How Smartphones are Revolutionizing Business Growth

100 years down the line, if you were to ask historian what the biggest advancements of the early 21st century were, chances are very good that the smartphone will make the cut.

With almost 4 billion unique worldwide users, uses that number the thousands, if not millions, and the fact that over half of all internet traffic today comes from the mobile web, it’s clear that smartphones are taking over the role of “man’s best friend.”

There’s just no escaping it…businesses included.

But for them, unlike seeing smartphones as friends, they see them as opportunities for growth.

How to Use Smartphones for Business Growth

Apart from the general usefulness that smartphones bring to business in terms of mobility and 24/7 connectivity, the smartphone’s impact on business—the biggest impact—can be seen when you consider what makes them different than their normal counterparts: the “smart” that precedes it.

With that moniker comes the ability to use a multitude of applications, which come in various shapes and sizes that vary by use.

For example, you can have an app that allows you to dabble in the stock market, and another that lets you play Scrabble with people around the world.

More on the business side, smartphone business apps usually fall into two categories:

● Internal applications that benefit a company by streamlining tasks and creating more efficient work environments
● External applications that benefit a company’s customers, thereby benefiting the company itself through branding and loyalty perks, data gathering and, if an eCommerce, extra sales

After all, with increased productivity from internal apps comes business growth, and as we all know, a happy customer is a loyal customer (also key for growth), which external apps are excellent at fostering.

Internal Smartphone Business Apps

Starting with internal smartphone business apps to showcase how to use a smartphone for business, the key here is focusing on increasing productivity.

The good thing is that because applications can be programmed to do pretty much anything—helping employees throughout their day included—they can be used as tools to fix anything that’s lagging or needs improvement.

In this way, business growth comes internally, as employees are able to work harder and smarter, resulting in overall better company productivity and a better return on the business’ investment.

For example, you can create the following types of applications among many to improve your business’ processes:

● Customer Relationship Management (CRM) apps that help you manage customer relations
● Lead generation apps that help you identify potential customers
● Inventory management apps that help you keep track of everything

As to where or who to go to for inspiration, because these apps will be the tools your employees use as they go about their workdays to streamline tasks, improve efficiency and help the company run more smoothly, they’re the ones to turn to.

External Smartphone Business Apps

Unlike internal applications, the idea with external, client-facing apps is to present your company to your audience in mobile form to maximize interactions with them and make the most of them.
After all, considering that 71% of total digital minutes are spent on mobile devices, it makes sense that you’ll use mobile, their apparent preferred mode of communication, to connect.

In doing so, you’ll be turning your app into a marketing channel that works at all times of the day, and may even bring its own revenue if you can sell products and/or services through it.

However you choose to make use of external apps, some of their benefits are that they:
● Improve communication between you and your audience
● Provide information to your audience at all times of the day (even better if a chatbot is used)
● Present your offerings in a visual and convenient way
● Ensure loyalty through rewards and promotions
● Gather customer data and insights through usage statistics

More on the last point, one of the biggest benefits of client-facing apps is that they’re a literal goldmine of user data, including their browsing and purchasing habits, which is a great help when creating and tailoring marketing strategies.

The Current Smartphone Landscape

When it comes to growth through smartphones, though internal applications will give you much-needed help running things within the business, external apps are where true growth will come from.
For example, think of the 125 Million U.S. consumers who own smartphones and that, as of December 2017, 82% of online users in the U.S. used a mobile device for online shopping, with 35% being mobile-only online shoppers.

Apart from eCommerce, think of one of the main uses for apps: entertainment.

As it happens to be, the mobile entertainment market—comprised of games, videos, and music—is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 15% during the period between 2018 and 2023, with games generating $40.6 billion in revenue in 2017.

With these stats, it’s clear that pairing an app with an eCommerce business is not only the logical thing to do, but what will open doors for more sales to come through, and that putting out an entertainment app that gives your users new ways of discovering and viewing your content is exactly what they want.

Final Thoughts

With the ability to do practically anything through an app, smartphones are absolutely wonderful for businesses and consumers alike.

For example, while consumers gain a new channel to browse and buy products, or learn more about a company, businesses also gain a new channel, this time to sell to and connect with their audience, and the ability to create apps that streamline various processes.

Putting it all together, smartphones are definitely a “win’ for business.

What to Expect for the Future of Smartphone Technology

Over three-quarter of U.S. adults (77%) say they own a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011, making the smartphone one of the most quickly adopted consumer technologies in recent history. Expanding borders, there were 1.57 billion worldwide smartphone users in 2014, a number that’s expected to nearly double (2.87B) by 2020.

In other words, a lot of people use smartphones.
Why? What about smartphones is so special that practically everyone either has one or wants to get one?

For starters, look at the name. Being smartphones means that their capabilities extend past that of normal mobile phones, as they have what we now consider essential functions, such as:
● Internet connectivity, whether through WiFi or mobile data
● High-quality cameras
● Biometric authentication
● And countless applications with functions that range games to increasing productivity

After all, likened to small computers that fit in your pocket, it’s clear that advancements in smartphone technology have taken them very far from their beginnings as solely two-way communication devices.

If we’ve come this far, what’s to come? What are some future smartphone features that we can expect in the years to come?

From alternate realities that can combine the real and the imaginary, to holograms that allow for real-life interactions with the virtual, here are three things to expect from future smartphones.

1. Blockchain

For those who have either heard of blockchain, but don’t really know what it is, or have never even heard of it, blockchain is essentially a type of ledger—a very secure ledger—that’s composed of cryptographically linked records.

Each record, called a block, is time-stamped and linked to the previous block to create a decentralized database of records, which functions as a peer-to-peer (P2P) network that’s extremely secure because, once a transaction takes place, the block created is unchangeable.

With that in mind, while blockchain is often reserved for finance discussions around cryptocurrency like bitcoin, its capabilities can actually extend to smartphones. After all, having a phone that runs on blockchain means that breaches or hacking are negligible.

For example, the upcoming Finney Blockchain Phone, announced last year by Sirin Labs, is an open-source smartphone that runs on the blockchain and is designed to support inherent blockchain applications like a cold storage crypto wallet, secure exchange access, encrypted communications, and a P2P resource sharing ecosystem for payments.

With an extra layer of security provided by blockchain, future smartphones like the Finney can provide much-needed peace of mind that comes with owning a device that has practically all your information and can be hacked into in seconds.

2. Alternate Realities

Advancements in smartphone technology have made it so we can enter different realities at the touch of a button.

Case in point, virtual and augmented reality.

While virtual reality (VR) completely transports you to a virtual world, augmented reality (AR) combines the real and the imaginary by overlaying a digital layer over real-world elements.

Whatever reality you choose, the popularity of devices like the Samsung Gear VR and applications like Snapchat and Pokemon Go has opened the door for programmers and developers to dip their toes in these alternate realities.

Specific to AR, because smartphones are portable, they serve as the perfect platform for users to augment the world around them. For example, future smartphone features can include an augmented map that visually guides you where you need to go through arrows that only you see or an information hub that tells you more about what you’re looking at (e.g. looking at a restaurant presents its name, menu, ratings, and reviews, etc.).

3. Holograms

While Apple’s Retina Display that delivers resolutions so sharp that we can’t actually perceive them may be the peak for screens in terms of resolution, the addition of holograms can take the smartphone as a whole to a whole new level.

For instance, we already have 3D screens in phones like the IQH 3D, and by combining this features with projections, we can create holograms that jump from the screen.

In use, because we can ‘grab’ what’s being projected, we can digitally touch what’s on our phones. For example, we can do things like resize and rotate pictures by ‘physically’ pulling, compressing and rotating them, or create and edit 3D models as if they were physically in front of us.

Let’s Take a Second Look

With future smartphone technology looking so good, it makes sense to go over what we covered one more time:
1. Blockchain that will make future smartphones more secure than ever before.
2. Alternate Realities that combine the real and the imaginary.
3. Holograms as future smartphones features that allow us to ‘grab’ what’s being projected.
Enjoy what’s to come!

Here’s Why You Should Invest in a Mobile Website Before a Mobile Application

Mobile apps or websites: a question virtually all business today have to ask as they decide how to establish a mobile presence. After all, Google announced a while back they were enacting a mobile-first index in which they would start using a business’ mobile site for ranking purposes — a signal to turn mobile if any.

Both are great, but if you’re going to introduce yourself to your industry, you may have to choose one before you venture into the other.

Keep in mind that both are usually needed in the long-run. This, of course, depends on what exactly your business does, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a brand that won’t benefit from one or the other.

For one, a website is absolutely perfect for discovery and promoting brand awareness. Apps, on the other hand, excel in engagement and promoting brand loyalty.

But, and this is a big but, while both should ultimately be created, today we’re going to discuss why a mobile website takes precedence over their application counterparts.

In doing so, we’ll discuss the difference between mobile apps and websites, why a website should be your initial go-to, and finally, when it makes sense to opt for a mobile app first instead.

What are Some Differences Between Mobile Apps and Mobile Sites?

Starting with the differences between apps and sites, a mobile website is just like any other website consisting of browser-based HTML pages accessed over the internet, albeit made specifically for mobile devices.

Quick tip: Always choose a responsive website that resizes content for the screen it resides in over a mobile-specific site, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Like websites, applications pull content and data from the internet, but they go beyond by being able to download the content for offline usage.

Side note: You also have the option of getting a progressive web app that can be described as an amalgamation of a site and app.

Unlike websites, apps are downloaded from device-specific marketplaces like Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play and are installed on mobile devices. As such, they can be accessed even when there’s no internet connection, although actual functionality may be hindered if a connection is required for usage.

App vs. Website Usage: Why Websites Should Come First

Choosing to start with a website over an app (or vice versa) comes down to what your end goals are.
For example, if you want to introduce a game to the market, starting with an app is a good idea. If, on the other hand, you want to publish content to as wide an audience as possible, a website is a way to go.

But, seeing as how the vast majority of businesses fall on the latter category, today’s discussion centers on why a website should come first.

For starters, let’s talk about compatibility. Whereas mobile websites can be accessed by all devices, regardless of operating system (OS), applications are restricted to a single OS, meaning that multiple apps will need to be developed if you want to reach all users.

Then there’s findability and reach; you want as many people to find you as possible, and websites surpass apps in this capability because they’re there for all to see. This is because, as we just covered, apps are restricted to devices and their OS, and websites can be found with a simple Google search that encompasses the entire web.

Additionally, you have to think of your user’s commitment; websites come with less commitment because all you have to do is visit them to see their content. Apps are different because there’s an initial download required before you can see what they have to offer, leading to fewer downloads when compared to page visits.

Out of commitment comes immediacy, which is how available a website or app truly is. Because they can be accessed by pretty much all browsers on all devices, websites are readily available for all, unlike apps that, again, need to be installed first.

You also have to consider that nothing is static; things change and apps and sites both need to be upgraded and updated from time to time. In other words, upgradability.

Because website updates like layout or content changes can be published instantly for all users, any change only needs to be made once and everyone benefits. Apps, on the other hand, need to be updated user-by-user (if the app store accepts the update in the first place), and an updated created for each OS.

Finally, like most business endeavors, you need to consider your budget. While both sites and apps can be developed with templates that make the whole process cheaper and easier as a whole, mobile apps are generally more expensive to create and maintain.

Therefore, while you may need both at some point, it’s always best to start with a website, and once your budget allows it, extend to a mobile app.

Final Thoughts: When a Mobile App Comes out on Top

It’s not always the case that a website should be developed before a mobile app. For example, opting for an app first is best for those developing interactive content like games that are meant for mobile use.

In this case, a product—the app—should be developed and deployed first, followed by the website that points users toward the app.
Along with a similar vein, if you’re using native functionalities like a camera, gyroscopes or sensors, you’ll do best with an app that can access all of these and more, as websites will usually be unable to do so.

Finally, when an internet connection isn’t required for use, or when content can be downloaded and used offline, such as a dictionary with content that can be refreshed whenever there’s a connection, an app will generally serve you better.

But, like we briefly touched on earlier, because the points for website-first development relate to more brands than the ones for app-first, it’s recommended to invest in a mobile website before a mobile application.

Best of luck!

The Importance of Managing Your Mobile App Permissions

source: wired.com

Smartphones are what they are because of the applications they house. Without them, they wouldn’t be smartphones; they’d be phones.

Whether it’s an app that counts how many steps you’ve taken, an app that lets you browse your social feed, or an app to edit your pictures until they’re perfect for Instagram, mobile apps are what makes our phones smart, and what makes them so hard to put down.

But, and this is a big but, have you ever stopped to think about what your favorite apps are doing with your data?

The thing is, many of us don’t think twice about the permissions we give our mobile apps after tapping the initial “Allow” when first opening them. Based on everything we’ve been hearing on the news lately about privacy and misuses of data, this is definitely not a good idea.

Permissions and Mobile Apps

Before we get to that why it’s not a good idea to stay in the dark about permissions, let’s do a quick overview on what they actually are.

App permissions are the privileges we give them; they’re what we allow our apps to do or not do with our phones and data. For example, whether we allow an app to access our phone’s camera or microphone.

For the most part, developers stick to what’s important. They’ll only request permission for something if it’s important for the app’s function, such as allowing an image editing app to access your photos.

That being said, app permissions to avoid are those that don’t impede on the app’s function. So if it’s not important to you, such as allowing an app to send you to push notifications, feel free to disallow it.

If you experience difficulties with that app after disabling the permission, such as trying to take a photo through a messaging app after disabling Camera access, simply turn it back on.

Why and How to Manage Your App Permissions

Now that we’ve covered app permissions, it’s time to talk about why and how to manage them.
For starters, you probably spend a lot of time on your apps, whether it’s messaging your friends, checking up on emails or watching movies. In other words, the more time you spend on those apps, the more data you’re feeding them.

Keep in mind that this isn’t inherently bad, after all, your apps need some permissions to work properly. But, there’s also a lot behind the scenes with some apps you may be unaware of.

For instance, why they need access to a specific permission even though it’s not entirely clear why it’s even needed in the first place. Because of this, it’s always important to audit your apps every now and then to ensure they’re not reaching beyond their means — example, if a video streaming app wants access to your Contacts.

It comes down to the fact that you need full control over all your data, and you can only do this by actually knowing what your apps are accessing.

Seeing as how iOS and Android are two of the most popular operating systems with mobile phones, let’s cover how to manage app permissions with these two.

Managing Your iOS App Permission List

Starting with iOS, because most devices that run on it are quite similar in terms of permissions, this guide should work for all.

To begin, find your phone’s app permission setting by going to Settings and tapping on Privacy.
Instead of seeing a list of apps and tapping on each to see its permissions, here you’ll see a list of all permissions, which you can use to find a specific one to see which apps have access to it.

Once you know which permission to manage, tap on it to see a list of apps that fall under it. If you want to turn the permission off for that specific app, simply tap on the app and you’ll be presented with a couple of options.

For instance, if we’re looking at the permission to access Photos, and from there the Facebook Messenger app, you’ll land on a screen with two options: “Never” or “Read and Write” (never is no and read and write is yes).

If you instead look at the Microphone permission, you’ll see a screen with the apps with that permission, which you can turn on or off by tapping on the slider. For another permission, let’s say Apple Health, you have more options, such as tracking how many hours you sleep or steps you’ve taken.

If, on the other hand, you want to get down to the nitty-gritty and go app by app instead of permission by permission, scroll past Privacy (don’t tap on it) until you see a list of all your apps.

To see exactly what each app has access to, tap on whichever one you want to see. After tapping, you’ll see a detailed menu of what that app can or can’t do.

For example, tapping on the Amazon app will show you that you can give it access to:
● Camera
● Siri & Search
● Notifications
● Background App Refresh
● Cellular Data
Additionally, you can choose to allow biometric authentication for sign-in if your phone has that capability.

For other apps, the process is the same, so feel free to check up on whichever you want.

Managing Your Android App Permission List

Moving to Android, there’s a lot of variety when it comes to devices that use it, and today we’ll be focusing on the Google Pixel. Like iOS, the process is similar for most, so this should be fine regardless of which Android device you have.

To begin, open Settings and go to the Apps & Notifications menu. Here, tap on a specific app you want to check.

Once on that app’s menu, tap Permissions to see everything it has access to, such as Location Services, Photos, Camera and more.

If you want to turn off a specific permission, simply tap on it. Keep in mind that if the permission is vital for the app to function properly, you may have to accept a confirmation that you do indeed wish to turn that permission off.

Simple as that. Like iOS, feel free to go through all your apps to make sure they’re only accessing what you want them to access.

Final Thoughts

Compared to the past, data is worth more than ever today — it’s the currency of choice for many.
For this very reason, it’s that much more important to manage your data and ensure it’s not falling in the wrong hands.

So be it your location or your contacts list, whatever it is, you need to know exactly who has access to it and why.

Good luck!

How Mobile Is Revolutionizing Healthcare

source: Aumcore.com

Like pretty much everything else in the world, healthcare is going mobile. Thanks to our love of smartphones and the mobility they give us, and a shift from hospitals to personal care systems, this mobile trend is growing and shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, the global mobile health market, also called mHealth, is expected to reach $58.8 billion by the end of 2020 at a CAGR of 32.3% between 2013 and 2020. And like everything else it touches, mobile is revolutionizing healthcare as avenues for remote monitoring and treatment are opened with the use of handheld mobile computers, smartphones, tablets and a host of wearable devices.

Benefits of Mobile Devices in Healthcare

The use of mobile devices in healthcare is acting as a catalyst to a paradigm shift that is changing the way the whole industry works. By allowing doctors to communicate with patients from anywhere in the world (and vice versa), mHealth is proving to be a great asset that allows for remote diagnoses and health tracking so delays in response are reduced or completely eliminated; if anything happens, action can be taken right then and there.

For example, with IoT and the emerging technology it brings that’s connecting tools like never before, and thanks to the mobile technology that’s streamlining processes and synthesising information with real-time information and updates, we now have remote patient monitoring that allows doctors to treat and diagnose patients who otherwise can’t make an in-person visit. They can review patient records and history while giving nurses and caregivers advice on what to do, and collect medical and health data and revert it back to them with accurate diagnoses. In doing so, they can help the elderly or those who can’t travel, such as expecting mothers, and provide services whenever they’re needed. Additionally, with the use of sensors in mobility devices like walkers and canes, alerts can be sent in case of accidents like a fall.

Along with a similar line, wearable devices like Fitbit, iWatch and a myriad of others are proving to be excellent for monitoring vitals and making sure everything stays in check. They can track health and wellness to ensure optimal health, and in case an emergency comes up (or is about to), (early) warnings and alerts can be sent to medical professionals to prevent disaster. As such, they can be also be used in chronic disease management for early detection of deterioration, such as in the maintenance of diabetes. In such a case, wearable devices can test blood pressure and glucose levels to ensure things are going as they should. Similarly, devices like wireless BP monitors, resynchronization therapy, and pacemakers can be used to reduce the risk of heart failure.

Mobile Apps in the Healthcare Industry

The buzz around mHealth isn’t just about physical devices, it’s also about certain mobile apps that are similarly revolutionizing healthcare. For example, HealthTap,  a technology company that delivers a suite of connected health apps, surveyed more than 65,000 physicians in its network and another 500,000 in its referral network on their recommendations on a wide variety of health and wellness apps. Here are the top 10 apps for iOS and Android they found:

Top Health and Medical Apps for iOS

1. Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker (MyFitnessPal.com)
2. Weight Watchers Mobile (Weight Watchers International)
3. Lose It! (FitNow)
4. White Noise Lite (TMSoft)
5. First Aid (American Red Cross)
6. Runkeeper (FitnessKeeper)
7. Stroke Riskometer (Autel)
8. Emergency First Aid & Treatment Guide (Phoneflips)
9. Instant Heart Rate (Azumio)
10. Fooducate (Fooducate)

Top 10 Health and Medical Apps for Android

1. Weight Watchers Mobile (Weight Watchers International)
2. White Noise Lite (TMSoft)
3. Lose It! (FitNow)
4. First Aid (American Red Cross)
5. RunKeeper – GPS Track Run Walk (FitnessKeeper)
6. Emergency First Aid/Treatment (Phoneflips)
7. Instant Heart Rate (Azumio)
8. Fooducate – Healthy Food Diet (Fooducate)
9. Glucose Buddy – Diabetes Log (Azumio)
10. Pocket First Aid & CPR (Jive Media)

Final Thoughts

We are in an era marked by the digitization of practically everything, including the healthcare industry. This means quick diagnosis and timely and efficient intervention when it’s needed, and real-time visualization of a patient’s health that saves both time and resources. In translation, mHealth appears to be a clear-cut win-win.

Blockchain Smartphones: Are They Worth the Hype?

source: coinwire.com

The blockchain is something you’ve undoubtedly heard of but probably don’t really know what it is. If you do know what it is, feel free to skip the next section and jump to the one after. For those who do not and would like to expand their knowledge, this one’s for you.

What Is Blockchain?

When you whittle away the exterior, blockchain is a list of records — called blocks — that are linked together and contain a cryptographic hash of the previous block. It’s essentially a peer-to-peer (P2P) network with a distributed time-stamping server that allows data to be stored globally on thousands upon thousands of servers. In other words, it’s a kind of public electronic ledger that’s openly shared among users around the world, and each time a transaction occurs, an unchangeable record of it is created, time-stamped and linked to the previous one.

Despite anyone on the network being able to see everyone else’s entries, blockchain is secure by design and pretty much impossible to be hacked into because it can only be updated by consensus among participants. That is to say that in order for something to be modified, the entire network must first agree on that change. In this way, a blockchain is resistant to data modifications and represents a big change in the way information is shared.

The many advantages of blockchain technology, such as its transparency and accountability, and its success in the banking industry, is spurring other industries to join the game. Case in point, the mobile blockchain, and the smartphone industry.

What Is a Blockchain Smartphone?

source: zco.com

The idea of a blockchain phone has many people excited for a variety of reasons. For starters, having a phone that runs on blockchain means that breaches are a thing of the past. As it is, our phones are definitely not as secure as we’d like them to be, and there are usually dozens (or even hundreds) of applications on a typical smartphone that can compromise its privacy and security. Second, these blockchain-enabled smartphones can also lead to cryptocurrency wallets that offer an extra layer of security, and allow users to make and accept cryptocurrency payments to other devices.

Examples of Blockchain Smartphone Technology
Now that you know some of a blockchain phone’s benefits, it’s time to get acquainted with the phones bringing them to us.

Finney Blockchain Phone

First up is the Finney Blockchain Phone, which was announced last year by Sirin Labs as an open-source model that runs on the blockchain. According to its white paper, it’s going to run on Shield OS, Labs’ open source operating system (OS) that are designed “to support inherent blockchain applications, such as cold storage crypto wallet, secure exchange access, encrypted communications and a P2P resource sharing ecosystem for payment.” As such, users will be able to securely store cryptocurrencies on their phone and use it for payment, sort of like an Apple Pay or Google Pay.

BitVault

Also announced last year is BitVault, which Embedded Downloads is touting as the world’s first crypto communicator and blockchain smartphone. With a third-party Independent Multilayer Security (3IMS) feature that works with fingerprint recognition and iris scans, paired with other features like voice and video calling, messaging and document sharing that are protected with private blockchain, this phone is the epitome of security. A quick note, unlike a public blockchain that allows anyone to participate, a private blockchain required an invitation and validation.

Due to its high security, BitVault is perfect for government entities, financial institutions, police personnel, security companies, and pretty much any business or individual who needs more privacy. Because it runs on a completely different OS than your average smartphone, the apps you currently have won’t work on it and vice versa, and to create apps for it, developers will need to purchase a developer license.

HTC Exodus

Finally, we have the HTC Exodus, another smartphone based on blockchain technology that comes with extra security, encryption and cryptocurrency support. This blockchain phone runs on what HTC calls ‘DApps,’ AKA decentralized applications that are also based on blockchain technology, and information from them is verified by users on the network. Each Exodus will also act as an encrypted node on a blockchain network, which essentially makes it VERY difficult to break into, and offers a native cryptocurrency wallet that lets users make and accept cryptocurrency payments to others.

source: gsmarena.com

Final Thoughts

To answer the question posed in the title (are blockchain smartphones worth the hype?), they most definitely are if you value your privacy and security and would prefer not to worry about people with nefarious intentions getting their hands on your data.
Enjoy!

How to Use Mobile Marketing to Get Ahead in Business

Do you own a smartphone? Who am I kidding, of course, you do. Practically everyone we come across on a daily basis has one and uses it at all times of the day. In fact, our mobile affinity is so prevalent that adult internet users spend 59% of their time on mobile. That is to say that whether we’re looking for a place to eat, finding our way around a strange city, or passing the time with some games, mobile is where we’re at.
For you, as someone who’s attached to a business, this presents an opportunity to get ahead with mobile marketing.

How to Get an Edge with Mobile Marketing

So, what is mobile marketing? According to Marketo, mobile marketing is a multi-channel, digital marketing strategy aimed at reaching a target audience on their smartphones, tablets, and/or other mobile devices, via websites, email, SMS and MMS, social media, and apps. That’s all well and good, but the basis is that it’s marketing your business to mobile users — simple as that. With that in mind, here’s how to use mobile marketing to get ahead in business.

1: Be Mobile-Friendly

First of all, you have to be mobile-friendly. After all, what’s the point of marketing to mobile users if you don’t have a website they can go to? Exactly. For this very reason, you should either get a mobile or responsive website that caters specifically to your mobile users. While a mobile site will pass Google’s tests and serve your user better than a desktop site, what you really want is a responsive site that resizes everything for the screen it resides in and delivers optimal UX for that on-the-go.

2: Advertise on Mobile

The average smartphone conversion rates have gone up by 64% compared to the average desktop conversion rates. In other words, you’re missing out if you’re opting out of mobile advertising. For starters, there are many advantages of mobile advertising, such as the fact that most people with mobile devices keep them on their person at all times of the day, meaning that you can reach them at all times as opposed to waiting until they log into a computer. Second, if you have a physical location you can make use of push notifications and location-based services to reach your audience with targeted ads and offers when they’re near your store.

As for the types of mobile advertising you can make use of, here are a few:

● Static banner ads: These are the most common mobile ads you’ll come across, and you’ll find them at the top or bottom of the screen. Even though they’re the simplest of the mobile ad family, they’re also the most popular because they’re easy to integrate into any page.
● Interstitial ads: These ads are interactive and display across the whole screen, something that may hinge on intrusiveness. In fact, Google penalizes mobile sites that use app install interstitials because they hide a significant amount of content from view, making them mobile-unfriendly.
● Expandable ads: Expandables start off as static banner ads and expand to fit the screen like interstitials when tapped. These have high conversion rates and allow for more creative design than other ad types.
● Native ads: Native ads don’t look like ads because their format aligns with the app/site they reside in, making them unobtrusive and good for UX.

3: Employ SMS Marketing

Short Message Service (SMS) marketing is marketing with text messages. Not only is it a relatively cheap and high-return way of spreading your messages, but because texts are opened and read much more frequently than other delivery methods like email, it’s the perfect way to entice your users with coupons and deals they can’t find anywhere else.

For example, take a look at what some big brands employing SMS marketing are doing and what they’re getting in return:

● Carl’s Jr. offered a 50% discount on a meal combo only if participants had opted to receive SMS messages, which resulted in a full 20% of the database to redeem mobile coupons.
● Pizza Hut launched an SMS promotion, which increased sales by 142%.
● Similarly, Dunkin’ Donuts launched an SMS promotion, which increased in-store traffic to their Boston locations by 21%.
If this sounds good to you, make sure to keep messages short, impart a sense of urgency that makes your users act sooner rather than later, and of course, use CTAs that encourage action.

4: Get an App

Finally, seeing as how 80% of mobile time is spent engaged with apps, you’ll definitely get a leg up on your competition if you attach an app to your business. The thing is, whereas a couple of years ago mobile apps were restricted to big businesses who could actually afford to develop and roll out apps (and had the time to do so), nowadays there are templates and low-code/no-code development platforms that allow anyone with little or no coding experience to create whatever mobile app suits their need.

This means that if your competition already has an app and you don’t, you can finally catch up to them and beat them with improved features. If they don’t, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to take the lead. In doing so, you’ll be able to mold the app to your specific brand, adding a recognition factor to your business that presents it as more of an authority.

Final Thoughts

We live in a mobile-first world and your marketing efforts should reflect that. This means using mobile marketing to boost your business and get ahead of the competition. And this, in turn, means getting a site that’s mobile friendly, advertising on mobile so that you can reach your audience around the clock, employing SMS marketing to spread your messages, and pairing an app with your brand to secure your hold at the top of the food chain.

AI in the Smartphone Industry

Everything is smarter today than it was a decade ago. Smartphones? Check. Smartwatches? Of course. Smart cars? Indeed. Smart appliances? That too. With all these smart devices populating our world, the question of their enabler comes to mind. Well, all of this — every single smart device we use day after day — is a reality because of artificial intelligence (AI).

What Is Artificial Intelligence?

True to its name, artificial intelligence is man-made intelligence; intelligence created in a lab that aims to mimic natural intelligence, which is what we and other animals possess.

No longer the stuff of Sci-Fi books and movies, AI is taking over the world. Not literally, of course — at least not yet. If you think of our brain as a network of signals and sensors, then you have a grasp of what AI can do. Like the brain, AI can digest large amounts of data and make predictions about that data.

For example, if you hear someone say “knock-knock,” you instinctively know that “who’s there?” will come right after. In a similar vein, if you’re texting someone and have predictive text enabled, typing “I’m on” will most likely pull up “my” and then “way.” In many cases, you may even get an option for a whole “I’m on my way!” text. In this instance, your phone used all your past texting data and patterns to predict what you were likely to type next.

These predictive capabilities and pattern recognition are all due to deep learning, a branch of AI that excels in pattern recognition. In fact, deep learning is improving many AI-enabled features we have in our very own smartphones, such as image recognition and Face ID, speech recognition, predictive text, translations, and much more. Let’s delve deeper.

Uses of Artificial Intelligence in the Smartphone Industry

Deloitte’s Global Mobile Consumer Survey found that 65% of smartphone owners across 16 developed markets have used an application that features AI and machine learning (talk about intelligent phones). The thing is, when we pair phones with AI, the mobile experience becomes even more personalized and convenient, leading to improved experiences as a whole.

source: statista.com

Predictive Text

Seeing as how we touched on it earlier, the first AI feature found in our smartphones we’ll talk about today is predictive text. Let’s start with a fact: we type a lot. Whether it’s texting, emailing or simply searching on Google, we’re typing away every day. And every time we type one word after another, even one letter after another, our phones are analyzing and taking note of our habits. In other words, they’re picking up on our typing and texting patterns.

Think of it as a game of chance in which everything is determined by odds. If you (almost) always type “hey, what are” before typing “doing,” then odds are that next time you type “hey, what are,” “doing” will pop up as a suggestion. In this way, everything is connected and dominated by odds. Going further, you may have a specific text pattern for different people in your life. Your phone recognizes this and will suggest text predictions accordingly, which are tailored further based on your own general texting patterns.

Image Recognition

For most, image recognition in the smartphone realm is analogous to face recognition. For instance, Apple’s iPhone X that makes use of AI algorithms for its Face ID, which can identify faces, even with changes to appearance like glasses vs. no glasses and beard growth. Anyway, as reported by Forbes, “[f]ace ID uses a combination of light projectors and sensors to take several images of your facial features… these technologies work together to build a 'detailed depth map of your face to recognize you in an instant.’”

Apart from Face ID, image recognition is also propelling health apps that can diagnose certain maladies, such as cancerous moles. With these apps, you can take a picture of any dermal anomaly, and the app will use a database that houses troves of data on cancerous versus benign moles, including what signs and symptoms go with each, to accurately diagnose what you have.

Digital Assistants

Finally, we can’t have a discussion of artificial intelligence for smartphones without talking about digital assistants. Whether it’s Siri, Alexa, Bixby or Cortana, digital assistants are improving with AI integration. They’re no longer simply replying to direct questions with pre-programmed answers — they’re also placing online orders, calling our friends and family, sending messages, playing songs, and so much more.

The Future of AI Smartphones

The future of smartphones lies in AI. True, AI has been around for a while, but as it relates to turning smartphones into even more intelligent phones, it’s still in its infancy. That is to say that while we have Siri today, the Siri of tomorrow may actually be able to hold a full conversation with you; the apps of today may be able to diagnose cancerous moles, but the apps of tomorrow may be able to diagnose a whole medical journal’s worth of illnesses; the predictive text of today may be able to know what you’re about to type, but the predictive text of tomorrow… well, the predictive text of tomorrow will probably be quite similar, except much more accurate.

In closing, as cool and advanced as our current AI features are, the future seems like a world of possibilities. Enjoy!

The Top Trends of Mobile World Congress 2018

The GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry, and this year’s Mobile World Congress 2018 just wrapped up. We’ll get into MWC 2018 highlights soon, but before that let’s talk about what MWC is for those who aren’t familiar. MWC is an annual event where anyone who’s anyone in the mobile world gets together to show off their latest and greatest gadgets. Everything’s on display — next-gen AI solutions, state-of-the-art mobile accessories, everything — and it’s the perfect place to whet your mobile appetite.

This year, Mobile World Congress 2018 trends focused on:
● The Fourth Industrial Revolution
● Future Service Provider
● The Network
● The Digital Consumer
● Tech in Society
● Content & Media
● Applied AI
● Innovation

And more than 2,400 companies were able to showcase cutting-edge products and services, a GSMA and Brosmind partnership was concocted to illustrate the unique role mobile is playing in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), immersive demonstrations of the latest mobile-enabled products and services were featured in the GSMA Innovation City, 25 companies were awarded 38 GLOMOs (Global Mobile Awards) for their advances in technology, and much much more.

Mobile World Congress 2018 Highlights

That being said, let’s take a look at what you missed out on if you weren’t able to attend!

Galaxy S9 and S9+

source: wccftech.com

As we all know, Samsung is a staple of the smartphone market, so it’s not surprising that they showed off their latest handsets. At first glance, you may think that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are quite similar to their predecessors (S8 & S8+), but they actually have some pretty cool upgrades and improvements. For example, they use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 CPU and a new mechanical variable aperture rear camera sensor that improves performance by letting it (camera) switch between f/2.4 and f/1.5 apertures based on the environment. 

Xperia XZ2

source: en.letsgodigital.org

Sony, another tech giant we’re all familiar with, unveiled the Xperia XZ2 as a pleasant departure from its previous squarish design. New and improved, the Xperia has a mixed material chassis with a 2.5D curved glass back and is packed with the latest Sony technologies to deliver an entertainment experience that touches your senses in a whole new way. Like the Galaxy S9 and S9+, the Xperia XZ2 boasts of a Snapdragon 845 CPU for improved use, a larger battery, a revamped camera, much louder speakers, and the world's first 4K HDR movie recording in a smartphone.

Nokia 7 Plus

source: nokia.com

With 64GB of storage, a Snapdragon 660 CPU, 6-inch 18:9 Full HD + resolution display perfect for our media consumption, and an added bonus of running on Android One, the Nokia 7 Plus is already a fan favorite. Apart from an upgraded screen, more power, and greater functionality, this phone also has excellent battery life and enhanced Dual-Sight rear sensors with ZEISS optics that create a wide-angle camera that excels in low light and extra bright environments.

Nokia 8110 “Banana Phone”

source: techprolonged.com

Famously featured in The Matrix, the Nokia 8110, AKA the Banana Phone, is back. Like many upgraded models in MWC 2018, the 4G 8110 is new and improved and brings back the iconic slide design with new features like an app store with where you’ll find favorites like Facebook, Google Search, Google Maps, Twitter and more. As for the slide design, want to answer the phone? Slide. Want to hang up? Slide. What more can you want?

Lenovo Vital

source: ubergizmo.com

The Lenovo Vital is one of the coolest health trackers you’ll come across. As the latest Moto Mod for Motorola’s Z line of smartphones, this device works as a biometric scanner that can measure blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen, and temperature. It’s also very simple to use — all you have to do is place your finger in the protruding dock, slip it into a rubber seal and click on the onscreen start button you’ll find in the app.

Land Rover Explorer Outdoor Phone

Closing our list today, the Land Rover Explorer Outdoor Phone is the one and the only phone those who love the great outdoors need. For one, it can survive anything — drops water submersion (including salt water), extreme temperatures, rapid temperature changes and more. Second, apart from being an indestructible phone, it also has all the features you want as an explorer like topographic mapping options, AR Skyline navigation, and instant access to a dashboard that has weather information, sensor data, and an SOS light toggle.

Wrap Up

As all the excitement dies down, we have to come to grips with the fact that we have to wait for more than we’d like for the next MWC to come around. It’s not all bad though — in the meantime, we have all the cool gadgets and services that were unveiled this year. Enjoy!

The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality

source: arvrmagazine.com

IDC reported that worldwide spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is forecasted to reach $17.8 billion in 2018, an increase of nearly 95% over the $9.1 billion spent in 2017. The thing is, neither VR nor AR are new technologies, so why the sudden year over year growth? The answer: mobile technology.

From bulky Nokias to sleek iPhones, mobile technology has skyrocketed in recent years. We’ve moved past the days where a simple game of Snake was all that our phones could take. As cell phones evolved into smartphones, their capabilities grew exponentially. For example, with a VR headset our phones can transport us to a completely new world, and with a camera, they can combine the real and imaginary to create an augmented version of both.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is something that brings back childhood memories of wishing we could jump into our favorite video games or movies and join the action, right there alongside the action heroes. It’s immersive storytelling in which you join the action, offering untold potential in terms of engagement. With virtual reality you’re no longer a spectator, you’re a participant.

When we pair mobile technology with devices like Google Cardboard, you arrive at VR all consumers can use. And if the consumer can use it, brands can produce it. Case in point, The New York Times and its NYT VR app, which became the most successful app launch in NYT history. That was back in 2015 — imagine what can happen today.

source: arvrmagazine.com

In 2018, virtual reality will be used for marketing, advertising, and anything else you can think of. Brands will use its ability to completely immerse users in a literal virtual reality as a cool and fun way of showing off and advertising their products and services, such as the ones in this post with the 10 best uses of VR in marketing.

Augmented Reality

AR, like VR, utilizes the virtual in an effort to spice up what’s real. But unlike VR, AR augments your surroundings in a complementary interaction between reality and imagination. In other words, it’s a coexistence of physical and virtual.

Big players such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Snapchat are already making strides in the AR industry. Apple introduced ARKit and Google rolled out ARCore, two collections of tools for developers who want to bring AR features in their apps, Facebook has World Effects, an AR feature for photos and videos that enable you to drop 3D objects into your surroundings to capture and share fun moments with your friends and family, and finally, Snapchat has, well, Snapchat.

The immediate popularity of apps like Snapchat and Pokemon Go have shown us that users not only want AR, they need it. To enter the AR market in 2018, brands need to understand how consumers will interact with the technology and where to make use of it in the customer journey. For example, they can start early and use it to promote their products by putting up flyers that jump out at you when viewed through an AR app. They can also copy IKEA, who created an app with AR functionality to show off their products in their consumers’ homes, and use it after consumers are already aware of their products.

Final Thoughts & TL;DR

Virtual and augmented reality are geared to be the two very important mobile technologies in 2018. One epitomizes immersive storytelling the other transforms the world around you into an enhanced version of itself. And here’s the Tl;dr version of what we covered today:
● Worldwide spending on augmented reality and virtual reality is forecasted to increase drastically because of advancements in mobile technology
● VR takes us back to our childhood and turns us from spectators to participants
● Pairing mobile technology with devices like Google Cardboard gives us VR all consumers can use
● VR can be used for marketing, advertising, and anything else you can think of because of its ability to increase brand engagement beyond anything else
● AR augments your surroundings in a complementary interaction between reality and imagination
● Big players such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Snapchat are already making strides in the AR industry
● AR can be used anywhere in the customer journey to either introduce a brand’s products and services or promote them further
Enjoy experiencing these alternate realities!

Mobile Payment Solutions: A Gateway for Safer and Faster Transactions in 2018

source: creditcards.com

Technology completely revolutionized commerce as it gave birth to eCommerce and, thanks to our love for our smartphones, mCommerce. The reality is that thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT), the way we shop has changed, is changing, and will continue to change. In fact, due to a combination of new and emerging technology, and changes to regulations and consumer behavior, 2018 seems poised to be a year of big change in the payments landscape.

As a matter of fact, with in-app purchasing, one-click ordering, mobile card readers, carrier payments, the point of sale payments, and many more mobile payment solutions, it’s safe to say that mobile payments cannot be stopped. Starting with what mobile pay is and ending with its benefits, here’s all you need to know about mobile payment solutions.

Mobile Payment Solutions

The mobile pay landscape is vast and expansive, covering everything from everyday transactions to mutual fund and stock market investments. Thanks to IoT and smartphones, we can now practically pay for whatever we want with nothing other than our phones.

For example, Google introduced the Google Wallet app in 2011, saying it was “a fast, free way to send money through the app, in Gmail, or on the web.” A couple of years later Apple introduced Apple Pay for Apple devices, Samsung introduced Samsung Pay for Samsung Galaxy devices, and Android introduced Android Pay for Android devices.

source: fsbnh.bank

The gist of these mobile payment applications is that we already use our smartphones for practically everything, so why not payments as well? All that’s required is to add a credit card, debit card, gift card, loyalty card, or some other form of payment card. Once that’s complete, we can use our phones to shop online, in stores, or through other apps. For in-store purchases, these services use NFC (near field communication) technology to make purchases with a single tap of the phone on a CC terminal — simple.

Apart from these ‘Pay’ apps, other mobile payment solutions we can make use of are: 
● Banking applications like those of TD Bank, Bank of America, Citibank and more
● Non-banking apps that have similar functions as banking apps, such as Venmo
● Mobile card readers can be inserted into a smartphone’s headphone jack to charge payment cards
● Carrier payments that allow you to pay through your carrier (E.g., donating money to a charity be texting a certain number)
● Closed loop proprietary mobile payments in which customers can pay through their smartphones

Similar to Starbucks, other retailers like Walmart, Dunkin’ Donuts, CVS and Burger King are also using proprietary mobile payments to make their customers’ lives easier. And interestingly enough, Amazon also filed a patent that would allow shoppers to make a purchase by taking a photo and/or video of themselves — a sort of ‘selfie pay.’

The Benefits of Mobile Payment Solutions and Why You Should Use Them

40% of millennials say that they would give up cash completely; we may not live in a cashless society yet, but we’re knocking at its door. The thing is, not only is it frustrating to physically go to an ATM to withdraw cash, but the possibility of losing it (and your other payment cards) if you happen to misplace it or your wallet crosses the line — nope, no thank you.

From what we covered in the previous section and just saw with the ATM example, it can be seen that mobile payment solutions are extremely convenient. Not only can we pay with a simple phone tap, but we can even use wearables like the Apple Watch to pay for more mobility and convenience. Mobile pay also eliminates the need for paper receipts; everything is stored digitally and available for our inspection.

Apart from convenience (what can be more convenient than tapping a phone?), mobile payments are also very secure. Mobile wallets usually require two-factor verification and all financial data is encrypted. Even more, many mobile payment services offer 24/7 fraud monitoring for extra protection. As for the possibility of losing your phone and falling risk to others using your mobile wallet, no need to worry — services like Apple Pay will only work with your thumbprint.

source: bankinfosecurity.com

Final Thoughts
We want safer transactions, protected data, faster payments, and overall better and streamlined shopping experiences. As Forbes states, “consumers expect frictionless checkout experiences combined with the same level of security across all devices as exists today with other more established payment forms.” Lucky for us, mobile payment solutions are there to help us out. And with all the good they bring, it can be said that for mobile pay 2018 will be a very good year. Enjoy!