Posted by Brian on Oct 24, 2010 in
Technology One of the oldest marketing tricks in the book is to give something away for free. This can range from the standard ” free gift with purchase ” to actually giving away ebooks, video tutorials, and free DVDs. In the world of the smart phone, this translates to free apps.
Apps, for those who aren’t familiar with smart phones, is short for applications. The apps on smart phones work the same as applications on a computer. They allow the device to do things that the operating system alone couldn’t do. iPhone and Android developers have been working with businesses to design apps that do just about anything imaginable from entertainment and games to business productivity and education. While some apps do cost money to download and use, the majority of the most popular apps are free to download. However, businesses make sure that they get their money somewhere.
Some popular apps are free readers or players that then require a subscription to stream actual content. This applies to video, music, games, and even traditional news content. Another way that businesses use free apps as a lure is by offering a limited edition or trial version of the apps. In order to unlock the full features or continue once the trial is over, users have to fork over the cash. Still other apps are free because they make it easier for a company to close a sale. These include apps that send sale announcements and promo codes directly to loyal customers as well as those that let customers quickly locate their nearest chain restaurant — and even make a reservation or take out order by pushing a few buttons.
Truly free apps are few and far between. Even those that don’t fit into one of the above categories are probably still collecting an email address and phone number so that they can market more directly to a potential customer at a future date.
Tags: android developers
Posted by Brian on Sep 15, 2010 in
Technology The revolution in computer programming has made life more easy for everyone, or infinitely more complex, depending on the perspective of the user, or the needs of the project. For most casual computer users, the available downloads are overwhelming, and it’s like swimming in a sea of incomprehensible choices. For the active user, it’s a different story.
For someone working on any kind of digital-based project, there is probably already a good deal of knowledge about the kinds of software available, and the things that are needed for any particular project. But to get to the point where one is ready to hit the Download Program button, a little more work is necessary. There are almost always several, if not dozens, of versions of the programs available.
Anyone who’s ever been in a last-minute crunch, where the videos are rendered, and the text and images are all in the right place, understands that the last steps are often the most complicated and maddening. This is Murphy’s Law at its most vicious. Finding the right program to convert a video file to the one that plays on the right system is not necessarily that difficult. But there are always links that will move in confusing directions, with free software that turns out to not be free after all. It takes time and patience, and having the right interfaces can help speed things along, so when things go wrong, it’s only a minor setback, and not an all-day emergency.
Tags: murphy's law
Posted by Brian on Aug 10, 2010 in
Technology Apple’s brilliant and stunning fully integrated touch screen iPad is a great marketing tool. Ever since the announcement of the iPad, businesses have been scrambling for quality iPad Applications and iPad Developers.
All budding iPad developers are required to build all applications to the same high standards as an iPhone application, including writing the code to the same practice techniques and same rule base as previous standards.
For budding iPad or iPhone development projects , a business needs to contact respectable iPad App developers who will be able to hand hold and lead them through the process of developing an application. There are hundreds of iPad app development companies vying to get their business. So, it’s up to the business to then first contact a respectable digital agency who can steer them to the best iPad app developers around and one that offer several different quotes.
Once the business has chosen an iPad app developer, then it’s time to move forward with the iPad application. The business will need to study the design diligently to make sure the app is also designed not only for the iPad screen, but for a wider screen as well, if the design can’t handle a wider screen, they will need to remove some of the functionality.
Applications for iPads are a fast growing industry, which seems to be out pacing the amount of quality iPad app developers. Businesses need to keep a vigilant eye out for poorly developed apps and keep up the same high standards as Apple keeps.
Tags: ipad app developers