Google very recently introduced Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich, along with the new phone that will ship with the it, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The improvements that it offers are certainly significant, ambitious and compelling to the marketplace. Here is a quick list of the highlights that are being discussed by Android application developers:
1. Unified UI Framework – The new Android UI is now consistant across device form factors. Android developers can now write for Android devices across the board rather than phones or tablets separately.
2. Android Beam – NFC-enabled Android phones can now use Android Beam to share information about their apps with each other when the phones are in close proximity. Users can now exchange contacts, configure multi-player games, initiate chats, etc. Android Beam can switch over to Bluetooth for large data transfers; and it doesn’t require manual device discovery or pairing. Android application developers are very excited about this feature.
3. Face Unlock – Android 4.0 uses the technology as an optional way to unlock the device. Users can also use PIN entry or pattern tracing to unlock their devices.
4. Calendar API – Simplifies the process of adding calendar related services to apps. It allows apps to add and manage events, alerts, and reminders through a shared database. Very useful for mobile applications for Android phones.
5. Visual Voicemail API – Includes the ability to access incoming messages, voice transcriptions, and audio files from multiple voicemail service providers. The Phone app can be integrated with developer apps.
6. Enterprise Enhancements – Ice Cream Sandwich comes with a new VPN API that makes it easier to create apps that rely on secure connections.
There is certainly a lot to be excited about with Android 4.0. If you are contemplating building a mobile app for Android devices be sure to discuss all that is available with an Android mobile app developer to make sure you don’t miss out on a great opportunity to leverage the power of this exciting new operating system.
If you’re thinking about developing an application for iPhone, Android application or an iPad application, your potential audience is massive and growing at an accelerating rate. Individual smartphone users across the globe will have downloaded 98 billion mobile apps by the end of 2015 according to a recent estimate by Berg Insight. And while this is encouraging news regarding usage, it also points out that it is more important than ever to carefully develop mobile applications that will stand out in the marketplace and stay on your users smartphones.
One of the key attributes and considerations that we tell our clients when discussing mobile application development is that they need to do more than just market a business. While this often seems to be a driver to build mobile applications, it’s far from the only one. You should consider functions such as customer service, a tool to augment your product line or simply providing your customers a mobile application of value that they will utilize regularly. This way your app is something that they will interact with regularly, this isn’t necessarily the case with apps that exist solely to promote. Consider all aspects of your business and goals and then develop an app strategy that actually supports those goals and works inline with them.
The second idea that we always tell clients is that an app should deliver value. Even if it’s free, the app needs to give the user a reason not just to download it but to actually use it. Reasons will vary by business and industry–giving you lots of opportunities to be creative. You know your customer, see that they will get some value from your app. If you do they will appreciate it and use your iPhone or Android application.
Finally, have a plan to get the word out. Just like with your website, a mobile application won’t just magically find an audience. They need to be marketed like any other part of your business. This could be as simple as a sign in a physical retail location, links from an emails or your website, or a mention that you have iPhone, iPad and Android application on your print marketing materials. Remember that apps are hip and new, people want them and it very easy to get people to download them if you let them know that you have an iPhone application, iPad application or Android application available.
If you don’t know it yet, smartphones are no longer just about making phone calls, smartphones and the variety of mobile applications that they are host to are all about about being connected in a variety of ways. Email, sms, mobile applications, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the ways. This trend is rapidly changing the face of marketing and advertising and if you aren’t at least researching how you can leverage the power of mobile applications, you are in danger of being left behind your competition.
One of the key reasons we promote iPhone applications, iPad applications, Android applications and native applications for other mobile systems are the superior response rates mobile marketing campaigns achieve. This gives you superior ROIs on your advertising dollars. Mobile marketing/advertising is far superior to that of traditional online campaigns with response rates that are often twice to 10 times higher according to an Opus Research report. In terms of ROI, that’s truly a staggering number that should not be ignored.
On top of the response rate one should consider the incredible growth in this market. Smartphones and mobile applications have a large and rapidly growing audience. According to a recent study by CTIA, there are more than 300 million mobile phones in the U.S., which is almost equal with our current population. Worldwide, there are more than 5 billion mobile subscribers and the rate of adoption for mobile is incredible, especially when compared to the current rate of growth for personal computers. Establishing your brand with quality build mobile applications now can pay off huge dividends for years to come as you can gain some serious leverage over your competition.
Smart phones are the one device that gives you constant access to your clients and potential consumers. Mobile phones are constant companions to modern consumers and provide an almost unlimited amount of ongoing content. Regardless of location or time of day, you can be available to your consumer base with an effective mobile application. In fact, 75% of people polled never leave home without their mobile phone (CNBC). You don’t see anywhere near those kinds of numbers with laptops or any other form of media.
Another big plus for content delivered via mobile device is that unlike with traditional methods of marketing/advertising, such as direct mail, online banners and e-mail, mobile campaigns are based on an opt-in or expressed user actions like browsing or downloading an application. As a result, consumers are significantly more likely to be engaged and responsive to your message. This is not something you find with other forms of media, as emails are regularly quickly deleted and ads in magazines or on tv are simply ignored.
Finally, smartphones give users the wonderful ability to personalize their device. This creates a real sense of attachment and ownership. Mobile phone numbers are tied to a person, where an internet connection is not. Demographic, geographic and device-type information tied to a mobile number gives you the ability to create highly personalized campaigns that will achieve remarkable results.