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disruptive technology mobile development mobile news Uncategorized usability

Glass is already becoming a problem while driving

In California a woman, Cecilia Abadie was pulled over for speeding but was also given another ticket for wearing Google Glass while driving.  Google Glass is a new piece of technology that fits over the eyes and gives many of Google’s services virtually hands free and right in front of the user. Cecilia Abadie claims the glasses were not on when she was driving, but this case opens up an interesting topic on how Glass will be handled while driving.  Over the years texting and driving has become a bigger problem and more and more states are making it illegal to text and drive because it distracts drivers from the road.  Google Glass is a new form of mobile technology and it is not even out yet and it is causing problems.  It will be interesting to see how google glass and other mobile devices besides phone impact the law, especially the laws of the road.  This is a prime example of disruptive technology because with this new industry it is changing how humans are doing everyday things.

 

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disruptive technology mobile development mobile news Uncategorized usability

Google Wallet just got a little more practical

Google wallet has been around for a while now, but it has not been very successful with having many users.  Today Google announced a Wallet Card that is a physical card for users to use in conjunction with Google Wallet.  How the card works is you have to put money on it before hand, so it serves as a prepaid card.  You swipe it just like you would any other credit or debit card after you first activate it online.  Google already has an android and ios app for Google Wallet where people can make it easier to put other 3rd party companies promos on it for free stuff and such.  The Wallet Card is in direct competition with the new Coin Card that can hold up to 8 credit cards at once.  This Wallet Card does not seem to be too practical because there already are prepaid debit cards out there.  I think that this is cool technology and Google has bigger plans for Wallet later on, but for right now it does not seem to be very practical and worth the money.

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2427423,00.asp

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Android iOS mobile news Uncategorized

Mapquest Aims to Regain Users via Mobile App.

Mapquest, previously one of the previous leaders of online mapping, is attempting to recapture users with their new mobile app. The brand still continues, but is barely a shadow of it’s former self. The new app has a much cleaner and pleasing UI. Sadly, there are errors with regards to finding and searching business profiles. Interestingly, they’ve chosen to go the route of paid to remove advertisements.

<Source: http://searchengineland.com/mapquest-aims-for-revival-with-new-mobile-app-177240>

This is interesting as it marks an attempt by an older former service to recapture users via offering a new improved app. While this shows the possibility of these sorts of tactics to work, sometimes it might be necessary to understand that one’s services may have too much stiff competition. While an interesting attempt, it may lead only to failure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Android disruptive technology mobile development mobile news Uncategorized

How Google is changing the mobile game with their smartphones

Not only does Google  has the world’s most popular mobile operating system, Android, especially since their new  update KitKat just came out. Google has also in recent years been developing their own devices to run Android to compete more in the mobile industry.  Google fir came out with the Nexus 1 and a few models after it that were not huge successes, actually they were more of a failure than a success.  Recently Google bought Motorola, a big cellphone giant company so they could do more with mobile phones.  The problem with smartphones these days is that they are affordable with 2 year contracts, but if you want an unlocked phone with no contract then you will have to pay a much bigger price, in the 500 and 600 dollar range for phones like the Samsung Galaxy series and iPhones.   Google Nexus 5 is going for $350 with it being unlocked and without a contract and their Moto G phone is only $179 for an unlocked phone.  This is big news because Google is trying to make it more of a social norm to not have a contract and to make more things inexpensive, like most  of their products and services are.

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57612117-94/with-moto-g-phone-googles-mobile-revolution-now-plausible/

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Android disruptive technology mobile news Uncategorized

81% of Smartphones being shipped around the world have Android

It has been an obvious fact that Android has been taking over more and more smartphones around the world and has become the world’s leading operating system for mobile devices.  Now in the 3rd quarter reports of 2013, it shows that 81% of smartphones shipped worldwide are running Google’s Android on them.  Android has shipped a grand total of 211.6 million phones with their operating system.  This is a huge grip on the mobile phone market, it is putting a true threat on Apple’s iOS and Windows mobile operating system.

 

http://www.firstpost.com/tech/with-record-market-share-of-81-percent-android-leaves-ios-in-the-dust-1227679.html

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disruptive technology iOS mobile news Uncategorized

NSA trying to get info from Apple

We have learned in class that people are becoming more concerned about the government and other having personal information of your through mobile devices.  Our smartphones and tablets have so much information about us in them which has caused users to be careful with who they share their device with.  But no matter how careful you are, the government is still snooping around at tech giant companies like Apple so they can get account information from people.  The NSA requested for over 3000 Apple accounts, but Apple gave less than 1000.  This is disrupting disrupting-technology and making people want to share less, use their devices less, and is ruining how technology should be treated.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/11/05/apple-government-information-request/3446247/

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Android mobile development mobile news Uncategorized usability

A Smartphone with a Curve

The company LG announced today a smartphone (technically a phablet) called the LG G Flex that is a device that curves.  LG claims the benefits of the curved phone is that it fits the human face better when talking on the phone, it create better sound, gives an “IMAX” feel while in landscape mode, and it fits better into a person’s pocket.  Although this is a cool and innovative idea for a smartphone, the curved screen does not add as much benefits as one may think.  As for the phone fitting the face better while talking or it being easier to get the phone out of our pocket are not significant enough competitive advantages to get the LG G Flex.  Most of the time when a phone is hard to pull out of a pocket, it is because it has a case on it. Or to say that the iphone has an “IMAX” feel to it is not really accurate, yes it curves similar to an IMAX screen but IMAX is special because it is so big and, well even though it is a phablet and not just a smartphone, it is not even close to IMAX.

This phone is all in all cool but does not seem to add new features that are very practical, but it is innovative and it will be interesting to see where technology progresses.

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/28/lg_g_flex_smartphone/

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Android disruptive technology iOS mobile development mobile news Uncategorized usability

How many users are actually using BBM?

Earlier this week on Monday, BlackBerry released their messaging system, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for Android and iOS to reach more users. In recent years BlackBerry has been losing to its competition, Android and iOS in sales and to still try and maintain some of their users who have switch devices they are expanding their only competitive advantage to all major platforms.  Within 24 hours over 10 million users downloaded the app which seems like a big number and a successful number, but that is only have of it, the other half is getting the users to make an account, and use the new app when they have plenty of other options already available to them that have been developed by Apple like iMessage.  Only about 5 million users have actually activated their account with BBM and to get the full features of the app you must activate the app.  Hopefully BBM will figure out a way to get more users to not only just download the app, but to actually start using it.

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/23/blackberry_messenger_celebrates_10m_downloads/

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Android mobile development Uncategorized usability

Another smartwatch released by Sony

Sony has released a new smartwatch that is compatible for Android devices called SmartWatch 2.  This watch is going head to head against the recent smartwatch released by Samsung.  The new watch has a lot of functions that help make Android devices more efficient.  To start the watch can help answer phone calls, adjust volume, remotely launch the camera on the phone, and can work with maps to give directions.  In addition, the watch is sweat and water resistant which makes it helpful for outdoor activities and with working out.  Over 300 apps are compatible with the app and can work on many different Android phones.  In comparison to the Samsung smartwatch, it only work with the Galaxy Note 3 and only has a battery of 25 hours, versus the SmartWatch 2 having a 2 or 3 times battery life.  This is an interesting new market that is being formed, at first it seemed that Samsung was the only one competing, but now Sony has make it loud and clear that they are direct competitors in the smartwatch market.

 

http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/sony-challenges-samsung-with-smartwatch/240162643

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disruptive technology iOS Uncategorized

Blog Post 10/10/13

Apps on iPhone 5s are crashing twice more often than on previous models. 

Interestingly, according to the app platform Crittercism, iPhone 5s apps are crashing twice as often as apps on other models. This comes along with reports of alignment isssues, a blue screen of death, and other issues related to the new iOS 7 operating system. Updates have been released, but it is interesting to note that ‘some of the issues may have arisen simply from the fact that developers did not have enough time to adapt their apps to the new hardware and the 64-bit Apple A7 chip, which could be the culprit.’  <http://www.phonearena.com/news/Apps-on-iPhone-5s-are-crashing-twice-more-often-than-on-previous-models_id48204#4->

The current issues regarding iOS 7 adds to the field of mobile tech development as a somewhat cautionary tale. It is imperative to ensure that most bugs and issues are ironed out before releasing a product, as a period of glitches and bugs can cause issues with one’s brand and consumer goodwill. The performance and user experience must always be thought of to ensure that there is a continual desire to use the product. Additionally, if this is a continuing trend, there could be effects on the economic state of mobile development and technology, as users migrate away from what is perceived as a poor platform in favor for a superior one. There may also be an increased focus on testing, discovering, and removing these issues before release.

 

Apps not updated for iOS 7 getting hit hard in the App Store

The Apple iOS 7 created quite a change in the look and mechanics of the iPhone, which has had quite an effect on mobile developers. uTest uses their own software called Applause to analyze over 80 million reviews for over 800,000 applications. They’ve found that app reviews that mention ‘iOS 7’ have a much lower rating then those that do not mention iOS 7.  The spread is large, with the difference being, on average, 2.81 stars compared to 3.65 stars.

<http://www.phonearena.com/news/Apps-not-updated-for-iOS-7-getting-hit-hard-in-the-App-Store_id48184>

This relates to the field of mobile development and the economic state of mobile development. As some applications are not yet developed for iOS 7, there will be issues with appearances or compatibility which will cause a lowering of the star rating. There can be a drastic drop in rating while an app is still being updated. With a poor rating, users will obviously seek out a different application. This could have the effect of losing users, loosing revenue from downloads, and  being out competed by a differing app in a highly competitive market. This shows the importance of updating applications as soon as possible to ensure that there is not a monetary cost to developers.

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disruptive technology mobile news Uncategorized

SilkRoad is busted!

An anonymous, underground drug trafficking web site Silk Road has been busted and the founder has been arrested, effectively shutting down a $1 billion+ revenue business after two years.

Read more..

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disruptive technology Uncategorized

Pinterest starts adding ads to its page

Sooner or later it was going to happen, as the company would search for a way to capitalize.

Read more…

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iPhone mobile development Uncategorized

T mobile to get iPhone 5

T mobile recently invested four billion dollars in a bid to upgrade its network to 4G LTE technology. This has led analysts to believe that the wireless carrier may finally be offering the iPhone 5 to its customers.  Since it was initially announced that the iPhone would not be coming to T Mobile, they have lost many subscribers to other carriers.

 

 

http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/87807/t-mobile-may-get-iphone

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resource Uncategorized

Apple TV’s launch is beginning to seem imminent

According to Jefferies and Co, Apples revolutionary television may be hitting stores new you sooner than you may think . “The new device — which may or may not be a more advanced version of the company’s Apple TV set-top box rather than an actual television set — will likely combine the innovation and developer enthusiasm of Apple’s App Store with the current pay-TV subscription business model that cable and satellite providers use.” With the release of, iPad mini, iPhone 5 and the fourth generation iPad, Apple does have a small gap for Apple to put its primary focus on the television.

Based on Apples reputation, other makers of TV’s may wanna figure out ” whats next” and find ways to stay ahead of the technology giant or the end may be near.

Revolutionary Apple television launch is ‘imminent,’ analyst says

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Android iOS iPad iPhone Uncategorized

Getting forensics data off smartphones, tablets can be tough, experts say

Trying to get computer forensics data out of smartphones and tablets in order to conduct investigations is hard — often much harder than on PCs, laptops or Macs — and experts say that forensics tools need to improve.

Getting forensics data off smartphones, tablets can be tough, experts say.

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End of an era: Google is now more valuable than Microsoft

It’s hard to consider Microsoft much of a growth business anymore.  The PC is a mature product segment.  Windows OS is well established and represents more of a stable business than one with exciting growth. Same goes for the enterprise components of Microsoft’s business.

But the web? Still growing. Like crazy. Bing has been no match for Google.com, and Microsoft is nowhere in video (think YouTube) and scrambling to make up for perpetually failing to gain share in mobile with Windows Phone 7 and, soon, Windows Phone 8.  Meanwhile, Android has become the No. 1 mobile operating system on the planet.

End of an era: Google is now more valuable than Microsoft | Android Central.

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Android Uncategorized

Google unveils augmented reality glasses

Although this is not an app, I found it so awesome that I had to press it. This also pertains to the class when we talked about augmented reality. This is augmented reality taken to the next level. In the video here  the wearer is seen taking pictures, checking the weather, getting directions, and placing a video call, all of which are controlled using voice activated icons that appear in the user’s field of vision.

Google unveils augmented reality glasses – Telegraph.

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mobile development mobile news Uncategorized

Google Glasses: The future of augmented reality?

Google recently revealed their latest project called Google Glasses which shows the wearer of the prototype glasses receiving messages and notifications, taking photos of their surroundings and even video chatting with another person while on the go.  Although this device is still in testing and at least two years from being reality, people are excited for what this product may one day accomplish. From the video it looks like Google is trying to create a product that seamlessly combines the basic functions of a smartphone (messaging, taking photos, getting directions, receiving email/notifications) but instead displaying the data on the phone itself, the information would be displayed on a wearable set of glasses. This device aims to help reduce the number of people who are constantly glued to their phone screen but that is only if Google is able to accomplish the lofty goal they set for themselves in the reveal video.

 

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/augmented-reality-experts-say-google-glasses-face-serious-hurdles/

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mobile news resource Uncategorized usability

First non-game apps show PS Vita’s wider potential

The Playstation Vita proves it can compete with the best. No longer are non-gaming apps only for smartphones and tablets. Now the PS Vita offers apps such as Twitter, Netflix, and Flickr.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/22/tech/gaming-gadgets/free-apps-ps-vita/index.html

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iPhone mobile development mobile news Uncategorized

Apple Wins Battle Against Samsung In Patent War – Forbes

Samsung has filed seven patent claims in Germany against Apple. One of the patents, covering turbo encoding and decoding device and a method for process frame data according to quality-of-service, was recently taken up in Regional Court. The judge ruled in favor of apple in the infringement complaint. The full detailed ruling is not yet available but an abstract is available in the link below. Samsung still has the option to appear in higher court. An impact on either company will most likely not be apparent until the written ruling comes available, according to Arora. The claims don’t go just one way, for apple has also filed claims against Samsung for infringing six patents.

Apple Wins Battle Against Samsung In Patent War – Forbes.