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Archive for February, 2011

iPad 2 Rumors and Noise – What to Believe?

Recently it was revealed that Apple may announce iPad 2 at a March 2 event.  Another revelation confirms that the iPad 2 will have both a camera and home button.

9to5 Mac has uncovered photographic evidence that the forthcoming iPad 2 will arrive with both a front-facing camera and a bezel, the latter of which was rumored to be on the outs, but  will, in fact, be one of the features carried over from the first iPad.

This photos show a screen protector for iPad2. There is a pin hole similar to what you would find on an iPhone 4 screen protector, for the front facing camera. An item of note concerns the hole’s cut, indicating that users would have to hold the iPad 2 in portrait to use the camera.

iPad 2 rumors have also centered on whether the device will have a dual-core processor, a thinner screen, carbon fiber shell, dual cameras, and if the device will be have the same release date as iOS 4.3.

Despite the reliability of the source, these rumors could be just that. Why? An enterprising individual could have easily cut a hole in an existing iPad screen cover to produce the photo above.

Regardless, one thing is certain: there is a lot of noise in the market regarding the iPad 2. Bloggers are discussing everything from the timing of the release to possible features, peripherals, displays, and operating systems. With tables being widely adopted in the enterprise, many organizations are trying to decipher whether information is real or fake. The March 2nd event, confirmed by Apple, will certainly help organizations to uncover what is accurate in regard to the iPad 2, and whether this device will be a fit inside the company’s mobile strategy. At Smartsoft Mobile Solutions, we are excited to see how all these new tablet devices will be accepted inside the enterprise.

 For more information check out:

Trends in the Smartphone Industry and the Effect on Enterprise Mobility

New Carrier-Imposed Bandwidth Restrictions and the Impact on the Modern Mobile Enterprise

Smartsoft Mobile’s Top Four Enterprise Mobility Predictions for 2011

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Posted in Apple, Application Development, B2B Mobile, Devices, Tablets | No Comments »

Forrester Recommends POST Strategy for Enterprise Mobility

According to a recent report from Forrester, mobile development has gone from being a separate silo to being mainstream. As more and more IT departments will be called upon to create mobile applications, Forrester recommends that managers and developers adopt its POST (People, Objectives, Strategy, Technology) strategy. POST was actually created for marketing and business development professionals, but the company explains how to apply it to mobile application development.

 

People

The process begins with profiling your target audience. Forrester identifies four types of mobile users:

  • Task workers
  • Information workers
  • Wannabes
  • SuperConnecteds

Each has their own requirements and you will need to determine what those are before starting.

 

Objectives

Next you must determine what business objective(s) you want to meet and whether the mobile channel is an appropriate means for accomplishing those objectives. Forrester identifies the following innate strengths of mobile and suggests considering whether any of them correspond to your business objectives:

  • Acting quickly on time-sensitive information
  • Adding location-specific context
  • Alerting passive users to take action
  • Acquiring new customers
  • Reducing traffic in higher-cost interaction channels

 

Strategy

Before selecting what technology to use, Forrester suggests asking the following questions:

  • How many users do we need to reach?
  • What will our mobile application user experience (UX) be?
  • How will we deliver and support our mobile application?
  • Are on-device hardware capabilities needed?
  • Is the number of mobile users predictable?
  • What’s the application’s duty cycle, and what is our level of commitment to the app?

  The “T” in POST stands for technology. As enterprise technology differs greatly by industry, and enterprise mentality towards mobile technology adoption improves, it is important to do a thorough analysis of both the current and future states of technology within the enterprise. Smartsoft Mobile Solutions has a user centric approach to enterprise mobility strategy,  that very much aligns with the Forrester recommendations contained in this article.

For more information check out:

New Carrier Imposed Bandwidth Restrictions and the Effect on the Modern Mobile Enterprise

How will Prepackaged Mobile Enterprise Applications and Cloud Based Hosting Impact Your Business?

Leaders in Enterprise Mobility on Mashups: How Valuable Can They Be?

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Posted in Application Development, B2B Mobile, Enterprise Mobility, Mashups, SAP, Solution Delivery | No Comments »

Mobile Marketing Taking a Step Forward

With U.S. Smartphone sales up 73% in 2010, the number of consumers caring these devices is roughly 162,000,000 . Companies are rapidly implementing mobile marketing strategies, in order to grow their revenues. The fact still remains that 1 in 4 U.S. consumers do not even recognize a mobile advertisement when one is presented on their device. “Why is this the case?”, you may ask. Well, first mobile marketing is still in its infancy, with roots dating back about five years. In comparison web based advertisements have been around for roughly 20 years. Also, companies are not tailoring ad campaigns to their customers based upon analytical data, such as purchasing behavior on a regular basis. Companies also need to take into account the “on the go” mobile consumer’s location in order to bring this intimate marketing channel full circle, with complete personalization. Here are some findings of a recent report on mobile marketing:

Location-based ads are driving mobile shopping, with 17 percent of the on-the-go audience making purchases via mobile, according to JiWire’s fourth-quarter 2010 Mobile Audience Insights Report. This report also found that 20 percent of survey respondents visited physical store locations after seeing a relevant ad. Additionally, the greater the discount offered, the further the mobile audience is willing to travel to redeem a promotion.

In the near-term, companies will continue to experiment with mobile marketing, while measuring campaign success. However, forward thinking companies will implement point-of-sale personalized marketing to increase average order value. The use of location based triggers inside a retail environment will allow for further interaction between the company and customer. QR codes will soon be everywhere and as leaders in enterprise mobility, Smartsoft Mobile Solutions is ready to provide barcode scanning solutions inside mobile applications.

 For more information check out:

Augmented Reality is Here: Think of the Possibilities Inside a Mobile Commerce Application

Barcode Scanning is Quickly Becoming Second Nature For Deal Hungry Shoppers

The Battle for the Mobile Wallet is On!

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Posted in Application Development, B2C Mobile, Mobile Commerce, Mobile Marketing, Mobile News, Solution Delivery | No Comments »

Nokia to Partner with Microsoft, Choosing Windows Phone 7 Over Android

Well first off, this is a big deal. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, needed to make a major move in order to stay relevant in the mobile space. Additionally, Microsoft needed to get some traction in the mobile operating system space. iPhone and Androidhave built out very strong eco-systems,  taking market share from both Nokia and the Symbian operating systems, in a major fashion over this last year. Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop made this partnership decision, in part, to help facilitate the building of a new mobile eco-system.  What makes up a mobile echo system, you may ask. A mobile eco-system includes: 

  • Developers
  • Apps
  • Functionality (e.g., Office Mobile)
  • Games integration
  • Tools (e.g., search, maps)
  • Hardware manufacturers
  • Peripheral providers
  • Mobile OS
  • Tablet interaction (like the Lenovo laptop with pop-out Android screen)
  • Available cloud-based services
  • Enterprise mobility solutions
  • Application distribution channels

 

Nokia Corp. will get billions of dollars from Microsoft Corp. for ditching its current smart-phone software in favor of Windows Phone 7, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said Sunday, in defense of the deal. Nokia deliberately chose WP7, both to avoid the commoditization of Android and to create a more competitive market, where at least three major modern Smartphone platforms exist rather than to risk an Apple and Google duopoly. A MeeGo device would exist this year, but its role was no longer a central one after Symbian is ultimately being phased out of the high end device market.

When looking at this partnership, one can see how it makes sense for both parties. Microsoft gets a massive global footprint, spending a small piece of the capital that the company has acquired over the years. Nokia gets a high-end mobile operating system that has received solid industry reviews. Together, these two companies can attempt to grow market share against the big two, Android and Apple. But what does this mean for BlackBerry maker RIMM? To be frank the news is not good. As stated in this article, there are many parts to a thriving mobile eco-system. It is difficult for a company to “go it alone” without either a strong partnership or a truly innovative and compelling product. Time will tell, but I expect RIMM to be acquired later this year. As leaders in enterprise mobility, Smartsoft Mobile Solutions’ goal is to keep organizations informed to the rapidly evolving mobility market.

For more information check out:

Trends in the Smartphone Industry and the Effect on Enterprise Mobility

Leaders in Enterprise Mobility: Typography and Why it is Important in Mobile Application Design

Leaders in Enterprise Mobility: The Current State of Enterprise Mobility

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Posted in Apple, Application Development, B2B Mobile, B2C Mobile, Blackberry, Devices, Enterprise Mobility, Google | No Comments »

Five Tips That Help Form the Foundation of a Solid Enterprise Mobility Strategy

With a host of enterprises in virtually all areas of business, including manufacturing, utilities, and hospitality, looking to implement enterprise mobility projects, the foundation of an enterprise mobile strategy has never been more important. When developing an enterprise mobility strategy, an organization should make sure to focus on a staged approach to mobility, using short term tactics to achieve overall long term objectives.  Here are five tips that will help facilitate a successful enterprise mobility strategy implementation:

 1. Focus on the must-haves and define requirements. First things first, define the requirements. Based on job functions and responsibilities, understand how the workforce needs to be utilized with regard to a mobile solution. Ask questions such as: who is the user, how can this worker’s tasks be enhanced by mobility, and how specifically can features in a mobile solution optimize performance without  getting in the worker’s way?

2. Be selective when planning and prioritizing mobility projects. While planning mobility projects, organizations have to be selective and need make sure that the projects are carried out in most cost effective way. Focus on project prioritization by evaluating the costs and benefits of each project.

3. Establish who is in charge, and give that person authority. Make sure that a professional is in charge of all the activities related to mobility activities. This professional should coordinate and align the various efforts related to device management, security, mobile application development, carrier relationships and mobile network deployments.

4. Commit to documenting mobility policies. It is absolutely necessary to have a well documented mobility policy in place. The policy has to be educational to the employees, as well. Based on the policy, the technology has to be put into place. Having a clear mobility policy will help the enterprise strategically. Mobile policies and their implementation will help the enterprise to understand the purpose of individual mobile projects and how they fit into the mobile enterprise strategy as a whole. Governmental business regulations , such as SOX, make establishing mobile policies all the more important.

5. Constantly evaluate the mobility projects. As technology continues to evolve, often at a rapid rate, evaluating the projects will give an idea of where the enterprise stands. Gauging success accurately at each level is essential.

Managing Enterprise Mobility initiative is a daunting task and success can be achieved only with the help of a sound strategy. As leaders in enterprise mobility, Smartsoft Mobile Solutions prides itself on its partnerability with clients.  Working hand-in-hand with clients from a holistic enterprise mobility perspective, understanding both the business and organizational requirements and making unbiased recommendations to achieve the organizations enterprise mobility objectives, has proved to be a major differentiator in the industry.  When driving towards enterprise mobility it is important for an organization to look at the five tips in this article, and then tailor an enterprise mobility strategy, one that is obtainable, actionable, and measurable.

For more info check out:

Leaders in Enterprise Mobility on Mashups: How Valuable Can They Be?

Smartsoft Mobile’s Top Four Enterprise Mobility Predictions 2011

Leaders in Enterprise Mobility: The Current State of Enterprise Mobility

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Posted in Application Development, B2B Mobile, Enterprise Mobility, Mashups, SAP, Solution Delivery | No Comments »

Trends in the Smartphone Industry and the Effect on Enterprise Mobility

Emerging developments in the Smartphone industry are expected to bring about new trends for enterprise mobility management, with formerly popular business Smartphone options being replaced by new products from Google and Apple. RIMM’s Blackberry offering has been the only mobile offering taken seriously for sometime by corporate IT. However, the “bring your own device” philosophy  continues to be adopted by the enterprise due to major cost savings, the consumerization of corporate IT, and mobile business applications. Mobile enterprise applications will need to evolve based on these factors, while provide a rich native user experience to drive employee adoption of enterprise mobility.

A recent report from institutional securities firm Piper Jaffray predicts Android Smartphones to occupy nearly half of the market share during the next five years, with an additional 20 to 30 percent market share taken up by Apple’s iPhone. The firm made its prediction based upon the recent surge in growth for Android Smartphones, as the study shows Google’s current 14.9 percent of market share in 2010 will grow to 23.2 percent by 2012. The prediction for Google overshadows the iPhone’s expected progress, which the report forecasts will increase from 15.9 percent to 17.6 percent during the same time period.

Naturally, the research leaves little room for the long-time dominant Research In Motion and Nokia to continue to provide a significant amount of enterprise s Smartphones. As a result, the report speculates that either company could eventually adopt the Android system in order to stay relevant, and may even move to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.

“Over time, we do not see the benefit of RIM and Nokia continuing to push proprietary software that can’t compete with the market and eventually expect one or both to capitulate and move to utilizing third-party software,” the report explains.

For mobile application development, the trends toward user familiarity of mobile devices will bring pre-packaged mobile applications to the forefront. Organizations will need to adapt to the needs of their end-users, in this case their employees. The rapid deployment of cloud based pre-packaged mobile applications, along with the scalability needed by the enterprise, makes these pre-packaged mobile solutions a preferable alternative to the resource intensive alternative to writing custom mobile applications in-house. As leaders in enterprise mobility, Smartsoft Mobile Solutions is positioned to supply the enterprise with these pre-packaged mobile applications, thus allowing businesses to focus on their core competencies and optimize resources.

For more information check out:

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Posted in Apple, Application Development, B2B Mobile, Cloud Based Middleware, Devices, Enterprise Mobility, Mashups, Windows | 4 Comments »

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