software

Blog Post: Apps That Real People Use

All of this conjecture is a bit easy to pose after the fact, but I am amazed when I read articles like this offering from Forbes. Apparently, the highest rated apps based upon current analytics are pieces of software that have features people will actually use.

Of course, that brings up the very relevant point: just how exactly do you know which features people want on their mobile device?

The short answer is, it depends. Since this article is in the retail industry, lets use that as an example. Mobile devices are meant to connect people who would otherwise not be. For retailers, usually that means getting them into the store. If you can utilize some sort of digital retailing system, or rewards based upon location, that drives traffic to the building.

The days of half-built mobile platforms are gone. If you don’t want to end up like the infamous in this article, know your brand and increase its awareness with an app people will love telling their friends about!

Blog Post: Apps That Real People Use

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Blog Post: Disclose This!

I am right on the political fence when it comes to our government in the States. There are times it really empowers people to aid and assist in help those that need it. This is not one of those times. According to this article from GigaOm, the Federal Trade Commission is cautioning mobile application developers […]

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Blog Post: Latest From ComScore Tells Mobile Users Much

Everyone latched on to the headline of this latest top 10 ranking from ComScore, with Facebook taking the top spot in terms of unique visitors, but I don’t think this is by far the biggest takeaway for developers. With the hiccup in users while Google Maps was moving from a native iOS app to third-party, it’s understandable this would happen. The fact that everyone is sharing this story shows how we just look for headlines.

The bigger takeaway is despite which mobile platform is utilized, Google is ruling mobile traffic. I don’t even want what the rankings would look like if you used traffic coming from mobile browsers (personally, I use YouTube in Chrome as opposed to the native app), or other applications (anyone else read their Gmail on the other mail apps too?). What you are reading is correct, after Facebook the next top five apps have the word “Google” associated with it.

On top of that, the biggest surprise for me is how over 36 million people use Yahoo messenger on their mobile devices. I thought everyone used texts, Facebook, and Twitter to communicate these days. There is something to be said for branding inertia carrying over to other platforms. I will be very interested in seeing where Yahoo Messenger’s traffic trends in 2013. The same could be said for Pandora, which many have argued was on the decline in streaming media. With Spotify utilizing it’s own streaming radio, again we will see what happens this year.

Blog Post: Latest From ComScore Tells Mobile Users Much

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Blog Post: Integration, Integration, Integration

My developer friends either just threw up in their mouths or rolled their eyes at that title. For those uninitiated, the integration part of developing software is for most the most challenging and rewarding part.

According to the survey in this article, 60 percent (think about that for a few minutes) of small businesses are having an issue integrating their data across multiple networks. Meaning, businesses that store their sales, finance and marketing data in multiple sources. That should worry us all right?

Wrong, it provides an opportunity.

New platforms are launching every day. Sure, they start out as decent apps. What separates them from a culture-altering platform is users. That’s how Salesforce, Quickbooks and other amazing platforms became household names. As much as we would like to think the software small business owners purchase are going to work as smoothly with their other programs and platforms, data shows differently.

This is leverage we as entreprenuers can use to make better platforms that can actually personify the word “seamless”. Of course, this requires people with the insight and architecture to handle all of this information. Partnerships are needed; deals to be struck. For all of the so called “partners” that companies like Salesforce has in tow, people still struggle to integrate with platforms such as theirs on a daily basis. 

There are times I get frustrated on my team during the integration stage of a sprint. Nothing like the action of weaving new code into your framework to point out the flaws in your design. Of course, I’m not the one doing the work so I trust them to sort their own side out. To further integrate all of these wonderful ways of accumulating data in the modern business world, we must strive to integrate better.

I can think of a few friends of mine running said small businesses that would be appreciative.

Blog Post: Integration, Integration, Integration

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Blog Post: This Blog as a Service

Fun weekend reading here. It does seem a little ridiculous that marketing is doing its very best to brand everything this way.

What happened to making a great product and letting that be its own service?

Blog Post: This Blog as a Service

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Blog Post: Software Driven Clothing – I couldn’t help but share this fascinating vignette into the fashion industry and how the software and innovation surrounding 3-D Printing is making a huge impact. It’s hard to imagine, but my kids could grow up in a world where you can walk into a store and print out your own custom clothing.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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