Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Software : Does your business need a mobile app?

Software : Does your business need a mobile app?

Does your business need a mobile app?

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Does your business need a mobile app?

As mobile apps continue to consume more of mobile device use, many businesses are thinking carefully about their technology marketing strategies. Even small local businesses may find that frequent customers are interested in interacting with their locations through an app rather than a mobile website.

Thanks to do-it-yourself app development tools, small businesses can create an informational app that gives customers the information they need without costing a fortune. But does your small business need an app? Before you begin the process of strategizing and creating one, there are a few questions you should ask to determine whether it's the right route to take.

Can you afford it?

DIY tools have made it easy to create a simple app, but this still will take time away from your busy schedule. Additionally, many of the free or inexpensive app tools will allow you only to build the most basic of apps. For more interactive functionality, you'll likely need an app developer to work on it, which will entail an hourly fee to a developer.

For your money, an investment in a mobile website may be a better idea. Unless your site was designed in recent years, it may not be optimized for mobile, which means your customers are having difficulty navigating it on tablets and smartphones. If you set up your site using a template from a site like WordPress, there are now numerous responsive webpage themes that automatically adjust to fit a visitor's screen size.

Will your customers download it?

One of the most compelling arguments against an app is that your customers won't download it. Unlike a responsive website, which can be called up on the fly, an app requires your customers to locate it in the app store, download it, and open it on their devices every time they want to use it.

Will your customers go to all that trouble simply to have access to your menu or your latest sales? Probably not. However, a restaurant could entice frequent customers to use an app to place orders for delivery. Domino's Pizza's app is the perfect example of this, giving customers the opportunity to order pizzas with just a couple of screen taps, since payment and delivery preferences are saved. You can even set up the app to list a customer's previous orders for easy reordering.

A retail location can use an app to sell products or send weekly ads to customers. Target also allows customers to pull up coupons that can be scanned directly from their smartphone screen. However, much of this functionality can also be employed through a mobile website, which means a business may be wasting its valuable time and resources developing an app that will never be used.

Is it useful?

If you're going to create an app, you'd be more successful if you provide something that customers will find useful and brand it for marketing purposes. A beach destination could offer an app designed to help tourists better navigate the area. A clothing retailer could design a fun app that allows fashionistas to create looks that they can then purchase in the store. If a customer sees a use for the app that will extend beyond simply finding out your operating hours and weekly discounts, that customer will be much more likely to download it and use it regularly.

Thanks to mobile web design, businesses don't have to create an app to connect with customers on smartphones and tablets. However, an app can be useful if it is something a customer will find useful to their own lives. If your business can build in a way for loyal customers to place orders, you may have a good reason to build an app. Before investing the time and money, though, consider whether the same task can be accomplished using a mobile-friendly website.

Google's Photo Sphere app is now a panorama bonanza on iOS

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Google's Photo Sphere app is now a panorama bonanza on iOS

If a picture speaks a thousand words, then a Photo Sphere must speak millions. Now iOS users can get in on the spherical photo wordplay, too.

Google has released a Photo Sphere app for iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and iPads running iOS 7 and up, marking the first time the feature has been available outside of the Android ecosystem.

The app creates panoramas that stitch together multiple photos spanning not just a 360-degree horizon, but also "up, down and all around," as the app's official description says.

A simple custom interface guides users in taking perfect panoramas, ensuring the software will be able to effectively combine all the images.

Why ever leave the house?

Photo Sphere previously worked only on devices running Android 4.2 or higher, or with panoramas snapped using fancy DSLR cameras.

But the app also lets users share their photo spheres over Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and email, or add them directly to Google Maps, where anyone can view them.

Photo Sphere creators have been using that Google Maps compatibility to create virtual tours of businesses, landmarks and other locations since 2013.

And best of all? Google's Photo Sphere app for iOS is free.

First Amazon Fire Phone update brings simple tweaks and better battery life

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First Amazon Fire Phone update brings simple tweaks and better battery life

By all accounts, Amazon's first foray into the smartphone universe hasn't quite set the world on fire, but early adopters are being treated to their first software update.

The company kicked off the week by pushing out an over-the-air Fire OS 3.5.1 software update for the Fire Phone, which promises "new and enhanced features" for the e-tailer's freshman handset entry. The update is also available a manual download via PC or Mac.

Fire OS 3.5.1 aims to address some of the initial pain points that have kept the Fire Phone from being all that it can be, starting with the ability to pin favorite apps to the home carousel.

The update also includes the option to create folders of apps or other content into app grid Collections, while a double-press on the home button now enables Quick Switch for alternating between or shutting down apps or tasks that are currently running.

New and improved

Fans of Lenticular photos will be overjoyed to discover the Fire Phone can now create such content using 11 still images instead of only three, and the device is newly capable of sharing high-resolution videos via email or MMS as well.

Not a fan of Amazon's built-in email app? The new Fire OS update will let users delete email missives right from the home screen, meaning one less trip to the app proper when all you want to do is purge some junk mail.

Last but not least, the Fire Phone software release notes promise "dozens of system updates for enhanced battery performance," which will probably sound like music to the ears of users who've struggled to get through the day on a single charge.

To download Fire OS 3.5.1 from your Fire Phone, drill down into Settings > Device > Install System Update > Check Now and wait as that little slice of heaven gets installed. Alternately, download the update (direct link) on your computer to push it to your device via USB.

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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Dropbox delivers Mailbox for desktop, but only on Mac

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Dropbox delivers Mailbox for desktop, but only on Mac

It's been almost a year and a half since Dropbox purchased the email app Mailbox, and the service has finally, just now, arrived on desktop.

The Mailbox app for Mac OS X was released today in public beta, following previous Mailbox apps for iOS and Android.

Mailbox for desktop was announced in April alongside the Android version. At the time it was in private beta, with no clear release date in sight.

Now the big remaining question is when Mailbox for Windows might arrive, and the answer doesn't encourage confidence.

"For now, the Mailbox desktop version is for Mac," a Mailbox spokesperson told TechRadar. "We'll be adding support for additional devices and email providers as we go but have no specifics to share at this time."

Back-draft

Dropbox is emailing users of the Mailbox mobile apps, as well as people who signed up for the waiting list, with an attachment called "betacoins" that they can use to access Mailbox on Mac. Even more users will gain access soon, the company said in a blog post. You can sign up here.

The desktop version of the Mailbox app works similarly to and ties in neatly with its iOS and Android counterparts, with the same gesture-based controls and preferences that sync between devices.

This version of Mailbox also adds drafts, at least on Mac. How an email app without drafts could exist - much less flourish - is anyone's guess, but at least the feature is here now (and arriving soon on iOS and Android).

Mailbox for desktop also adds the ability to "snooze" messages on your mobile device until you return to your computer.

"Please give the new features a test drive and send along feedback to mailbox-feedback@dropbox.com," the company wrote. "As always, we need your help to get this right, and we are so appreciative when you take the time to share your thoughts."
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