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Posts tagged average
How clean is your mobile phone?
Jul 29th
You may like to throw your mobile phone after reading this, as a new study has found the average handset carries 18 time more potential harmful germs than a toilet’s flush handle. An analysis of handsets by British researchers found that almost a quarter of them were so dirty that they had up to 10 times an acceptable level of TVC bacteria.
TVC, or Total Viable Count, gives a quantitative idea about the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and mold in a sample.
Elevated levels of TVC indicate poor personal hygiene and act as a breeding ground for other bugs.
One of the phones in the test had such high levels of bacteria that it could have given its owner a serious stomach upset, said the researchers who carried out the study for the ‘Which?’ magazine.
The findings from a sample of 30 phones suggest that 14.7 million of the 63 million mobiles in use in the UK today could be potential health hazards, they said.
Source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/how-clean-is-your-mobile-phone/652953/
Trends in Mobile Apps
Apr 4th
Mobile apps are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. In fact, it has recently been predicted that by 2012 there will be more people purchasing mobile apps than buying CDs. But what exactly can we expect to see happen between now and then with mobile apps? Here are some of the trends that people expect:
Growing Sales
The biggest trend is going to be that more and more people are going to be using more and more apps. This is due in part to the greater availability and use of smartphones. Better phones (as well as ever-faster networks) are more capable of handling a variety of different apps. The growth is also due to the greater availability of mobile apps. And although there are some expensive apps out there, many apps are free or cheap which also helps to stimulate sales. Recent research says that the mobile app industry is going to be worth a whopping $17.5 billion by 2012. That’s up from just $7 billion in 2009 and is approximately $4 billion more than the sales of CDs predicted in 2012.
Cheaper Apps
One of the nice predictions that we can expect to see come true is that apps are likely to get cheaper over the next few years. There are quite a few free apps right now, of course, but the average app is approximately $2. This average amount is likely to decrease by nearly one third. The reason for this is because the way that app makers are getting money for their work is starting to change. Makers today get most of their money from the sale of apps to consumers. However, as mobile apps have grown in popularity, there has been a shift for getting more ad-based revenue. Right now this type of revenue only accounts for about 12% of what these people are making. This amount should more than double by 2012. The results will be that app developers make the same amount of revenue or more but there is a savings drop for consumers.
Fewer On-Deck Apps
Many smartphones right now come pre-loaded with apps. Of course, you can customize your phone by downloading the apps that you want but there’s a set group of them that does come with the phone. Interestingly, this is predicted to change in the near future. That’s because it’s just not going to be that profitable for carriers to offer their own apps since the apps that people want are the ones being offered by third party providers. The number of apps that people use that come directly from the carrier is going to drop considerably thanks to greater availability of other apps as well as this predicted decline in the number of on-deck apps. Right now approximately 60% of app revenue is coming from carrier-based apps but it’s believed this will drop to approximately 23% in the next couple of years.
Android Will Give Apple a Run for Its Money
Right now the largest app store is, by far, the Apple store for iPhone apps. However, Android phones have been faring well in the market. Developers are often interested in working on apps for Android phones. As a result of these things, some people predict that the Android app store could be just as popular as the Apple store or even more popular by 2012. Other app stores (such as BlackBerry) will continue to grow in popularity as well but these are the two that will dominate the mobile apps market.
Money Transfer Apps
Mobile banking is on the rise. One of the main things that people want to be able to do in this area is to transfer money using their mobile phones. It has been predicted that the largest area of app growth between now and 2012 will be for apps that allow people to make money transfers. Other apps related to mobile banking will also likely grow in popularity over the next few years.
Augmented Reality Apps
Another area of growth that we’re probably going to see is in the development and sales of augmented reality apps. There are some apps like this already out there (with Layar being a great example). They allow you to scan the location that you’re in using your mobile phone and then layer additional information over what you’re scanning in order to augment your reality. The iPhone is a terrific platform for these apps with many of them already starting to be used by consumers. However, we’ll see use of these continue to grow on not just the iPhone but other phones as well. One limitation thus far has been that GPS technology on many phones isn’t strong enough to support these apps but the technology is improving and so growth of this area will improve too.
Business App Stores
There is a growing need for a separate app store for business apps. This will allow businesses to easily find the apps that are best for them. It will also allow developers of business apps to become more visible to their target customers. Google has just recently announced a business app store for their apps. Mobile developers are likely to follow suit with business app stores of their own.
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
Finally, we’re going to see increased marketing of apps around the board. We’ll see on-device marketing as well as marketing in other areas of media. As more and more apps are developed, app developers will need to get attention to the apps that they sell. As more app stores open, those stores will need to be advertised in order to gain and keep customers. You can expect to hear a lot more about mobile apps in the future!
Trends in Mobile Apps
Apr 4th
Mobile apps are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. In fact, it has recently been predicted that by 2012 there will be more people purchasing mobile apps than buying CDs. But what exactly can we expect to see happen between now and then with mobile apps? Here are some of the trends that people expect:
Growing Sales
The biggest trend is going to be that more and more people are going to be using more and more apps. This is due in part to the greater availability and use of smartphones. Better phones (as well as ever-faster networks) are more capable of handling a variety of different apps. The growth is also due to the greater availability of mobile apps. And although there are some expensive apps out there, many apps are free or cheap which also helps to stimulate sales. Recent research says that the mobile app industry is going to be worth a whopping $17.5 billion by 2012. That’s up from just $7 billion in 2009 and is approximately $4 billion more than the sales of CDs predicted in 2012.
Cheaper Apps
One of the nice predictions that we can expect to see come true is that apps are likely to get cheaper over the next few years. There are quite a few free apps right now, of course, but the average app is approximately $2. This average amount is likely to decrease by nearly one third. The reason for this is because the way that app makers are getting money for their work is starting to change. Makers today get most of their money from the sale of apps to consumers. However, as mobile apps have grown in popularity, there has been a shift for getting more ad-based revenue. Right now this type of revenue only accounts for about 12% of what these people are making. This amount should more than double by 2012. The results will be that app developers make the same amount of revenue or more but there is a savings drop for consumers.
Fewer On-Deck Apps
Many smartphones right now come pre-loaded with apps. Of course, you can customize your phone by downloading the apps that you want but there’s a set group of them that does come with the phone. Interestingly, this is predicted to change in the near future. That’s because it’s just not going to be that profitable for carriers to offer their own apps since the apps that people want are the ones being offered by third party providers. The number of apps that people use that come directly from the carrier is going to drop considerably thanks to greater availability of other apps as well as this predicted decline in the number of on-deck apps. Right now approximately 60% of app revenue is coming from carrier-based apps but it’s believed this will drop to approximately 23% in the next couple of years.
Android Will Give Apple a Run for Its Money
Right now the largest app store is, by far, the Apple store for iPhone apps. However, Android phones have been faring well in the market. Developers are often interested in working on apps for Android phones. As a result of these things, some people predict that the Android app store could be just as popular as the Apple store or even more popular by 2012. Other app stores (such as BlackBerry) will continue to grow in popularity as well but these are the two that will dominate the mobile apps market.
Money Transfer Apps
Mobile banking is on the rise. One of the main things that people want to be able to do in this area is to transfer money using their mobile phones. It has been predicted that the largest area of app growth between now and 2012 will be for apps that allow people to make money transfers. Other apps related to mobile banking will also likely grow in popularity over the next few years.
Augmented Reality Apps
Another area of growth that we’re probably going to see is in the development and sales of augmented reality apps. There are some apps like this already out there (with Layar being a great example). They allow you to scan the location that you’re in using your mobile phone and then layer additional information over what you’re scanning in order to augment your reality. The iPhone is a terrific platform for these apps with many of them already starting to be used by consumers. However, we’ll see use of these continue to grow on not just the iPhone but other phones as well. One limitation thus far has been that GPS technology on many phones isn’t strong enough to support these apps but the technology is improving and so growth of this area will improve too.
Business App Stores
There is a growing need for a separate app store for business apps. This will allow businesses to easily find the apps that are best for them. It will also allow developers of business apps to become more visible to their target customers. Google has just recently announced a business app store for their apps. Mobile developers are likely to follow suit with business app stores of their own.
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
Finally, we’re going to see increased marketing of apps around the board. We’ll see on-device marketing as well as marketing in other areas of media. As more and more apps are developed, app developers will need to get attention to the apps that they sell. As more app stores open, those stores will need to be advertised in order to gain and keep customers. You can expect to hear a lot more about mobile apps in the future!