Archive for the
‘Mobile technology’ Category

Home / Mobile technology

Why people like educational apps 0

Why do people buy educational apps for their mobile devices?

For kids and their parents, educational apps offer fun and creative ways to learn. Apps like Sprout Games and Videos for the iPad and First Words with Phonics for Windows motivate kids to work on their reading, math and other classroom skills, often using a familiar character like Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.

A study by global trade organization MEF finds that 17 percent of mobile device users worldwide download an educational app. In its recently released report analyzing regional and global trends for mobile education products and services, MEF finds that educational apps rank ninth among all app categories.

But learning is not the prime motivation for people downloading education apps. Many users see them as playful or fun; the MEF study finds that 47 percent of people who buy an app from an educational site cited the entertainment value.

You can read more about MEF’s study in the infographic below.

educationapps_art

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

User experience counts in mobile content sites 0

Planning a content marketing strategy that includes mobile devices means taking the user experience into account.

It helps if the written or video content accessed through a smartphone or tablet is clear, concise, informative and easy to navigate.

placeit(13)But the worse a site looks or functions on a mobile device, the less likely people are to continue accessing the content on it.

Most users consider four seconds to be the threshold for a website to load. A recent survey by Trilibis, however, found that only 21 percent of websites were loading in less than four seconds on a smartphone.

According to Trilibis’ survey, 69 percent of responsive design websites, those that provide easy reading and navigation across a wide range of devices, fail to deliver acceptable load times on mobile devices. That means users trying to access these sluggish and underperforming websites were more than likely to move on to other companies’ pages that loaded faster.

That can cost a company customers, and brand exposure.

The user experience needs to be responsive, and fast. If performance is a problem, the site may need updating to improve the experience.

An abundance of marketing video segments may be part of the content plan for the site, but the downside is longer load times. Targeted consumer content for the mobile device may be better served by less bandwidth-intensive images.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

 

Nike drops FuelBand, exits wearable device market 0

Nike is repositioning itself in the wearable tech market.

The sports apparel giant has one of the pioneering products in wearable technology with its Nike + FuelBand fitness band that tracks the user’s workout and activity progress.

nikefuelband_artBut according to a report in CNET, Nike is getting out the hardware business to focus more on fitness and athletic software and apps. The company shelved plans for a slimmer version of the FuelBand device that was to come out in the fall, but will continue to sell the FuelBand + SE that has been on the market since November.

Nike’s more bears watching by those focusing on the wearables market, which is still looking to catch on with the mainstream public.

Interest in wearables is projected to grow, based on a recent report by IDC that says shipments of the devices are expected to more than triple by 2018 as they become functional, stylish and popular with the general public.

Complex accessories like the FuelBand and Fitbit fitness and activity monitors that operate when connected to a smartphone, tablet or PC are expected to lead shipments, according to IDC, followed by smart accessories like smartwatches and devices like Google Glass.

Yet the nascent market for wearables remains small at the present time, and, according to CNET, Nike had been looking to get out of wearable fitness devices for some time. The FuelBand accounted for only 10 percent of sales in the fitness band market. And, companies like Google, Apple and Samsung are investing heavily in wearable tech and loom as competition.

The end of the FuelBand device may be a setback for Nike, but not necessarily for wearable tech.

 

We are MyMobileLyfe and we can help your company develop a content marketing strategy to reach people on the go. Click here to contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starwood Hotels launching Google Glass app 0

Did you buy a pair of Google Glass eyewear at this week’s one-day only blowout? You now have a use for them.

googleglass_artOne day after Google — according to some reports — exhausted its stock of the computer-equipped eyewear after offering the $1,500 devices at a one-day public sale to U.S. residents, Starwood Hotels announced plans to release an app that lets Google Glass wearers search its 1,100 hotels and resorts and reserve a room with voice commands.

The SPG for Glass app also allows users to get turn-by-turn directions, access up to date account information and explore hotel photos. A beta version of the app is undergoing testing.

It’s the latest tech-savvy move for the Stamford, Conn.-based lodging chain. As we posted recently, Starwood is working on a new virtual door key system for its hotels that allow guests to enter their rooms using an app on their smartphones, which would unlock the door via Bluetooth technology.

Agreement makes ‘kill switch’ standard on smartphones by 2015 0

The “kill switch” technology that can remotely disable a stolen smartphone will soon be standard by the summer of 2015.

lockedphone_artA new initiative announced this week by the wireless trade group CTIA has the backing of phone manufacturers Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and others, and wireless carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Under the terms of the Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment, smartphones manufactured after July 2015 for sale in the United States will have the technology to render the phone inoperable if it is stolen, remotely wipe out all data, and prevent reactivation without the authorized user’s permission.

The technology would also allow the reversal of the smartphone’s inoperability and retrieval of data if it is recovered by the authorized user.

The technology will be offered at no cost to consumers.

As we have posted before, theft is a serious problem confronting owners of mobile devices. In major cities like New York and San Francisco, smartphone theft accounts for half of all robberies.

It is estimated that it costs consumers about $580 million a year to replace stolen smartphones and about $4.8 billion a year in premiums to insure the handsets. The idea is for the disabling technology to be an effective deterrent by making the smartphones worthless to thieves.

The pledge marks a reversal by wireless carriers, which had resisted pressure from state lawmakers to make the kill-switch technology mandatory.

California legislators earlier this year introduced a bill requiring the technology to be installed in smartphones, and Minnesota’s legislature is poised to adopt a similar bill. Federal lawmakers proposed legislation in the House as well.

The CTIA had also originally opposed making the technology mandatory, citing potential hacking and privacy risks that could affected entire groups of smartphone customers.

Says Steve Largent, president and CEO of the CTIA:

“We appreciate the commitment made by these companies to protect wireless users in the event their smartphones are lost or stolen. … At the same time, it’s important different technologies are available so that a ‘trap door’ isn’t created that could be exploited by hackers and criminals. By working together with policymakers, law enforcement and consumers, we will deter theft and protect users’ personal information on smartphones.”

 

 

Infographic: Printing on the move 0

More than a third of the workforce worldwide will be mobile by 2015, and among the tasks workers in the “bring your own device” environment will find themselves doing is printing.

They’re using smartphones and tablets to connect to wireless printers with increasing frequency. By 2015, 50 percent of smartphone users will use the devices for printing tasks, and 58 percent of tablet users will do the tasks,

This infographic by IDC explains this further.

idcmobileprint_art

 

 

Google Glass’ one-day only offer 0

Talk about one-day only sales.

googleglass_artGoogle is making its groundbreaking Google Glass available to anyone who wants to purchase a pair. The computer-equipped eyewear will be available for purchase for a single day, April 15, and only to U.S. residents who sign up in advance or return to Google’s site at 9 a.m. on that date. Orders will include a free sunglass shade or one of its newly introduced prescription glasses frames.

The offer is an expansion of Google’s Explorer Program that makes the eyewear available to select users who act as brand ambassadors.

Says Google:

“To discover new places, sometimes we need to leave the map behind. And that’s what Glass Explorers do. They are the first to make, to tinker, to create, to shape, and to share through Glass. We’re expanding little by little, and experimenting with different ways of bringing new Explorers into the program.”

With this controlled step the company is putting the $1,500 devices in the hands – or rather, on the faces – of more people in advance of the device’s launch to the general public.

The Verge first reported the plans for Google Glass, citing leaked slideshows detailing the promotion plans.

Market for wearables is gaining momentum 0

smartwatch_artShipments of wearable computing devices are expected to more than triple as they become functional, stylish and increasingly popular with the general public.

Leading the way are complex accessories like the Nike + Fuelband and Fitbit fitness and activity monitors that operate when connected to a smartphone, tablet or PC. Research from International Data Corporation says interest in the market for these devices will grow.

Says Ramon Llamas, research manager at Framingham, Mass.-based IDC:

“Complex accessories have succeeded in drawing much-needed interest and attention to a wearables market that has had some difficulty gaining traction. The increased buzz has prompted more vendors to announce their intentions to enter this market. Most importantly, end-users have warmed to their simplicity in terms of design and functionality, making their value easy to understand and use.”

IDC says overall shipments of wearables will exceed 19 million this year, more than triple last year’s sales, and grow to nearly 112 million units by 2018.

Another segment of the market, smart accessories like the Pebble smartwatch, Samsung GALAXY Gear, and Sony SmartWatch that allow users to access third-party apps, is projected to surpass complex accessories by 2018.

The third segment, smart wearables that include Google Glass and function with full autonomy, has yet to reach millions of units shipped, IDC says, and is not expected to reach that point until around 2016. But according to IDC, it is not a question of “if,” but “when” wearables as a whole will extend into the enterprise.

 

Choices to make: mobile app or website 0

As the population of consumers using mobile devices continues to rise, companies have decisions to make. Should they develop mobile device apps, or optimize their websites to be viewed on smartphones?

This infographic by Boca Raton, Fla.-based MDG Advertising helps break it down. Let us know what you think.

mobileapp_art

 

Five examples of unique mobile retailer content 0

What makes good content marketing for a mobile device?

It informs the consumer, and engages them. It helps the consumer make decisions and connect with the brand. The content goes beyond advice on making a purchase or finding a store nearby. Over time, it builds customer loyalty.

Content Marketing Institute recently came up with five solid examples of retail content created for mobile devices. For those focusing on effective mobile content, these should be worth a look:

teavana_artTeavana’s mobile site (shown at left) is unique and informative content for fans of the specialty tea shop found in many shopping malls, offering tips from a tea blending tool to brewing instructions for the perfect pot.

An app created for Lowe’s stands out for its “My Lowe’s” feature that helps shoppers remember what they bought at the home improvement store before.

A user-friendly Domino’s Tracker shows what stage a customer’s pizza order is in, whether it is still in the oven or is on its way to being delivered in 30 minutes or less.

Best Buy’s mobile app features content that helps educate consumers as they make their in-store decisions, like a scanner that they can use in the store to compare product features and check out reviews.

wendys_artThe MyWendy’s app (shown at left) has content geared toward the calorie conscious. Customers can set the calorie range for their meal, and they can view a list of items they can choose from to help them stick to their goal. The customer can save a customized meal that displays on the app what each item looks like, as well as the nutritional information.

These five apps have common content characteristics: They engage and inform the customer and give them a reason to stay interested in the brand. For content marketing creators, that is the goal.