Consumers are adopting smartphones at faster and faster rates. Last month Strategy Analytics reported that there are now 1 billion smartphones worldwide projecting to hit 2 billion by 2015. Nielsen just published a report earlier in the summer that said more than half of mobile subscribers, 55%, now own a smartphone and that will continue to rise as 2 out of every 3 new subscribers are choosing smartphones. Also, over 85% of these smartphones are either Androids or iPhones. What else is interesting is that 56% prefer to access the internet on their smartphones OVER their computer! A recent O2 [...]
Popcorn Apps…
With some of our customers and at recent trade show events I’ve been talking about the concept of a “popcorn app”. The idea behind this is that there are things that a company or organization might be able to use an app for, but because of the costs of apps in the current state of development it just doesn’t make sense. The ROI cannot be found to rationalize the process. I’ve talked about this so many times now that it has become a part of my anatomy. It all came home to me last night. I have a study that [...]
What’s Your Mobile Hook?
My favorite new feature from iOS6 is really an old feature from the 2008 Blackberry Storm days, easily sharing photos directly from the camera to Facebook! That function got me hooked on smartphones back in the day where I realized that social media and mobile phones are perfect for each other. Social media is about instantly sharing your life with your friends, family and followers; your life is mobile, and your mobile phone is with you all the time. What took Apple so long? So, why am I talking about this here? Well it’s a great example of how important [...]
Your Personal Grocery Shopping Organizer, At Your Fingertips!
Is it going to be crowded? Am I forgetting anything? Was there a coupon for this? If you are anything like me, the last thing you want to do on your way home from work is go grocery shopping. Luckily, the app store offers an abundance of mobile applications that can help make your weekly grocery shopping more efficient and convenient. Next time you are in the grocery store look around and you will probably notice that almost no one carries around a paper-based grocery list anymore. Recently, Purple Cover, Inc. created a lot of buzz with their new ‘AnyList‘ app. [...]
Museums & Mobility
The rapid increase in the adoption of mobile platforms is changing the way we access and interact with information. Museums have started to leverage the power of mobile as a critical tool for engaging visitors. One of the leaders in this space is the Smithsonian museum located in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian has a collection of mobile applications utilizing a range of facilities, including crowdsourcing, image recognition, GPS location, augmented reality and mobile ‘collecting’ of visitors’ favorites. The Artists in Dialogue 2, created by the Smithsonian Institution for the National Museum of African Art, provides a guided tour in both [...]
Be Your Own Olympic Broadcaster… With the Power of Mobile
Over the years we’ve gathered around our televisions to witness iconic moments of singular and collaborative greatness, gold, and glory. Who is going to be on the Wheaties box tomorrow morning? Who will capture the world’s heart? Somehow the summer Olympics seem most special. The summer Olympics gives us a chance to see our heroes up close and personal. Witnessing history in real-time is magic. Swimming, running, jumping—we all understand those events. There is something for everyone. With increased access to customizable real-time data coverage, we have more control over the Olympic coverage we consume. In a recent poll by Velti, results [...]
Museums & Mobility
The rapid increase in the adoption of mobile platforms is changing the way we access and interact with information. Museums have started to leverage the power of mobile as a critical tool for engaging visitors. One of the leaders in this space is the Smithsonian museum located in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian has a collection of mobile applications utilizing a range of facilities, including crowdsourcing, image recognition, GPS location, augmented reality and mobile ‘collecting’ of visitors’ favorites. The Artists in Dialogue 2, created by the Smithsonian Institution for the National Museum of African Art, provides a guided tour in both [...]
GUEST POST: 3 Tips for Engaging Elementary School Students with Mobile Technology
Mobile technology is changing the face of education as we know it– from educational apps to iPads in the classroom. Although there is a widespread agreement in the academic industry that these devices are important, there is less of a consensus regarding the age at which educators should start introducing children to this technology. On top of determining when the appropriate time is, how to go about the introduction is also uncertain. For instructors in Generation X, this conflict becomes even more complex, because many teachers may not be as well acquainted with modern technology themselves. As an instructor, even if you don’t [...]
App Development Gets Creative
Problems and solutions are tied together with a creative knot. Creativity, to me, is connecting two previously unrelated things in a way that makes perfect sense. Seeking out innovative ways to approach situations and solve problems is exactly how SmartOnline began developing its current platform solution to app creation and management, the Smart Online Mobile Platform. About 5 months ago I started with the company and, coming from a fine arts and graphic design background, I fell easily into place in the creative and marketing departments. Not knowing anything about computer development and coding, I decided to play around with [...]
GUEST POST: The Healthcare Industry and Mobile
Today’s post comes from Felicia Baratz, Writer at Technected.com, a blog that is about all things tech. People use smartphones at work for communicating, at school for organizing notes, in the car to get directions and at the bus stop to play games. In fact, people use their smartphones everywhere except, of course, in the doctor’s office. As soon as you walk in, you’ll inevitably see a big sign telling you to turn off your phone. The idea makes sense: you want your doctor to be able to concentrate on you instead of your phone, and you certainly don’t want [...]