Author Archives: Hussain Fakhruddin

11 Essential Programming Languages For App Developers

Are you planning to take up coding for mobile and/or web apps as a profession? If yes, you need to be proficient in the following languages.

Coding expertise is something any aspiring mobile app development expert must possess. Even experienced developers need to constantly update themselves about new programming techniques and languages. The world of technology is dynamic, and if your coding skills are not up to scratch – your apps will remain buggy at best (that is, if you even manage to complete creating them). Over here, we have listed some of the programing languages that any good app developer should be comfortable working in:

JavaScript – If you are creating apps that have web-based animated functions with interactive features, JavaScript is the language you need to have a proper hang of. Cross-browser compatibility is one of the biggest advantages of this Netscape-developed language. Professionals who are familiar with C-syntaxes generally find it easier to learn up JavaScript. Most Android app developers regularly use JavaScript in their program codes.
Objective C – The go-to language for any iOS application development company in the world. Objective C allows coders to work in an environment that closely resembles the actual Apple ecosystem, which makes creation of native functions easier. It also comes in handy for making apps that would properly run on different devices (say, iPod Touch or iPad). On the flipside, Objective C can seem to be a trifle complicated for beginners. Unavailability of support on other operating systems is another issue.
PHP – This one is primarily for web programmers. PHP facilitates the creation of dynamic, responsive websites – and is easily one of the simplest server-side programming languages to get a hang of. All that developers need to do is embed the code snippets in their HTML files. PHP is open-source, enabling users to tweak the modules and code lines according to their requirements.
Python – Another relatively easy server-side language, that is useful for making web apps as well as mobile applications. Python is used in the web apps of Pinterest and Rdio, and has reportedly been used by Google and NASA executives too. The best thing about this language is its minimal and compact nature – ensuring that people only have to write a few lines of code (generally, lesser than in most other languages) for a particular function. Python offers high-end readability as well.
C++ – C++ was initially developed as an improvement over the original C-language, and it currently enjoys widespread popularity – particularity due to the wide range of functions that it allows coders to perform. Right from apps and software system frameworks, to games – C++ can be used for almost every programming need. Both client and server-side applications can be created with this intermediate-level coding method. The object-oriented structure lends extra reliability and debugging options.
Perl – Programmers and app developers often need to prepare reports from text file inputs, and Perl is often the program of choice for such requirements. Perl is not a ‘compiled’ language (instead, it is ‘interpreted’), and hence, it offers a speed-advantage over C. System programmers, in particular, should ideally be fluent in Perl. The programs that are created using this language are called Perl Scripts.
Java – Developed in the ‘90s by Sun Microsystems, Java has retained its popularity as a preferred language for making Android apps, enterprise software and other web applications. The fact that Java can be seamlessly transported from Windows to Mac systems (and vice versa) contributes significantly towards its widespread acceptance among developers. It is an object-oriented language, and it efficiently handles data and objects embedded in codes. For newbies, it is advisable to start learning Java simultaneously with C-based languages – since there are several common features between the two.
Ruby – Ruby is used by many techies for making dynamic and interactive smartphone applications, as well as for developing high-speed websites. It is also object-oriented, and is not at all complicated either. The Ruby for Rails framework is supported by this language, and it powers popular channels like Scribd and Shopify. On many occasions, Ruby is used to simply save time.
C# – Are you interested in developing apps for the Windows Phone platform? If yes, you need to be an expert in C-Sharp. Since it is mostly based on other basic C languages, learning it should not take much time. It also has certain similarities with Java, making it even simpler for new programmers. For any .NET based coding, C# is easily the best programming language.
SQL – Professionals from app development companies should be familiar with Structured Query Language, for addressing their relational database management systems (RDBMS) in an efficient manner. SQL is one of the oldest programming techniques for queries (it was standardised in the ‘80s, by ANSI and ISO). The language is particularly useful for managing informational databases.
Swift – Apple’s new programming language (released at this year’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference) is making waves at present – thanks to its impressive set of features, speed and cool previews. Contrary to what many initially believed, Swift is NOT a substitute for Objective C. Instead, the two are meant to be used in collaboration with each other. Swift can also be seamlessly used with Cocoa and Cocoa Touch. Every iPhone app developer should start learning this language, if they have not done so already.

In addition to the above, those involved in app development should be able to use the Phonegap library as well. It allows programmers to create native codes for the different platforms with ease – and makes the task of deployment simple too. Appcelerator is yet another code library that is fast gaining in popularity. There is no dearth of programmers, and if you wish to stand out from the rest – in-depth awareness of as many of the above languages as possible is of essence.

How many of these do you know already?

iOS 8 vs Android L – The Mobile OS Big Fight

The developer previews of Android L have captured the attention of developers all over the world. Apple is also ready with its iOS 8 platform, and is eyeing for an early-September release. We here present a comparative analysis of the two mobile OS biggies, based on early reports, rumors and previews.

As many as five beta versions of iOS 8 have already been tested by Apple Inc. A sixth update would reportedly be approved in the first week of September, only days before iPhone 6 (hopefully) hits the markets. It is, hence, being widely considered that the new phone model would be powered by iOS 8. Google’s Android L (yes, it still does not have a name, although ‘Lollipop’ seems to be the favorite) has pretty much impressed developers and analysts with its developer previews. How does the eagerly anticipated iOS 8 vs Android L battle stack up in terms of features and functionality? Let’s take a look:

Notifications and alerts – Google has done a stellar job with the revamped notification system in Android L. The provision of pop-ups at the top-end of mobile screens is highly convenient, while people would also love the direct notification-view option from the lockscreen. The user-authentication framework for individuals using pattern locks is another cool addition. iOS 8 will also be going for a less-intrusive notification system – with popups and lockscreen alerts. There’s a chance that TouchID would include location awareness in the new Apple platform too.
Speed – This is going to be a mighty close affair – with both Apple and Google shoring up their APIs and supported programming languages. Tim Cook and his team have hyped up the Metal Graphics API in particular – which is focused to make mobile gaming faster than ever before. The Swift programming language has also got the global iPhone app developer community interested. On the Android front, ART (Android Run Time) is in instead of Dalvik. Early reports suggest that the latter can push up device speeds by up to 4 times.
Battery performance – iOS 8 is likely to finally have a dedicated screen for informing users about battery usage data. While this would enable people to adjust their phone settings (turn off wi-fi, for instance) to get a bit more battery juice – it is not quite as compact as Android L’s Project Volta. Couple it with Google’s innovative Battery Saving Mode and Battery Historian, and it seems clear that Android L will, depending on user-behavior, offer slightly better battery performance.
Flat UI designs – Google calls it Material Design – and it has definitely caught the fancy of Android application development experts from all over. The layered flatness in Android L makes it seem that the installed apps are simply ‘floating’ above each other. This rules out the need for hard transitions. iOS 8, on the other hand, will be continuing with the transparent flat UI of iOS 7 (with a couple of subtle changes). The glassy designs were not initially very well-received, but people have gradually started liking them.
Desktop/laptop integration – Apple fans will be able to keep iOS 8 and Mac OS X Yosemite in sync, just as Android users will be able to seamlessly shift from their Google Chromebooks and Android L-powered handsets. The Handoff feature of Yosemite probably gives Apple an edge in this round – although Android also has a series of apps (Vine, Evernote, Flipboard, etc.) which supports cross-device functionality. Both platforms are going to make transferring work from computer to mobile (and vice versa) extremely simple.
New APIs – Android L’s SDK has more than 5000 new APIs – about a thousand more than the number that would be available on iOS 8. The 64-bit processor has also arrived on Android L (iOS 7 already had it). It would be premature to declare a winner based solely on API-count – but Google Android has an early lead on this. A qualitative comparison of the APIs on the two platforms will make things clearer.
In-car OS – An important factor in the iOS 8 vs Android L fight would be how Apple Carplay and Android Auto fare in comparison with each other. Both have already garnered widespread interest among automotive companies (nearly 50 companies are reportedly already in talks with Android). Apart from navigation support, the in-car OS software would let people take calls and send texts, while managing the car controls efficiently.
Multitasking features – Apple and Google have finally realized the need for enhanced multitasking provisions on their latest mobile platforms. The default app switcher on iOS 8 will have a special shortcut list of contacts. Android L has Chrome tabs along with apps – facilitating faster multitasking and more seamless app-navigation. In terms of integration with the World Wide Web, Android seems to have done a better job – since it has revived the functionality of Project Hera, for mobile applications and web items to be stacked together.
Support for Wearable technology – The biggest difference in this count is, while Google has already done a good job with its Android Wear series (Samsung Gear Fit is a big hit), Apple is still mulling over the release of iWatch. However, iOS 8 is certain to come with a customized HealthKit API and a Healthbook application. Still, as long as there is no Apple smartwatch, Android would win the tussle over wearables in a canter.
Security – Although Samsung and Google have probably parted ways for good, Android L is ‘inspired’ by the former’s high-end Knox mobile security features. The data encryption methods do away with all chances of unauthorized information access in the new line of Android devices. iOS app developers and experts are expecting enhanced security features in iOS 8 too – via TouchID and pre-tested third-party app support. Once again, more details would become available when iOS 8 actually debuts.
Supported devices – Nexus 6 (also known as the Motorola Shamu) is likely to be the first handset with Android L. It will be interesting to see how Google manages the platform, in the absence of Samsung (which would be using its home-grown Tizen OS). Upcoming LG and HTC smartphones are likely to have Android L-compatibility – while the Sony Xperia series will probably be another partner as well. Apple, on its part, will be hoping for iPhone 6 to be a huge hit – for iOS 8 to really become popular. All that’s required is a non-repetition of the iPhone 5C fiasco.

This is the first time that Android has gone with a full-fledged preview of its new version – something that only Apple was known for till now. This clearly underlines the confidence that the Android developers have in the features of its new, redesigned platform. iOS 8 also has, understandably, generated considerable pre-release buzz. It won’t be that easy for Cupertino to stay ahead of Mountain View this time though!

AppBoard Tuesday – Legal Issues That Mobile App Developers Need to Be Wary Of

Tired bodies but happy minds and giggling faces – this is probably the perfect description of the Teks team this week. The Story Time Monsoon Camp that we were building up for over the last few weeks went ahead without a hitch, the participation figures were (let’s be frank here!) slightly beyond our expectations – and I would like to doff my hat (if I was wearing one, that is!) to the rain gods for staying away over the weekend too. Full event report and pictures are coming soon – right on this blog.

Anyway, let’s turn our attention back towards the nitty-gritty of mobile app development for the time being. Something that keeps bugging me – and I’m sure many of you are bothered by it as well – is the scant regard most mobile app developers have for legal issues and considerations. One of the biggest reasons behind app-rejection at iTunes is submission of plagiarized applications, while there are many other things that a professional developer needs to: a) be aware of, and b) abide by. Let’s take a quick look as to what these issues are, what say?:

Intellectual property rights – You do all the hard work, and someone else simply saunters along and pinches your app concepts and designs. Not something you would like to happen, right? Be aware of the patents and copyrights that you should get on your app name, graphic designs, functions and other features. Of course, if you are developing apps for third-party clients, you will have to transfer these rights to them – once the app development projects are complete.
You and your company need to be separate entities – I am the head of Teknowledge Software, but my company has a separate entity from mine. Ideally, your Android or iPhone application development company should be structured in the form of a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation. If, God forbid, your business takes a nosedive – at least your personal belongings would remain safe.
Collect only the data that matters – Representatives from any good mobile app agency are aware of the easy availability and the importance of app analytics (in other words, user-data). What’s often not emphasized is that, such data has to be handled extremely carefully. Do not keep collecting data for the heck of it – and preferably, let buyers know that the app is creating a database on their behavior, for providing better user-experience over time. Do not share user-data with any unauthorized person/company for purely commercial purposes. Violation of confidentiality can lead you to a legal soup, and damage your company’s goodwill forever.
Think beyond boilerplate web pages – Mobile app companies need to have fast, easily accessible, detailed and informative websites. However, many developers feel that having a static ‘Terms & Conditions’/’Terms of Use’ page is all that’s required to protect the licence of their apps. This is a wrong, and potentially misleading approach to adopt. Each individual app should have its own license documents and manuals, explaining the functions it can and cannot perform (online and offline). A web page gives a macro-idea of your business policies – and you need to take care of the individual applications separately. Never overpromise and underdeliver!
Be transparent in your financial transactions – Almost every company – be it in India, or in the United States or any other nation, offers free Android/iPhone app quotes to clients. Sadly, many of them have concealed fine print in their detailed service documents – which lead to hidden costs, and spiralling charges. You need to disclose your app development charges (at least, a fairly accurate estimate) at the very start. Remember, you can deceive a couple of customers and make good money from it – but the bad word-of-mouth publicity will ultimately ruin your business (let’s not even bring up the chances of penal actions here).
Be aware of platform-specific regulations – The idea of offering handsome rewards/prizes to people who view and/or post fake reviews about your new app sounds pretty smart, right? The teeny-weeny li’l problem in this fraudulent practice is, your app will be banned/rejected at iTunes. Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone also have their own sets of regulations (although they are less stringent). Those who are into cross-platform mobile app development simply cannot afford to ignore these considerations.
Agreements with freelancers – If your company hires mobile app developers on a freelance basis (in addition to those employed full-time), you need to be doubly careful about copyright issues. Ideally, you should draw up and get the freelancer(s) sign a detailed ‘Work-for-Hire Agreement’. This document would help you retain the intellectual property rights over the source codes and programs used for creating the apps. The agreement should be entered into before a freelancer starts working for you.
Additional considerations while making kids’ apps – Making games and mobile apps for kids might seem easy at first – but they are, in fact, the trickiest. You should never ever include any in-app purchase/download options in a children’s app – without clearly mentioning it in the app documents. A kid is not supposed to know how and where money might be accidentally spent, and if parents find out that your app has such shady methods of earning money, your company might even be sued!
Use of device resources – Some apps require access to mobile camera, others need to get data from contact lists, while there are many applications which need other resources of the users’ phones. This generally involves the inclusion of cookies by the apps on the smartphones/tablets on which they are installed. Make sure that your app is not accessing any user-data without asking for ‘permissions’ first. You should be aware of what app cookies are all about as well.
Need for trademark for brand-creation – Our Story Time For Kids app is immensely popular – and we have recently started selling printed storybooks under the ‘Story Time’ brand name too. If you wish to leverage your app name as a brand for other products, you need to have a trademark on the former. Do not confuse the ‘trade name’ of your mobile software company with ‘trademarks’.

Before starting on any new app project, a thorough research is necessary – to ensure that similar apps do not already exist at the online stores (‘inspired’ apps, like the ones similar to ‘Flappy Bird’ might be successful, but you need not take such chances randomly). If you have a free app and wish to monetize it through in-app advertising, make sure that ads do not hamper user-experience. Staying transparent in your business policies and sticking to a strong code of ethics is an absolute must for any mobile application development agencies. Teknowledge Software values these principles above everything else.

Well then, that would be that for this week’s edition of AppBoard Tuesday. By the way, during the Independence Day weekend, our new iPhone app for kids – Kids’ Tiles – got accepted at iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kids-tiles/id898758246?ls=1&mt=8). Check it out and do give us your feedback. If you are in the app development business, please share any legal issues that your company might have faced in the past. We all learn from experiences.

AppBoard Tuesday will return next week – with another interesting aspect on mobile apps and their usage. Stay zapped with apps…and follow our blog for regular updates!

How Much Do You Know About Blackberry Phones?

In the United States alone, the total number of Blackberry users has slumped from 19 millions to less than 12 millions in the last five years. The scenario is pretty much similar in most other countries. As Blackberry gears up for a revival with Passport, we take a quick look at some information tidbits about the platform.

Will Blackberry survive the constant onslaught from Apple and Android (in particular), and be able to overcome its own recent debacles (read: the flop show of Z 10) – to become a force to reckon with in the global smartphone market once again? The answer depends a lot on the strategies that are being implemented by new company CEO John Chen. One thing is, however, beyond doubt – there is, still, no dearth of Blackberry fanboys/girls out there. For them, we present some fun and interesting facts about Blackberry phones:

The debut – Blackberry announced itself in the handheld devices market with BB 850 – a 2-way pager – way back in 1999. The initial Blackberry handsets had somewhat boring monochrome displays. Devices with color screens were launched later. The focus was primarily on push-email functions – which is still the biggest USP of Blackberry.
The lead over iPhones – Till 2009, Blackberry had a healthy 10%+ lead over Apple iPhone – as far as the battle between the smartphone biggies were concerned (34% against just a touch under 24%). Of course, things have undergone a sea-change over the last half a decade. Blackberry is now nowhere near the top, either in terms of market share (Android rules the roost) or profitability (iOS wins this round hands down).
The Canadian origin – Professional mobile OS analysts and app development experts attribute the early popularity of Blackberry to the proficiency of its parent company ‘Research-in-Motion’ (RIM), based in Canada. RIM has been working on Blackberry projects since 1996, and for many years, did witness great success with its gadgets.
The ‘Blackberry Thumb’ phenomenon – This one is for the really hardcore BB fans. From the mid to late 2000s, a new concept emerged in medical science – known as ‘Blackberry Thumb’. It referred to the pain/injury caused to the thumb of people, due to prolonged usage of mobiles and PDAs with QWERTY keyboards. Of course, as the popularity of Blackberry waned, this phenomenon started tapering off too.
The story behind the name – It will always remain a mystery why Google names its Android versions after tasty desserts, or the reason behind Mac naming desktop OS editions after ‘big cats’. The motive behind naming RIM-devices ‘Blackberry’ is much more easily explainable. Almost all initial handsets were black, and the keyboards looked a lot like bunches of fruit seeds. Black and with seeds – that pointed to Blackberry!
The Blackberry Internet Service user-base – Blackberry Internet Service, or BIS, has one of the most widespread presence among mobile web service providers. People from more than 90 different nations regularly subscribe to BIS plans. Blackberry internet is supported by around 510 mobile operators – a clear indication of its popularity.
The biggest flops – While Blackberry totally aced with Pearl and Curve (arguably, the most successful line of BB phones) – the company has a fairly long tryst with flop products. Blackberry Playbook, which was hyped to be the next big thing in the tablet market, turned out to be a damp squib. The company’s first rival product to iPhone – Blackberry Storm – came in for scathing criticism due to built-in software glitches. Blackberry’s relatively recent decision to go the touchscreen way with Q10 and Z10 has not wowed anyone either.
The meaning of Crackberry – If you happen to be a Blackberry-lover or even a general smartphone enthusiast, you must have come across the Crackberry website and/or seen several Crackberry forums and panels online. This term is derived from the capability of Blackberry phones to retrieve emails on a real-time basis anywhere, provided wi-fi is available. The ‘crack’ bit comes from the fact that this functionality of Blackberry is rather addictive!
The app store – Apple has iTunes, Google has Play Store – and RIM has Blackberry App World for mobile app downloads. Recently rebranded as Blackberry World, it does not even come close to giving the the other two stores a fight. Both Play Store and iTunes have well over one million apps each, while the number of Blackberry apps (till April 2014) is less than 235000. Talks are on about Amazon applications being showcased in Blackberry World from this year – but it will be too naive to think that BB will get a massive boost from that.
The Blackberry terminology – How many offshoots of the current worldwide buzzword ‘selfie’ are you familiar with? Well Blackberry too (during its heydey) had a number of phrases which referred to the actions/emotions of the device owners. Back in the 2000s, things like ‘Gasp-berrying’, ‘Aack-berrying’, and ‘Whiplash-berrying’ were pretty frequently heard. Oh, and if you forgot to carry your Blackberry phone outdoors, you were likely feel ‘Brax-berries’ (referring to the device’s vibrations)!
The efficiency – There might be a thousand other problems with RIM Blackberry, but mobile app analysts are still convinced about the general efficiency features of its internet services. On average, BIS subscribers require around 1/3rd less of mobile data for browsing the internet (compared to most other mobile platforms). The browsing speed might not be the fastest, but it is good enough for most users.
The change in market leadership – 2010 was the year when Blackberry shipped the most units in its history. Unfortunately, it was also the year when Apple iPhone overtook it in terms of revenues and market share. Since then, iOS has galloped ahead, while BB has fallen further and further behind.
The JavaScript and HTML support – First generation Blackberry phones had top-class messaging features and email support, but they did not support HTML or JavaScript. Users had to download and install third-party software to use such applications. Over time though, the usability features of Blackberry got enhanced significantly.
The Academy Award – Nopes, no one bagged an Academy Award for designing a Blackberry device. However, the developer company did get an Academy Award in 1998, for a digital bar code scanner they had created as well. It made, justifiably, quite a bit of splash at the time.

Blackberry Passport, for which pre-bookings are now open, is being looked upon as the device that pulls BB out of its current mire. It is pretty difficult to point out a single factor behind Blackberry’s downward spiral over the last 3-4 years – although the relative paucity of Blackberry apps and the decision to focus more on touchscreen phones (a sector in which Android and iPhone already had healthy presence) would be strong contenders. None of the Blackberry 10 devices have done well till now – but we would love to see a revival from this heavily beleaguered company.

AppBoard Tuesday – 12 Lessons From Flappy Bird

It’s that day of the week again! Hello everyone – and welcome to yet another edition of AppBoard Tuesday (ABT). Today, we’ll deliberate on a few insights that every professional mobile app developer needs to keep in sight, at all times. But hey, this is not going to be a ‘oh-God-that’s-so-boring’ tutorial for all our dear readers. We will be making our points with reference to that mobile game that went viral in early 2014 – Flappy Bird! Interesting, right? Read on.

A bit on what Flappy Bird is all about to start off with, what say? The game was launched in May last year, and witnessed a massive spurt in popularity in the first couple of months of 2014. Developed by Don Nguyen (a Vietnam-based developer), the game topped the download charts at both iTunes and Google Play Store in February. And then, the unthinkable happened – it was pulled out of stores by Nguyen, and the officially cited reason was that it was ‘too addictive’. From last week, Flappy Bird has become available on Amazon Fire TV though – so that’s a bit of good news for hardcore gamers.

Anyhow, time to find what the entire hullabaloo over Flappy Bird teaches us. Quite a lot actually:

You don’t need to spend months to create a successful app – Don Nguyen developed Flappy Bird in the matter of a few weeks, that too, working on a part-time basis. All that he needed was an idea about what would appeal to the end-users, and he was definitely not wrong in his estimates. Similarly, if you are working on a really ambitious Android or iPhone app development project – it is not necessary that you spend months on end on it. Concepts that come to you spontaneously are often the best ones.
You need to make engaging apps – It’s one thing to generate a lot of pre-release hype about your app, and actually managing to retain the users’ interest levels over a long time. Flappy Bird does (at least, used to do!) this in a very simple manner – there was no finish to the game. People could play on and on, manoeuvring the improbable looking birds across pipes and tubes. There was no chance of anyone feeling: ‘Okay, Game Over. Now I can uninstall this app.’
Being patient is important – Flappy Bird is often looked upon as an overnight success. The truth, however, is it took quite a few months for gamers to actually warm up to it. The game debuted in May 2013, and only after 8-9 months did it really start becoming popular. Take a cue from this – and don’t get disheartened if your new app does not get massive download figures initially. It is always possible that things will pick up over time.
Don’t be too finicky about mobile app designing – Well, this is not to say that you should just release boringly designed mobile applications. The point is, not all of your projects require the same level of nuanced of UI/UX designing. Flappy Bird, arguably, has some of the most tacky interface designs and gameplay options. The colors are pixelated, the app development graphics are strictly ho-hum – and there is nothing really ‘new’ about it. And still, it became the apple of most gamers’ eyes!
Pose a challenge to your targeted users – Flappy Bird, upon release – drew quite a bit of flak, simply because it was an extremely tough game. It was well nigh impossible for a regular player to frequently surpass his/her previous high scores. Bird-crashes were common. Few realized that this was a deliberate ploy on the part of Nguyen, to get people hooked to the game. A gaming enthusiast would hear about how difficult Flappy Bird was, and would immediately try his/her hand on it. As the weeks proceeded, the worldwide user base of Flappy Bird burgeoned. Your app needs to be intriguing, and word-of-mouth (provided that it’s not too negative) publicity always helps.
Make your app user-friendly – We do not ‘learn’ this from Flappy Bird – but the game definitely reiterates the importance of keeping the mobile app controls user-friendly. All that people had to do was tap on the screen, to keep the ‘flappy’ birds happily flapping along. You tap at the right times – and you will keep clearing challenges and obstacles. If anything, it was even simpler than Angry Birds (which is almost the benchmark for all gaming apps). Flappy Bird could, hence, even serve as a fun mobile apps for kids/toddlers. A free app which is very, very easy to operate – why wouldn’t people fall in love with it?
Successful apps can be ‘heavily inspired’ from earlier applications – There can hardly be a better example than Flappy Bird for this. We have already mentioned that its UI was tacky and average at best. It also needs to be mentioned that the game was considerably inspired from Super Mario Bros (remember that delightfully retro Nintendo offering?). The old-fashioned 8-bit graphics were nothing to write home about – except, perhaps, bringing in a feel of nostalgia among users. Flappy Bird wasn’t plagiarized on anything, but its appearance was definitely not built from scratch. If you are working on a new mobile app project, and there are already popular apps that offer similar services – there is nothing wrong in ‘borrowing’ a few design pointers from them. Just make sure that you do not submit a blatantly copy-pasted job!
That little guy called Luck – Trust us, that guy really matters in all types of information technology and software development projects (some would say luck plays a key role in all walks of life). Flappy Bird was a tough game, it had old-fashioned display screens, the game had no endings – and let’s face it, not much of technical genius had gone into its development. But luck (in the form of gamers) decided that this was the game that would receive adulation all across the globe. Never dismiss any app idea as ‘impossible’ or ‘too far-fetched’. Even if a project is ‘remotely feasible’, try to make it work. It might turn out to be a big winner – like Don Nguyen’s brainchild.
You need not have loads of financial resources to make a hit app – Flappy Bird, published by .Gears Studios, did not have the backing of a big mobile apps company, like Supercell or Rovio (the creator of Angry Birds). Even so, the former managed to trump all its potential competitors – including the ones which had required considerably more monetary investment. Nguyen learnt from the market, from his potential clients, from repeated app iterations, and ultimately, produced a great app on a shoestring budget.
A free app can help you earn big money – If iTunes and Play Store still had Flappy Bird, Mr. Nguyen would have become a multi-millionaire by now. He really aced the mobile app monetization game, by making it free to download and depending solely on in-app advertisements. According to reports, Flappy Bird brought in daily revenues in the vicinity of $52000 – laying to rest all doubts about the wisdom of the adopted policy. Don’t be in a tearing hurry to make a paid app if you wish to make money – a free app with a smart advertising strategy, can, in fact, help you earn more.
Don’t worry too much if others release apps that look like yours – Instead, take this as a compliment – and a sureshot sign that your app has indeed become a roaring success. Flappy Bird is no longer available now, but it has spawned (and is still spawning!) games like Fatty Bird and Gooing Up – which are pretty close to being absolute rip-offs (there are subtle differences though). If someone plagiarizes completely from you, take steps – but if others are launching mobile apps that are ‘almost similar’ to yours, feel happy!
You are as successful as how well or badly your last app does – Rovio had close to 60 mobile gaming apps, before it shot to prominence with Angry Birds. Don Nguyen himself released several game-based applications prior to Flappy Bird – none of which tasted any significant success. This brings to light the importance of perseverance, learning from previous mistakes, and staying focused. Willingness to stay in the game is always a virtue for app developers.

All things said, remember that Flappy Bird was a one-off case – and simply making and releasing a clone of that game is not likely to be rewarding. What’s more, if you are not into mobile application development on a professional basis, you would do well to stay away from making such ‘addictive’, ‘tough’ apps (Nguyen could not handle the often hostile feedback he received from Flappy Bird users). As we have here pointed out, there are things to learn from the unexpected rise and the sudden disappearance of Flappy Bird from the stores. They should serve as reference points for mobile app experts – but they do not assure sureshot success. It all boils down to whether people love what you have offered to them.

And that, readers, brings us to the end of this week’s AppBoard Tuesday. If you have played Flappy Bird (most people have, at least once!), do write in to let us know how your experience with the game was. We keep learning from your feedback, suggestions and helpful tips.

As you are almost surely aware, the Story Time Monsoon Camp kicks off in 9 days from now. If you have not registered your kid for the camp yet – do so by visiting www.storytimeforkids.info, and leaving your contact details there. There’s a lot of fun waiting for your little one!

There will be a one-week gap before ABT returns (that’s right, no edition will be published on August 12). Until we are back on the 19th, stay zapped with….what else…apps!

Android 5.0: 14 Features We Would Love To See

Google faces a two-fold challenge regarding its new mobile OS – Android 5.0 (or, as the developer preview has been named, Android L). For starters, it has to make sure that the version remains much more attractive than Tizen – Samsung’s home-grown operating system. Android 5.0 needs to be at par with Apple’s iOS 8 – also set to make its commercial debut soon – as well. Here are a few features that should ideally be present on the new OS from Google.

Will it be ‘Lollipop’? Will it be ‘Key Lime Pie’? Well, the successor to Android KitKat (unveiled on the 25th of June) is yet to get a final name – although it is practically certain that the selection would be between these two options. For the time being, it is simply being referred to as Android L, and its developer previews have won appreciation from mobile software analysts and testers worldwide. Before Android 5.0 becomes commercially available in a few months’ time, here is a list of features we wish to see in it:

A smarter Google Now: Make no mistake – when it comes to internet-related searches, Android’s Google Now mobile digital assistant is still streets ahead of its iOS rival, Siri. However, the latter trumps Google Now, when it comes to more intuitive tasks and queries. In the soon-to-release edition of the Android platform, it would be great to see Google Now having the capability of understanding and completing native tasks, just as Siri does.
A new Google Notes application: App development experts feel that the popularity of Android would get a huge fillip among users – if Lollipop/Key Lime Pie comes with a dedicated notes app. It should be something on the lines of Evernote. The developers at Google should make it compatible with the Calendar application. If someone has multiple Gmail accounts, all of them have to be brought under the same hood.
A card-based interface: Initial previews indicate that flat designs are going to be among the chief highlights of the upcoming version of Android. Let’s just hope that the Google developers persist with it when the platform finally hits the markets. With iOS 8 also reportedly going for a flatter user-interface, Android cannot afford to lose out on the design game!
Lockscreen with third-party widget compatibility: Lockscreen widgets made their debut on Android JellyBean (4.2), and it’s high time they got an upgrade. In particular, mobile users would be highly convenienced if the default lockscreen of Android 5.0 was compatible with third party widgets and external mobile apps. Of course, native apps like Gmail, Photos, Sound Search and other native applications of Google should continue to be supported.
More efficient contact lookups: No one likes to browse through scores of names, to find and call a person. If a smart dialer is present on the new Android version, finding a specific contact number would become a matter of a few taps. In addition, mobile software development experts feel that Google should consider including a T9 dialer in the upcoming Android platform.
Personalized themes: Tweaking root-level codes/files is required to provide customized themes – and that’s not likely to happen in Android 5.0. But hey, this is a wishlist, so we’ll just cram in this one as well. Customized themes, if and when they come along, would allow people to add their own widgets, sounds, colors and other personalized elements to their smartphones. Are the technicians at Google listening?
More standardized hardware across devices: This probably is another pipe dream, but it is something Google should look into pretty soon. General Android fans as well as mobile application developers have often highlighted the discrepancies in the display properties of apps on standard smartphones and phablets. Google should provide original equipment manufacturers (OEM) a standard set of hardware and resolution levels to work with. More uniformity across devices would surely help.
Handsfree recognition: Google acquired Viewadle way back in October 2012. This gives it a fair chance to be able to include touch-free gesture recognition features for pictures and videos in the new Android version. In addition, users would love it if new Android devices can be unlocked without actually handling them. Since Google has already experimented with Blink and similar recognition software, handsfree features might be integrated for mobile games as well.
Video chatting during calls: To make Key Lime Pie/Lollipop a success, Google can very well take a few cues from its biggest rival, Apple Inc. For instance, the latest version of the Android platform should have a video chatting facility (via Google Hangouts) which can be used during a voice call. iOS app developers highlight that such integration is one of the best points about iPhones – and there is no earthly reason why Android cannot replicate it.
Improved photo effects and editing: There’s very little to complain about the 16MP camera of Samsung Galaxy S5 phones – but the same cannot be said about the Google Nexus handsets. With Samsung going the Tizen way for its next series of phones (Samsung Z has already been formally announced), the onus is on the Android developers to shore up the camera features on the platform. Jelly Bean and KitKat do offer select photo editing options, but there is a lot of scope for bolstering these features.
Continued focus on better battery performance: Android 4.1 introduced us to Project Butter, the 4.3 update came with sensor features and seamless wi-fi scanning – and people would definitely like to see more such battery-saving software add-ons in Android 5.0. There has to be a way in which people can install as many mobile apps as they want, without causing excessive battery drain. Time for the Google experts to figure out the ‘smartphone battery’ puzzle!
A better Swype keyboard: Yet another feature that is already present on existing Android versions, but is crying out for improvement. For instance, it is not possible to edit words from earlier sentences – without having to rewrite those words completely. The touch features are okay on the Swype keyboard, but it can certainly do with a dash of more user-friendliness.
Option to control automatic updates: Many Android fans love the automatic updates feature – but there are plenty of people who prefer having more control. It would be nice on the part of Google to make sure that users get the option to pick which updates they would like to receive on their phones. That way, the phones would remain faster too.
Looking beyond Google Plus: Well, it would be naive to expect Google not promoting Plus on the soon-to-release version of Android. However, the platform should offer enhanced compatibility with Twitter and Facebook (both the mobile site and the messenger) as well. Smartphone-users almost invariably look for a rich social media experience, and a myopic concentration on Google Plus is not going to be enough.

Android L won’t be, in all likelihood, released before the launch of Samsung Z – since the Google technicians would definitely like to check out the features of the much-hyped Tizen OS first. The device penetration shares of KitKat have not been as impressive as that of Jelly Bean – another issue that needs to be looked into. Android 5.0 will probably be debuting (with a finalized name!) sometime in the fourth quarter of 2014. We would love to see as many of the above features in it as possible.

Infowatch July – The Teks Newsletter

As curtains come down on the month of July, it’s showtime for Infowatch – the monthly newsletter that keeps you in touch with all the news, views and going-ons in the world of technology. Without too much of further ado, let’s just dive into the news bytes that captured our attention this month, what say? So, here are the tech highlights of July 2014:

Facebook Gifts Ends Its Run

It had been coming for some time, and the official announcement from Facebook finally arrived this month – that Gifts on Facebook would be shut down from the 12th of August. Mark Zuckerberg’s insanely popular social media platform is already experimenting with other ways to offer users a platform to buy/sell products on FB. Incidentally, Facebook Gifts had been offering only Gift Cards from mid-2013.

NASA Brings Mars Closer

Not literally, of course – but NASA has made sure that researchers now know more about the ‘red planet’ than ever before. Its Opportunity Rover, which landed on Mars in 2004, has covered over 40 kilometers on the planet, which is a new record. The previous record was held by Lunokhod 2 (a Russian rover) – which covered about 39 kilometers on the moon.

Cortana Comes To India

Something that every software and mobile app developers had been waiting for. Cortana – Microsoft’s mobile digital assistant (a potential competitor to iPhone’s Siri and Android phone’s Google Now) – is now available in India. Users of Nokia Lumia 630 in India can avail Cortana services, along with those who have the developer build of Windows Phone 8.1 on their handsets. This won’t be the latest version of Cortana (currently available in the United Kingdom and India) though.

Blackberry Shores Up Mobile Security Features

As of now, chances of Blackberry being able to catch up with Android or Apple Inc. is pretty much slim. That, however, is not keeping CEO John Chen from trying. In July, Blackberry acquired SecuSmart GmbH – a German mobile data encryption company. The firm also specializes in cyber anti-eavesdropping services. According to official sources, this acquisition has been made to increase the reliability factor of Blackberry, particularly for users from statutory government bodies.

The Wait Is Still On For The World’s First Tizen Smartphone

Announced in June, the world is still waiting for Samsung Z to arrive at the markets. When it does, it would be the very first smartphone to be powered by the Tizen operating system. Sources from Samsung have revealed that the company plans to strengthen the collection of mobile apps at the Tizen Store. Not surprising really, since Samsung has to directly compete with Google now!

Google Hangout Becomes Part Of Business Suite

Taking a cue from the immensely popular Microsoft Office suite, Hangouts has also been made a part of the business apps package offered by Google. The director of Chrome product management for business, Mr. Rajen Seth, has stated that people actually preferred a full business suite – instead of standalone applications. The addition of Google Hangouts to the business package is expected to give ‘Chromebox For Meetings’ a big boost.

Unemployment – The After Effect Of The Apple-Beats Deal?

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine would remain employees of Apple, but many other erstwhile employees of Beats music have to search for new jobs. In particular, personnel from the HR, finance and support departments are being laid off. When Apple acquired Beats in the last week of May, industry experts had felt that a mass loss of employment would be an offshoot of this high-profile acquisition.

December Date For 5.5” iPhone 6 and iWatch

The 4.7” inch iPhone 6 will probably be launched on the 19th of September, but we will have to wait till December to get the first look of the 5.5” inch model. According to rumors at online iOS forums and mobile app companies, the much awaited Apple iWatch would also be released at the same time. Initial reports suggest that iOS 8 would be commercially released on another date.

OKCupid Lands Up In Trouble

Just when the furore over Facebook’s ‘experiment’ with the news feeds of users was dying down, another controversy of a similar nature has cropped up. This time, the offender is OKCupid, a popular online dating website. Site president John Rudder admitted that they had paired up non-compatible couples, as the part of a study. Although not many complaints have poured in after this declaration, OKCupid might still face punishment doled out by the American Federal Trade Commission.

Twitter Is Flying High

All those predicting that the end of Twitter is near have been proved wrong. In the last week of July, the overall market value of the company jumped by a cool $7 billion – thanks to the huge spurt in the number of worldwide users (nearly 25%). Twitter’s shares, as a result, have grown in value too, by almost 35%.

Microsoft Promises A Strong Nokia Comeback

There have been losses of nearly $700 million last quarter, the Nokia X series of phones have flopped – but Microsoft remains buoyant about Nokia’s chances of making a turnaround. By the end of 2016, over a billion dollars will be taken out of the Nokia project costs – which would plug all the losses. Within two years, Nokia is expected to generate profits. That would be a win-win scenario for Microsoft!

Galaxy S5 Fails To Improve Samsung’s Global Market Share

As per the quarterly reports released this month by Samsung, its share in the global smartphone market has slumped to 25% – nearly 5% lower than what it was at the same time in 2013. The rapid growth and popularity of Chinese mobile brands (like Huawei) is posing a serious challenge to Samsung, and Galaxy S5 has not quite been the standout device in terms of market adoption. The share of iPhones also witnessed a marginal fall during the same quarter.

Microsoft Unveils Its New ‘Selfie’-Phone

That’s right, 2013’s Oxford word-of-the-year now has a smartphone based on it! The head of Microsoft devices, Stephen Elop, unveiled a new 4.7” ‘Selfie’ phone, which has a high-quality 1.2 MP front camera. The phone would be a direct competitor of Samsung Galaxy K Zoom – another selfie-based smartphone. Let’s just hope that the selfie-fad does not taper off anytime soon!

The Amazon vs Flipkart Tussle Heats Up in India

It has boiled down to a game of financial muscle, as far as Amazon and Flipkart’s attempts to capture the maximum of India’s online retailing market share are concerned. In July, Flipkart pumped in a whopping $1 billion of fresh funds, to strengthen its presence in the country’s ecommerce sector. And how did Amazon respond? By coolly making an investment of $2 billion on its India operations – on the very next day.

Medical Technology Goes Up To The Next Level

Are you familiar with the name of Alex Pring? He is a six-year old kid from Florida, United States – whose entire right arm was missing. Well, Alex’s troubles are now behind him – thanks to prosthetics created by using 3D printers (yep, you read that right!). Although the artificial forearm and hand cost the boys family more than $355, it is indeed a big leap in the context of medical technology.

A New Malware Can Grab Your Credit Card Information!

BrutPoS is the name of this new malware, and it has reportedly already attacked around 750 retail outlets in India. Windows systems that have relatively ‘weak’ usernames and/or passwords are particularly susceptible to this malware. Interestingly, while the number of devices that have been hacked by BrutPos can be estimated, the individual systems that are under attack cannot be identified.

Google Can Now Protect Share Market Investors

Movements in the share markets are uncertain, and many investors have lost millions in single-day huge crashes. Google would, hopefully, minimize such risks – by predicting when (and the probable reasons for) a market crash is likely to happen. Experts from Boston University and Warwick Business School collaborated to add this functionality to Google. The algorithm has been prepared by mining data from Google Trends.

Zuckerberg Surges Ahead Of Larry Page and Sergey Brin

In other words, the ‘father of Facebook’ is now a wealthier person than the co-founders of Google. With a net worth of a shade under $33.5 billion, Mark Zuckerberg currently occupies the 16th position in the Billionaires’ Index (created by Bloomberg), with Page and Brin coming in at the next two positions. Bill Gates has held on as the richest person on the the planet.

Xiaomi Mi 3 Is A Huge Hit

So much so that, Flipkart ran out of stock of this new handset – within less than half an hour of it being listed on the portal. Although the exclusive partnership with Flipkart leaves room for doubt as far as the long-run sales of Mi 3 are concerned – there is no doubting that Indian buyers have taken to it in a big way. It’s not for nothing that Xiaomi is reputed as the ‘Apple of China’, after all!

How ‘Confidential’ Is Your iPhone Data?

Jonathan Zdziarski, a mobile research analyst, has shown that Apple can easily extract data stored on iPhones – without needing to seek consent from users. What’s more, iPhone-owners have no option to prevent such extraction (except for, of course, erasing all data). Representatives from Apple have admitted that unpublicized methods are indeed used for such data extraction. The announcement has startled general users and mobile app development experts alike.

In a new ad campaign, Microsoft has taken a dig at Siri’s intelligence – and that has also grabbed many eyeballs. Snapchat got a new rival this July, in form of Bolt Messaging (by Instagram). A study conducted by Strategy Analytics has revealed that the total count of smartphone-users would cross 2.5 billion by next year. That, in turn, would mean, bigger markets for mobile application development companies like us!

July 2014 (like practically every month nowadays) witnessed the arrival of many new, high-end smartphones. Apart from the Mi 3, Xiaomi released the Redmi Note and the Redmi 1S phones. The six-inch Asus phablet, also released this month, has won favorable reviews from analysts and experts. Karbonn brought the Opium N7 and Opium N9 handsets to the market as well.

That about wraps up our bird’s eye-view of what has been happening in the world of technology in July. On a more personal front, our mobile apps company celebrated the burgeoning success of the paperback/hardcover Story Time books for kids this month. If you are a regular on our blog, you are probably already aware that we are organizing a ‘Story Time Monsoon Camp’ in Kolkata – on the 15th, 16th and 17th of August (http://storytimeforkids.info/). Wish us luck for our preparations.

Infowatch will be back on the 1st of September (the last day of August is a Sunday, so…). Till then, do write in about any happening in the world of technology that captures your attention. If you feel any other news should have figured in our July-list, we would be happy to listen to your suggestions.

Here’s wishing a prosperous, rewarding August to all of you out there. We are looking for another really successful month too.

By the way, did you know that www.teksmobile.com.au is now live?

AppBoard Tuesday – The Importance Of Milestones In App Development

A fortnight remains from the start of the Story Time Monsoon Camp – and it’s all ‘make the last-ditch preparations and send along the invites’ time for us at Teknowledge. But hey, that does not mean you need to miss out on our weekly bit of chitchat, about mobile app development…and, well, all other things tech. In today’s edition of AppBoard Tuesday (it’s already the 11th edition), we will be discussing the need for maintaining milestones during any mobile application development project. We follow this work-pattern at Teknowledge, and it’s basically something any other company in the same line of business should follow:

Milestones keep work processes systematic – A recent infographic, published by Kinvey, showed that the average time required for building an iOS/Android app is 18 weeks. This entire period would, of course, be divided into different stages (say, concept development, wireframe-making, prototype development, mobile app testing, etc.). If you are not maintaining milestones, it’s more than likely that confusions will crop up over time. The human brain is not meant to memorize everything!
Milestones facilitate effective teamwork – Let alone only app development companies – at any professional organization, productive teamwork is what’s required for success. At Teknowledge Software, we maintain milestones so that each developer working on a new app stays updated about the progress that has been made on the project. That, in turn, makes query-resolution easy, and also fosters division of responsibilities (for instance, a UI/UX designer can start working only after (s)he finds out that the app-screens are ready).
Milestones help in client interaction – If you do not have a rough idea about milestones, providing app quotes (even if they are free) would be pure guesswork. Chances would be high that you will make promises that won’t be possible to live up to – which would put a frown on your client’s face and give your mobile apps company a bad name. Once someone gets in touch with us, we find out the type of app (s)he wants, and frame milestones accordingly. That way, we can provide realistic deadlines.
Milestones are great for cost-management – Make no mistake – in most cases, the overall mobile app development costs are not particularly low. The onus lies on companies to ensure that the total expenses figure do not exceed the amount specified in the app quote. At every stage, milestones help in keeping a tab on the cost figures, and plugging the channels of unnecessary expenditure. To put it another way, by maintaining milestones you can abide by the budgetary preferences of customers.
Milestones make the overall payment scheme more transparent – Our company has this policy of asking for only 30% of the total estimated costs upfront, with another 30% being payable midway through the project, and the rest when the app is completed and delivered. Now, what does a generic term like ‘midway’ mean? That’s something we determine on the basis of the number of milestones achieved, and the number that remains to be attained. If your company takes payments in multiple installments (which is the most common way), you need to SHOW how much of the work has been completed at any stage, before asking for a pre-specified percentage of your fees. Milestones build the trust-factor between app companies and clients.
Milestones make fault-rectification easier – Errors happen, oversights are not uncommon, a line of code might go missing – when mobile app developers are working on a project. In a haphazard work framework, looking for a small mistake can be a thoroughly frustrating, time-consuming task. Provided that you are recording every milestone, you can quickly zero in on the stages where the error might have happened – and rectify it. Even the best app development companies make mistakes – the thing that makes them stand out is that, they are quick to fix them.
Milestones are helpful if work is being transferred – At Teknowledge, attrition rates are very low, so we do not really get this benefit (we don’t want this one, anyway!). However, at any standard mobile software company, it might well happen that a coder/designer/developer leaves, or is transferred to another project/branch. The person(s) taking his/her place has to spend days studying what the earlier guy had done, before continuing with the job. If there is an updated logbook of milestones to refer to, the new person can start working almost immediately.
Milestones give a boost to accountability of developers – This works at two levels. Firstly, while reporting to seniors (well, I ask for work-updates from my employees from time to time, and am sure most other bosses out there do the same), it is absolutely essential for a developer to show a detailed report to his/her boss. It’s basically the same when you are delivering a work-progress report to clients. Bosses love objectivity, customers hate lots of technical jargon – and milestones are the common solution.
Milestones bring to light the unique nature of every app project – One iPhone app differs from another, no two Android applications are exactly the same – and if your company is into cross-platform mobile app development, the discrepancies between two projects become all the more prominent. Milestones are instrumental in providing a logical explanation for why one app can be developed in, say, 6 weeks, while another takes nearly 6 months. For customized service providers, this proves to be really handy.
Milestones are great for training – Most software and mobile companies rely on on-the-job training for new recruits, and milestones play an integral part in that. Right from the brainstorming and conceptualization stages, to app testing and submission at iTunes/Google Store – the entire process can be broken up into small blocks, and explained thoroughly to newbies. Consider this: which one would be easier for a student – learning an entire book at once, or going through short, in-depth modules?
Milestones lends focus to app development activities – Now, every developer worth his/her salt would know that a mobile app has to be developed within a certain deadline. That, however, does not give him/her an immediate sense of urgency (and not every good app developer are workaholics!). Milestones serve as flags that have to reached within a relatively short span of time. As soon as one milestone is attained, the focus is automatically turned on the next one.
Milestones ensure high quality of service – At Teknowledge, we have software analysts checking the quality of work being done by developers at every stage. This practically does away with the chance of someone attaining a milestone in a hurried/casual manner – compromising on the quality aspect. Only when everything is tested to be up to the mark, clearance is given to move on to the next stage. Imagine what a mess a quality analyst would be in, if (s)he had to check an entire project from scratch!

To put it in a nutshell, milestones make sure that work-hours are being optimally utilized at any company. There is the additional psychological factor of being able to complete a milestone while developing an app, before moving on to the next one. A good mobile company invariably adopts systematic operational procedures, and framing/maintenance of milestones are absolutely key for that.

And that, folks, is about all in this edition of AppBoard Tuesday (as a footnote, publication of our weekly newsletter is also milestone for us!). We do hope that ABT is being of some help to all of you out there, in some way or the other. It would be great to hear your suggestions, comments, or even counter-arguments.

By the way, do you have a kid in the 5-12 age group (your own, among your relatives, maybe someone from the neighborhood) – on whose face you want to put a smile? If yes, just give us a ring at 9433193640/9433138173 and/or visit www.storytimeforkids.info to register for our ‘Story Time Monsoon Camp. We promise it would be great fun.
Till next week then, take care, stay good…and of course, remain zapped with apps!

Samsung Z: Features To Look Forward To

After the latest postponement of the launch of Samsung Z, no official announcement has been made regarding its release date. We might not even see the Tizen-phone in the market in the third quarter of this year. As we await more updates from Samsung, a preview of the main features of the eagerly-anticipated handset would be in order.

It continues to be a tale of ‘so near yet so far’ for the world’s first Tizen OS-powered smartphone – Samsung Z. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) has come and gone, the Tizen Developers’ Conference is behind us, and the much-hyped competitor to Android is yet to hit the markets. It was announced that Samsung Z would finally make its debut during a Samsung event in Moscow, on July 11. Well, that has not happened either. Given that there are plenty of prototypes on show, it seems to be a matter of time though, before Z is officially launched. It has every chance of becoming popular too – thanks to these features:

Display screen – Although the display of Samsung Z (at 4.8 inches) will not be the biggest, it will have several other factors going for it. For instance, it would have a resolution level of 1280×720 – ensuring a high degree of visual clarity. As many as 16M colors will be supported on the capacitive touchscreen of the phone. The pixel density, at over 300 ppi, is impressive too. The display will also have Super AMOLED properties.
Internal memory – Analysts from mobile software and app development companies agree with the Samsung officials that Z would offer ‘efficient device memory management’. The handset has a default memory space of 16 GB. By using an external microSD card, the memory can be expanded to a maximum of 64 GB. What that means is, you can store games, songs and even movies on your handset – without having to worry about the device becoming slow. Samsung Z will have a 2 GB RAM.
Data support – Samsung Z is billed as a high-speed handset by Samsung – and its data features seem to live up to the early promises. The phone would be operable in both EDGE and GPRS environments. With LTE and HSPA+ features, the phone has the potential to edge ahead of existing Nexus devices.
Connectivity – Near-field communications is one of the high points of the soon-to-launch Samsung Z. It will have Wi-Fi Hotspot, with the WLAN support being of 802.11 a/b/g/n. The device has an infrared port, and comes with powerful Bluetooth connectivity options as well. You will also get microUSB 2.0 features on Samsung Z (the phone is chargeable via USB) too.
Network Compatibility – 2G, 3G and 4G – the new Tizen-powered phone would deliver seamless performance in all telecom networks. 3G users, in particular, would be convenienced by the high-end HSDPA support. The LTE properties for 4G subscribers is also geared to compete with the best.
Internet browsing – Top-notch mobile web browsing experience is what Samsung Z is expected to deliver to potential users. While specs regarding the built-in web browser (it will be HTML5) of the phone have not yet been confirmed, professional app developers feel that it would not be too resource-heavy. That way, the new phone would have minimal chances of crashing.
Battery backup – No one expects a smartphone to provide excellent battery back-up – but Samsung Z won’t at least be a major disappointment in this regard. It will come with 2600 mAh battery, allowing users a more than average talk-time as well as standby period. You won’t have to tag along the phone charger along at all times – that much is pretty much certain.
Operating system – This is easily the factor which brought Samsung Z in the news, in the first place. After successfully experimenting with the Gear 2 smartwatch, Samsung has finally brought the Tizen platform to this eagerly-anticipated smartphone. Z will run on Tizen v. 2.2.1, and will be further bolstered by full Java support.The only issue that the phone is likely to face is the paucity of mobile apps, particularly in comparison with the Android and iOS app stores.
Camera features – The built-in rear camera of Samsung Z would be of 8MP (nothing remarkable, particularly when you consider that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 16 MP camera), but there are other redeeming features. LED flash and geo-tagging are two properties that might be instrumental in helping users take steady, high-clarity photos. The images will be of 3264×2448 pixels. What’s more, the phone will also have a powerful rear camera (2.1 MP).
Processor – The 2.3 GHz quad-core processor would be adding to both the speed and reliability aspects of Samsung Z. GLONASS-powered GPS support will also be available. The overall performance of the device is likely to be at par with any standard Snapdragon 800 handset.
Sensors – iPhone 6, which would probably be launched in September, would have the dedicated Healthbook application. Samsung Z will be directly competing with it, through its default heart-tracking sensor. In fact, Samsung has gone really big with sensors in its first Tizen phone – with proximity, gyrometer, accelerometer and barometer sensors all being present on the device. For ensuring greater user-security, fingerprint-sensor features have also been implemented in Z.
Body colors – You won’t, to start off with, have too many color options of Samsung Z to choose from. The gold-colored model has generated quite a bit of buzz among mobile enthusiasts across the world – but apart from that, Samsung Z will be available in black (and probably a brown) form. If the phone proves to be a success, Samsung might launch a few more color-variants.
Additional features – If you have already used the Galaxy S5, these features won’t be anything new for you. However, for everyone else – the Download Booster of Samsung Z should prove to be a really handy option. In addition, there will be an Ultra Power-Saving Mode in the phone – which would let people get the maximum from the battery. The predictive text input feature would make typing on the device easy. The SNS integration and noise cancellation properties of Samsung Z are also worth a mention.

As is rather evident, Samsung Z won’t be short on advanced features and functionality. However, on the hardware front, it won’t bring anything really new to the table. Like iPhones, the HTML5 browser of Z will not support Flash either. A lot depends on how Samsung Z SM-Z910F is received – if is a success, Tizen might be on its way towards becoming a worthy challenger of Google Android. Let’s hope it is released soon though!

Top 20 Trends & Insights From The Australian Mobile Sector

Our Australian chapter – Teks Mobile Australia – is off to a grand start. We have here presented some of the key findings from our month-long analysis of the mobile and app markets in Australia.

In terms of total mobile users’ count, Australia occupies the 38th position in the world. The country’s mobile communications industry has advanced at a rapid rate over the last 4-5 years. Currently, there are well over 16 million smartphone users Down Under, and it has been projected that by 2016, 8 out of every 10 Australian mobile user would have smartphones and/or tablets. Let’s here do a roundup of the other interesting trends in the Australian mobile sector:

The growth rate – The annual growth rate of the smartphone industry in Australia has been in excess of 85% (annualized, from 2008-09 to 2013-14). The total value of the sector is inching towards $400 million, with overall revenues rising at a rate of almost 20%.
The degree of smartphone penetration – Australia became only the second country (after South Korea) to have more than 50% penetration of smartphones in the national mobile market. Although United States and the United Kingdom has more mobile users, they do not have similarly high smartphone penetration.
Growing popularity of apps – The Australian market has kept pace with the burgeoning worldwide popularity of mobile applications. The monthly app download figure among adults (users over 18 years) stands at an impressive 5 million – and this figure has been growing at 85%-90%, on average. As a direct result, the demands for and earning potentials of mobile app development companies have increased.
Mobile phone recycling – This is a trend that is gradually picking up momentum in Australia. The average duration for which a person uses a handset varies from 18 to 25 months, after which the devices are either upgraded, exchanged or recycled. MobileMuster alone has nearly 4500 public drop-off points, where old phones can be deposited for recycling.
Telstra is consolidating its position as the leading service provider – With just a shade under 16 million subscribers, Telstra is comfortably the top mobile services company in Australia. Optus takes up second spot, with 9.5 million subscribers. Vodafone Australia (once the market leader) has been losing users over the last few quarters, and currently has around 5.3 million subscribers.
Presence of mobile apps on devices – Yet another factor where Australia holds an edge over the UK and the US markets. General smartphone users have around 25-30 mobile apps installed in their devices – which is higher than the average number in both America and Britain. Not surprisingly, Australian mobile app developers are encouraged by the growing size of the app market (particularly, the mobile gaming sector).
Android is the most popular mobile platform – More than 56% of all smartphones in Australia are Android devices, underlining the latter’s position as the top mobile platform here. Although iOS is in the second spot (with a 36% market share), its growth has become rather flat in recent times. Windows Phone takes up the third spot (comfortably ahead of Blackberry) – but remarkably, it has the highest growth rate among the top platforms in the country.
Phablets likely to become the first-choice smart device – Survey reports have revealed that most mobile users in Australia prefer having devices with relatively larger screens (which explains the dominance of Google Android handsets over Apple iPhones). Phablets, in fact, make up almost 45% of all mobile shipments to the APAC region. According to a recent Business Insider report, there is every chance of phablets leaving smartphones behind in terms of popularity, by 2017.
Mobile commerce is booming in Australia – Sophistication and smart usage is the name of the game among Australian mobile users. Between 2010 and the end of 2013, m-commerce grew at a rate of a stunning 448%, and the trend is expected to sustain (maybe at a slightly lower rate) in the next few quarters. Over 40% of mobile internet users regularly do mobile payments. Financial transactions on the mobile platform is the most popular among people in the 25-34 age group.
The love affair with mobile phones – Australians are remarkably attached to their personal handsets. A recent consumer survey had over 65% respondents saying that carrying their phones made them feel ‘more secure’. Around 7 out of every 10 people ruled out the idea of stepping out of home without their handsets.
Nearly three-quarters of Australian adults own smartphones – In the 15-70 age bracket, almost 74% people have their own smartphones. This figure is projected to go up to 95% by the end of 2018. In other words, almost all mobile phones in Australia will have smartphone functionality by that time.
The growth of the tablet market – The tablet segment is also on a fast lane of growth Down Under. By 2018, 8 out 10 households (on average) will own at least one tablet – a massive rise over the current tablet penetration rate of 49%. iPad, with a 60% market share, dominates the tablet sector – but there are many new challengers as well.
Accessing the web on the go – 90% of all Australians have regular access to the World Wide Web. More remarkably, more than 70% people use their mobile phones for browsing the internet. Sending and receiving emails is the most common activity among mobile internet users, while reading news and searching for information on specific products/services are also common. As a result, marketing campaigns via mobile apps are increasingly becoming popular in the country.
Mobile over television – That’s right, an average Aussie can live without a television, but not without his/her mobile handset. Google recently conducted a survey (in association with IPSOS Media – which revealed that nearly 25% people were prepared to give up their TVs rather than their smartphones.
Proliferation of mobile app companies – Half a decade back, there were only a handful of mobile app development agencies in the entire country. The scenario has undergone a sea-change, with Australia currently having almost 460 app development companies. The employability of the mobile sector has also jumped up over the last 3-4 years.
The behavioral aspects – Mobile usage among Australians might have become more common than ever before, but people have not forgotten about the correct mobile etiquettes. 86% of all Australians feel that talking loudly on mobile in a public place amounts to rudeness. Nearly 75% people think that taking calls in the middle of a conversation is impolite too.
Effect of mobile shopping on brick-and-mortar stores – The degree to which people in Australia have taken to mobile shopping can be best understood by this – more than 800 physical stores are likely to close down in 2013-14 (as per a Future Laboratory report), simply because customers are becoming more and more comfortable with buying on the move. Professional Android and iOS app developers have launched many shopping-based applications as well.
Growing need for fast, responsive business websites – According to researches by StewArt Media, 90% of smartphone users look up local business websites on their phones. What’s more important – 80% of these people base their buying decisions on the basis of the information they get on their mobile. Hence, Australian businesses can no longer gloss over the importance of responsive, mobile-friendly websites.
Smartphones vs Computer usage – In February, smartphones overtook personal computers as the most popular medium for accessing the internet in America. In Australia too, such a scenario does not seem to be too far away. Interestingly, it has been found that smartphones are mostly used during mornings, while PCs have a greater usage percentage during official business hours.
Mobile advertising figures are on a rise – Given how important mobile marketing has become in Australia in the past few years, it is hardly surprising to note that the overall value of mobile advertising is also on an upward spiral. By 2015, total expenses on mobile advertisements would be in the vicinity of $80 million (if the present annual growth rate of 46% holds). That would be an almost nine-fold increase over what the mobile ad figures were in 2010 ($9 million).

There has also been a significant surge in the popularity of mobile apps for kids in the last 2-3 years – in sync with the global advancements in education technology. Australia is at the top of the pile in terms of per capita usage of smartphones – well ahead of European and North American countries. The market is, most importantly, not saturated, and has every potential to grow further over time.