top 15 apps exhibited a 20 percent decline year-over-year, accompanied by only a 3 percent growth. Meanwhile, ComScore’s mobile app report indicates that half of smartphone users download zero apps per month.

Still, app development is far from going out of style. In fact, the total number of iOS apps available in Apple’s App Store has reached 2.2 million,  almost double of what it was three years ago.

So, given this huge increase in available apps, what has happened to impede the growth of the once explosive app marketplace?

The App Hype is Over

When Apple first unleashed the famous 2009 tagline, “There’s an app for that,” they meant it. Games, shopping portals, quick reference tools, on-demand music, and social media dominated the app marketplace and saw steady growth as the smartphone rose to power.

But now, smartphones are no longer novel. They’re ubiquitous, and the app hype has worn itself thin. Already satisfied with their current assortment of apps, people don’t tend to search for new ones (that is, unless something game-changing comes along–Uber and Snapchat have both experienced tremendous app growth in the past couple years, more than doubling their user bases in a single year).

Another theory is that there’s no longer just “an app for that;” there are too many apps for everything. With competition riding on the coattails of others’ successes, the app market remains flooded with so many duplicates and spinoff apps that it’s hard to differentiate between the original and its successors. And if any of those similar apps come at a freemium price, you can bet you’ll see your numbers drop.

Engagement, Not Downloads

Still, the trend away from app downloads doesn’t mean you should pull the plug on your app strategy. App growth numbers are only one part of the bigger picture. With the end of the app hype, it’s less important to focus on number of downloads and more important to keep users engaged.

Take Facebook and Amazon as examples. They can’t find many new users; after all, lots of people already have their apps installed. But despite their low app growth, each continues to drive record-breaking app revenue. Why? Because rather than focus on increasing the download rate, they engage existing users with their apps.

While purpose, usability, and design are essential components of successful apps, they still aren’t the entire answer when it comes to app engagement. Even if your app appears interesting, well-designed, and pleasant to use, your users might fail to see its everyday value. And app downloads don’t mean much if your users abandon it after just a few months and nearly 80 percent of them do.

Nearly all app time on smartphones happens within a user’s single most used app. So how can your app become a person’s daily go-to?

Emerging Solutions in Marketing

This is where marketing is key, and a good strategy for maximizing engagement is to market your app to a narrower audience. Rather than try to get as many people as possible to download your app, you can tailor your advertising to a specific type of person. This increases the likelihood that those who do download your app actually use it, as it puts your app directly in the path of the most likely users.

Targeted advertising can be used to encourage app downloads–but it shouldn’t be the only focus. It’s up to app developers, of course, to decide what new features they should add to increase their app’s appeal. But whatever features they choose, they should prioritize a marketing strategy that targets those who’ve already demonstrated potential interest.

A few strategies already serve as creative examples for marketing apps to the right people. Some mobile advertising companies create rewarded video ads which, though optional, incentivize the user to watch with in-app rewards. Rewarded video ads, which are most often situated in mobile games, directly appeal to viewers by employing themes similar to those in the relevant gaming app.

Regardless of your app marketing strategy, the point is that aiming for app downloads is no longer relevant. Instead, you should focus on engaging existing users to ensure that your app doesn’t go neglected. In the over-saturated and continuously growing app market, you do not need a million downloads to achieve success. More does not always mean better.

Read more about mobile app strategies at TechCo

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The news follows Amazon’s own phone release, Fire, which debuted to little success in 2013. With Essential, Amazon is proving that it still wants to keep a toe in the smartphone market.

The Essential Phone Built on Android Launching in “a Few Weeks”

CNBC has the news and has included a few interesting fact about the behind-the-scenes drama prior to the phone’s upcoming arrival.

“The first Essential smartphone was announced in late May and was promised to ship in June but still hasn’t made it to market. Essential hasn’t said when the phone will launch, only noting yet again that it’s due out ‘in a few weeks’ and will be sold by Amazon and Best Buy. It’s not clear why Amazon and Tencent are investing in the company which has had a rocky start, losing its vice president of marketing, head of user experience and head of communications all before the smartphone’s debut.”

Life will be rough for the Essential smartphone once it shows up: It costs $699, relies solely on Sprint, and is entering a smartphone marketplace that is already saturated with the incumbents. In fact, two of those incumbents will be launching flashy new devices in upcoming months: The Galaxy Note 8 will debut later in August, with the new iPhone lineup following. Essential will have a tough time rising above the noise.

Also, as the author of the CNBC piece above noted on Twitter:

“Essential still says it’s ‘a few weeks away’ from shipping new smartphone. Has been saying this since May.”

But that’s just why this news is interesting: Given Amazon’s investment, the Essential phone should have a strong distribution network. Best Buy Co. stores and Amazon.com Inc. will be the phones’ U.S. retail launch partners, as the Wall Street Journal reported. The power of Amazon’s audience can’t be ignored, despite the challenges facing this new phone.

Read more about Amazon acquisitions at TechCo

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The Stats

After the duopoly, Twitter drives the most clicks on mobile and tablet, according to data from media analytics firm Parse.ly reported on by Axios. Twitter got 249.7 million clicks across March and June 2017. But Flipboard was in second place at 79.9 million clicks in the same time period, blowing away far more well-known competition including Yahoo, Google News, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagam.

“Flipboard is becoming one of the biggest drivers of traffic to news stories on mobile,” Axios wrote, “according to exclusive data from media analytics firm Parse.ly, which found that Flipboard’s traffic has been growing steadily, while digital magazine competitors like Pocket and Feedly have plateaued or gone into decline.”

Founded in 2010, Flipboard just recorded its first cash-flow positive month in Feburary, which is what makes this growth impressive. Its simple UX has allowed the mobile app to flourish, Parse.ly CTO Andrew Montalenti noted.

Why It Matters

As social media grows, the amount of links posted has outgrown the number of people that care to click them, and the platform’s algorithms have begun burying more and more of the less-stellar content in order to compensate. On top of that, the open internet is seeing less traffic thanks to the rise of mobile and its app silos.

The result: publishers and marketers are increasingly desperate to find channels that will give them a genuine connection to an engaged audience. Flipboard is already in the top four drivers of mobile traffic, making it prime mobile real estate.

Editor’s Note: You can find TechCo on Flipboard and follow us here. You can also find our CEO Frank Gruber on Flipboard, he makes it a part of his daily routine to curator solid articles from TechCo and beyond into Flipboard magazines focused on Startups, Gear & Gadgets, Entrepreneur, Business, Cryptocurrency, and Startup Accelerators & Incubators. Oh and he has a Chicago Cubs magazine too – because he is a huge fan of the Cubs. If you’re interested in any of these topics, we encourage your follow these magazines. 

Read more tips about maximizing your social media at TechCo

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According to a recent study from SensorTower, the top 10 apps have done some serious shuffle since the first quarter of 2017, and only a few of them will surprise you. For one, WhatsApp remains at the top of the global list, but was overtaken in the Google Play store. However, Facebook was able to claim most of the top five with Messenger and Instagram, a more than apt consolation prize for the social media giant. Much to Facebook’s chagrin however, Snapchat, perhaps they’re most bitter rival, was able to break into the top five globally.

Outside of the top five, there are a number of key takeaways that shouldn’t be ignored. For one, Youtube, despite automatically being downloaded on all Android devices, was still able to break the top ten, as the second most downloaded app in the App Store. Similarly, despite being left off the top ten for each platform, Spotify locked in the number ten spot with relatively large downloads across both platforms, but outside the top ten.

The United States list, however, tells a very different story. With Messenger taking the top spot across the board and Snapchat claiming a notable second place overall and on Google Play, this rivalry may be a lot closer than we thought. Another meaningful takeaway is Uber overtaking Facebook in the Apple Store for the first time in new iOS installs.

If you’re interested in finding out what else is going on in the world of apps, check out the full report here and check back with TechCo for more reports and rankings.

Read more about mobile apps on TechCo

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“The latest iOS 10 beta, iOS 10.3, has a pop-up that informs users using old apps that ‘this app will not work with future versions of iOS,’” reports BGR.

By “old apps”, Apple is referring to apps which still only use a 32-bit processor. Apple has encouraged developers since 2015 to update to a 64-bit processor, but encouragement seems to have given way to a blunt ultimatum. It is possible that when iOS is released later this year, Apple will delete these obsolete apps from its App Store.

Necessary Security or Unnecessary move?

Apple is no stranger to deleting thousands of apps, as it routinely deletes over 10,000 apps per month and launched a November purge which removed over 47,000 apps. But with over 2 million apps on the Apple’s App store, a purge of this size would mean that Apple would lose nearly 10 percent of all of its apps.

However, the likelihood of users taking notice is slim, as all major apps such as Facebook, Twitter, or Uber already are on a 64-bit processor. Apple has given these apps two years to update, which they should have done already. But the challenge which some Apple users will face is that as Joel Shore points out, the largest category of apps still on a 32-bit processor are games. Shore states that 39,000 of the old apps are games, followed by 20,000 educational apps.

Apple is making it easier to pay friends in Messenger

When one considers how many gaming apps are a little more than a beginner coder’s weekend project, this is hardly a surprise. But some games like Peggle Classic, which last updated in July 2014, still have a substantial player base even though they have not updated in years. Fans will face the choice of abandoning those games or apps which do not update or risking their phone’s security by refusing to update to the iOS 11. At the same time, developers will have to figure out whether to spend resources updating a game which they may view as finished or let Apple delete it.

While there will be some casualties from Apple’s decision, the vast majority of apps which still only use a 32-bit processor will not be missed. Furthermore, Apple is giving those obsolete app’s developers plenty of time to update. The iOS 10.3, which had the aforementioned pop-up notifying of this app apocalypse, will not be released for another few weeks and the iOS 11 will probably be released in the fall.

In the nearer future, Apple users should have plenty to tide them over with the upcoming 10.3 update. The update promises new features such as an improved iCloud storage system as well as better frame rates and keyboards. iOS 11 in the future could see updates to Siri, an improved encryption system, and better camera and video modes.

Read more about Apple updates at Tech.Co

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To get the vets back into the community and help them find lifesaving resources, Tech From Vets launched Vets 22, a mobile app that helps save veteran’s lives by engaging with them and introducing them to little-known resources. 

The app was named Vet 22 to commemorate the lives of an average of 22 vets who commit suicide in the United States on a daily basis. Studies show that the average Iraq or Afghan war veteran finds life much more difficult than those who served in the previous wars in Korea and Vietnam.

Vets 22 was launched by former NFL player Drayton Florence and decorated war veteran, Jeff Shuford. Florence played in the NFL for 11 years and had donned the jerseys of San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers, and is now the director of strategic partnerships at Tech From Vets. Shuford, on the other hand, had a heroic military career as he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom when he was just 19 and was later rewarded with a combat action badge.

How Bunker Labs help veterans transition into startup world

Shuford launched Tech From Vets with 20-year Navy veteran Lonnell McCall who serves as vice president of the award-winning tech company. Florence, living a post-NFL life was also willing to do something for the vets and together they built and launched the app.

“The primary objective of the Vets 22 app is to give veterans instant access to resources via a mobile and web application. The Vets 22 app provides veterans access to VA claims assistance, exercise facilities, employment opportunities, housing solutions, discounts, suicide prevention hotlines, members only chat and so much more,” says Florence.

The app was first conceptualized when Florence asked a question to Tech From Vets Public Affairs officer Lieutenant Colonel, Rickey Pope, Army retired, regarding what is being done to help veterans transition into their life after tough years of service in and around the country.

Having the first-hand experience of serving 28 years in the Army, Pope replied that before being discharged from the military, each soldier attends a class on how best to reintegrate into society. But, after the discharge is complete, there are no more classes and the only option the vets have is to engage through their local VA. Florence being an experienced entrepreneur, immediately suggested that Tech From Vets develop an app to help vets adapt to civilian life more effectively.

Read inspirational stories from veteranpreneurs

The free Vets 22 app uses a simple, yet useful interface to help the veterans in their day-to-day functions. The most important of these functions is to stay united and help fellow vets who are suffering from PTSD, and other mental health issues. The platform provides life-saving resources to help veterans and their families in their hour of need and portals for establishing connections and helping the nation’s unsung heroes in transitioning after war.

There are currently close to 34,000 veterans in Jacksonville alone and the military is expected to release more than 250,000 vets per year from its contracts thus creating a visible spike in the already high vet populations.

Read more about incubators for veterans at Tech.Co

Photos via Vets 22 Google Play Store

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We’ve all gone digital, and companies are investing heavily in mobility and the innovative tools that create seamless customer service for their clients. Right now, more and more users are moving from desktop computers to mobile devices, and this is changing the face of business as we know it.

There are some notable statistics in regards to this shift. 63 percent of adults in America use mobile devices several times every month for customer service support. Additionally, 90 percent of adults in America have had poor experiences with customer support on their mobile devices.

How to Serve Mobile Customers in 2017

Mobile customers expect service anytime, anywhere with on-demand access to rich data. You can deliver mobile customer service that allows your customers to solve common problems directly on their mobile devices. The main benefit is that you can trim the fat at your brick and mortar establishments saving you money, while also offering a positive experience for your customers.

Responsive Website

The first step is to make sure your website is responsive and easy to use on all mobile devices. We have seen a massive shift from desktops and laptops to mobile devices. So the only way to grab a share of the market is to create a responsive website.

With a responsive website, mobile and tablet users will have access to your website without losing out on functionality. The great thing about a responsive website is that desktop and laptop users will still be redirected to the desktop version of the website. Your customers will enjoy a seamless experience on the website and this will increase sales and conversions.

Mobile App

Developing a mobile app for your business is another great way to serve your mobile device customers. Businesses all over the world, with different types of product offerings, are all reaping the benefits of having mobile apps.

Companies like Starbucks use their mobile app to offer rewards exclusively to their app users. They also allow payments from the app, which helps speed up their payment processes. Your business should not be left behind. Mobile apps are the way forward for small and large businesses. It will help provide your existing users a better customer experience and creates an avenue for generating leads and conversions.

Mobile Engagement

Now that you’ve got a responsive website and an existing mobile app, your next challenge is engagement. Users expect rich content on their mobile devices, so you better deliver.

According to scientists, the age of smartphones has left humans with much shorter attention spans. If there is any truth in this, then you know that your website or app needs to provide content that is great and engaging for your mobile users.

Mobile Self Service

In the evolving world of mobile apps, a self-service platform to your mobile device users is another way to make life easy. Some aspects of customer service can be carried out by customers themselves, so why waste their time getting a CSR to handle it. No matter the product or service you sell, self-service is here to stay.

Your customers can use their mobile devices to resolve some issues on their accounts, and this will give them a sense of satisfaction knowing that they can resolve their problems on their dashboard. This is a feature that all businesses should build into their applications.

Instant Chat

Instant message software enables real-time communication with customers. With an instant chat feature on your user’s mobile device, customer service issues can be resolved quickly and efficiently.

Most companies have a contact us page. However, this is not considered a fast way of communication for users. To offer a speedy and transparent customer service for mobile device users, consider using a messenger to handle all issues in real-time.

Read more about the rise of mobile here on Tech.Co

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For starters, what does the acronym even mean? It stands for “Short Message Service” which, by itself, provides a short explanation of what it is. The “short” refers to the actual number of characters (letters, number and symbols) that can be sent at a time.

In our standard Latin alphabet, SMS is able to send a maximum of 160 characters at a time. For other languages, such as Chinese, the maximum is only 70 characters. If sending a long text message, the message will have to be broken up into several SMS packets.

The Detailed Explanation

In order to actually understand how SMS works, it is necessary to understand how cellphones work. They are constantly sending and receiving information from and to cellular towers, which is sent and received over a pathway called “control channel.” This tells the phone’s location to the cell tower, and whether it needs to switch to a closer tower.

When we receive an SMS message, it first flows through the Short Message Service Center (SMSC). After this, it is passed on to the tower, which sends this as a packet of data through the control center to your phone. In truth, this packet contains more than just the message being sent. It has more information, such as the sender’s number, the sending time and date, the message’s length, etc.

Unlike instant messaging or email, these packets are actually not sent immediately, but they are held in a store-and-forward service. This means that when a text message packet is sent through the SMSC, the packet is stored there until such a time when the recipient’s cellular device is turned on and within range of a cellular tower.

SMS Has Various Uses

SMS messages are not only for person-to-person texting. They can also be sent to a large number of people at once, a type of messaging known as “broadcasting”. It is often used by companies to notify employees of important news, or by safety authorities in order to notify citizens of impending natural events, or other important news.

As SMS becomes more ingrained in society, many companies are finding new uses for this technology. For instance, many news stations are now allowing people to take polls and comment on current events via SMS. Many social networks are also taking advantage of SMS to contact users, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and others.

As SMS technology becomes more popular, there will be many new uses coming forth in the future. They will integrate this technology into almost any and all phases of our lifestyles. With a basic understanding of this ever-emerging technology under your belt, you are in a position to take advantage of this technology in your business and personal life, perhaps even coming up with your own unique use of this technology.

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From raging lunatics screaming “they cause cancer!” to those claiming “only the rich can buy them,” there are quite a few (unreasonable) myths about smartphones that people latch onto. And some myths are just plain outrageous. Here is a brief list of the most common myths surrounding smartphones.

Myth: You Can Avoid Being Tracked

The first thing that’s important to understand is that unless you’re in a terrorist sleeper cell, or running from the police, law enforcement really has no need or desire to track you.

Unless you’re an Edward Snowden or high-class terrorist who’s committed federal crimes, law enforcement and secret agencies aren’t looking for you. (Although I personally believe Snowden is a hero, lifting the veil on what the U.S. Government was doing to its citizens. I still can’t believe people think he’s a criminal for showing undeniable evidence that the U.S. is a greedy control freak.)

However… that doesn’t suggest that you aren’t being watched. You are. I am, right now, writing this. That’s just plain fact. It’s a reality many people have come to grips with, in every part of the world.

Despite this, the biggest myth involves Airplane mode, and its ability to “magically cloak you.” It doesn’t. Anyone with a satellite can still track you. All Airplane mode does is turn off your Wifi and your phone service.

Same deal with removing the SIM card. Even if you take out the SIM card, the other operating system is still operating – the OS that connects you to your phone.

Myth: Smaller Is Better

If smaller phones were better (as the trend was several years ago), then why are tablets (or silly-termed “phablets,” describing phone tablets) all the rage now?

Because people have grown savvy to the marketing ploy that smaller phones are somehow better. The evidence is there – people prefer bigger screens. Why else do we have 60” plasma TVs in our homes?

I have huge fingers, anyway, and could never come to grips with small devices. They’re ineffective.

Myth: Charging Your Battery Overnight Kills It Long-Term

Because technology advances far more rapidly than humans do, there are devices that don’t die if you charge them overnight. The fact that people still believe this is ludicrous – as it used to be the case that, batteries DID overheat. Not anymore. Those days are gone.

But scenarios where phones explode and batteries melt your precious baby are possible. It’s just a lot less likely now. In most cases, this event happens to people who have cases that don’t properly allow heat to dissipate. Battery University ventured so far as to say that overcharging is not an issue. He goes on to state that leaving our phone or laptop plugged in 24/7 will not kill the battery.

How is this possible? I say again: tech has evolved more rapidly than humans. This means that batteries and chargers are smart; designed to prevent overheating or frying.

Myth: They Have Viruses

The big fear surrounding used phones is they come loaded with viruses. While that may be the case in some regards, pre-owned smartphones can be wiped. Most of them, if they come from reputable sellers, already are. This alone is almost enough to fully erase any traces of viruses or malware.

There are some powerful “wiping” programs out there that does just that: erase all data and revert the device back to factory standards. These heavy programs are used by industry-leading professionals that get rid of viruses.

But (and this is a big but): how you erase that data is just as important as what program you use. Chances are, most “erasing” apps and programs erase your data… without erasing the virus that’s embedded itself deep into your device.

Here’s why: A factory reset, by itself, may not be enough to completely erase all the data the last user had. So, even if you buy from a professional reselling service or business… who guarantees their products are fully wiped… be sure to check out some programs for yourself.

Here are just a few all-is-erased programs you can easily use. All data will be wiped. Only use programs with the strictest precaution, and only in instances you know, for certain, that a virus is still present.

Myth: Larger Specs = Better Performance

Apart from image size, a 12-mp camera could (and has) performed far worse than an 8-megapixel camera – especially where it counts. Without a doubt, 18-mp cameras seem to take better-quality pictures than their “lesser” brethren, but as with any upgrade in technology, each successor has its drawbacks.

On the surface, larger specs MAY be better, but when it comes down to using those devices hourly, on a daily basis, the math doesn’t add up. (This is shown by the hot topic involving multi-core processors.)

As always, the OS plays a monumental factor in the “bigger = better” war. How the person uses their device is another matter entirely.

Last Thoughts

There you have it: common myths debunked when it comes to smartphones. Remember, just because a countless horde of people pine for something… doesn’t mean that “something” holds any weight, or is valuable in any way whatsoever. People will follow the masses like drones: that’s why the common myths I’ve talked about are so common. People still hold onto old, dried-out misconceptions.

The post These Smartphone Technologies Are Only Myths appeared first on TechCo.

Google Assistant is Google’s newest virtual assistant. It is compatible not only with Google Pixel smartphones but also with the Google Allo app. This makes it accessible both to Android and iOS users with the Allo app, broadening its usage across all smartphones. While Siri is Apple’s gem, it will always be limited only to iOS users.

What makes the battle between Siri and Google Assistant all the more intense, however, is the identical roles they perform. They are both as fast as they can be not only to start up but also to respond. All you need is to talk to them, and they will have your movie tickets booked, search results pulled up from the web, messages sent, and favorite apps run.

Though they performed similar tasks, they started showing differences through the way they performed these tasks. They were extensively tested and with every test result it became increasingly difficult to give a verdict. Nevertheless, Google Assistant proved to be slightly better than Siri in many ways.

Siri, for one, tactfully handles and gets along well with operating the apps on your phone. But it fails to remember and refer to things mentioned previously. Google Assistant, on the other hand, is very attentive and tends to remember things much better than Siri. It is also friendlier, and chatter in that it can crack jokes and play games, which Siri clearly struggled with.

The infographic below provides more details on this heated battle between the world’s leading smartphone assistants. Scroll down and have a look.

Source: Zlated

The post The Battle of the Voice Assistants: Google vs. Siri [Infographic] appeared first on TechCo.

We’ve put together a list of five apps that can do everything from keep you entertained to take care of your pet. Because apps are the key to a fun time!

Safe Pet Treats

Do you love your pet? Then you should really be careful what kind of food you buy. Safe Pet Treats helps pet owners learn more about the dangers in certain pet foods and allows you to scan the barcode found on the back of the food product. It will tell you if the food has been recalled or contains any harmful ingredients. Download Safe Pet Treat for free from the App Store and Google Play.

Galaga Wars

Everybody loves a classic. Galaga Wars invites you to save the world from destruction. You and your hi-tech ship will fire up the engines, power up the laser chambers and win that war! Play as a Galaga fighter, as well as other legendary Namco starships, including Xevious, Galaxian, Star Blade and more. Download Galaga Wars from the App Store and Google Play for free.

The Trail – A Frontier Journey

If you love a good adventure, you definitely need to check out The Trail, a game that invites you on a vast journey across an unknown country. Get ready, because you’ll reach the town of Eden Falls, and then explore, craft, collect, trade and discover all the good stuff that the game developers have prepared for you! Download The Trail – A Frontier Journey for free from the App Store and Google Play.

PinOut!

If you love pinball, you’ll never put this game down. PinOut! is essentially a pinball game “reinvented” by the award-winning developer of Smash Hit and Does Not Commute! You’ll be racing against the clock in a mysterious canyon of pulsating lights and throbbing retro wave beats. Does this sound interesting? Download PinOut! from the App Store and Google Play for free!

Oh … Sir! The Insult Simulator

Just in case you need some kind of inspiration for insults, well, there is a game for that! It’s called Oh … Sir! and it comes with style and variety at your disposal. You get to let out all your negative feelings and play this game by insulting anyone who is ready to be insulted. You’ll never stop laughing! Use real friends mode and duel against your actual friends, or you can play around with the hilarious playable characters, all who have their own unique voices, and “insult bits,” participate in conflict scenarios, and verbally insult your “competitor”. Does this sound like fun? Download Oh … Sir! from the App Store / Google Play ($1.99).

The post Top 5 Apps to Check Out This Week: Safe Pet Treats, Pinout! and More appeared first on TechCo.

If your website is not mobile-optimized, chances are it won’t get ranked higher in mobile search results. That’s because Google now considers “mobile-friendliness” as a crucial factor when determining where to rank a website in mobile search results. Thus, it becomes extremely important to incorporate a mobile strategy into every project you do.

To aid you in designing a website that renders perfectly not only on desktop devices but also on mobile and tablet devices, here are twelve proven practices you should follow to make your website as mobile friendly as it can be!

Dig Deeper into Google Analytics:

First things first, spend enough time analyzing your Google Analytics (or another analytics platform you use) data to find out what devices and browsers your website is being accessed the most on. This will help you understand what kind of experiences and intent visitors have with your site on mobile devices. Navigate to Audience ￿ Mobile  Overview in your Google Analytics dashboard and analyze how visitors actually interact with your site. Once you know who your audience is, you can easily define what things you need to focus on during design and development.

Choose the Right Design Approach:

The next important thing is to select your mobile configuration. At present, there are three ways to make a website optimized for mobile devices: responsive web design (RWD), dynamic serving, and separate URLs. At your convenience, you can choose any one of these methods but I would strongly recommend you use responsive web design, which is a “one-size-fits-all” solution for all kinds of existing (and upcoming) devices. Even, Google also recommends using responsive web design approach because it adheres perfectly to their guidelines of clean link structure and high-quality content.

Define the Context:

Before you dive into design and development, consider the context in which visitors will be using your site on mobile. Think what features and content they actually expect from a mobile site. Find out what actions a user can perform while browsing your site on a mobile device. The best way to define what’s essential in your particular business is to “think like an end-user”. Only then you can determine what you need to put on your mobile website in an easy-to-find fashion.

Keep Content Short, Sweet and Readable:

Since the screen of a mobile device is much smaller as compared to a desktop device, you need to show only the most essential content on your mobile version. Try to convey your story with fewer words to retain the user-friendliness of your mobile site. As an example, you should not display lengthy bios and other non-essential content on the mobile version. To keep your mobile website clutter-free, I suggest you to use conventional icons wherever possible. Also, make sure the text is perfectly readable on all mobile devices.

Simplify the Navigation Menu:

Navigation is one of the most overlooked elements when optimizing a website for mobile. As a giant list of menu items may make the navigation troublesome, you need to think about cutting down the navigation menu. If your desktop website has more than two menus, it would be better to include them in a single menu icon that opens a drop down menu when tapped. Besides, hide the main navigation menu by using a combination of icon and text that indicates visitors about the menu.

Add a User-friendly Search Box:

When you reduce the number of navigational options on the mobile version, it becomes vital to provide users a hassle-free way to find a specific piece of content. That’s where an eye-catching and simple-to-use search box comes into action. So, consider placing a working search box on the home page of your mobile site. This will not only cover a lot of functionality of desktop site but also make it easier for users to navigate from one web page to another, saving a lot of their precious time.

Make Videos Available on Mobile:

Since not all videos are playable on mobile devices, you have to be careful when adding videos to your mobile website. Instead of putting videos in unsupported formats or using a proprietary video player like Adobe Flash, use a video technology that delivers users a seamless experience across a variety of mobile devices. To include videos or animations on your mobile site, my suggestion is to use HTML5 standard tags that work across all mobile devices and browsers. For creating HTML5-based animated content, you may consider trying Google Web Designer.

Make It Insanely Fast:

A mobile device, unlike a desktop PC, has less memory and slow data connection that makes almost everything load slower. So, do whatever you can to make your website damn faster on mobile. Add as few images as possible to your mobile site and for the images you’ve included, make them as lightweight as you can. To speed things up, reduce the number of file requests and replace heavy JavaScript libraries with standalone JavaScript. Keep in mind, anything that takes a lot of time to load on mobile version must be avoided.

Minimize Text Input:

Although a lot of technological improvements have been made to facilitate text input on mobile devices, but still most of the users find it difficult to use those tiny keyboards. Hence, you shouldn’t ask users to input too much text on mobile. To reduce the amount of text entry, keep requisites like sign up form as short as possible. Use dropdown menus, checklists and radio buttons that provide a great way to reduce user text input. Furthermore, you can take advantage of inbuilt mobile technology – such as GPS – to pre-populate fields like city, state and ZIP on a form.

Avoid Using Flash and Pop-Ups:

Since most of the devices (like an iPhone or devices that use Android v4.1 and higher) don’t support Adobe Flash, you must not add Flash-based content to the mobile version. Instead, use other technologies like HTML5 to show your content. Avoid interstitials or overlays – like pop-up signup forms or native app advertisements – that completely or partially cover the contents of a web page on mobile. They disrupt the visitor’s usage of your mobile site and even can create various search engine indexing issues.

Make It Visually Interactive:

Unlike most of the desktop browsers, which are equipped with their own visual indicators, mobile browsers don’t provide any visual feedback to users by default. Means, you have to provide your own interaction feedback for any actions users take while browsing through your mobile website. For instance, a button must change its visual appearance when tapped. Another good practice is to use expressive status messages, like “please wait”, for the actions that may take a bit longer to complete. Because most of the users are familiar with visual feedback, you’re suggested to make the most of it.

Test Your Mobile Website:

Last but certainly not least, “pass the test to be the best”. Never ever forget to test your mobile website against a wide range of devices, browsers, screen resolutions and operating systems. Check if the website is rendering in the same way as intended. To test whether or not your website is ready for mobile devices, I would suggest you to use Google’s mobile friendly testing tool. For more advanced testing, use a combination of developer SDK and web-based emulators.

The post 12 Tips for Designing a Mobile Friendly Website appeared first on TechCo.

Mobile shopping has only been on the uprise with the help of advancing technology. As businesses are becoming more mobile and social media-friendly, they’re also finding that consumers respond to shopping that they can do at their convenience.

But what makes mobile shopping so valuable to brands? From advertising to content creation, digital trends determine more for your brand than just what’s popular. And by utilizing what’s emerging in your field, you can determine what consumers will respond best to, and translate that to your digital platforms.

Google has also introduced digital tools to improve the mobile shopping experience for consumers and businesses. Launching in the fall, these tools could improve the way that viewers look at mobile shopping, emphasizing price comparisons, smart filters, and cross-border shopping.

Allowing for these business tactics to be merged with more traditional ways of managing business to consumers, brands are seeing new ways to approach mobile shopping.

The post How the Web Is Helping to Improve Mobile Shopping appeared first on TechCo.

For startups, raising capital and getting much-needed industry attention can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. But one competition is making it easier for startups to win cash and promote their business

The Mobileys

Mobile Future officially kicked-off The Mobileys, their annual competition that recognizes innovative mobile apps, services or products. While there’s no fee to enter, startups must complete an online application, available on the Mobileys site. Apply before the competition closes on September 26th.

How to Qualify

Who exactly qualifies for this competition? Applicants to The Mobileys must be either an individual or at least affiliated with a U.S. startup that has either launched a mobile product, service or app, or is within six months of launching. The products themselves should be a “creative game changer” that uses mobile in new ways to create a positive impact on users’ lives. The winners will be announced in November 2016.

What You Win

The first place prize lands the winner with $10,000. Second place follows at $5,000, and third place and people’s choice rounding out at $2,500 each.

A competition of this kind is especially needed, not just to spotlight the work done by emerging entrepreneurs. The competition’s judges are prominent voices in tech, funding, and key sectors of the economy.

If you’re an entrepreneur with a mobile product that will innovate and make the world a better place, then this competition is for you. Apply today!

The post Mobile Innovators: Get a Shot at $10,000 from The Mobileys appeared first on TechCo.

Security

This is generally the biggest concern for businesses when it comes to deploying an enterprise mobility solution. While Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has brought so many benefits for businesses, including the likes of increased productivity and cost saving, it has also brought with it many security challenges.

Adopting a BYOD strategy can lead to security risks, especially among enterprise CIO’s. Keeping sensitive corporate information secure is critical and therefore you can’t be too careful when it comes to BYOD.

Enterprise mobility management solutions will ensure business information is kept secure and only accessible to those who need to access it. Focusing on managing apps rather than devices can tackle these security concerns.

A good MAM (Mobile Application Management) solution will offer your enterprise flexibility and your IT department to apply different policies for different applications.

Providing Mobile Data Access

It’s one thing mobilizing your workforce, however, employees need to be able to access company data on the go in order to make quick and decisive decisions.

Employees need access to the data that’s available in the office. Live data access from mobile devices will ensure your business and employees remain effective and efficient.

But once again, this does present some more security concerns. Enterprises must enable users to easily share data inside and outside the business with secure file sharing that’s integrated with backup.

App Distribution

Making enterprise apps easily accessible can be quite complicated, from installing directly to each device to providing employees and users with tools to install themselves. This has created issues with managing UDID (Unique Device Identification) numbers to changing devices and more common BYOD policies.

More and more often, businesses are employing MAM services to manage app accessibility for users and the security of the content within the apps. Distribution needs to be thought through thoroughly to ensure all users have access to the app when required. Some enterprise applications can even be deployed on the consumer store, but be aware as anybody can then utilize the app. Therefore a suitable login process needs to be implemented.

Legacy Back-End System Integration

Legacy back-end systems do a great job managing your business processes and keep operations running smoothly. While mobile plays a role for 73% of organizations, nearly half of businesses identify back-end integration (43%) as a top challenge for mobile app development, according to new research from Red Hat.

With enterprises becoming more mobile-centric, many are hitting a wall when it comes to back-end integration. In order to overcome these types of challenges, businesses need to maximize efficiency by leveraging mobile platforms to accelerate development while reducing complexity.

Keeping Up With Technology

The mobility market is moving so much quicker than the internet did. With this in mind, technology is evolving rapidly. Therefore IoT, wearable tech and native capabilities of mobile devices (tablets and mobiles) are ever increasing.

There is some good news, however, as there are lots of possibilities for enterprise. On the other hand, the bad news is understanding this complicated landscape with a small internal team is very difficult.

Image credit: Pexels

The post Top 5 Enterprise Mobility Challenges appeared first on TechCo.

The Attractive and Responsive Design
The key to winning the hearts of all of your app users is beautiful design. However, users can lose interest after a few minutes due to an app’s unresponsive behavior to different kinds of devices. No app developer wants to lose their user, therefore, an app should be responsive that it can adjust its layout dynamically according to the dimension of the device’s screen in order to better serve its user.

Offline Features
It’s all about making sure a user doesn’t leave your app even when the internet signal is weak. Quality offline features will help users to manage and get something out of their experience even with a low-quality signal. Keep in mind that you are not being asked to give full-fledged features, however, you need to provide enough interesting and partial functions that will be enough for a user with a weak internet signal issue.

Customization
Customization is a feature that allows the user to reorganize the app menu by users favorite color and themes. Customization allows flexibility for the user to create a look that’s just for them and can change whenever they want.

Feedback System
All of the previous features mentioned are about the users; however, the feedback feature is for you. It’s arguable the most important since feedback from a user that can notify you of errors and allow users to express their opinions regarding your app.

Speed
When your app slowly loads or takes too much time to fetch the data even with strong internet signal, then it potentially undermines your hard work. Be sure to pay close attention to app speed and load times on different devices.

The post 5 Overlooked Features That Can Make or Break Your App’s Popularity appeared first on TechCo.

Solid Authentication System
Therefore, the first step for BYOD security is foolproof authentication system with dual step passwords or biometric authentication on modern smart devices. Apple and many Android device manufacturers are offering hardware as well as OS level support for biometric authorization using fingerprints or eye retina imagery.

Malicious Code Injection Prevention
Recently, 5768 malware attacks per day were reported just in the past six months on Android devices, so we can imagine how vulnerable the Android platform is, and the amount of work Android app developers need to do to mitigate issues for apps on BYOD devices.

Generally, attackers use SMS, email, and other routes including social media interactions to induce their malicious code into the system and subtly prepare for big theft of data or attacks in system to destroy sensitive information and data.

Device Theft
As we know, handheld devices like smartphones and tablets are basically like miniature computers. This size factor encourages easy physical access of devices to steal them from the original users and access critical information or databases of enterprises even though it is encrypted.

There are many technologies, software, and inbuilt OS mechanisms to inactivate devices or lock the access to data when physical theft is reported. Instant alarm systems are available on the market as well as the instant location signal activation that takes place once devices are stolen by non-social and malicious elements.

System Hacking
In BYOD, various devices have different immunity against hacking to mitigating their hacking issues is becoming a big challenge for hire Android app developers or a company. They have to fight against buffer overflow exploitation, browser-based attack, SMS-based attack, and email-based attack to prevent hackers to gain control over entire BYOD system and DDoS.

Internal Breaching & Threats
Data theft or copy of data can occur in competitive industries and mainly carried out by insiders who are tempted to do so for the sake of money either by business competitors or malicious non-social elements.

No doubt, this kind of attack is tough to mitigate through technical solutions, but there are many ways to ring the alarm when any suspicious activities, heavy downloads, and heavy data interactions occur from unexpected subsets of users or devices.

Image Credit: Flickr/gail

The post The Risks Associated With the BYOD Phenomenon appeared first on TechCo.

Thankfully, a new mobile app, 5miles, is hoping to change the classifieds game once and for all. Their name is taken from the 5 mile radius customers can search through to buy and sell products locally. With a simple layout, basic filtering system and, most importantly, protect measures for users, this app is poised to move in on the territory staked by Craigslist and its army of goons.

We were lucky enough to talk with 5miles CEO and founder Dr. Lucas Lu about their rapid growth, their unique name choice and the future of 5miles.

Can you tell us about your quick growth? 

Lu: 5miles is approaching eight million downloads and $2 billion in transactions since our marketplace launched in January 2015. While our digital and other marketing efforts certainly have helped us build brand awareness and adoption, some of the most significant growth is organic due to word-of-mouth based on the awesome experience users have with our app. Our marketplace fills a real consumer need—for example, U.S. households on average have approximately $8,000 worth of stuff in their homes that they don’t use and could get rid of—and the full-category of local goods and services gives people plenty of reasons and ample opportunities to come back and transact more often.

What makes 5miles so appealing to its users?  

Lu: 5miles is truly a hyper-local mobile marketplace (think Craigslist-meets-Pinterest), one of the fastest-growing online shopping ventures after only a year of operation. It’s the first app of its kind to include services, housing and jobs, in addition to second-hand trading between buyers and sellers.

Why should a user choose 5miles over Craigslist?

Lu: 5miles puts a premium on user safety and security by not permitting personal information on a listing. Instead we offer an in-app messaging system that keeps contact information private, as well as proprietary “boost” and “follow” features to increase transactions and improve the user experience.

How did you pick the “5 mile” radius for selling?  

Lu: The five-mile radius came about from our envisioning connecting buyers and sellers of items and services in their very own communities, even on a neighborhood level. Hyper-local, as our name implies, is a core strength of 5miles, and, while users can search for items or services by name and expand the radius of their search, we feel strongly that user experience and safety are enhanced greatly when it’s truly neighbors buying and selling from their neighbors.

Where do you see 5miles going over the next year? What kind of expansion will we see?

Lu: The sky is the limit for 5miles, but right now we’re focused on deep penetration within our core markets (roughly the Sun Belt region of the U.S.). The more dynamic and active our marketplace is, the more integral it can be in the community and in commerce. Always free to download and use, the 5miles app is available in all major markets across the U.S., and we’re testing and also eyeing foreign markets as well.

Photo: Flickr / Ian Lamont

The post 5miles Classifieds App Looks To Replace Craigslist appeared first on TechCo.

Clover is a company that is trying to save these apps, particularly the ones that offer business solutions, and unite them with businesses that can benefit from them. They are a growing point-of-sale system that offers offer a large app market. In the app market you can find solutions for everything from authorizing tabs if you run a bar, to ordering rolls of paper…if you’re a business who happens to use rolls of paper for whatever reason (this one’s not for the tree hugging companies out there). There are also apps that sync with more common apps such as MailChimp or QuickBooks.

“The Clover App Market allows restaurants, retailers and service providers to customize their system to best meet their business needs. The App Market is filled with apps specifically designed to streamline back and front office operations, increase revenue and enhance customer engagement. With an Android-based platform and open APIs, the Clover App Market directly connects third party app developers to a large and growing number of retailers and restaurateurs.”

Small business owners, or anyone really, are able to look around the App Market and find solutions that best fit their needs. Some of these apps could completely change how they interact with their customers, how they track and organize inventory, or even what they are able to offer their customers. In addition to helping businesses be more efficient, they are also helping third party developers whose apps may never be seen otherwise. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. Everyone wins. Everyone makes money.

Clover is a subsidiary of First Data, the global leader in payment technology and services, processing nearly 2,000 financial transactions per second. Clover’s primary product is a POS system for restaurants and bars called Clover Station.

The post Clover Connects Helpful Apps with the Businesses That Need Them appeared first on TechCo.

Africa is now the world’s second largest mobile phone market and is setting the worldwide pace for mobile-based product innovation. The fastest-growing African companies tend to operate in the information and communications technology space, and they cater to an increasing demand for mobile services, digital entertainment, and cloud computing.

Here are five tech companies leading Africa’s economic renaissance:

• PesaPal: PesaPal is a Kenyan company that enables users to shop, pay bills, buy mobile phone credit, and complete school fee transactions online. Dubbed “Africa’s version of PayPal,” PesaPal expanded into Malawi in 2014 and announced that it next planned to target 400 million consumers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia. The company’s success in the online transaction space clearly illustrates the evolving habits of African consumers and typifies how convenience-driven technology can impact consumers and expand market outreach.

• MXit: Namibia-based MXit started out as a simple instant messaging app, but it’s since evolved into a full-blown social network that boasted a peak of 27 million users. The company is giving Facebook a run for its money in particularly developed markets such as South Africa. MXit’s localized social media principles cater to African demographics and create many unique mobile advertising opportunities. Its domesticated approach highlights the extent to which technology can be used to penetrate growing and unique markets.

• iROKOtv: In the 1980s and 1990s, African television was mostly dominated by westernized programming. But with the growing popularity of Nollywood, Nigeria’s movie industry, the tide has recently turned toward African-created entertainment. A Nigerian company called iROKOtv noticed this trend and enabled the digital distribution of African programming. In 2013, the powerful platform secured $8 million in funding from a New York hedge fund, thus signaling serious investment potential in this industry.

• Ushahidi: When we think about tech innovation, we too often think about business and profiteering. Kenya’s Ushahidi is a good example of how innovation can be used as an agent of social change without necessarily targeting the double bottom. The company developed open-source software that collects and maps data for use in civic initiatives and crisis situations. Activists used this software for election monitoring in Kenya, Mozambique, and the U.S., and response teams used it following a disastrous earthquake in Haiti.

• Wyzetalk: South Africa’s Wyzetalk is ushering in a new age of institutional collaboration through cloud solutions. The company is developing new ways of forming synergistic relationships and has received funding from the African venture capital funds Invenfin and Savannah Fund — indicating much potential for growth.

What Do These Companies Teach Us?

Whether you’re looking to invest in these companies or simply learn from their success, here are four main lessons you can take away from Africa’s expanding tech climate:

1. Develop long-term plans based on geography. Not all African markets are equally developed or growing at the same pace. When looking to get in on a frontier space, entrepreneurs need to be strategic and educated on ongoing geographic and economic trends in order to find the venue that provides the best opportunity for their specific idea.

In the 1990s, it was practically unthinkable that a homegrown mobile money platform would drive 42 percent of Kenya’s GDP. Today, Kenya’s mobile finance industry has become a model for both developed and developing economies.

2. Work for social good. The most viable and sustainable business ventures in the ICT space and other industries are those that address day-to-day socioeconomic challenges. Africa is ripe with social-minded companies like M-KOPA Solar, which connects the homes of low-income families in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to solar energy sources.

3. Cater to young demographics. More than 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is under 30 years old, and these young people are driving consumption patterns and innovation rates across the entire continent. Capturing this market through localized, innovative products is absolutely essential to a successful investment strategy.

4. Be mindful of disruptive technology. Because Africa’s markets are changing so quickly, products need to be dynamic enough to evolve with consumer needs. Many businesses are rendered obsolete because they’re unable to adapt and keep pace with innovation.

While mobile development is the future of innovation in most economies across the globe, Africa presents a unique opportunity for investors due to its recent emergence as a viable option. Ambitious companies that invest today will reap the benefits of a region that’s set to explode with growth tomorrow.

The post Why You Should Get in on Africa’s Mobile Revolution Now appeared first on TechCo.

Over the last 100 years, the concept of paper receipts backed by government gold has been refined, and the money (currency) that we spend today facilitates trade and exchange. However, “change” is the only constant in life; and, now, the concept of money is undergoing some massive changes that might send paper currencies to the museum as a relic of an era long gone.

Digital Wallets on the Rise

Technology startups and established tech firms all seems to have declared war on the humble wallet. Truth be told, the wallet has lived longer than most inventions of its time. For instance, the turntable is extinct, 2-side cassettes are now museum material, filmstrip cameras, tube TVs, wall calendars and almanacs – the list is practically endless. However, the wallet has remained unchanged over the years. The wallet still contains the usual assortment of credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, gift cards, receipts, complementary cards, king cash, and the mandatory family photos.

Now tech companies are trying to send the wallet into oblivion as they push the rise of digital wallets. Digital Wallets are a virtual replacement of the physical wallet. They are designed to make online shopping and checkout easier as they store your personal and payment information.

PayPal

The “oldest” surviving form of the digital wallet is PayPal. PayPal lets you store your credit/debit card information and bank account information in a digital wallet. The main selling point of PayPal is that it allows you to checkout using only your email address. All you need to do is to enter your email address at checkout: the transaction will be processed and you don’t have to worry about sharing your personal and payment information with strangers. You can watch Sneha Menon and Justin Woo, both from Braintree PayPal, to talk about how startups can make payments fun:

BitGold

BitGold is an online payments and savings platform backed by real gold bullion. BitGold provides users with an avenue to buy and own physical gold. The gold is stored in secured vaults but users can access and spend the gold by using their GoldMoney Prepaid MasterCard which allows you to redeem your gold bullion instantly and spend the funds at any point of sale or withdraw local currency at ATM machines. BitGold offers a secure way to send and receive payments without running the risk of exposing your financial information because your prepaid card is not connected to your bank accounts or credit cards. BitGold is still in its earliest stages but it is gradually gaining traction.

Android Pay

Google Wallet might have been another massive force in the digital wallet space; strangely, it didn’t get much traction despite the scope and strength of Google. However, Google Wallet is being revamped as Android Pay. Android is a mobile operating system powered by Google – more than 70 percent of smartphones globally run on the Android OS. Android Pay seeks to hasten the online shopping and checkout process on mobile devices that run on Android OS.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is Apple’s weapon of choice for killing the physical wallet. Apple figured that people already trust it with much of their personal information in their use of iPhones and iPad – why not just ask them to trust us with their payment information? Apple Pay makes it easy to run financial transactions in the real world with your iPhones. Let’s say you want to buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks, just whip out your iPhone (if it is not out already while you were waiting in line) and tap it against the NFC terminal of the POS and the deed is done.

The post What You Need to Know About Digital Wallets appeared first on TechCo.

Now take these two pieces of information and put them together. Retail apps took up 27% of a user’s time on a smartphone. At the same time, we see that over 50% of all purchases – online and offline – are influenced by digital marketing. This means that even if a shopper does not make a purchase online or on mobile, content that they browsed on these two mediums leads to purchases offline.

Here’s another piece of data:

It is well known that 86% of a user’s time is spent on mobile apps instead of the mobile web. Of these only about 5 to 10 apps dominate users’ attentions.

This high level of engagement with such a handful of apps shows that a popular app is a great way of keeping users hooked and earning sustained revenue from them. The fact that users register themselves and enter personal data into apps while downloading them, helps brands personalize the app experience for them. Most apps store payment data in the form of encrypted credit card numbers or payment accounts. This makes in-app purchases frictionless and quick. With push notifications and regular app check-ins, repeat purchases are a whole lot easier. Apps are also a great avenue for incorporating special touches like using phone features like the camera, fingerprint scanner etc.

How does this impact you? Firstly, this means that you ought to build an app and promote it aggressively. What will that achieve? If your app manages to break into the list of most popular apps, you are assured of mind boggling engagement rates, a brand new source of traffic to your site and strong repeat purchase rates. But how do you actually do that?

1. Target Influencer Groups

Before you officially launch your app to your target audience, build buzz around the app by reaching out to the right influencers.

Once you know who your target audience is, you can then narrow down on influential individuals in the respective field and begin to build a relationship with them. These could be popular bloggers in your area of interest, journalists at tech publications, social media stars, or friends who have a large fan following online. Hiring a PR agency that will help you in sending out press releases or contacting technology celebrities is a great idea, especially if you can afford it.

First, bounce off the idea of your app with these individuals and understand what they would like to see in an app like yours. Incorporate the features that seem to get maximum demand from these tech influencers and go back to them with your revised app. Then get these influencers to download and review your app for their audiences.

This will not just spread awareness about your new app, it will also drive downloads; it is no secret that users are more positively inclined towards unbiased reviews from subject matter experts than any number of ads you may release.

2. Invest in Advertising & Paid Marketing

Organic downloads have been the holy grail of app marketers since the industry took off. It was assumed that organically acquired users engaged more with your app, made in-app purchases and stayed loyal to your app longer than users acquired via paid means. This assumption no longer holds true, with paid users are as valuable as organic users. Research by Localytics shows that paid users actually come back for more sessions than organic users. Bottom line, don’t ignore paid advertising.

A wide variety of sources color your target users’ opinions and help them decide which apps they would like to use. Go where your users are and put your app in front of them with media advertising. A marketing plan with a mix of search, social and remarketing will help you reach out to your audience effectively. Place special emphasis on mobile advertising as this is the native platform on which users can discover, appraise and download your app in one go. The popularity of native ads on mobile means that you also need to invest in ads within leading apps in order to reach premium customers.

While app marketing is not cheap, the good news is that users are more engaged with their apps than they were in 2013. Time spent on downloaded apps has grown by 21% in just one year. All of this has resulted in a drop in paid marketing costs. The iOS Cost per Loyal User Index to $1.58, while the Cost per Install on Google Play dropped to $1.13.

Capitalize on these trends with a strong paid advertising thrust that is especially critical during the launch phase of your app. The more downloads you attract in the beginning, the more new users will believe in your app and download it for themselves.

There is a clever way to blend influencer targeting with your mainstream marketing as well as product development. Once you’re past alpha-testing for a new app, you should also invest in pre-launch marketing to vet if you really stand a chance to hit your engagement and usage forecasts. Services such as PreApps offer app developers the benefit of opt-in downloads, bug testing, ratings, reviews and critical UX feedback for their apps before they go live on iTunes or Google Play; this phase may well prove to be the difference between success and failure.

3. Become a “Featured App” on the App Store and Google Play

A fantastic way to leapfrog from small daily downloads to thousands of downloads a day is by becoming a featured app on the Apple App Store or on Google Play. Ryan Harter shares his experience of having his app featured on the Google Play Store. From a mere 10 to 30 downloads per day, his note taking app zoomed to over 2500 downloads per day once it gained ‘featured app’ status. However, with the millions of apps vying for attention of app reviewers on each platform, being picked to be showcased as a featured app is no mean task.

• Stick to best practices guidelines offered by Apple, Google and any other app store you intend to be featured on. A beautiful app that renders well on each platform, is a pleasure to use and a joy to behold stands a strong chance of getting picked up to be featured by app store review teams.
• Don’t copy-paste app versions from iOS to Android or vice versa. Both Apple and Google have a strict list of dos and don’ts that do not overlap in many cases. Make sure your app is designed from the ground up for each platform and not apps that are clones of each other.
• A key step to becoming a darling of an app store is to utilize the latest updates in iOS or Android software in your app. This helps them show off their brand new features to users. Built an iOS app that works uses iOS 8’s new contextual messaging keyboard? Highlight this feature, and chances are you’ll get picked.
• Make sure your app works well with tablets as well if you are considering an Android app. Google offers special brownie points to apps that cater to all their ecosystems and not just mobile. This means even if you don’t have a separate version for tabs, your app must render well in landscape mode to pass muster with Google.
• Attain a degree of popularity before approaching Apple or Google. Get enough downloads and a stellar rating. Anything over 60,000 downloads and a rating over 4.5 would be a help in being noticed by Google.
• Polish your profile page on the respective app stores. No app review team likes to feature an app that leads to a clunky, unimaginative profile page with outdated information.

Over to You

With literally thousands of new apps being launched every single day, it is becoming increasingly difficult for even innovative apps to rise above the clutter and the noise. Even if you’re one of the lucky few with a substantial app marketing budget, it is easy to go wrong and drift into obscurity. I hope these three fundamental guidelines will help you navigate the ever-evolving app ecosystem. Please join me in the comments to discuss any strategies you use or pitfalls you may have encountered while promoting your apps.

Image credit: Flickr/Garry Knight

The post The 3 Irrefutable Tenets of Mobile App Marketing appeared first on TechCo.

1. Any.do

Any.do is one of the most popular life organizing apps out there, not just among students but among all those who wish to bring some order into their everyday lives. And we all know how hectic and chaotic student life may get. A number of well-reputed news resources have reported Any.do as an app of choice for more than 12 million people throughout the world.

What’s so good about it? Simple intuitive design, speech recognition, cloud synchronization so that it can be used on all your apps and an easy way to manage all your to-do lists – what else a beleaguered student may wish for?

2. Mint

One of the most common problems students have to contend with is that of money. Even if you do have enough money to keep yourself afloat, you probably have noticed that it tends to disappear into thin air, leaving you wondering how you’ve managed to waste a sum that was supposed to support you for a month in less than a week. There are many apps that can help you organize your finances, but Mint is certainly among the best suited for students. If you start seeing where your money really goes you certainly will become more considerate about it.

3. Scribd

Scribd gives you an easy access to millions of books and documents online, serving as an indispensable source of information, literature and references for your academic works. After signing up, you can create your own personal library consisting of all the books, notes and other texts you tend to need or may need – which will be available wherever you go, whenever you need them.

4. DuoLingo

If you study a foreign language, either as a part of your college course or on your own, you need all the help you can muster. DuoLingo does its best to provide this help: either to learn the basics or to freshen up your knowledge if you’ve got a bit rusty. It won’t replace a full-fledged language course, but it gives you an opportunity to spend free moments here and there to improve your language skills instead of wasting them – and it is fun, too.

5. CliffsNotes

This app is ideal for students studying literature. It provides detailed notes on all the characters, plot lines and topics covered in a number of books (the list is updated all the time), which will make it easier to navigate among the intricacies of the author’s design.

Smartphones, computers and apps have become such an indispensable part of our lives that one often wonders how it was possible to study at all when they weren’t around. So feel free to use them and others of their kin, but remember: no amount of apps will replace any actual effort on your part!

The post 5 Apps for Making College Student’s Life Easier appeared first on TechCo.

Despite their solutions having very similar names, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and now Android Pay, there are some important aspects in which they differ. Let’s take a closer look at them in order to understand where those differences are, and how they can affect the functioning of the services.

Apple and Samsung have similar approaches

Apple and Samsung are known to have some issues between them, but they seem to share the vision for this market: they both want users to buy products from stores using only a smartphone, without the need to use a credit or debit card.

Apple Pay only works in the most recent iPhone versions, which have the NFC (Near Field Communication) feature. At the moment, over 200,000 merchants support Apple Pay, but not all of them are equipped to handle NFC. However, according to research by Trustev, 80% of iPhone users with access to Apple Pay have never tried it.

Similarly, Samsung Pay only works on newer smartphones as well, specifically in the Samsung Galaxy S6. Nevertheless, phones from the South Korean company will also become compatible with a technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST), which can be applied in about 90% of current sales terminals. This feature can only exist thanks to LoopPay, their latest acquisition.

In terms of security and privacy, both services are still very alike: they depend on the user’s fingerprint to authenticate purchases and neither company has permission to access user data, be it what they bought or how much they paid for a product.

Unlike its two competitors, Android Pay is a platform, not a product

Google had its go on mobile payments a while ago with the launch, back in 2011, of Google Wallet. However, and unlike Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and even Google Wallet, Android Pay is not a product – it is an API layer, which means that it can (and surely will) be used by third-party companies and services to process mobile payments. Google Wallet, for example, will be powered by Android Pay.

Therefore, in a way Google Pay will not be a competitor for Apple and Samsung Pay. And, unlike them, Google’s new service will have access to all the transactions made by users, which probably means that Google is planning to take advantage of that information by knowing users’ shopping habits and improve the accuracy of ad targeting.

The post Mobile Payments: The Difference Among the Tech Giants appeared first on TechCo.

When it comes to a mobile operating system, Android is undoubtedly the most popular one in the world. But the best apps hit the iOS marketplace first, and Android ends up waiting for some time before developers port their apps over to it.

Here are 10 hot iOS apps that are yet to join the Android party.

1. AnyList

This is a simple iOS-only app that allows users to create and share grocery lists. AnyList syncs lists automatically, reflecting the changes made to them. Better yet, its recipe mode can suggest recipes for meals based on ingredients you have in stock.

It is a very useful app for those with a forgetful partner who consistently forgets buying something basic. You can even access your grocery lists from your Mac or PC with the upgraded version.

AnyList, as of now, is focusing only on iOS though the company has plans to release the app for Android platform in the future, says cofounder Jeff Hunter.

2. Tweetbot

Tweetbot is an elegant app for Twitter, worth paying for. This iOS app allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts and view conversations with the people you follow on this micro blogging site as they unfold. You can even mute people who tweet a little too often.

This app is designed for iOS7 and is faster and easier to read. But what makes Tweetbot even better than Twitter’s official app is that it does not show sponsored Tweets in your feed.

If you are a Twitter enthusiast, Tweetbot is a highly recommended app. Unfortunately, Android users are less likely to see this app on their devices. The company seems to have no plans for an Android version.

3. Hyperlapse

Do you think creating smooth time-lapse videos needs expensive stabilization gear and tripods? Not anymore. Hyperlapse from Instagram can smooth out any shaky footage using image-stabilization techniques. The result is: impressive, smooth time-lapse videos. This app was launched in late 2014 and quickly gained a lot of attention from the users.

The built-in stabilization technology of Hyperlapse provides a cinematic quality, look and feel to your moving, handheld time lapses. You can therefore create handheld time lapse videos while running, walking, jumping, falling or riding in a car.

Hyperlapse has simply taken iOS world by storm. Though Instagram said that working to bring this app to Google’s OS in future, there is no known Android release date.

According to a statement in Wired last year, Instagram said that Google needs to make some changes to the Android camera and gyroscope APIs to solve the compatibility issues with Hyperlapse. The future of this app for Android therefore isn’t entirely bleak.

4. SnapGuide

If you are a big fan of DIY projects, SnapGuide is the perfect app for you. This crowd-sourced how-to app features a hot of projects, hacks, repairs, and recipes with detailed instructions and photo guides.

The how-to guides available on SnapGuide range from lifestyle, home and gardening to technology and automotive. You can even like, share and comment on guides as well as create your own guides on this app. SnapGuide presently supports iOS 6.0 and above.

As far as Android version of this app is concerned, the company has expressed their interest in supporting more platforms in the future. However, they are more focused on improving their iOS version right now.

5. Clear

This iOS-only app boasts to help more than 2.5 million people lead better, more productive lives.  It sold 350,000 copies in just nine days soon after its launch. Clear, with its easy to navigate functionality and striking visual design, helps you create a to-do list on your iOS device with its simple gesture interface.

This app allows you to swipe down and create new tasks and/or swipe right to complete them. You can even create separate lists and organize task by interest or project, set reminders and create personalized lists using visual themes. You can even sync your to-do lists across all your devices using the iCloud synch. It even syncs with the Mac app.

There is no news about Clear being available on Android or Windows phones, although the company expressed their interest to take this app to other platforms soon after its launch.

6. Paper by Facebook

Paper is Facebook’s own news reader to enjoy the social network treatment. It features magazine style design aesthetics similar to Flipboard. You can read various curated articles from different sources like National Geographic and Times along with your own Facebook News Feed.

Though its card-driven, image-centric and horizontal interface is different from Facebook’s norm, it is a refreshing change. In fact, you can even use Paper as a great alternative to Facebook’s default app. You can even post status, comments, images and share content directly to this social networking site from within the app.

The bad news is, the release date of Facebook Paper for Android may never arrive.

7. Dark Sky

This is a Kickstarter-funded weather app designed for iOS devices. Dark Sky is known for providing accurate local weather forecasting. Using state-of-the-art technology such as radar mapping, this app can provide “down to the minute” weather predictions to let you know when it will rain or snow.

The latest version of this app includes a 24-hour forecasting and next week forecasting. It is compatible with iOS 7 devices and radar maps are now easier to read on this app, thanks to its new light backgrounds.

There is still no update about Dark Sky releasing its Android version anytime sooner.

8. Infinity Blade 3

This blockbuster action role-playing gaming app will surely make your Android friends jealous. Infinity Blade 3 delivers jaw-dropping graphics, using Unreal Engine and Apple’s latest hardware releases.

This game continues the tradition of Infinity Blade series where players fight to the God-King as the stealthy Isa or the fierce Siris through swipe-and-tap combat. This app again, is never likely to release an Android version.

9. Steller

Steller is an amazing storytelling app for iOS devices. If text essays or picture slideshows aren’t enough for you, this is one app you need to download. You can create photo and video stories using this app.

The multimedia stories on Steller combine text, audio, and video. You can organize the stories into collections, share them on various social networks, and view stories shared by other users. There are various topics available, ranging from yoga to fashion.

We are yet to receive any news about its launch on Android devices.

10. iA Writer

This minimalist text editor is more likely to stay an iOS-only app for awhile. iA Writer is a distraction-free platform that lets you enjoy an uncluttered writing experience.  The title bar disappears as soon as you type and a clean typing sheet arrives, tossing aside all distracting tools. The result is, you get a typewriter like experience.

iA Writer, however, comes with some modern conveniences like a word count meter, iOS’s spell check, iCloud, and Dropbox support.

Conclusion

While Android offers incredible technical customization, the reputation of iOS for UI design and aesthetics is unmatched. Besides, its screen size and small number of devices also makes this platform an easier environment for app developers. Apart from those mentioned in this post, there are many other apps exclusive to iOS devices. Some of which are lucrative enough. Android user? Well, there is always hope for a port.

The post 10 iOS Apps You Can’t Get on Android appeared first on TechCo.

To get started with Sortly is very easy. After downloading the app, I was able to create an account and start using it in about a minute, as it welcomes every new user with a tutorial explaining all the basic features you need at first launch.

Users can try any of the existing locations or a custom location (aka category) as soon as they log in and create a well-structured, easy-to-access list by adding sub-locations like rooms, boxes, cabinets, and more. When finished adding locations, it’s time to add the items.

Sortly doesn’t limit itself to a list: at each input step, users are presented with the option of adding an image of the location or item alongside the item’s quantity and price value. While adding an image of an object or location may not be of interest to you for personal use, it can be very useful at times, especially if you are using this app to keep things organized and inform your team about the new location of certain files, for example.

To help anyone visualize the location or item, Sortly provides basic image-editing tools that help users highlight a certain area of the image they took, either by geometrical forms or by placing arrows on the picture.

The app provides a well-designed, easy-to-use, and intuitive entourage, which makes navigation and data input fun. That’s the hardest part: introducing data. Fortunately, Sortly’s design is really helpful here, removing any clutter that could block your productivity.

Sortly is lightweight and responsive, and it incorporates a great search function that allows you to search for just about anything: it will start displaying search results as you begin typing, speeding up the search process.

The free app also provides free cloud support, which functions well but is limited to 5,000 locations and items and 5,000 photos. The best part of the Sortly Cloud is its ability to continuously sync my locations and items with another device that is using my credentials, like an iPad, so others, like my wife, can see where I put things.

There is a catch, though: Sortly will use your device’s settings when displaying the price of the item. After syncing my list with my wife’s iPad, I was surprised to see that the numbers remained the same, but the currency changed. That, however, can be fixed easily in the settings tab.

Sortly users can link their Dropbox and Evernote accounts for easy sharing, but at this point the limitations of the free version come in. Additionally, the recipient of your email with the Dropbox link must have Sortly installed to be able to view the list.

Sharing the database you have built with others comes at a price: the free version is limited to a text-only list (CSV). If you want to share just the photos, you need a subscription. If you want your information encrypted and synced with your favorite apps or exported in a nicely formatted PDF or Evernote report, or if you want to remove storage limits and ads, you need to choose a subscription.

There are three types you can choose from: you can either pay a monthly fee of $0.99 or a yearly fee of $9.99. The best option, however, is to pay a one-time fee of $39.99, and you get lifetime access.

I particularly like using Sortly because its design, ease of use, and responsiveness make the dull job of keeping track of the items I have in my garage a fun thing to do. Its search function does a terrific job of helping me locate my stuff. I think the free version is enough for personal use, since you won’t be sharing your list with anyone, but when it comes to business use and sensitive information, the premium version is a go. Sortly is available for free on the App Store [Download Link].

The post Sortly: Keep Your Stuff Organized appeared first on TechCo.

Here are five steps to optimizing your website for mobile for the first time:

1. Survey Your Customers:

The first step is understanding what your customers need to accomplish while using a mobile device. In most cases they are logging on to your site from different devices for very different, specific reasons. For example, users logging on via PC might be conducting research or looking to purchase your product. Mobile and tablet devices, on the other hand, may drive the most traffic to sections of your site where customers can get in touch with you. Highlighting the elements of your site that are most popular on mobile devices and tablets is the foundation to successful site optimization, and often the most-overlooked part of the process.

2. Understand Your Design Options:

There are notable differences between static, responsive and adaptive design. Picking the combination that best suits your customer base is critical. In most scenarios, static design is a poor choice because the user interface remains the same regardless of what device your customers use to access your website. Responsive design and adaptive design make varying levels of changes to the look and feel of your site based on the device used. Take a combined approach and apply responsive and adaptive designs to the portions of your site users are accessing most via mobile to make them fluid, scrollable and easy-to-read in any environment.

3. Deploy Your Content:

Content deployment, like site design, must match the mobile needs of your customers. Websites rich in additional content must fit it within the framework of what your customer wants and when. There are countless ways to achieve this and many of them are easier than you might think. For example, if your customers are logging on via mobile for quick access to your menu or product catalog, consider putting it into a downloadable PDF format that can be saved for future reference. If they need to look up your number or email address, embed links that will take them to their phone’s dial pad or email app for quick sending.

4. Measure:

Once your customer has been surveyed, your site designed and your content deployed in a suitable format, you will need to measure for effectiveness. Don’t overlook this step just because you’re new to the game of mobile optimization – and don’t overthink your approach. An effective, easy way for startups to measure progress is by looking to their content. PDF files can be tracked by the number of downloads, paywall or member-restricted content might be measured by the number of requests or registrations and e-commerce sites might simply measure by the number of mobile-based sales. Measuring your site for optimization starts with the little things and lets you experiment with design and deployment in safe but effective ways.

5. Rinse and Repeat:

This is the one mistake I have seen made the most. Too many believe optimizing for mobile is a one-time thing that needs to be done on a website. In reality, like any other part of your business, optimization is an ongoing process that never stops. Aside from all of the design techniques and mobile devices that are always changing, the way your customers use and engage with your site will change as your startup grows and evolves. The moment you stop improving your site is the moment it flat lines, and it is very difficult (and expensive) to catch up once you’ve fallen behind.

If you’re thinking about optimizing your site for mobile, consider all of the elements needed to do it successfully and consider whether or not you are ready to make the long-term investment required to maintain momentum.

The post 5 Steps for Startups Optimizing Their Sites for Mobile appeared first on TechCo.

The strategic planning for app launch can give successful market penetration of the application. Some key points which have large impact on application are to be focused while planning a successful mobile app launch. Mobile application development business is governed by such small things which help in making a successful application. Here are some of the tips which are required to make a successful app launch in the market.

1. App domain: Important factor
Before launching the application, it is necessary to track the usage of the app and accordingly, one can plan the exact date of launch which is in synchronization with the usage. For e.g., if one is planning to launch a Christmas related application in the market, the dates around 25th December are perfectly suitable for it. Also it can be the case where application is not connected with any such date. So for such cases app optimization needs to be carried to reach out maximum number of people in the market. Thus the domain of the application plays important role in deciding the launch of it.

2. App environment : Trigger the hype
The kick start to any project comes with successful kick-off of the launch. Because of this reason the launching event of the mobile application becomes important. To make a buzz around the app launch, it is necessary to host some of the app related events as well as make the application run smoothly on such environment. The perfect trigger comes by investing some time and money in the launching event of the mobile application to make it successful. This will create the necessary hype which will give trigger to the app. After several successful attempts, it will be possible to generate audiences who can give tremendous results to the launch.

3. Set the road-map with benchmarks
First of all before taking any decision regarding launching of the application, it is necessary to check the application and perfectly test it. In order to achieve this, specific resources are required to be aligned with it. This will create a road-map for launching the app and make a smoother run for your application. Marketing also comes into the picture along with various other things strategized for app making. Cross application promotions also plays important role in giving dynamic image to the mobile application. If these benchmarks are achieved in specified time form mobile apps developers it can give you a clear picture of where exactly your app will land in near future.

Other than this, various other methodologies can be implemented at different levels of mobile app development before launching it on app store. Highlighting the app functionality to the customer before launching it will keep the enthusiasm of the application. There are some advertising agencies that keep keen interests in such app launching events and this can give attention to press releases and blogs as well. Social media is also best source that publish your launching events.

The post Tips to Prepare for a Successful Mobile App Launch appeared first on TechCo.

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However, this job might not suit everyone. Maybe some people will find the payment to be undervalued, or the fact that it represents several hours sitting in the same place, getting stuck in traffic, and so on, all things that can spike one’s stress to the roof. If you are stuck in a similar job or just want to make a few extra bucks to add to your income, take a look at these three tech jobs that work just like driving for Uber.

Lyft

Very similar to Uber, Lyft offers a “friendly and affordable ride whenever you need one”. Also enabled by an app, clients request for a lift and a nearby driver will appear to pick up the user, or the group if that is the case. Lyft provides three vehicle options: Lyft, that is a regular car that can take a group up to four people; Lyft Line, that shares a route combining several people’s requests; and Lyft Plus, a six-passenger ride that can also take bigger suitcases, boxes and so on.

Lyft also provides an Insurance Protection Plan, in order to make sure that every eventuality is covered and give you an increased sense of security when using the service. Also, all drivers have a background and DMV checks, vehicles are inspected, and there is a “both-way” rating system, where drivers evaluate clients and vice-versa.

iCracked

Have you ever broken your phone or tablet just right when you needed it the most? If so, you know how frustrating that is, especially because there is no one around to help you fix it. Or is there? With iCracked, those days are most likely over. When your iPad, iPhone, iPad, or Samsung Device gets broken, just request iCracked’s services and get your phone fixed or sold on the spot.

iCracked accepts applications from hardware specialists, a position dubbed as “iTech”, which offers opportunities for knowledge and certifications, working with superior quality parts, as well as other benefits. The service has 1,100 iTechs across the country (and growing). The service also offers a “device buying” option, in which iTechs will meet you and pay for your broken phone with a prepaid debit card.

Postmates

Do you need some groceries from that one store, but are too swamped in work to go there? Just ask Postmates, a service that will fetch your buying list from any store and deliver it to you in under an hour. With their real-time tracking feature, you know that you will not miss the delivery.

Postmates obviously accepts applications for couriers, and the great thing here is that there is no need to have a car – a bike will do just fine (even though the service offers cars, trucks, scooters and motorcycles). Couriers make a decent pay, with 100% of the tip and most of the delivery fee, averaging about $25 per hour, and they can choose their working hours.

With these three options, people looking to get an extra income should have no trouble finding it; they just need to choose what they prefer to do.

The post Tired of Driving for Uber? These 3 Other Apps Will Hire You! appeared first on TechCo.

Now smartphones play a vital role in Chinese people’s life. And why? Because for individuals, smartphones can be a book, a school, a TV, a game player, a map, a lasting bond with their families, lovers and friends whenever they want to see them or chat with them; for profit or nonprofit organizations, application software afford them platform to show and promote their products (mainly for garment and catering industry), run their business (such as Hujiang on-line school), spread and share their valuable ideas (like TED speech), and so forth.

Before the age of smartphones, mobile phones are just an instrument to call each other, send messages, and listen music. The function is so easy that people would not carry them in hand all the time for they had no reason to do that. Then iPhone emerged, with its attractive exterior and new exciting functions, impacting the mobile phone market in China. Then one after another, those existing brands or new brands of mobile phones started to release their smartphones to march into the huge and promising smartphone market in China.

The competition is fierce and each brand has its own core competitive strategy to seize the market. Apple, undoubtedly, is so famous and has a lot of faithful fans who are enchanted by its products. With its incessant innovation and development, brand effect, high price, exclusive ISO system, iPhone always makes their customers feel that they are fashion, special, charming if they own it. Unconsciously Apple has achieved a psychological hint on their buyers, something like “buy me and you will be different.”(While the truth is iPhone becomes so-called ‘street phone’ because you can find 6-8 people of 10 having iPhone, so it is not uncommon, but the holders will be proud and satisfied with it, it’s a paradox.) But anyway, iPhone successfully take a big share of China smartphone market.

Samsung, a representative of the smartphones with Android system, also win a fair numbers in the market. Though Samsung is cheaper than iPhone, it also has very useful system–Android, and some people will feel more comfortable and confident to handle Android system, considering the system is more convenient and effective than Iphone’s. Besides, Samsung gives buyers many options in selecting the size, color, design way of its exterior, in this respect, Samsung can help their customers to show their individuality by the choosing of phones. The similar brands like Samsung have Sony, Lenovo, Huawei, etc., they have common grounds like ladder price according to different model, colorful form, quantity production and easy to get.

Then another interesting brand Xiaomi appears. As a new smartphone brand, Xiaomi was facing a very tough market competition at the beginning, but with its fantastic design and function, Xiaomi also played “hard to get” to win customers’ curiosity and bring them about a satisfying feeling when they got the phone from the limited selling. Of course, the price, quality and after-sale service of Xiaomi are all very competitive comparing with other brands, and owning a handsome share of smartphones market in China.

However, no matter which brand people choose as their smartphones, the revolution has achieved a big success in China, going deep into every aspect of people’s life. Just like I said before, both for individual and all walks of companies, smartphones make our life easier and more colorful, and sometimes give us inspiration to be creative or make us think and reflect. Moreover, smartphones offer companies more opportunities to get profit or have more influence on the public, but at the same time, more challenge also comes.

So in short, smartphones is like a world, containing everything one wants to find, feel and learn. Only if one dares to think and create can those ideas show up on the phone and shape the world.

By Daxue Consulting – SJ Grand

The post A Look in a Beijing Subway Provides a Glimpse of Why China Leads Global Smartphone Market appeared first on TechCo.

Not Being Specific

Implementing a BYOD policy isn’t as simple as saying, “Okay, you can use your devices at work now.” It can take a lot of preparation. Part of that is writing up a specific and detailed document about your policy. The bottom line is that you need guidelines. Some specifics to include:

1. Who owns the device?
2. Who owns the data on the device?
3. Who is responsible for the service fees?
4. What happens if a device is lost or stolen?
5. What types of files and applications can employees use or download?

Be sure that your employees read through these guidelines and sign an agreement stating that they’ll comply with your BYOD standards.

Not Monitoring Your Network

Because your employees are using their own devices at work, it may seem to some people that monitoring your network is an invasion of privacy. Contrary to that, it will only benefit your business. You want to make sure that the devices connecting to your network aren’t infected with viruses. And what happens when employees are having security and support issues?

It’s important that you keep tabs on your network and the devices on your network to be sure that everyone’s devices are working smoothly and in a secure manner. Be sure to have a level of IT support in place to benefit employees who are having issues with their devices or with connecting to your network.

Not Tracking the Devices

Again, there may be some controversy in whether you should monitor your employee’s devices. It may feel like you’re invading your employees’ privacy if you choose to track their location. But the truth is that this can be hugely beneficial to you and your employees.

Think about it: If you have sensitive business data circulating on an employee’s phone, what happens when he or she loses the phone? You’ll want to recover that data as quickly as possible and make sure no one else sees it. With GPS tracking, you’ll be able to track down the device and be sure that your business data doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

Not Including a Device Wipe Policy

On the same note as the mistake mentioned above, it’s important that you have a wipe policy in place. You don’t want an employee losing a device and having it get into the wrong hands. You also don’t want ex-employees running around with sensitive data in their hands.

As a safeguard against these types of situations, you should have a BYOD policy in place that allows you to wipe company data from an employee’s device in an instant. Once this policy is in place, be sure that your employees understand this and sign off on it. Also make sure that there is some way that they can back up their personal data if you need to wipe the corporate data from the device.

Not Training Your Employees

Finally, it’s important that you train your employees in BYOD. This is a step commonly missed because employees go into BYOD assuming that their employees know just how to handle their devices. But training your employees isn’t all about teaching them how to navigate their device. It’s also educating them on how your BYOD policy will work. They should understand the concepts mentioned above, such as who the data belongs to and what kinds of apps they can download on your network.

If you’re going to require employees to download specific applications on their devices that will boost productivity and improve collaboration between teams, then you should also make sure to train them in those particular programs.

Which mistakes mentioned above did you miss as you explore the possibility of BYOD?

The post Avoid These 5 Top Mistakes in Implementing Enterprise BYOD appeared first on TechCo.

We might use a few web-based apps here and there, but the majority we use are mobile first. According to Forrest and Galligan, entrepreneurs who don’t optimize for mobile first are doing it wrong.

They focused on highlighting Galligan’s Circa app, a news consumption platform, over how people used to read the newspaper. These days it’s all about consuming information while waiting in line at Starbucks, the DMV, or even at a stop light: it’s become something we need to have quickly.

Building for the mobile-first might be inevitable, and it’s a challenge because it’s a complete paradigm shift. However, the two entrepreneurs are rooted firmly in their belief that it’s the way of the future.

Here’s the video:

The post Mobile First Development is Shifting Paradigms appeared first on TechCo.

I probably don’t need to remind you about recent data breaches from the likes of Target and Home Depot. Alternatives, such as the new and untested Apple Pay, promise to keep our data safe, but with iCloud security being what it is, many Americans have made their doubts very clear when it comes to trusting their personal financial information to a company that couldn’t keep celebrity selfies under wraps.

But I’m not here to be another fear-monger. Apple Pay is likely incredibly secure. Still – public trust is a difficult thing to win back, and many people are likely looking for an alternative that feels safer, even if, in practice, the opposite is true.

So: with public trust in our financial institutions at perhaps an all-time low, what are those alternative payment options? And do they stand a chance of replacing credit cards, which – for most of us, anyway – have simply become too ubiquitous and convenient to readily abandon?

Let’s find out by taking a look at some of those options.

The Post-Credit Card World

It’s interesting that several of the most promising credit card alternatives look, well, just a little bit like credit cards themselves. One of the original leaders in the post-credit card world was Coin – an all-purpose payment card that began its life on Kickstarter. Unfortunately for early backers, repeated delays have pushed the release of Coin into an undisclosed part of 2015.

Somewhat more promising is Plastc, which has promised to do a better version of everything Coin is meant to do. Both of these cards claim to be safer than traditional credit cards, and can hold information from multiple credit, debit, and loyalty cards – all in a single, card-shaped device.

You’re probably asking yourself how consolidating all of your payment options could possibly mean a safer way to pay. It’s a fair criticism, until you realize that both Coin and Plastc have built-in loss prevention. They’re tied to your smartphone, which means you’ll receive an alert as soon as you start walking away from your card. In other words, it would be very difficult to leave it behind.

Best of all, both of these options should work with virtually every point-of-sale device in America. Whether either of them actually manages to deliver on their lofty promises remains to be seen, however. Like Coin, Plastc is expected to launch sometime in 2015.

What If You Need to Keep Your Credit Cards?

I’d understand if tossing out your credit cards sounded a bit like a baby/bathwater situation. It probably goes without saying that even something like Apple Pay, which uses technology that’s already baked right into existing phones, won’t catch on in the retail world overnight.

So when you need to pay at those mom and pop stores you love so much, you’re still going to need to pull out that credit card. So what can you do to keep yourself safe?

If – for personal or practical reasons – you want to hang onto your George Costanza-esque wallet, there’s help there too. It just means you’re taking your safety into your own hands.

Credit card fraud remains a pernicious threat in America, even (and perhaps especially) as we gravitate toward more purely digital solutions. Credit cards will likely remain ubiquitous for quite a while, which also means that the same old safety problems we’ve been dealing with for years are also probably not going anywhere.

A new infographic from Native Merchant reveals some of the most common credit card mistakes that can lead to fraud – even in the year 2014. These classics include writing your PIN number right on your card and failing to monitor your credit. It’s also worth a look to discover which of the 50 states is the worst in the country for credit card fraud. New Jersey residents: you’ve been warned.

Living in the Future

No matter how you choose to pay for your next cup of coffee, it’s pretty clear that we’re living in interesting times. With new technologies come new opportunities – as well as new threats. As with anything else, it helps to keep your ear to the ground about new security developments. But with any luck, time and patience will reward us with a payment option that’s truly secure. Until then, a little vigilance is called for.

The post Can Technology Really Help Us Protect Our Financial Data? appeared first on TechCo.

The World Wide Web has transformed into an Internet of Things (IoT) world where everything, yes everything is or will be connected to the Internet. Furthermore, see how IoT is going to shape or change our life, business and everything around us through ubiquitous networking.

Augmented Reality, Homekit, Google Glasses, NFC Payment, Beacons, and Wearables are going to change, shape and transform everything around us.

IoT Shaping Our Life

Internet of Things (IoT) shaping human life with greater connectivity and ultimate functionality, and all this is happening through ubiquitous networking to the Internet. There is seemingly no limit what can be connected to the Internet. For example, Toilets at London’s Heathrow Airport report on their usage, Deutsche Telekom and French IT firm Medria created a collar for cows to wear; which is connected to the internet wirelessly, the pupils at Writhlington School in Somerset have used the internet of things to watch how orchids grow are a few practices around the world people are experimenting and executing in day to day life.

In short, we can summarize that Internet of Things (IoT) will be more personal and predictive. This will make life easy, comfortable and more efficient with the help of mobility and cloud. The Internet of Things (IoT) will merge the physical world and the virtual world to create a highly personalized and often predictive connected experience.

IoT Transforming Our Business

“A large portion of marketing dollars are wasted when the wrong offers are made to the wrong people at the wrong place and time… The IoT will generate an enormous, truly unprecedented amount of precise information about buyers and their needs. It’s a marketer’s dream come true.”

— Jon Gettinger, Sr. Vice President of Marketing,

Aria Systems

IoT is shaping modern business- manufacturing to marketing. A lot has been already changed since the inception of the Internet and many more will get changed with the greater Internet connectivity and reach. The global network connecting people, data and machines are transforming the modern business is also called Industrial Internet. The so called Industrial Internet had potential of $10 to $15 trillion to global GDP in next two decades as per Cisco report.

GE plans to invest $1 billion in the development of industrial internet technology and applications development to make customers more productive. IoT will surely contribute to the rise of economic opportunity. As per Cisco research estimation, IoT is a $19 trillion global opportunity over the next decade.

More organizations and governments deploy Internet-enabled technology across various industries in coming days will make this opportunity really BIG. Internet of Things (IoT) start-ups and projects are getting government and private cash to build architecture to enable IoT based services around the world.

Following are some figures that will fix things in your mind how Internet of Things is going to shape the business world:

Economic potential

• GE estimates that “Industrial Internet” could add $10-$15 trillion to global GDP by 2035.
• Cisco says “Internet of Everything” could add $19 trillion in economic value by 2020.

Tech Trigger: Future Expectations

The above mention statistics gives futuristic insight how businesses are going to transform in the near future- There is opportunity for businesses to envision the valuable new offerings that become possible when the physical world is merged with the virtual world. In this way, every physical object potentially can be both intelligent and networked. And, starting now, enterprises must create the organizations and web-based business models that can turn these ideas into reality.

In conclusion, enterprises should look for a technology partner to develop such IoT models to deploy innovative and technology driven business solution or they will left behind in the tech rival environment.

IoT Changing Everything

Consumer adoption rate

• Cisco – 25 billion connected devices by 2015, rising to 50 billion by 2020.
• Gartner – 26 billion IoT devices in use worldwide by 2020.
• Acquity Group – Over two-thirds of consumers plan on buying connected technology for their homes by 2019. For wearables the rate is 50% and for smart thermostats it’s 43%.
• Navigant Research – 1.1 billion smart meters could be in use worldwide by 2022.
• On World – Over 100 million net connected wireless light bulbs worldwide by 2020.

By 2015, according to our projection, 75 percent of the world’s population will have access to the internet connecting 6 billion devices together. Clearly, when things are networked, that has an impact on how actual value is produced.

Internet of Things (IoT) is changing and transforming everything from business to life. Imaginations are boundless and opportunities are infinite. Everything is being wired up or connected wirelessly- architecture, energy efficient sensing, secure networks, quality of service, new protocols, participatory sensing, data mining, GIS based visualization, cloud computing, and international activities. It simply means that powerful information will be at our fingertips.

Conclusion: In conclusion, we can say that rich new information sources will run at your fingertip. The evolution of the next generation mobile system will depend on the creativity of the users in designing new applications. However, security and privacy will be the top considerations for the development companies involved in apps development.

The post How the Internet of Things Is Shaping Our Future appeared first on TechCo.

Mobile technology, whether you believe it or not, has — and will undoubtedly continue to — revolutionize the way business is done.

A look at the numbers

Each year, AT&T and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council conduct a poll that focuses small-business technology. The most recent study revealed some pretty interesting statistics and trends relating to mobile technology.

Here are a few of the main takeaways:

• Collectively, smartphones and tablets save business owners around 2 billion hours each year.

• Mobile technology saves American small-business owners more than $65 billion a year.

• The number of small businesses that use smartphone technology to conduct business is now up to 94% (85% last year).

• The majority of small businesses that use smartphone apps to increase productivity feel they are saving an average of $6,000 a year.

• Two-thirds of small businesses using mobile apps report saving at least 150 hours each year.

A study dating from last year revealed that small businesses use mobile technology to assist with a variety of different functions. When asked how they use smartphones, tablets, and other forms of mobile technology, 73% said they use it for social media marketing, 71% for email marketing, 44% for advertising, 34% for mobile websites, 18% for mobile/tablet based POS systems, and 18% to manage operations.

The value of mobile technology for conducting business

Why are so many American businesses gravitating toward mobile technology? It’s certainly the sexy, sleek, cool thing to do, but the true reasons extend far beyond making a statement.

Mobile technology gives business owners the ability to accomplish things they otherwise couldn’t. The apps are either free or cost very little when compared to much more expensive software and technology.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a program with superfluous bells and whistles, business owners can now shell out a few bucks for an app that gets the job done simply. Though mobile apps are commonly discussed when mobile technology comes up, don’t confuse the two tools.

Mobile apps are a sub-segment of mobile technology; there’s much more to it. Take a look at some of the technologies — both hardware and software — that are currently being used to improve business capabilities.

• Smartphones. When cell phones first went mainstream, people thought they couldn’t get any better. Businessmen and women were no longer tied to their offices and could conduct business on the go without having to be disconnected for extended periods of time.

The smartphone, however, blew things out of the water. Now the staple of mobile technology, smartphones give people access to capabilities that were once limited to desktop computers and large machinery.

Apps, navigation, voice commands, phone calls, sophisticated search functions, and more make smartphones the preferred choice for mobile technology.

• Tablets. A relatively new addition to the mobile technology field, tablets have also provided us with something we never knew we needed. When Apple introduced the first modern tablet, people assumed it was merely a larger version of the iPhone.However, a lot of those same people can’t live without their tablet now. The large touch-screen interface makes it ideal for accessing apps and having a computer that truly operates on the go.

• Cloud technology. Cloud technology is one of the modern tools that hasn’t yet achieved its full potential. Many small business owners still don’t understand its potential. But for those who are currently using it, it’s easy to see how valuable it can be. With so many different uses — data backup, mobile computing, file sharing, and more — the decision to move from physical servers to the cloud can be transformative for any firm.

• POS/mobile credit card processing. For small businesses that operate out of physical retail locations or spend time selling goods and services at trade shows and other mobile events, it’s often difficult to decide on the best way to process payments. Fully integrated systems are expensive and bulky, and often unnecessary.

That’s where mobile point-of-sale (POS) and mobile card readers come into play. These technologies enable businesses to process credit cards and sales straight from a smartphone or tablet. It’s a technology that has grown substantially in the past few years and it’s expected to explode in the coming months.

• GPS technology. Built in to most smartphones and tablets, GPS technology is incredibly sophisticated and useful. It enables companies to plan better routes, track shipments, and save time, money, and resources.While it can be used in any industry, firms in the shipping and logistics industries have found GPS technology especially effective.

The best is yet to come

While it’s evident that mobile technology has significantly altered the way business is conducted in the U.S., it would be foolish to sit back and relax. If history is any indicator of the future, we have only touched the surface.

The coming months will unveil new technologies that will no doubt change the way we do business even further.

The post How Mobile Technology Has Revolutionized Small Business appeared first on TechCo.

If Steve Perlman were listed, I would bet the farm.

Steve just released what might pan out to be biggest telecommunications technology jump in our lifetimes: pCell.

pCell flips on its head how signals are broadcasted and received between towers and devices.  Check out this video from Artemis to learn the basics.  If all the claims are true (and I don’t proclaim to be able to verify the nuances of the technology) then every device will have 100% service all of the time.  On top of that, the service is provided much more economically.

To summarize how it works, cell technology today based on a networks of “cells” that service circular areas around a tower. The cell provides service to receivers (usually phones) inside the radius. This network of cells has to manage data load, interference, transferring from cell to cell, etc. This network requires lots of maintenance, modification, and sophisticated systems.

pCell reinvents the whole process. It creates a “personal cell” (hence the name pCell) about a centimeter in radius around the antenna on your device. This eliminates transferring cells, interference, excessive cell load and reduces the necessary energy.  If you want more detail, Perlman dives in at Columbia University and at Re/code.

Hmm, cool! Now what does that really mean in a day-to-day sense?

The obvious application is in cell phones. Faster, better, cheaper.  Cell service in stadiums? No problem.  Great potential- but perhaps not so revolutionary. So lets look beyond this.  Steve has run a closed-door incubator for many years with companies in it poised to take advantage of this technology.  There has to be a bit more to this story.

What could uninterrupted, 100% strength, lower-cost, cell connectivity unlock?

1.  Streaming TV

How about streaming TV, Netflix, or anything else through a small flashdrive-like receiver that you can plug into any TV. This would revolutionize content providers.  Lookout Comcast and DirectTV.  All this about net neutrality and controlling hard lines?  Irrelevant.

2.  The cloud

pCell gives whole new meaning to the cloud.  In theory, any monitor becomes any device capable of performing any task.  Want to run android? IOS? Photoshop?  You name it.  With cell service of this caliber, It could all be streamed to your monitor with the backend done in the cloud.  Think Google docs-style everything, without the browser processing requirements.

3.  Gaming

Watch Steve talking about gaming and look at the companies in his incubators.  Gone will be the need for a console.  All you need is a monitor and the cloud will do all the processing and stream you the results.

The next billion

If you look at places like the USA, this will basically provide a better service to the existing providers. That’s great and has valuable potential.

But the bigger play is in the developing markets.  Devices can be expensive. And much of the cost is tied up in the hardware, processors, extra battery etc.  Enter point 2 above.  If we now only need to supply devices that come with a monitor and a 4G LTE antenna, we are in business!

Is there any wonder Steve took his 500 million liquidity event and self-funded his incubator for ten years?  My money is on Steve as a double-digit billionaire by 2016.

What do you think- what else would this technology apply to?

The post Steve Perlman, Telecommunication’s Next Billionaire appeared first on TechCo.

Apple Pay Goes Live October 20

Apple announced its foray into mobile enabled payments recently with the introduction of iOS 8 and the launch of iPhone 6. Apple has finally embraced NFC, the much talked about technology, which will be used for mobile-enabled payments at NFC terminals. Apple Pay is scheduled to launch on Monday, October 20. Apple has partnered with numerous companies on the banking and retail sides, and the number has grown significantly since the initial announcement. Apple Pay will be accepted in 220,000 stores across the U.S. including Panera, Starbucks, Target, Staples, OpenTable, Disney, Uber, and McDonalds.

Passbook, the application designed by Apple to store coupons, tickets, boarding passes, and the like, will be used to store credit & debit cards with the help of the iSight camera. Position the card within the given frame and it will capture the contents of the card once you have entered the card security code. There will also be an option to type the information manually. The first card entered becomes the default but the user can choose any other card from Passbook.

Security is the biggest detractor to the future of mobile payments. Apple aims to address this issue by not storing any information on their servers, rather on the Secure Element chip on the iPhone. Upon storing a card in Passbook, a unique Device Account Number is generated and assigned to the card. This is an encrypted number stored on the chip, so retailers will be unable to see the card information while no information will be transmitted while paying online. Every payment will be authorized by Touch ID which adds another layer of security. The ‘Find my iPhone’ feature lets the user locate, lock or erase contents of the phone in case the device is lost. In addition, Apple promises to not store your payment history which ensures zero tracking of your shopping behavior. Apple Pay will only work on the latest Apple devices – iPhone 6, 6 plus, and the Apple Watch.

Google Wallet

Google introduced its own wallet way back in September 2011, though the adoption rate has not been as high. Google Wallet is only available in the US and it works on iPhone as well as Android phones with listed carriers. You can check the list here.

The summer of last year saw Google announce the integration of Google Wallet with Gmail, which allows users to attach money with their email, which is then automatically debited from the corresponding wallet. The recipient will receive the email and the amount will be credited to their Google Wallet. This feature is also only available in the US for users 18 years and older. The wallet can be funded by adding money via the user’s bank account or debit/credit card. Once the wallet is funded, the user can pay for items online or by using NFC at physical payment terminals. In addition to the Google Wallet, users can opt for a physical card that emulates the user’s Google Wallet for swiping at stores that lack NFC terminals. Google charges no annual fee for the Google Wallet Card. Another handy feature with Wallet is that it lets users send money to another account, add balances and track expenses.

Google claims its fraud protection covers 100% of verified unauthorized Google Wallet transactions in the US. It offers Secure Element by the traditional physical chip or by the cloud-based host card emulation (HCE). The Google Wallet app is protected by a 4 digit security pin. “The Privacy Policy for Google Wallet indicates that much of the data is stored but may not be shared outside Google except under certain circumstances.” This rather ambiguous statement raises privacy concerns among users.

Conclusion

According to CNET, as of April 2014, Apple has 800 million iTunes accounts, most of which are linked to credit cards. As of February 2014, Google has 540 million active Gmail users, says NY Times. So the attach money option in Gmail comes as no surprise. The game seems to be subscriber base, where Apple is clearly miles ahead. On the other hand, Google Wallet is not locked to Android devices, and currently offers its services to Apple devices which are on iOS 6 or above.

The imminent wars in this space are seeing other competitors with similar initiatives. One such example is PayPal. Apple has denied partnership with the online paymaster, which means PayPal is looking to carve out its own niche in mobile wallets. Not to forget the numerous other players like Softcard, Square, Coin and others who are pushing the boundaries with mobile wallets. All this buzz and activity seems to be pointing towards mobile wallets becoming the money of the future.

The post Apple Pay and Google Wallet – Is this the Future of Money? appeared first on TechCo.

Get these 4 things right and make the best of the resources available in generating revenue from your app.

1. Dispatch specific Push Notifications for resolving latency and experiencing user growth

It is common knowledge among app developers to convey important information to app users using the evergreen Push notifications. Email and message apps have already figured this out, so why do most other app designers see this topic as a grey area? It is because of toughened stances by Apple, Google and Microsoft on the use of push notifications by developers for advertising and promotion on their stores. So, it has become difficult for app developers to send out casual push notifications just to make the users aware of the app. While sending out annoying, promotion-oriented notifications can get your app kicked out of the app stores, there are certain alternatives through which you can send out these notifications to improve the user-experience and also get a virtual nod from the strict mobile app stores.

The first alternative is to provide a way for the users to integrate their app account with their social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter etc.) or their contact list. The second way to do it is to enable geo-tagging and geo-location features in the app. Implementing these two small changes will enable the users to interact with others via the app. And, the best thing is, these features can be added to any app and made to work to its advantage. Using the aforementioned features, it is possible to send out push notifications to the app users notifying them of the activity of their social media friends, anyone on their contact list, or someone nearby. It would also make it possible for the users to share their app activities or progress on social media with their friends. When this social media and geo-feature integration into the app is made seamless, it would itself serve as a promotion for the app with new users downloading the app and using the app at the behest of their friends and people nearby.

These push notifications serve the purpose of reactivating the latent app on users’ smartphones without violating the app store guidelines. In the process, it provides a new spin on the existing app features all the while making the app more valuable. Thus, using these neat features, you not only manage to push the visibility of the app among the existing users, but you also encourage non-users to download this app and ultimately experience real user growth.

2. If you have a game app, tweak your Game Story and Hotspot settings

Although advertising, in-app purchases, upgrades, and paid downloads generate the most revenue for a game app, the success of these campaigns is largely reliant on other critical factors.

The critical success factors for a game app are the Game Story and Hotspots. But, these elements are not just limited to game apps; other apps can also imbibe important elements from this and incorporate it in their own apps to make it an engaging and complete experience for the users.

Game Story refers to the story that a game is based on. Many of the popular game apps have a backstory that then follows on to the present time. A sure-shot Game Story pattern to follow would be to have a storied history, present struggles and future glory, but it can be made more engaging by also including ‘hooks’ and ‘red herring’ in the storyline. Inculcating these must-have elements in a game ensures that the app keeps people glued and also generates regular repeat visits, all the while making the game addictive. Now, you might think, how does it even help generate from a game app, leave aside a non-game app. I would here like to throw some light on the statistics. According to Statista, game apps contribute to around 20% of the app market, and 22% of these games apps are used only once. So, what happens most of the time is that people download a game on the smartphone, don’t find it good enough, and hence discard it. Judging by these stats, it’s highly likely that your game app has also been discarded for obvious reasons. Having such unique elements which piques immense curiosity of the game users can give it a distinct edge over similar such game apps. It can also help you to pull users through word-of-mouth without actually advertising for the app.

Hotspots are defined as those junctures in a gameplay where the excitement of users is at its peak. These are the junctures that users wait for, and which they are determined to negotiate. These are also the junctures when you have partial control over what the users do next and able to sway the users’ decisions. These instances should be best utilized to generate revenue by offering in-app purchases or discounts near this juncture. If these hotspots occur at the extreme end of a level in a game, and if the users fail to clear that stage, they could also be provided the option of restarting the game from scratch or paying money to go to the next stage.

3. Gamify or Valufy your App

One of the better qualities of popular game apps is their ability to gamify an app. What this means is, whenever users accomplish something in a game, they are rewarded with different kinds of valuables like genie bottles, coins, Faberge eggs, diamonds, gold, silver, or even cold hard cash. The users can use these valuables further in the game to negate losses and advance ahead. Although this concept of gamification is unique to game apps, a similar concept can be implemented by other apps. For example a non-game app like Registry Cleaner can allow its users to earn cash for deleting a certain quantity of trash from their smartphone. This is what can be called Valufication. They can redeem this cash to unlock some hidden features which allow the users to do a customized clean up. Similarly, such value propositions can be employed by non-game apps to increase the engagement of the audience while offering them what they are looking for.

4. Post How-Tos/Support/Cheat codes for your app online

Often times, people come across an app somewhere that they find interesting at first sight. They then proceed to download it and play around with it for a short while. The app resides in their phone for some time, but at some point the app gets uninstalled without getting a second glance. While there could be several arguments for such user behavior with respect to apps, the most popular argument would be that the app was no good and it could provide nothing new to the user. Well, majority of the times that’s not the case. A user downloads any app (even a free app) after receiving valid recommendations or only after a careful review. So, while downloading the app, users know for certain that the app will provide them a new feature or possibly even a new experience. And, the app is capable of providing something new of high value to them. But, it’s only that the users don’t know how to use majority of the features of that app. And, they are not to blame, since all new things come with an instruction manual for a purpose. So, a trendy new app with never-before-introduced features bites the dust because the company that developed the app didn’t make a user guide for the app.

So, if you have an app with new features that the public isn’t aware of or hasn’t used before, make sure to publish a how-to guide and provide support for the parts of the app that require some adjustments, if possible on the app itself or on the app website. Support for game apps could come in the form cheat codes or hints on how to clear the stages, which could be made available on major game sites or the app website.

The post Get These 4 Things Right and Generate Revenue from your App appeared first on TechCo.

The cost of a simple enterprise app would be much less than a medium enterprise app, whose cost would in turn be less than a complex enterprise app. Building a mobile application mainly involves human capital. If there is a single person working on the app development, the costs are obviously going to be lower.

Excluding the costs of the hardware involved in the process of app making, you have to buy a domain name and hosting. There is also the developer fee, and many of these costs may be recurring on a monthly basis. There are different app developers in India, who charge anything between $40 to $125 an hour. The more time they give to developing a particular app, the more they charge. If the infrastructure of the app is complex, the developer will surely take more money.

In India, the approximate cost of building a simple app can cost from $5,000 to $8,000. Similarly, the cost for building a complex app may rise up to as much as $40,000. There are a number of reasons that lead to an increase in development costs – for example, making regular updates to the application, handling user problems, managing reviews about the application, and so on.

You can lessen your app development costs if you are clear about what you need. Being unsure about your needs can actually shoot up costs. It’s always a better idea to understand and make a proper strategy including your app requirements and what you want your app to be before proceeding with app development. Talk to the developers and try to have a proper estimate of the costs involved. You do not want to spend a lot of money without any results.

The post How Much Does It Cost to Outsource App Development to India? appeared first on TechCo.