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Mobile app development is growing, can enterprises keep up?

Gartner predicts that by the end of 2017, market demand for mobile app development services will grow at least five times faster than internal IT organizations’ capacity to deliver them.

According to The 2015 U.S. Mobile App Report, mobile devices are consuming 60 per cent of internet usage in the US. Also, the average mobile phone user spends almost 23 days per year using a mobile phone!

Fun facts in the history of mobile

The world’s first mobile phone call was made on April 3, 1973. In addition to being a communication device, games were a famous application installed on mobile phones. The most famous mobile game, Snake, first appeared in 1997 on the Nokia 6610.

Today, usage patterns within the mobile apps segment are rapidly changing. According to a 2014 survey, mobile growth is moving into media. These numbers changed in 2015, where gaming decreases by 50 per cent, losing ground to other usage types. But statistics say that mobile apps are overshadowing mobile browsing activities. 

Here's Who Made Gartner's 2016 Magic Quadrant For Mobile App Development Platforms

Vendors Doing Well With Mobile App Development

As mobile apps become the main driver of accelerating digital transformation in businesses, more vendors are coming out with cutting-edge mobile app development platforms.

According to market research firm Gartner, mobile app development platforms will become widely adopted in the near future: By 2020, Gartner predicted, more than 75 percent of enterprises will have adopted at least one platform to accelerate their digital business transformation strategies, up from 33 percent in 2015.

Gartner highlighted the major vendors in the mobile app development space this year in its Magic Quadrant. Following are the 17 vendors that made it into Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Mobile App Development Platforms.

Subscription model for apps and mobile gaming

You subscribe to watch your favourite TV shows. You subscribe to stream your favourite tunes. But would you subscribe to a mobile game?

That’s the question on every mobile developer’s lips, and it’s set to play out in the broader app and mobile gaming space over the next year. It’s on the back of a massive change Apple announced in the lead-up to its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). Within the next month, developers who create a subscription service and hold consumers on it for more than a year will keep 85 per cent of the revenue earned, instead of the usual 70 per cent.

It’s not just Apple, either.

Google immediately returned fire by matching the amount of revenue it takes from subscription services for apps sold through the Google Play store. However, it comes without the caveat imposed by Apple that customers must be subscribed for more than a year before the new pricing takes effect. That’s a huge incentive for developers to pivot their product towards a subscription service.

How MBaaS fits into a mobile app development strategy

What are the benefits of MBaaS?

Developing custom apps from scratch is time-consuming and expensive. Developers need to know what data the app will access, how the app will access that data and how to keep that data secure. MBaaS takes the hassle out of the back end by connecting apps to the required resources, including the code for basic application features such as authentication. MBaaS also takes care of connecting mobile apps to company data, including databases and RSS feeds.

MBaaS sends the data to mobile apps through APIs, and developers do not have to modify any data sources to work with MBaaS apps. Developers can work with on-premises APIs they've already built or public APIs in the cloud to lay the foundation for mobile apps. And MBaaS has security and management controls in place.

What are the major concerns with MBaaS?

MBaaS comes with some issues to keep in mind when forming a mobile app development strategy. Version control can be problematic. If a company's developer used an MBaaS vendor's API and that vendor updates its API version, the update may not be compatible with the company's systems or a specific mobile app.

Progressive web Apps and the future of mobile Apps

The way we access the web on our mobile devices as always been important to businesses and developers since this to some extent determined how much profit or losses the latter made.

Micro suns with their Java Platform, Micro Edition, or Java ME also known as J2ME was among the first of such technologies that changed the way we accessed the web on our mobile devices. J2ME introduced mobile Apps to our mobile devices. The platform was very popular since it employed the Java language which was both open source and known by a number of users, however in-spite its popularity, due to number of factors J2ME did not quite revolutionize the way we accessed the web.

The iPhone App Store opened on July 10, 2008 marked the start of the revolution of the way we use the web on mobile devices, this was followed by the launch of the iPhone 3G in 2011. The iphone 3G was a game changer since it had support for the app store and was very superior to the Nokia N and E series that used native browsers and J2ME apps.

World Patent Marketing Invention Team Unveils "Unforgotten", A New Mobile App Invention That Uses Technology To Remember The Dearly Departed

MIAMI, Fla., May 31, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - World Patent Marketing, a vertically integrated manufacturer and engineer of patented products, announces the Unforgotten Application, a mobile app invention designed to provide access to the information about the deceased with the use of a bar code.

"The Funeral Homes market is worth $16 billion,"says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. "The industry's revenue is projected to improve slightly during the next five years. As the population ages, the number of deaths is anticipated to increase."

"When a loved one passes on, people would naturally visit their loved one's grave to feel closer to them," says Jerry Shapiro, Director of Manufacturing and World Patent Marketing Inventions. "And in many cases, people desire to put in additional information on gravestones as a memorial to their loved ones. The Unforgotten Application will provide a bar code on a tombstone which can be accessed to gain information about the deceased individual."

The Unforgotten Application is designed to add more information on a tombstone. It is a mobile application software which provides access to a deceased person's memorial information in the form of audio, text, images, or videos. In order to access these information, a bar code is affixed to the surface of a tombstone or any physical object in a grave. This bar code can be accessed and scanned by a mobile device such as a Smart phone. Simply scan the bar code and gain access to the deceased person's memorial information.

"It has been our dream to make it possible for anyone to share the legacy of their lost with the world. We hope your loved ones are unforgotten," says inventor Mitchell C. "The Unforgotten Application is something that will provide a personalized way of remembering a deceased loved one. It makes uses of a bar code which will then provide access to photos, videos, audio and text about the deceased individual without having to install a separate electronic device on a tombstone."

Cancun debuts mobile app with maps

The Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau and Smart Group have joined forces to promote Cancun and the Treasures of the Caribbean with the new Smart Map Cancun mobile app. The application, which offers an interactive travel guide, was designed to make a visit to Cancun easier.

The app is free and available on both Google Play and the Apple Store. It enable users to access maps of Cancun and the Treasures of the Caribbean (Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres and Holbox) that make it easy to find ATMs, shopping, markets, bus stops and taxi stands and more. Other features include local news, weather, local tips, videos, currency converter, coupons, directories and an events calendar.

Civic body creates mobile app to help 'Beat Diabetes'

In an attempt to spread awareness on diabetes, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)-run LTMG Sion Hospital has developed a mobile-based application called 'Beat Diabetes' to guide diabetes patients and the general public. The app, which is available on Google play store for android users, is designed to help a person calculate the risk of developing type II diabetes by entering personal health information.

"It gives an overview of the magnitude of diabetes in India and worldwide. It aids in calculating the risk of developing diabetes mellitus by entering relative personal health information. The app also gives an idea of the available diabetes clinics in Mumbai," said Dr Seema Bansode Gokhe, head of department of community medicine, LTMG Sion Hospital.

Bansode said that in addition to this, the app will be a guide for prevention of diabetes mellitus and will control measures for the same. Doctors say that many people are ignorant of the disease, which can be dangerous to them and can lead to several complications. Diabetes is also one of the most common causes of kidney failure, accounting for nearly 30-40 per cent of the new cases.

"People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing a number of serious health problems. Consistently high blood glucose levels can lead to critical diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and teeth. In addition, people with diabetes also have a higher risk of developing infections," said Bansode.

Fed up of spam calls? TRAI's new mobile app helps tackle them

Telecom regulator TRAI introduced DND (Do Not Disturb) services mobile app on the Google Play Store and the Mobile Seva App Store to manage unsolicited commercial calls and messages. The app will soon be available for iOS users as well.

TRAI issued, “The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2010’ in December 2010 with the objective to provide an effective mechanism for curbing Unsolicited Commercial Communications. The regulations have been framed keeping in view the interest of the customers and telemarketers while ensuring effective implementation.”

At the moment, consumers complain UCC messages and calls through 1909 (toll-free number) but the new app will make it easier to report unpleasant communications.

According to TRAI, there was a need to put in place a complaint mechanism which is easy to use by the consumer. Hence, they developed a mobile App for easy registration of UCC complaints to the service providers. The consumer can check the status of his complaint as well.

Chick-fil-A launches new mobile app

Chick-fil-A on Wednesday launched a new mobile app that allows customers to make custom orders and pay on the go.

The new app, called Chick-fil-A One, is “the customer’s remote control for how they interact with Chick-fil-A,” said Michael Lage, the Atlanta-based company’s senior manager of digital experience. The app, available on iPhone and Android-enabled devices, will let customers skip the line and pick up orders after checking in on a smartphone.

Lage said customers order, pay and check-in once they arrive through the app. The check-in signals the kitchen to prepare meals. Chick-fil-A staffers also will address app users by name, Lage said, as part of the chain’s commitment to customer service. 

Chick-fil-A One has a membership structure that allows users of the app to earn free food. As part of the app’s launch, customers who download the app or upgrade from the old version before June 11 can received a free Chick-fil-A original, spicy or grilled sandwich.

Chick-fil-A One replaces the chicken chain’s current app and can be upgraded through the Apple App Store or Google Play, Lage said.