Starbucks launches mobile app in Japan

Starbucks expanded its digital ecosystem with the launch of its mobile app in Japan, which introduced mobile payment and eGifting to the company's fourth largest market.

With the app, customers can pay for their in-store purchases at more than 1,100 stores across the market simply by scanning a bar code linked to their registered Starbucks card.

The app also provides customers with information on the latest products, redeem special offers and send eGifts in a few easy steps.

Starbucks has a rapidly expanding portfolio of digital innovations across the Asia-Pacific region, including the opening of its first online store on Tmall in China in December 2015, which connects the online Chinese customers with the Starbucks in-store experience.

In 2014, Starbucks also introduced the first mobile ordering service of its kind in the industry with Siren Order in Korea, an app which allows customers to order and pay with their mobile device.

This was followed by the launch of the first Starbucks   app on a wearable device in Asia, which allows customers in Korea to track their My Starbucks Rewards status and pay for Starbucks purchases directly from the wearable device.

"Starbucks is committed to exploring new ways to leverage digital innovations to delight customers and unlock growth opportunities across the country," said John Culver, group president, Starbucks China/Asia-Pacific region.

New filters coming to the YouTube mobile app?

According to some code discovered by XDA on the most recent version of the YouTube mobile app(version 11.20.54), some of the filters used to search on the desktop version of YouTube will be coming to the mobile version of the video streamer. The strings discovered by XDA point to the ability of the mobile YouTube app user to be able to search for videos by rating, relevance and view count.

These filters have yet to show up in the mobile app. Considering that over half of all YouTube views come from a mobile device, it behooves Google to build up the mobile app as much as it can. Improving the capabilities of the mobile search tool would be a great step toward that goal.
 
XDA says that "it is anyone's guess" as to when, or even if, these new filters are added to the app. XDA's detective work would seem to indicate that the filters will be coming soon, so if you've been hoping for improvements to search on the YouTube mobile app, you're wish could soon be granted.

Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal’s son Kavin betting big on mobile app Hike

The popularity of mobile applications may be waning overseas but they remain relevant in India, the CEO of an Indian messaging app provider told CNBC on Tuesday.

Speaking at the sidelines of the RISE 2016, a technology conference in Hong Kong, Kavin Bharti Mittal of messaging platform Hike said in a market such as India, where data usage remained relatively expensive, companies that could combine multiple services into a single app can make a big difference.

"This is very powerful because one more app becomes one more contact in your address book," said Mittal.

Founded in 2012, Hike offers a range of services on its app — users can send messages, share photos, videos and music and have an interactive timeline. Other features include sending stickers, a compact feed of the latest news and a hidden mode to protect privacy.

Dice's mobile app aims to add value to your job search

There’s no shortage of apps to help you find a job, but Dice says it wanted to offer something that provided more than job listings and a quick way to apply to postings. It's recently released Dice Careers mobile app is designed specifically for the tech industry to help job seekers feel more in control of the process.

Dice Careers takes a lot of the guess work out of job searching, showing competitive job listings in your area, salary data and even the market value that your tech skills and experience bring to the table. The goal is to give job seekers data will result in more qualified people applying for jobs -- knowing they’re a good fit -- rather than applying to jobs either above or below their pay grade and position.

How Dice Careers works

Once you download the app and register for an account, you can choose different skills that you want to list on your profile. You can also choose your work authorization type as well as whether you are looking for full-time, part-time, contract or third-party work. Under the skills section, you can also adjust a slider bar to indicate how many years of experience you have with each skill listed on your account.

You can also note on your profile what position you are currently seeking, your desired location and years of experience in that area. The app will then automatically generate your estimated salary under the “market value” tab, and below that you will find different skills that you can acquire to boost your net worth. For example, you might see Oracle UPK can net you an additional $18,714 per year, or that Web content management might just boost your overall worth by $575. This is one of the most unique aspects of the Dice Careers app, considering most job board sites don’t offer up this type of information.

Mobile App Ad Blocking Skyrocketing, Forcing Brands To Rethink Advertising

At least 419 million people are blocking ads on smartphones -- including Facebook, but excluding content-blocking apps, in-app ad blockers, and opt-in browser ad blockers, according to a study released Tuesday.

The move will have app makers rethink how they will address search and advertising with mobile applications. PageFair has released a report titled Adblocking Goes Mobile, which estimates there are twice as many mobile ad blockers as desktop ad blockers. Twenty-two percent of the world’s 1.9 billion smartphone users block ads on the mobile Web.

Mobile ad blocking is more popular in emerging markets such as China, India, Pakistan and Indonesia, where 36% of smartphone users in Asia-Pacific block ads on the mobile Web.

The biggest issue for search marketers is that browsers can now block in-app ads.

Mobile ad blocking is less developed in North America and Europe. In March 2016 there were 14 million monthly active users of ad-blocking browsers in Europe and North America, where 4.9 million content blocking and in-app ad-blocking apps were downloaded from app stores since September 2014.

1st Minute Mobile App

What is it?

The 1st Minute mobile app allows EMS providers to more easily communicate with patients when a language barrier exists. The app allows providers to communicate with the patient by using translation technology in order to reduce guessing by first responders, which simplifies the process of getting basic details form a foreign language speaker. The app is available for both Android and iOS systems.

How do I use it?

When a language barrier is present between provider and patient, the provider can use the 1st Minute mobile app to help communicate. After downloading the app, providers can give the device to the patient to select a language. Once the language is selected, the patient answers questions in that language including what symptoms they are experiencing, selecting pain location and entering essential medical information. Once that information has been provided, the app translates it back into the language of the provider.

What are the benefits?

The app allows for quick and easy assessment even when a language barrier is present. Because the app has a pre-populated language database, no internet connection is required for use. The goal of the app is to facilitate the entire conversation in less than 60 seconds, so patient care isn’t compromised by clunky conversation. The combination of mobile technology and patient care is forward thinking for the future of EMS.   

Marriott’s CIO Says Mobile Apps Are Changing the Guest Experience

Hotel giant Marriott International Inc. is working to craft a customer experience that is the right mix of high-tech and highly personal.

The company is rolling out many tech-driven amenities, including the ability to skip the front desk at check-in, order room service via a mobile app and log in to Netflix from the hotel-room television.

Bruce Hoffmeister, global chief information officer and an almost 30-year Marriott veteran, says the rise of mobile has given the company more opportunities to interact with customers before, during and after a stay. His teams must make sure the new technology not only works but is easy to use.

As Marriott prepares to merge with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., Mr. Hoffmeister also will be tasked with integrating a new set of hotel technologies.

The Wall Street Journal spoke with him about deploying new mobile offerings and building customer loyalty, among other things. Here are

Google Play Music now powers locally themed music stations within TripAdvisor’s Android app

Here’s something of a surprising Wednesday morning announcement: You can now listen to Google’s music-streaming service directly within the TripAdvisor Android app. 

Starting today, any Google Play Music user can launch the TripAdvisor Android app and access music stations based on specific locations, for example “Rio de Janeiro” or “Paris.” It’s seemingly designed to help travelers get in the mood by listening to soundtracks relevant to their destination or current location.

For example, if you’re doing some research into a Cuba holiday, you’ll be able to play Cuban-themed songs right then and there. Or if you’ve already landed in Argentina, you may be able to tap some tunes to tango around your hotel room while researching things to do nearby. 

If you’re not a Google Play Music subscriber, you’ll be able to nab a 2-month free trial directly through the TripAdvisor app, which isn’t bad considering you can normally only get a 30-day free trial to the music service. Whether TripAdvisor users are the types to sign up to a new music-streaming service on a whim remains to be seen, but this latest tie-up gives an interesting glimpse into Google’s plans to battle Spotify and Apple Music through third-party partnerships. Google reckons it can gain mindshare by shoehorning its service into other popular services, and you never know, it might just work.

Finally, Must-Have Free Apps From A–Z!

With over 700,000 Android apps in the Google Play Store, finding useful, must-have apps can be a difficult process. It becomes more difficult when most of them are available for free. The following is a list that showcases 26 Must-Have Free Apps From A–Z! , that you may or may not be familiar with, which includes applications for social, news, productivity, games, messaging, photography, file sharing, and finance.

If your favorite android app isn’t listed here, do tell us in the comments below!

1. ANY.DO TO-DO LIST & TASK LIST

We’re all occupied with making schedules and sticking them in our bags, on the front door, in our pockets and tapping them into note applications on our telephones. Any.do is the most ideal approach to stay top of every one of those last details, because of its cloud syncing and sharing aptitudes.

2. Battery Dr saver+ a task killer

Battery Dr android application can help Android users to save power on their phone battery and boost the battery life. If you want to get fast performance and more storage for your Android Device, this is one of the best Free Battery saving apps. This app can show details like Temperature, power management, low Battery notification. In addition, the killer utility kills unwanted tasks.

Should You Tap Your Market with A Mobile App?

For companies that have grown dramatically and can afford a six-figure price tag, offering a mobile app could be a critical piece allowing them to accelerate past the competition. We learned more about these from Oven Bits, who developed apps for Vogue and for Lush Cosmetics. Are you ready to mobilize?

Dallas-based Oven Bits recently enabled Lush Cosmetics to enter the market with a mobile app. The app hits the notes one would expect from such an offering: availability on Android and iOS platforms, shopping basket and wishlist choices for products, and payment options like PayPal and Apple Pay to make a purchase.

Chris Capehart, CMO of Oven Bits, told EcommerceBytes a few key tips about venturing into the realm of mobile apps. For businesses growing quickly and steadily to the point where creating such an app is viable, those sellers should determine what kind of value they can provide with a mobile app.

"Give your users an experience they can't get on the web," he said. Part of that experience requires encouraging users to download and open those apps, and Capehart said there are several strategies for doing so.