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.
Apple just released iOS 5 on October 12th along with the debut of its iPhone 4S and it is touting a long list of changes and additions. These additions will give more options for iPhone applications and has developers and businesses the utilize mobile applications to market very excited. Apple says iOS 5 has over 200 new user features and over 1,500 new APIs available. Here is a quick list of the highlights that are being discussed:
1. iCloud API – Apple now allows third-party developers to create applications that store and backup data to iCloud. Additionally, application files don’t have to be transferred from your iPhone to your iPad. Several iPhone applications are currently in development to help you leverage the power of iCloud.
2. Storyboards – This is a new iOS 5 feature that simplifies the process of creating apps with multiple menu screens. You probably won’t notice the presence of this feature directly, but iOS application developers have and are making good use of this feature already.
3. Newsstand Support – Publishers that want to sell content through Apple’s Newsstand app are excited that developers can now write Newsstand-enabled apps.
4. Message UI Framework – Updated to add support for iMessages and text messaging that can be sent between iOS devices without incurring carrier text messaging charges.
5. Core Image Framework – APIs that give iPhone app developers a set of filters that can be used to manipulate video and still images. The Core Image Framework supports various filter effects like color changes, gradients, and transformations, as well as face and feature detection.
6. Twitter Framework – This framework makes it easy to integrate Twitter messaging into apps and simplifies Twitter user authentication.
There are several more that you will certainly be able to take advantage of over the coming months as applications are built to take advantage of them.
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.