Do you use Facebook on your phone, computer or both? | 0 Comments
By evp on 12-29-2011 09:15 PM
A new study shows that 40% of Facebook use is from mobile apps. This past week I visited the App Store and saw that the Facebook app was in the Top 25 during the holiday weekend. I assume it was because everyone got a new smartphone for Christmas and immediately went to download the app, like I did.
If you think about today’s technology we have built a society that has us always on the go. We want tablets and smartphones and everything needs to be 4G, fast and wireless. It’s no surprise that people aren’t taking the time to sit at their desktop and login to sites as much. We are checking apps at a stoplight, on our lunch break or during a meeting. Many companies are now blocking social media sites like Facebook on corporate computers which forces employees to check in more often from their smartphone. Could you imagine a world where computers were obsolete? With the number of new apps on the rise we’ll see what the future holds.
Starbucks has the nation’s largest mobile payment program | 0 Comments
By evp on 12-07-2011 07:28 PM
Less than a year ago Starbucks introduced a new mobile payments system through the Starbucks Card Mobile iPhone and BlackBerry applications, which is used at nearly 7,000 Starbucks across the US. Coffee lovers can easily pay for their favorite latte with their phone versus a debit card. The Starbucks app allows you to reload your Starbucks card and scan the bar code at checkout. Since the app was launched over 26 million transactions have been made according to Computerworld.com. Matt Hamblen states “Starbucks didn’t divulge the total number of purchases with mobile devices, but said $110 million had been reloaded onto Starbucks cards directly through the mobile app since January. Globally, $2.4 billion was loaded onto Starbucks cards in fiscal 2011, with the cards making up one in four transactions in U.S. Starbucks stores. Starbucks cards were launched a decade ago and $10 billion has been loaded onto them, the company said.” Starbucks is only the beginning, with this kind of success I would imagine other retailers hopping on the bandwagon. Smartphones and apps continue to make our daily life easier and a bit more entertaining, what will they think of next?
- Matt Hamblen- ComputerWorld.com Article
Google Music: iTunes for Android or something more? | 1 Comment
By brian on 11-18-2011 04:46 PM
Google Music, an online music store and “free locker” for digital music, was rolled out to the public on Wednesday.
Google Music, with more 13 million songs, will be integrated with Android Market, the company’s online store for smartphone apps and videos as it plays catch-up with its rivals. Apple, Amazon and Facebook have to varying degrees integrated music into their core online and mobile products. Google Music will allow the Web search leader to do the same by letting consumers access music from various Internet-connected devices and easily share tracks with friends. Google has negotiated U.S. deals with three of the four major music companies: Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group; Sony Corp’s Sony Music Entertainment; and EMI. It has also signed deals with the increasingly influential independent label group Merlin and London-based Beggar’s Banquet label group, home to the year’s biggest selling artist, Adele.
While no single Android phone has approached the popularity of the iPhone, Android smartphones as a whole have become a serious force, capturing more than half the overall market during the last quarter. (Android phones amounted to 52% of the global market compared to about 15% for the iPhone, according to Gartner). For someone trying to decide between buying an Apple or Android device, iTunes could be a deciding factor. Google Music, at least in part, could take that bullet out of Apple’s gun.
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Apps to improve your holiday shopping | 0 Comments
By evp on 11-09-2011 09:13 PM
The holidays will be here before you know it and if you’re like me the thought of all that shopping can be a little daunting. I want to make sure I’m getting a good deal, but I don’t want to spend a whole month at home reading consumer reports and polling my friends and family for product reviews. This season, apps will be more commonly used to help shoppers check prices, reviews, availability and even get coupons when the GPS notices they are nearby. The best apps will be unique for each shopper depending on their store and product preference so shop the app market for your Android or Apple-based device.
Some tips from USA Today to help you shop smartly with your mobile device:
•Limit the number of shopping-related apps you download. “Definitely don’t overload yourself, because you likely won’t use those 10 apps,” says Dan Shust, innovation director at the digital marketing agency, Resource Interactive. Six or so key ones are probably all you’ll need, recommends Sterneckert.
•Consider an app to keep track of your receipts, no small task at the holidays. Shust recommends Lemon, which does a quick scan of receipts and keeps them organized on your phone.
•Many apps let you keep your holiday shopping lists handy, a big plus if you want to avoid overspending.
•Stick with store apps that truly add utility. Among other things, Home Depot’s will scan QR bar codes in the store and pull up reviews of products you’re considering.
- Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today: Read more at USA Today