Infographic: How Much Mobile Data do you Use
Going over your data limit is generally pretty expensive and it can add up in a year. Take a look at this infographic to get an idea how much data you use while consuming media via your mobile device.
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Areas to Address when Determining a Mobile Application Strategy
Sippanont Samchai via Compfight
Before we go into detail I am going to define the difference between a web based application and a native based application.
Web Based Apps
A web based app is browser based and generally run off a URL, but can be added to a home screen of a tablet or smartphone. Written in text rather than binary code. Therefore a little less secure than a native apps. Web based apps are progressing rapidly but have yet to achieve the processing power of native based apps.
Native Based Apps
Native apps are your typical App Store and Google Market apps that can be downloaded, unlike web based apps that run in the browser. Native apps are great for enterprise because they can be loaded on devices and are very user friendly. Also they have offline capabilities. Think of a native app as software rather than a webpage.
Do you need Offline Capabilities?
Generally, if your organization needs offline capabilities and your team if constantly working in the field, than a native based app will best suit your organization needs. Native apps are especially beneficial to industrial, oil and gas, manufacturing organizations that may not have connectivity 100% of the time. Native apps are able to store information gathered during “offline mode” and upload the data to a server once connectivity is restored.
Generally, web apps need connectivity, there are methods that allow browser based apps to store information but they have yet to prove useful for enterprise organizations. Basically, if you need offline capabilities native based is your best bet.
Have you thought about Mobile Commerce?
So…this is a tricky one, because web-apps can be responsive (responsive = automatically adapts to the type of device the web-app is being viewed on i.e. a desktop web-app may look different than the mobile and tablet web app). The intelligence of a web app is able to recognize the device and display a mobile, tablet or desktop optimized web based application. Generally, the user experience is pretty good with web based apps. Cost is generally lower and many major brands are using web based mobile commerce platforms
A native based app offers an immersive experience that is catered to each operating system and downloaded to the device. Therefore the user experience is smoother, much faster and offers the opportunity to reach customers through push notifications. Since the user downloads a native app to their device, mobile commerce providers can market flash sales, new products, and other marketing initiatives through a push notification that offers an immediate call to action.
Are you Considering Leveraging the Capability of the Device…Camera, Calendar, Near Field Communications, GPS, Location Aware Offerings?
If an app is meant to leverage the potential of the device, than a native based mobile strategy would best suit your needs and objectives. Although certain web based techniques are being used to integrate the camera features, GPS and Location aware offerings they are unproven and lack user experience.
Read MoreBlackberry 10: Notable Features and Improvements
The past 12-16 months have been difficult times for RIM, but it seems as though they will be offering consumers and enterprise customers a fairly user friendly platform. Thorstein Heins has officially confirmed the January 30th, 2013 release date for BB10 and the brand is gaining equity. Take a look at some of the cool new features and we encourage you to share and use the #BB10believe hashtag.
A Speedy New and Improved Browser
Speed and social integration can be a dangerous combination. The new BB10 mobile operating system offers users the opportunity to seamlessly share content via multiple social networks quickly and efficiently by clicking an icon embedded with the browser. Sharing options include twitter, linkedin, facebook and third party apps like dropbox. Other sharing features include BBM, BBM groups, Tag (Blackberry near field communications brand) and a “remember” feature that can store articles. The new peek technology developed RIM seems to be fairly functional. Take a look at the video for other features.
The Blackberry 10 Camera
Loyal Blackberry users are generally major fans of the camera function within existing Blackberry operating systems. One of the main areas of focus for RIM has been improving the camera function and differentiating themselves from Apple and Samsung. They have managed to do so by creating time shift technology, which allows users to adjust photos and rewind time to make optimize them for sharing with friends and family. See how it works and watch the video below.
The Blackberry Keyboard
The Blackberry keyboard offers a distinct competitive advantage for RIM, especially within the enterprise market. Therefore they decided to improve upon one of their distinct attributes and add automatic features to a touch qwerty that acts like a traditional blackberry keyboard. Take a look at Vivek Bhardwaj explain the functionality. See the video below.
Read MoreInfographic: The Future of News on Mobile
Mobile has changed the way people read the news. Whether they are reading through their tablet or smartphone, readers find a way to access content while via their favorite devices.
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Pros and Cons of iPad Mini for Enterprise
Andrew Becraft via Compfight
Pros
The Price of the iPad Mini
Apple is not exactly known for their low prices, and to be honest the everyday consumer can probably find a much more powerful small sized tablet for a lower price. Fortunately, Apple has app inventory and stability on their side. For a starting price of $329, enterprises can arm a staff of 30 under $10,000.
The Size of the iPad Mini
The 7.9 inch iPad mini is meant to compete with the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7, which are both around 7 inch tablets. Although Apple was not supposed to release a competitor to smaller tablets, they decided to go head to head with their main competitors for double the price… (it is amazing what brand equity does)
Developer Support for iOS
Apple offers excellent developer support and iOS development is fairly straightforward for team of software engineers. The iOS standard development kit provides excellent pre-built user interface elements allowing for user friendly organizational tools
Existing App Inventory of iOS
It is hard to ignore the existing app inventory of the iOS platform. Your enterprise staff can play angry birds, temple run and draw something while at the office (note the sarcasm). All jokes aside, iOS has many applications that can be used internally, and can even be integrated into a custom application.
Cons
File Management Can be Tricky with iOS
Everyone is aware of the issues with iOS opening certain file types. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to edit documents on the go. There are some third party apps that work, but they can be frustrating as well.
No Microsoft Office on Apple Devices
In case you haven’t heard, Microsoft office is not available on iOS devices. Unless Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer decides to give in to the temptation of iOS app development, we do not predict Office is coming to iPad mini anytime soon. If Microsoft was not trying to compete heavily in the mobile space, it may be a possibility. If Office is important, maybe a windows surface tablet is a good option.
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