Here we are in 2014 - and the mobile operating system debate is still not settled. Once Apple stomped onto the mobile scene in 2007 and gained a dominant cult following, competition with the hip giant seemed a daunting challenge. But then along came Android, much to the delight of open source fans and those seeking other options. This famously angered Steve Jobs, who according to the 2011 biography lamented, “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product.” Yet destroyed Android isn’t, and is instead a leader viable player in the mobile operating system debate. Some even suggest this isn’t even a debate anymore, as the two have their own faithful following. Perhaps there is enough room in mobile space for everyone?  Personally, ever since I pitched my antique Nokia what feels like ages ago, I began my journey with Apple and only occasionally look anywhere else. It’s like a familiar friend, as with each new phone or update the changes are minimal but ostensibly powerful. I like that I know when the other person I’m texting is an Apple user, given away by our matching blue text messages - ahem - I mean matching iMessages. And that’s what pisses off so many Android users. The lockdown of Apple’s customization pales in comparison to the open source availability of Android. More and more frequently I am finding that colleagues are switching to Android for this very reason. So then, it all comes down to the type of user - right? Maybe, maybe not. With the announcements of changes coming in iOS 8 and Android’s L this autumn, here is a list of some of the differences which may help you decide for yourself:   1) Widgets Anywhere Both systems have apps, both systems have similar basic functionality. Until now, only Android offered widgets to be placed directly on the home screen, allowing users to with a glance know information such as sport scores, weather, even the latest Reddit stories. Apple just announced they too will include widgets as part of the iOS 8 update. They however will only be available in the notification center, which requires the user to swipe the phone and thus adding a step Android doesn’t require.   2) Adjustable Icons I’m not the youngest person in the world, so I naturally can’t see tiny things perfectly. Not as bad as a friend whose text message font is the size of the Times Square NASDAQ scroll, but it’s pretty bad. Therefore both of us as well as other mobile users prefer the ability to increase the size of fonts and features to help our ailing eyes. With Android, a user is able to increase the size of apps and widgets. Yet with iOS the apps are all the same size, regardless if your vision likens that of a bat.   3) Design Given that Apple released some of its more dramatic design upgrades with iOS 7, it’s no surprise that iOS 8 doesn’t come with any major design changes. It maintains the simplicity Apple is known for with a “flat” design, with the ideal outcome that a baby can figure out how it works.  Android on the other hand is attempting a massive shift in the design paradigm with “Material Design,” a comprehensive suite for managing the Android experience. The update includes all kinds of customization such as the ability to create animations, choose themes, and supports drawable tinting. Not to mention Android L overall brings more depth to the design with shadows and brighter, lighter colors.   4) Security Apple has the touch ID fingerprint sensor, allowing users to simply press on the home button to unlock the device. Yet this feature will be expanded in iOS 8 to not only unlock the phone but also to open password protected features like banking or social media apps. Google alternatively added the ability to unlock Android products like tablets and smartphones via the Android Wear smartwatch. Yes with Android you can really have a go-go-gadget watch. When it comes down to it, both mobile operating systems are competitive with features and functionality - and become more so with every update including this one. For example iOS 8’s new “HealthKit” app, poised to both replace some peripheral health and fitness devices, while making others much better by seamlessly integrating with them. Then Android similarly has added more apps to improve TV, gaming, camera, device integration and more. What’s great about this for consumers is that the two giants will continue to critically observe the other’s upgrades - and fight to stay one step ahead. Care to weigh in? What do you think of the updates? Let us know in the comments below.

Mobile apps are a way of life at Barefoot. Yes for the obvious reasons in that we design and build them, but also because they help make our business and personal lives easier. We admire the work others put into their mobile apps, and are constantly surprised at what people come up with month after month.  There are many mobile apps almost everyone with a smart device uses. Communication apps like email or Google Hangouts help us stay in contact while on the go. Task management apps like Asana or RedminePM keep us on track with projects we’re working on either on our own or with others. Then for fun are gaming or social media apps like Candy Crush, Twitter or Facebook.  Yet which apps do we really get the best of both worlds, enjoyment and utility? We walked around the halls of San Diego’s Barefoot offices to find out what they thought.   Mint We have jobs and we make money, thankfully. Managing that money can be as easy as checking a Bank of America or Chase mobile app, but that just reflects how much cash we have to blow while agonizing over broken March Madness brackets. There are many other things to consider in managing money, such as tracking how well you’re paying off those grad school loans and department store credit cards. Enter Mint, the app for managing all of your money, all over the place. Once the app is downloaded, you can sync the app to your bank accounts to get an idea of how much cash you’re sitting on. Then you plug in any loans you have, mortgages, car loans, student loans, you name it. The app gives you your net worth by balancing your cash vs. debt. Then once you’ve resolved once and for all your tired of paying interest on that study abroad semester in Rome, you can set a goal for paying down debt, and getting on track.   Hype Machine On the entertainment side of things, we love music apps to keep our days going. Spotify and Pandora are great, but we also love a lesser known app called The Hype Machine. “The app aggregates music from blogs all over the internet and then crowd sources a fresh list of top tracks,” says Peter Holmes, our creative director who may or may not have an affinity for DJ’ing on the weekends. What he means is, Hype Machine checks in with the hundreds of the most popular Internet bloggers every day for the latest, most talked about music, then puts it in one easy place for listeners to discover. You can listen to the newest songs posted seconds ago, the most popular of the day tracks, and see what your friends are listening to and discovering. This way, you can listen to the newest and most hyped music before you commit to buy.   Docusign Docusign may be responsible for sending fax machines into extinction with the dinosaurs. When released we remember our accounts team excitedly talking about how much faster they were able to sign contracts and move the process along for clients. The reason why is the app provides a secure solution to collect signatures by allowing others to electronically sign documents. Hunter Jensen, Founder and CEO here at Barefoot, didn’t hesitate to bring up the app stating, “Docusign hands down saves me more time than any other app.” With Docusign we can import documents to sign or send signatures, place fields throughout documents to make it easy for signers to know where apply their excuse for a signature, and allows for signers to scribble right on the mobile device for circumstances like travel or trade shows.   Sidecar We recently discussed the most popular of the transportation apps, Uber and Lyft. While we certainly do get plenty of utility out of those two, Sidecar is the new kid on the block trying to make a name for himself and is starting to prove he can play with the varsity squad. Sidecar functions in a similar way as Uber and Lyft in that when you download the app it syncs with your Facebook account to get your profile information. Once you’re ready for a ride to happy hour, flip on the app and it locates the nearest drivers to your location. The difference with Sidecar however is that this transportation app is the one that started the idea of entering your destination location before the driver is selected. This is so the app can calculate how much your ride will cost, removing the surprise $40 bill for a ride around the block. Then once your pick up and destination locations are selected, Sidecar displays a list of drivers for you to choose from with varying prices and vehicles. Sort of like a Tinder for commuting, users can swipe down the driver list that displays the driver’s name, profile picture, image of their vehicle, and the price of the ride. The prices vary given the quality of the car and how far the driver has to come to get you. This means - if you’re picking up a hot date you can pick the swankiest car available. But if it’s a night out with the bros, who cares, pick the cheapest and closest.   It was tough to narrow down the list to just these, and we know there are hundreds of fantastic apps developers and users enjoy. What are your favorite mobile apps? Let us know in the comments below.

When Facebook disclosed in mid-February that they had bought the messaging application WhatsApp, they had people asking “Who’s WhatsApp and why are they worth buying?” FB purchased the firm with a combination of cash, stock and shares for a total of $19 Billion. While other parts of the world were pretty familiar with the WhatsApp application, that was not so much the case in America. But the fact is that at the time of its acquisition by Facebook, WhatsApp had 450 million users and that user list was multiplying rapidly. The buying of WhatsApp gave Facebook a huge messaging footprint in areas where they were lagging behind. Blogger Gary Warner states,  “Apparently WhatsApp has been growing in popularity in other parts of the world, as documented by a survey released in November by OnDevice Research which was headlined as Messenger Wars: How Facebook Lost Its Lead,  which talked about the top Social Message Apps for mobile devices in five major markets: US, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, and China. While Facebook still led in the US, and WeChat clearly dominates China, WhatsApp was the leading app in Brazil 72%, South Africa (68%), and Indonesia (43%).” WhatsApp designed a crowd pleasing smartphone application that lets people using a variety of devices -  like iPhones and Android phones -  to text and send pictures seamlessly without having to pay for the fees carriers charge for SMS messages. It does have a miniscule price tag. It’s is free for the the first year, then it costs a dollar each year after that. Handling this new member of its family like it handled Instagram, Facebook plans to let WhatsApp operate largely as an independent firm. But Facebook will capitalize on what WhatsApp will bring to the table in mobile phone reach and in opening up doors that were closed in China (where Facebook is blocked, but Instagram and WhatsApp are allowed in.) There are some concerns about what doors the acquisition will open for spammers. In his blog written for the site Cyber Crime and Doing Time, Warner says that folks who keep track of spam and email threats have heard the name WhatsApp in the wind for months and call it a popular spam lure. He states. “At least three distinct spamming groups have already used WhatsApp as a lure for their scams.” But Jan Koum, who started WhatsApp, answers that concern on the WhatsApp Blog by saying, "We don’t know your likes, what you search for on the internet or collect your GPS location. None of that data has ever been collected and stored by WhatsApp, and we really have no plans to change that," he went on to say, "Everything that has made WhatsApp the leader in personal messaging will still be in place. Speculation to the contrary isn’t just baseless and unfounded, it’s irresponsible. It has the effect of scaring people into thinking we’re suddenly collecting all kinds of new data. That’s just not true, and it’s important to us that you know that." Koum is now a director with Facebook. On the life-is-Karma side of things, years ago Koum applied to work at Facebook, but didn’t get the job. Sources: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-19/facebook-acquires-whatsapp-for-19-billion