Mobile Apps Blog

Mobile Apps blog with information on cool mobile apps and stuff on development, designing and marketing of apps.

[iammobileguru]

Running in heat is difficult but fun as well. It test your limits.

[iammobileguru]

Web and Mobile Apps to Find Suitable Places for Work

Are you a traveler? Do you miss a nice workplace when you are visiting an unknown city? I do miss a nice work place when i travel to some small or unknown locations. But some good human beings have made it easier for us to find a nice set of coworkers or work places where we can work comfortably while traveling.

Here are web and mobile apps which will allow you to search for shared work place and rented desks available in business centers or offices in your nearby location.

Desktime: This is a very good app with a great web interface. They have web app, iOS App and Android App. Desktime Android version has some very niche reviews as compared to iOS.They have a very strong and updated database. Also the booking feature is very good. What i liked the most about desktime is their reach in the very small locations as well. You can find suitable work places in different budget range. Also if you have vacant office space, then you can signup and list your working space on the desktime.

Desks Near Me: Another very good and refined option. Web and mobile interface are superb. It gives lots of features such as contacting the property owner through email, getting reviews from the people on social media who have already used this service. You can check the option of recently browsed office spaces. Also you get the option to book the work space as per the number of hours you have to work. From my personal experience, it is good if you are looking for office space in big cities. Desk Near me don't serve good search results for smaller locations.

LiquidSpace: Out of all the apps i have checked, LiquidSpace has the best interface. It allows you to locate the work space depending on your present GEO location and even through the search interface. It allows you to search different work places as per your requirement. Some of the options are conference halls, individual desks, office space for groups tc. Also the work spaces are very well classified in differen categories depending upon the cost, amenties provided and people reviews. Liquid space lists hotels near your geo location which offers free lobby space. You can access this website from Linkedin Account, Gmail or a business account. Check Android App for LiquidSpace

Carr Workplaces: This business has a very good concept. They own different work place properties in almost 10 states in USA. You have to buy their subscription and if you are traveling to any of locations with their work places, you can visit any one of them and work there. Carr Workplaces also provides you with different facilities such as free internet connection, brewed cofee, discount on subscription packages , events and functions. Here you can check mobile and web versions of Carr Workplace.

So, i hope next time you are traveling or looking for some good work space, you will remember me and will use one of the apps :) If you find some similar apps, please feel free to share via comment or reply

[iammobileguru]

Who Says YO app is Boring? YO update has something interesting for users.

Yo app founder Or Arbel has come up with some good updates for his app which received $1 million in funding recently. Users were left guessing on the next updates, i mean what will be in the next update package. But i am sure with latest features and functionality clubbed with the trademark simplicity users will be satisfied.

Top Yo Features in the latest updates:

1) Users had a problem that they can't check the real name or real identity of people who have Yo'd them or added as friends. So now users can edit their profile. Add their name and profile picture. Now if any of your friend swipe right side on your username, they can see your name and picture.

2) Yo Index: This amazing feature allows users to find services that might be of their interest and use.

InstaYo: This service is connected with instagram. You can select from a list of users in the InstaYO list. Whenever that person post any update on instagram, you will get a Yo notification with link to access that update on instagram. This Yo will be with a asterisk sign next to to Yo notification. Asterisk sign indicate that Yo has an attachment.

Nowthis: This Service connects you to twitter for latest breaking news.

YoBayBike: If you have subscribed to this services, you will receive a Yo notification, when your selected rental bike station in SF bay area has bike available for rental. You can selected from a list of bike stations on the map.

CraigsYO: Suppose you want to purchase an air conditioner from craiglist. Just type the relevant word in craiglist search box. Copy the url from browser and paste that in YO service Craiglist search url field. Now whenever, there is a new item listed matching your desired results, users receive a Yo notification with asterisk tapping which will take user to the craiglist listing page.

Users can browse services started by different sites such as Craiglist, IFTTT, Fedex and more. You just need to subscribe for Yo updates of their services and you will receive a Yo notification everytime there is an update. Yo index is updated regularly with new services.

Hashtag (# ): Hashtag can be added in a similar way how you add a new friend. Just add # sign in front of the word or phrase which you want to use as a hashtag. Yo hashtag can be related to some celebrity, TV show, movie or some event etc. Users can Yo any hashtag showing their love. Just swipe right on any hashtag to check how many times it has been Yo'd.

To check the hashtag # counter Visit Yo Counter

Also check trending # hashtags on Yo App Trending Yo App Hashtags

So Setup your Yo Hashtag and who knows it might hit the Top Spot in trending Hashtags

My Blog's Hashtag is #IAMMOBILEGURU.TUMBLR.COM. Just Yo Me Now!.

[iammobileguru]

Live App Testing From Amazon - Great Platform For App Developers

Are you an Android or Amazon Fire App Developer? Do you lack a platform where you can test your mobile app before making it live for the public?

If Yes, then Try Live App Testing, tool from Amazon. This tool allows the mobile app developers to share the app with a specific set of testers associated with Amazon platform. So, they can do the testing and give the developer feedback and suggestions on bugs found. Don't you think this is pretty cool?

If you don' have a in-house team of testers, then you should try this platform.

Live App Testing, converts your app into a version which is distributed among a set of testers. You need to invite the testers individually via email invitation. Only testers with the invitation email will be able to download the app testing format and download on their device.

Amazon's Platform is very good for developers who are targeting both Amazon Fire and Android based devices. Also if you are developing app for Android, then you get a chance to check it for Amazon fire users and if you get a good response, then why not make it compatible for Amazon fire devices.

Live App testing, platform provides analytics about the app, such as how many times app crashed during testing and some other technical bugs. Also If you are happy with the test results, you can end your app test anytime. Also you can initiate the test again in-case of any mobile app upgrade launch.

So what are you waiting for, Start Setting Up Your Account on Live App Testing Platform Now!

[iammobileguru]

Top Features in iOS 8 Which Makes it Amazing.

Apple’s iOS8 code named okemo came around in beta stage on June 2 2014. According to sources, it will be available publicly in the coming fall season during September. Some top features which are checking the patience of iOS users are continuity, extensibility, quicktype, health, icloud driver, family sharing. This time apple has worked to develop and introduce features which are hardware dependent.

Continuity: This is a brand new feature which will come in iOS 8 and OSX Yosemite. Continuity will provide secure environment between iPhone, IPad and Mac. If you are logged in on all these devices from same apple id and these devices are in proximity, you can handoff the activity. Handoff is that if you are handling some app on iOS, then you continue it on MAC from where you left the app on iOS device. Handoff works with Safari, Mail, maps, messages, Calendar, Number, Keynote, Contacts and app store apps. One requirement is that you need to be logged in on these devices with same Apple id. Right now handoff is not available for music, games etc.

Airdrop : This is another advanced feature which was first introduced in OSX Lion in 2011. This is cross-compatible version and allows you to push data between all your devices. In OSX Lion, it was used to transfer files between Macs. Airdrop used Personal Area Networking and Bonjour. In iOS Airdrop was in share sheet using Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi.

Instant Hot-Spot : This feature allows Mac and iPad ( Without Wi-fi/Celluar Network Access ) users to use cellular data network of iPhone or iPad to get online on Mac or iPad without internet access. Earlier tethering was the process which required passwords and reboots. Now Mac or iPad wifi can instantly connect to your iPhone or iPad cellular.

Continuity Calling and SMS/MMS : iPhone has cellular voice radio, which allows to receive call on the telephone network. iPad have cellular data radios, which only allows data network access and no calling. Mac don't have access to any cellular radios.

For continuity calling, requirement is that all devices should be on same apple id with iPad and mac on wi-fi network. Amazing thing is that iPad and Mac will show name and number of who is calling and the call duration. If iPhone has caller picture, it will appear on Mac and iPad.

You can also make calls from your iPad and Mac using continuity. If you ahve number in contact app,  calendar app, safari web browser, clicking/tapping the number will initiate a call. Call will take place through wi-fi connection to your iPhone using iPhone's telephone network connection. You can end the call, mute the call ad check the call duration. Continuity is still not available for Conference calls.

Now you must be amazed with these advanced features in iOS8. I am sure this will build your excitement. I am excited to use the new iOS 8. Just share your views on your feedback and expectations from iOS 8. You can share your views in this post through comments.

[iammobileguru]

Apple's iOS8 Extensibility Feature will Completely Change iPhone and iPad Users Experience

Apple is going to launch ios 8 very soon, but speculations and excitement is at it's peak among iPhone and iPad lovers. This is true that apple always comes up with unbeatable products, but this time they have made the ios platform, so smart that it will save your time many folds.

iOS is known for security and protective shield for keeping the users data safe. Till iOS 7 two apps can't interact with each other, i.e one app can't change or disturb the functionality of other app. Extensibility allows two apps to interact with each other while keeping the use data secure.

Some Interesting Examples to Show how Extensibility will Impact the User Experience in Iphone and Ipad:

Extensibility allows the apps to share information and functionality with one another , this saving time. Suppose you are using some Notes app like Evernote,then with the evernote extension, users can easily access the apps while using the Mail app in iOS.

Also if you are using some password manager app, then you can use the extension of that app to login to any other app account without switching between the apps. So Suppose you want to login to paypal, earlier you would have opened the password manager app and then copy and pasted the password in paypal password field, but now with using the extension of password manager app, you don't need to switch between apps.

Similarly while editing an image in ios default image editing app, you can directly access, photoshop express app using the extensibility. One most important thing is that the one app can't access other app completely under extensibility. So a single app can have different extensions depending upon the different functionality. All these extensions from different apps will be placed under notification center.

Some other extensibility features which will attract the users are, if you like keyboard of some other app and wants to replace that with the keyboard of default apple Iphone or Ipad keyboard, you can easily do that with extensibility.

While using Safari browser in your ios8 device, just tap on the image and you can share that on different social media websites using their extensions.

So get ready. Reverse Countdown for iOS 8 has started. iOS8 will surely be special. Check in Details About Extensibility. Very Nice Post from Rene Ritchie

[iammobileguru]

Programming Languages Required for Mobile App Development

Are you willing to build mobile apps? First step to design a mobile app should be to select a programming language which supports all your requirements.

Two main mobile OS are Android and iOS. There is a wide list of programming languages which can be used to build apps for these platforms.  Each language has it's own pros and cons. Programming languages require logical reasoning abilities and you should be ready to burn your brain, otherwise mobile app development is not the right choice for you.

Now i will share the list and will briefly explain the importance of each mobile app programming language:

Objective - C: It is from oops family. Used for the iphone and iOS development, it works well with all the devices compatible with iOS platform such as iPhone, iPod Touch and iPAD. Objective C allows the developers to scale the apps across different browsers but not across different platforms. Biggest advantage with learning objective C is the availability of large developer community.

Now some drawbacks of objective c, it is difficult to learn and can't be scaled across different platforms. Xcode is complex to learn for new users. Also apple app store has strict rules regarding regular update for the mobile apps. 

Web apps which are built with HTML5, CSS and javascript can be used on iPhone. Webapps have the advantage that thy can be scaled across different platforms and devices. Also web app developers can stay away from strict iTunes store rules and regulations. One more advantage with HTML, CSS and javascript is that they have bigger developer community.

Javascript with HTML5 and CSS: This is a win-win combination. All top web applications and browsers are developed on javascript. It can be used across different platforms and renders properly on different screens. At the same time it is easy to learn. Drawback of javascript is that, it is not very powerful and platform specific such as objective C for iOS and Java for android.

Java: This is also from object oriented programming language family. It is a language which can be scaled across different platforms. It works around objects and data and categorizing them with similar functions as well as properties. It has similar structure as C family languages and is considered to be easier as compared to C#. Java has a huge developer community and you can easily get solution for bugs and problems in developer forums.

C-Sharp (C#) - It is considered to be the backbone of Windows based mobile apps. With the windows phones capturing a big part in the smartphone niche, apps development in windows platform is in great demand. C# is from C family and if you are comfortable in oops, then C# is a easy walk in the park.

Now, it should be a call from the app developer on choosing the best language to build the mobile app depending upon the functionality and efficiency of the language.

Please feel free to share, if you find any other language appropriate for mobile app development.

[iammobileguru]

Push Notification - Power Weapon For Mobile Marketers

Growing world of smartphones is pushing mobile developers and innovators look for smart ways to reach customers and stay in contact with customers 24*7. Brands and business owners especially retailers are launching user friendly mobile apps and are introducing amazing features which keeps the users updated with latest updates and offers about the products. 

Push Notification, is a feature which gives latest updates about the mobile app to the user. A mobile app developer can send push notification to the user about latest offers or updates available. A mobile user can check notification even without opening the app.

To receive push notification, a user has to install the app and opt for push notification. If you don’t want to receive these notification, you can opt out ant any point of time.

Push notifications can be customized depending upon the nature of the app user and what information is required to be sent to the user. Customers can be categorized as per the locations, products they have shortlisted to purchase or added to shop list.

As per survey done by responsys , 68% customers opt to receive push notifications. At present it is used mostly for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Now developers are testing this feature for desktops. Push notification is available on safari browser with Apple OS X Mavericks. Chrome and Firefox are on the track to follow this.

How brands are using Push Notifications to connect with customers:

Priceline, a travel service provider in collaboration with GM motors has placed their app on navigation screens of Chevrolet vehicles. This allows the users to book a hotel, flight, travel packages and offers while on road. App company gets sale and customer data, which is used for future communication and interacting with customers.

Retailer brands, specially fashion brands and ecommerce stores are making best use of mobile notifications and push notification. “Target” retailer brand allows customers to manage their shopping list via application. Companies are working to improve in-store experience for the customers. iBeacons setup in retail stores allows a customer with ios 7 powered iPhone receive notification about products and offers while checking products in retail store stands. Reach for this feature is around 2 inches. These apps are helping brands build data about user experience within the store, this helping them interact with customers effective in future.

In Airlines sector, Japan Airlines and Virgin Airlines are using best use of mobile apps. Virgin airlines reply personally to the people traveling in virgin flights. Japan airlines has been adjudged the best brand on facebook in Japan, after they launched 10 interconnected applications which helped them reach their customers. This helped japanese airlines build the fan base on Facebook and inturn build customer base.

Mobile Ad Exchanges influencing the Advertisement Industry:

As per the surveys done in different markets, mobile users are very loyal to their favorite brands and app deletion rate is very low. 85% smartphone users hardly deletes a mobile app. Have you heard about ( IDFA ), Apple’s identifier for advertisers.? It allows to find and target individual users in Apple’s network through app mobile advertising. Most of the top mobile ad exchanges are using IDFA’s data to target and reach potential customers.

For marketer and promoters it is very important to send only notification which are important for customers in some way. Also frequency of push notification matter a lot. Sending notifications frequently can be annoying for many users. So what are you waiting for. Build your app and start promoting apps with push notifications.

[iammobileguru]

Improve Your Mobile App Visibility in App Store with App Store Optimization

App stores are becoming a battlefield for app developers. Fight is to improve the visibility of the app and getting maximum downloads to build the popularity of the apps. On an average , we have more then 1000 app submissions in itunes app store daily. 65% users download apps from app store search results. So it has become very challenging to get our apps ranked on top in app store search results.

As a Digital Marketing Expert, i get several requests from my clients who want to get their apps optimized for app store search results. This has pushed me to learn and share more about app store optimization.

To be specific regarding the goals of ASO,

1. To be found easily by users in top search results of app store

2. Getting ranked higher in search results for targeted keywords

3. Getting ranked higher from competitors in App Store.

Now ASO is not just a game of keywords i.e selecting best possible keywords, ranking for those keywords and then getting downloads for the app. It involves efficient use of meta data, icons and screenshots to convince users about the importance of the mobile app.

We have several properties which influence the ranking of our app in App Store.

These are: 

1) Title of the App - Character Length 255 for itunes and maximum 55 for Google Play. In iTunes, search page app title will be 35 characters long and on product page it will be 70 characters long.

2) Publisher Name of the App

3) Keywords of the App. - Character Limit: 100

4) Reviews and Downloads

5) Icons and screenshots:

Value of Title and Keywords field is very high, so it is very much required to optimize them properly for targeted keywords. These three fields should be targeted to build the visibility and discoverability of the mobile app. On the other hand, meta description text don't influence the ranking of app in app store, so we can design our description in a way to get maximum conversions. 

The keywords field in itunes is limited to 100 characters and you can't do stemming. i.e if you want to target two keywords player and players, you will have to add them individually. This makes the life of app developers difficult.

Reviews and downloads for a specific app also influence the ranking of App in App store. Keep updating your website with latest ios and Android updates. Ask your app customers to leave positive reviews for your app. One more thing which influence app rankings is how many times it was deleted. So make your mobile app, useful and interactive. Use proper keywords in the title, i.e specific keywords,so that the app is visible to targeted users. Never stuff app title with irrelevant keywords. Avoid use of special characters in title. Title is added in the url of your app. So keep title clean and strong.

Icons and screenshots also play a vital role in getting the best out of your application. Apps stores allows us to add upto 5 screenshots of our application. So it is advisable to use maximum 5 screen captures and use proper image alt tags.

Here are some Top Free and Paid Keywords Research tool for App Store Optimization:

Google Trends and Google Keyword Plannar Tool: This tool don't give you the search count or the traffic on a specific keyword in the app store, but gives you the option to search for the keywords which are in trend and people are searching for them in the news and on web. Google Trends results are updated hourly and thus gives you latest results.

Appcode.es: It is a more dedicated tool designed and built for ASO purpose. It has two propoerties, one which helps you find out best possible keywords for your app and second which tells you about the rankings your app can achieve in app store depending upon the use of those keywords by competitors. As the apple and google app store don't release apps keywords data publicly, so Appcode.es picks up the data from a database of 4,50,000 apps and 1,50,000 keywords.

MobileDevHQ: It is a complete tool, which provides various modules required for ASO. It gives analysis of keyword rankings and the keywords our competitors are ranking for. This is a paid tool with different packages.

Sensor Tower: Another high rated tool for app store optimization, sensor tower helps in competitors analysis, review analysis and finding out intelligence, importance of your app depending upon the downloads and reviews generated. Also you can check the latest trends and updates which influence the rankings of your app.

Search man: This is another paid tool with free trial version available for app store optimization. Clear and easy to use interface makes it popular among frequent app publishers. 

In the end of this post, i would suggest play with the keywords. Use different research and marketing tools and do proper research about market before building a mobile app.

[iammobileguru]

Metadata+ iTunes App to tell When a US Drone Strike Takes Place.

Metadata+, a fantastic mobile application designed by, Josh Begley gives us the information about each and every drone strike by US. It gives users the information about the time of the strike, location and causalities due to a specific drone attack.

Earlier the developer tried to launch i with the name of Drone+, but due to some issues it was not approved in iTunes and after five attempts and a new name metadata+ , the app was successfully launched for Apple mobile phone users.

metadata+ is available free of cost on itunes and a must one for people who like something different.