Market research from IDC suggests that we are already experiencing the sharpest drop in the sales of personal computers for a single quarter. Technology is evolving fit computing devices to our pockets and modern day tablets are more than capable of replacing the traditional desktops. Today, Android’s and iOS’s shipments are greater than PC shipments across the globe. Every company is worried and changing the way it tried to encourage the sales processes. In the first quarter of 2015, Gartner reports that PC shipments have dropped by more than 5.2%. The segments that plummeted were notebooks, tablets and hybrid tablets. Personal computers that we have grown up with are fast being replaced by thin, lightweight and more importantly, highly mobile devices.

This is certainly the end of a revolutionary era in the history of mankind. The PC revolution began in the late 1960’s when Hewlett Packard began selling its 9100 desktop calculators. Then came microprocessors and finally the internet revolution gave the strong kick to the adoption of PCs. By the 1990s, personal computers were universal home fixtures and office tools. However, now that we have come to the 50^th year, the sales of conventional PCs are falling fast. A lot has happened in between!

Today, 7% of Americans own a smart phone but don’t have an alternative device that could connect them to the internet or have a broadband service installed in their homes. IDC even goes on to predict that by the year 2017, 87% of the connected devices would be smartphones and tablets. PCs, including both desktops and laptops will just have a 13% of the market share. Forrester Research, on the other hand forecasts that by 2017, 1 out of every 5 tablet would be an enterprise device. Businesses are in fact investing more on tablets rather than limiting their employees to their desks with a desktop.

Following the trend, Apple CEO, Mr. Tim Cook says that there is no reason that someone would buy a PC anymore. Apple is already ready with PC alternatives devices like iPad Pad Pro. Tim Cook believes that the iPad Pro would be a replacement for several PC and notebook users. It is also being said that the free Windows 10 would be a humble end for the PC era. Google’s Android can do pretty much everything that you would want out of the traditional desktops. Well, gamers might disagree but even so, Playstation sells more than graphics cards today! The meaning of personal computers has changed. A truly personal device should be mobile, fast, easy to use and always connected. Users are looking beyond keyboard attachments, mouse, an accessory webcam, a connected printer, etc. smart devices of today integrate all of these functionalities into a small device that can fit into your hands, wirelessly!

While some people and businesses will continue to advocate personal computers, this surely is the beginning of the end of the PC era. Most of us have lost the reason to use those bigger devices!

Google’s Android Pay is much more than a mere addition to the brand’s offerings. It comes as an answer to Apple’s Mobile Wallet – the Apple Pay and a complete reboot of how online payments were managed by Google. According to a recent report, the online marketplace would be worth more than $1tn by 2017. Every brand is encouraging its customers to switch to mobile shopping rather than shop around with their plastic cards or cash. While it is a means to boost a brand’s market penetration, choppers are quite convinced because it offers hem the convenience of ordering products and services on the go.

Apple Inc. was the first company to realize the potential of the online payment trend and introduced its own Apple Wallet. It ensures that customers/end users would no longer have to walk around with cash or credit cards. Any payment can be made through their mobile phone – offering better security and mobility.

Google too has been prompt now as its version of the mobile wallet comes within some months of the Apple alternative. Android Pay can be used with any Android powered smart phone that has NFC (Near Field Compatibility) and runs on a version higher than Android KitKat4.4. Along with storing credit cards on the phone, users will also be able to access loyalty cards and other similar services.

The first brands to recognize and integrate Android Pay into their payment systems include Bloomingdale, Subway and Macy’s. Further, the functionality will be extended to mobile checkout by the end of 2015. Google’s Android Pay currently supports some major credit card providers including Visa, American Express, MasterCard, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Bank of America. The aim of this mobile wallet system is to not reveal credit/debit card details to retailers at any point of time during a transaction. The wattles alternatively generate tokens that reduce the risk of data thefts and identity thefts.

Some defining features of Android Pay:

1. Retailer Partnerships: Mobile wallets such as Android Pay highlight the active partnership of several brands and retailers, giving the latter the impetus to offer a more secure means of payment.
2. Carrier Commitment: Initially, Google’s Android Pay was supported only by Sprint – a major US based carrier. This required a majority of the consumers to download the app into their devices. However, according to the latest development, carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon will ship their products with Android Pay included in the package.
3. Shedding the dead weight: Google in fact debuted with mobile wallets back in 2011 but it was a failure. Learning from the past experience Google sheds down extraneous features like P2P to make the feature market-ready.
4. Security: While it was Apple’s Touch ID that could verify the authentication of users, Google too introduces fingerprint recognition to make payments more secure.
5. Simplicity: The simplicity of Android Pay ensures that any users would be able to convert their credit and debit cards into mobile payment gateways.
6. Tied to Android: Shoppers will be tied to the Android registration but not the app. This will ensure that even a contactless payment can be made using just your fingerprints!

The mobile industry doesn’t just continue to thrive but has been evolving with each passing year. 2014 saw the world inclining more towards tablets and wearable technology. Internet of Things (IoT) is a practical concept in our everyday lives. Over the past few years, mobile applications have laid an increased focus on analytics and marketing. Now that we are in the middle of 2015, here’s a list of trends that mobile app developers have recently adopted.

1.       Platform wars

Basically, the tussle is shared between two key players – Apple and Google. While Apple’s iOS provides high end functionalities, Android dominates the rest of the market. Another growing player is Windows with a 15% share and rising. Now, every platform brings its set of advantages and disadvantages. This also splits up the mobile app development stats. Since Android has a greater market share, 40% of developers are targeting the Play Store while only 37% incline towards iOS. The majority of app developers are focused upon Android development because that’s where the traffic is. iOS devices are unaffordable for many and don’t provide the right mix of audience. Some developers on the other hand choose to be comfortable by developing app versions for both platforms.

2.       Data quality becoming a priority

Today, consumers have more alternatives than they ever had. If one app isn’t working, they will immediately turn to another. This ensures that app developers and app development companies focus on the quality of apps they provide. Now, quality in the modern era is driven by data. Developers are using intensive analytics to bring out apps that are intelligent, unique and convenient. There is no room for error.

3.       Cloud technology

The future of technology will take a drastic turn as we move into the realm of cloud. In the near future, we won’t be needing storage spaces on our computers but will be able to put on everything on a highly encrypted cloud platform that could be accessed through voice recognition and similar logins. This would also be true to the mobile app development technology. Applications of today are more focused on integration and syncing, allowing the end user to access the functionalities from anywhere, anytime and from any device.

4.       Focus on app security

Mobile app developers in 2015 are paying more attention to application security than before. As technology will be more dependent on cloud and mobiles become a central part of our living, it would be necessary to safeguard every bit of information we pass on through our devices. Even in 2014, there have been several reports of hacks and information leaks through apps. Gartner predicts that 75% apps developed in 2015 will fall short of adequate security measures. However, developers are getting more conscious and we can expect some intelligent security features in future applications.

5.       Wearable technology / Internet of Things (IoT)

It’s just the beginning of IoT. In the near future, we will see more of wearable replacing our smart devices. Internet of Things too will rapidly replace our existing system of activities to make life more convenient, efficient and profitable. Mobile application developers will thus focus more on wearable platforms in this latter half of 2015.

Ruby on Rails is a web application framework designed to be a part of the Ruby programming language. It is important to know that Rails is not the same thing as Ruby. In fact, Ruby on Rails is a smart collection of shortcuts that are written using Ruby and lets developers build websites and web applications really quick. Consequently, it is highly recommended for beginners into the coding industry.

Interestingly, though Ruby on Rails is a small part of the Ruby framework, it alone has been able to create websites like Scribd, Groupon, Kickstarter, SlideShare, Zendesk, Shopify, SoundCloud, Hulu and many more. Ruby on Rails makes it easier and fun to develop entire web ecosystem for brands and is also one of the most in-demand thing if you are looking for a job in the programming / web development industry. Good Ruby on Rails developers are however very hard to find.

Here are some important reasons why every programmer should get acquainted with Ruby on Rails development:

1.       Beginner friendly

Every beginner would love the “cleanliness” of coding that Ruby on Rails offers. It’s easy to pick up, easy to read, easy to review and an effective way of understanding the relationship between front end architecture and back end development. Even experienced programmers use Ruby on Rails to pump out high quality apps in little time.

2.       Suits MVP

For any tech startup, it is not just important to gain customer approval but also being able to provide reasons for it. Ruby on Rails allows programmers to create MVP prototypes quickly that showcase how the startup is going to operate. It is just like creating a blue print before diving into the actual project process. Blueprints / prototypes using Ruby on Rails will allow you to approach and gain the client’s trust.

3.       Keeps investment under limit

Put simply, learning Ruby on Rails is cheap. Regardless of whether you opt for a free online course, a boot camp or a certified part time course, a Ruby on Rails course will be based upon the time that you invest. Programmers of any experience level will be able to create apps that with surprise the audience.

4.       Happy to be a developer

Ruby is object oriented, reflective, highly dynamic and a general purpose programming language. Originally created for “developer happiness” by Matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto) from Japan in the mid 1990s, Ruby on Rails has now become the first language that any developer learns. The coding structure is very easy to follow and will also help you bring out your creative side as opposed to banging your head over complicated scripts for simple functions. In simple words, with Ruby on Rails, you would be investing most of your talent into creating something unique.

5.       A great community

Apart from being easy to learn, Ruby on Rails is backed up an amazing community of developers who are ready to help and answer queries. You get loads of free tutorials and build groups who come together to create originality.

UX defines whether your customers perceive you as a helpful, smart and efficient brand or an outdated, cluttered and inconvenient experience. In this age of smartphones, wearables, and Internet of Things, convenience is the only factor that takes brands, products and services to higher levels. The implication is quite simple but at the same time incredibly crucial for success.

UX or user experience hasn’t just become the foundation for brands but also present new opportunities across verticals. Gone are the days when there were just a few service providers and brands like Ford could afford to say that they “can sell a car in any color as long as they are black”. Today, the customer and end user rules the market. Any degree of inconvenience will come to strike back badly.

It has been for enough reasons that 84% of global companies were committed to a customer experience goals in 2014. Today, more companies are joining the bandwagon and investing to make their brands more customer-centric. Here are the latest trends in this regard:

1.       Invisible UX

The concept is similar to an iceberg – 10% visible and 90% surprise. The latest app development concept has been termed “Slippy UX”, wherein user interactions are mostly invisible and non-distracting. This UX trend compels developers in creating scenarios that eliminates all unsafe and unwanted attention to the app, thereby increasing its usability. From smart homes to wearable devices, everything is being integrated with the “Slippy” experience to cut back the problem of information overload and giving end users an incredible experience.

2.       Material design

A Google initiative, Material Design is aimed at developing usability and graphic standards to work across a variety of devices including smartphones, wearable, desktops, smart TV, etc. Material design will support new input methods like gesture, voice, touch and mouse that simplify usability and integrates an element of ‘fun’ into the purpose. Material designing is also moving towards the concept of skeuomorphism that makes digital screen behave as physical objects.

3.       More of physical experience

It has been said time and often that the only limitation of digital experience is not being able to match up with real physical processes. Shopping for example has gone digital but many still prefer a first-hand feel of products before they pay for it. Well, this problem would be solved soon. In 2015, we already see a rise in Internet of things, wherein the line between digital and physical experience gets thinner and blurs out.

4.       Security and Privacy

Lastly, the biggest challenge and development in the lines of UX has been security and privacy. Everything is being processed and done through information – information which could be stolen. We are certainly making progress in the field of data encryption, stricter access, regulated logins and identity safety.

These are just the beginnings of a new era in UX. UX has and will continue to amaze and surprise us. Write in to us and let us know which element of UX will be your key success factor in the near future.

Having a mobile app for your business is no more a choice but a requirement. Customers across industries and product lines expect brands to have a dedicated application that can be used to check products on the go and when required even place an order. Mobile devices have made life more convenient and it presents a great opportunity for brands to market their products and expose them to customers worldwide. The trend of mobile app development has been here for some years now. Most of the brands already have an app on either iOS or Android store but what will define competitive advantage now? Why are some apps getting more exposure and popularity than other in the same product genre? Answer lies in the quality and uniqueness of the app.

B2B branding goes up a notch with mobile apps

Going by the statistics, 11% of global employees are using tablets and applications to improve sales, productivity, customer satisfaction, and gain a competitive advantage. Today, mobile devices have effectively been able to replace desktops and laptops. Technology ensures that end users are provided with a more powerful hardware and software for better device experience. Automatically, a smart phone owner spends more time on his mobile than he did when he carried a desktop system. Brands can create applications that can take the advantage of continuously improving battery life, cloud based storage, powerful chipset, faster network, bigger and better screen and better data security architecture.

The return on investment with a high quality mobile application has always been able to outweigh the development costs several times over. Mobile apps also have the advantage of attaching little or no maintenance or upgrade costs. It would be apt to say that the whole world has gone mobile and if you don’t have an app to represent yourself in this platform, you might as well have lost the battle.

Benefits of mobile applications

ü  On the go marketing: Visitors and customers can access you business and browse your product line from any place.

ü  Social advantage: It goes without mentioning that social networks like Facebook and Twitter have proved to be an engagement to the extent of addiction in some cases. Users are spending a lot of time in social networks and this gives the opportunity to the marketer to exploit the platform.

ü  Data capture: In this age of information, brands cannot succeed without a strong database of customers, users and clients. Mobile applications can be used to collect information that wouldn’t have been normally possible with a web platform or application.

ü  Engages customers: Creating a highly interactive mobile application not just creates brand awareness but also helps win the loyalty of your users. If you have been able to inspire a customer to download your app, there is negligible chance that he/she would opt for other alternative brands.

ü  Acts as guide: Customers are always searching for information, credibility and the reasons to trust a brand. Your application can be the exact tool to inspire these elements.

At the end of the day, mobile applications make life convenient both for your customers and your marketing team. It’s a win-win situation.

Mobile navigation designing offers unlimited flexibility and opportunity to designers to show their creativity. While there isn’t a select few ways to create mobile navigation design, some patterns have proved to be more user-friendly and workable than others. One should understand that the whole point in coming up with interface designs is to make it intuitive and save users the complicacy in requiring to learn the navigation. Controls need to be familiar enough but look unique and customized. Further, interface designing also needs to adhere to utmost consistency, wherever the users choose to move to. Here are some of the top picks when it comes to mobile UI patterns for mobile navigation.

1.       Sliders

Sliders have been integrated to take advantage of the ‘touch’ feature in modern smartphones. However, if viewed as a means of navigation, they have been relatively underused. Sliders seem to be perfect tools if you have a limited number of elements to browse. Complimented with gesture control, they are also fun and feel natural. Mobile designers have been using sliders to help users navigate through progressive and closely linked pages. It is a practical solution that doesn’t complicate the design yet make it feel unique.

2.       Pictorial icons

Pictorial icons to navigate are a practical solution if you are looking to save screen space. Intuitively, the picture will be self explanatory about the space it would link/take to. While these icons check the requisite of familiarity, they can even be used creatively to bring out a unique interface design. The uniqueness here would depend on the arrangement of the icons, the style of the icon and even icon animation. A great example of this UI pattern would be the ‘Circle Map’. Pictorial icons can even be integrated with the slider feature to beef up the space and make it a much more interactive process.

3.       Card grid

The Card Grid patterned interface is on the rise as its attaches more adaptability and simplicity to the design. Smart phone users will often encounter menus split into a grid of buttons wherein users will have to touch / press / select the relevant card to go to the required page. The best example would be the Microsoft Lumia screen which even integrates a vertically dropping slider to accommodate all options. Cards can be either of images or text or both. The crucial point is that they can be used to create a coherent and organized interface of available options.

4.       The Spinner Wheel

A little heavy on the coding part, spinner wheels are just like the spinning wheels in a casino. You can use gesture and touch to rotate the wheel and choose among the variety of options attached to each section of the wheel. A design advantage of the spinner wheel is the ability to attach continual repetition of option. Unlike sliders that have an end, spinner wheels are continuous and this engages the user in a more fun interaction.

The type of mobile UI pattern one chooses depends on the exact balance that he/she wants to strike between creativity and simplicity. Its best to find a mid point as excess of any is damaging too.

Over the last decade, the popularity of Ruby on Rails as a web app development solution has always been on the higher end of the graph. Knowledge in Ruby on Rails can land developers into great jobs, projects and lucrative positions in Ruby on Rails development companies. From startups to highly established app development companies, everyone agrees to the same conclusion that Ruby on Rails would be the best choice even when compared to alternatives like Java, Python and others.

So what makes Ruby on Rails so popular?

1.       Handy and versatile

In just 5 lines of code, programmers can choose to take an existing class and overwrite its behavior. While this may seem to be counter intuitive, there is risk in everything. Ruby also makes it much more versatile to draw codes. Ruby does miss out on some features available with newer languages, but all in all, it can be used as a ‘language power continuum’.

2.       Pragmatism

Ruby integrates deep pragmatism into its coding DNA. In collaboration with the other benefits, it has been producing elegant solutions since the last decade. Often referred to as ‘tent’ by programmers, Ruby on Rails doesn’t encourage any level of scripting complications. With Ruby on Rails development, it’s actually more of convention than configuration.

3.       Expressiveness

Using Ruby on Rails is just like studying English. The internal DSL of the language extends with the language’s semantics. With other languages, constructing DSL is always risky as it’s an external addition. With Ruby however, programmers don’t require external parser and yet strike an even balance with the DSL. The platform is perfect to use DSL where it makes good sense and demonstrate self-control. The bottomline of programming in Ruby on Rails is inherent usage of the high quality syntax and smart naming.

4.       The Community

Ruby on Rails is supported by an army of committed programmers who ensure that it stays in the most updated condition. With other languages, one might experience projects simmering down with age but with Ruby, the sparks are retained! A great addition to the language has in fact been its package manager, known to us as RubyGems. Though it was sidetracked for a little while RubyGems found its course and remains unified and acts as a superb resource for bright programmers. There is a provoking synergy between the cool language and its superb community and the pragmatic web framework.

5.       Maturity

When it comes to important decision making, anyone would go for tools that have a proven track record.  Ruby fits the criteria perfectly as it has been around the block for quite some time now and has established several runtimes and interpreters to make it conducive for programmers.

6.       Marketing

Lastly, compared to its younger alternatives, the Ruby site is awesome. Even in the older days, Ruby’s screen cast was breathtaking and one would totally agree to the point that when frameworks are in question, it is best to be in the crowd. Ruby is an obvious choice!

Experts say that the platform gives a perfect solution for the rapidly changing technological environment by speeding up the development processes and saving money and time in the process. These reasons show us why Ruby on Rails remains so popular even after so long.

Ask people what they want to do, and most of them will end up using terms like ‘business’, ‘start-ups’, ‘entrepreneur’, etc. So, what exactly is required to have a profitable business, an idea? True, but just an idea isn’t sufficient. There’s a lot more that is essential including effective outreach methodologies, publicity and revenues for the organization to survive in the competitive world.

With the growing popularity of smartphones, many companies have started investing in mobile advertising by creating mobile application software (app). This technique, without a doubt, makes the app visible to a wider audience, but visibility doesn’t guarantee returns; ‘download’ is the keyword. Interestingly, only 2% of the app developers claim 54% of all app revenues. Today, we look at6smart app monetization techniques to ensure that the app remains a profitable product for your agency

1. In-app Advertising

In this kind of app monetization model, the download happens for free. The goal, here, is to create large user database, after which the information gets sorted, and app publishers pay the developer to publish targeted ads. This technique is widely used because, well, who doesn’t like things for free.

2. Freemium

This android app monetization technique offers the customer to ‘use and try’ services before selling. There’s no download cost, however, only limited features are provided on download, i.e. some features are gated. The aim is to accumulate and engage app users until they are convinced to pay for the upgrade and enjoy all features.

3. In-app purchase

The in-app purchase monetization method works like a super-market where many companies showcase their products and on any physical or virtual goods purchase, some percentage of profit is given to the app developer. The catch remains in the fact that the users save a lot of their time and easily get what they want.

4. Paid Apps

This android app monetization technique generates direct income from the user. In order to download the app, the user needs to pay the mentioned amount. However, with this technique, it is essential that the entire app experience is creatively designed to arouse the interest of people and compel them into purchasing.

5. Paywalls (Subscriptions)

Paywall is similar to the freemium model, however, here, instead of the features, the content is gated. The users are allowed to see predetermined amount of content and need to pay to get full access over the information. This iOS app monetization method allows the user to not just ‘judge the book by its cover’, but also experiment with it.

6. App Promotion and localization

App Promotion refers to using various social interfaces as a platform to sell the app, whereas localization refers to extending the app’s reach across borders and monetize international traffic by offering region-specific content. This iOS app monetization technique is rather indirect but very useful, as you can either increase the cost or the customers.

The above techniques are one of the many ways to survive in the mobile advertising world; an app developer can actually customize and use a combination of them to create a successful business. Now, that’s what we call more than just an ‘idea’!

Getting your app accepted into the Google Play Store for Android is a winning step as your business/brand/skill is now exposed to more than 81% of smart phone users across the planet. That will be equal to more than 1000 million users! However, getting your app through the selection process is not an easy job, especially now that Google has come up with tougher App Store approval standards. Before sitting down with an app development process, you need to be aware of these mandates that must be kept in mind to avoid app rejection.

Top reasons why Play Store rejects some app submissions

The Android app store guidelines set by Google for app submissions are explicit and strict. However, many developers fail to follow them and end up disappointed.

ü  Irrelevant keywording: The era of the ‘inorganic’ has long gone. Using keywords that don’t justify your app but might bring in more traffic can be highly penalizing. Misleading visitors with irrelevant keywords and tags will get you rejected.

ü  Excessive keywording: Along with the inorganic, “keyword stuffing” too has been done away with. Google’s SEO aims to provide the most relevant suggestions based upon customer reviews, quality of content/app and organic sharing. Instead of stuffing keywords, give a detailed description of the app. This would help both credibility and Play Store acceptance.

ü  Revisit Google’s Keyword Spam policies: The Play Store has a set of clearly defined policies that maintain the types of keywords allowed in content, the maximum number of repetitions, etc. Refer this before submitting your app.

ü  Get your process streamlined: Applications are meant to make the life of users easier. Consequently, Google will give more credibility to android apps that have a proper roadmap to usage. Also, you need to be well aware of the future errors and the ways to fix them.

ü  Don’t market your company: Applications aren’t meant to market brands. Though Google is a bit lenient, apps meant for business purposes go through stricter scrutiny.

ü  Demo apps are of no use: Demo applications with limited functionalities are of no use. Not only will they make the job frustrating for the end user but also be eliminated outright from the Play Store.

ü  Never copy existing apps: Don’t build apps just for the sake of entering your name into the Play Store author’s list. Play Store doesn’t allow duplicate applications to be uploaded to the platform. Build only if you have come up with a unique idea; be it in the category of a game, a utility, an information app, or anything else.

ü  Be professional: Applications allow you to connect with a customer base that is looking for convenience and professionalism. Though you need to highlight upon interactivity, a professional tone of content will get you a better credibility than lose content.

The Play Store is a great platform to showcase your coding expertise and UX creativity. The growing user base of Android only stresses on the need to be genuine and unique in your submissions.