Latest iOS App Launch: Price Patrol

When cellular phones first hit the mainstream, the airline industry maintained a measured distance to keep mobile use at a minimum. Since 1991, the FCC had prohibited cellular use due to concerns that they could interfere with wireless networks on the ground, as well as disrupt Captain to traffic control communication. Passengers were instructed to turn mobile devices on “airplane mode” or even have mobile phones completely powered down for the duration of the flight. Additionally, customer satisfaction reports showed consistent resistance to cell phone use, given the concern that voice calls may be a nuisance in such small quarters. Yet since the original iPhone release in 2007, cell phone use has dramatically changed, and just this year the ban on mobile use in airplanes has been lifted by regulators. This new freedom provides pilots and airlines the ultimate decision whether or not to allow cellular phone use in-flight. There are still agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOT) fighting to bring back the ban on cell phone use in flights, however the forward progress is an indicator that technology may be utilized more in the airline industry. As previously mentioned, the decision to allow cell phone use is currently up to individual airlines, and some are fully embracing new mobile technologies to add convenience for customers as well as efficiency across the board.   In-Flight Music Yes, in-flight movie and music entertainment have been around since the VCR. But some airlines are taking in-flight entertainment to the next level, moving beyond in-flight radio and on to mobile apps. One example is Air France, with their app Air France Music. The app is intended to help flyers discover new music given the region that they travel to. By giving passengers a “sensory” experience, Air France Music provides a unique selection of music onboard with rare and exclusive content from artists all over the world. Touted as helping passengers find, “music in the sky,”  users can download and save the new tracks they enjoy to playlists. However the app isn’t intended only for those flying - users with feet firmly planted on earth can interact with the app as well. Exclusive pieces of music are “hidden in the clouds,” and users can enrich playlists by lifting their mobile device up to the sky. Music notes appear in the app’s tracking screen, and by clicking on the note the user can view the artist, listen to the song, and save it if they wish. Every region from Paris to Tokyo to Buenos Aires have their own tracks, intended to give a nod to the cultural flavor of each region.   Gaming Games aren’t just for kids, especially during a long flight. Virgin Airlines’ mobile app comes equipped with many tools most airlines include in mobile apps - check-in capability, flight status updates, and seat selection. However Virgin also offers in-flight entertainment by providing not only destination videos, but 2 video games to play during the flight. Similarly American Airlines is also in the gaming arena, offering a trivia game that passengers can play with each other over the WiFi network in-flight, providing entertainment and engagement with other flyers.   Mobile Boarding Passes One of the biggest changes in 2014 was the release of mobile boarding passes. As a customer checks in for their flight, they have the option for which kind of boarding pass they would like, either printed, online, or mobile. Those who select mobile no longer need to visit an airport kiosk, agent, or print a pass at home. They simply need to scan the open mobile pass at the gate. Airlines that released this feature this year include US Airways, American Airlines, Southwest, and British Airways as well as several others. For iOS users the mobile boarding pass brings another convenience. With the latest iOS 6 update Apple released the Passbook, a multi-functional app to store reward coupons, loyalty memberships, gift cards and of course, boarding passes. When checking in for flights and selecting the mobile boarding pass, these passes can be stored in a user’s Passbook for easy retrieval upon arriving at the airport.   Real Time Flight Tracking Those tasked with picking up a friend at the airport tend to have the concern of flight delays. This concern could be alleviated by calling the airline or checking online to see the status of the specific flight. However new apps are available that not only alert you to whether the flight left on time, but will display real time progress of the aircraft, showing specifically where the plane is in the sky. This is great news for those traveling long distances who may have been slowed by turbulent weather or sped up by tailwinds. The airline industry has been through a myriad of changes in recent years, and it’s refreshing to see the embrace of mobile apps. In fact this year American Airlines, fresh out of their own mobile app ideas, invited 60 developers to compete at SXSW to create the latest app to be supported by the airline. This demonstrates that the future is bright for those interested in building mobile apps for the airline industry. Do you have an idea for mobile app development? Let us know and we’ll be happy to help you get started.

Have you ever transformed your face into an adorable deer? Do you know the satisfaction of swiping over a photo and discovering the perfect geofilter to match your weekend mood? Ever troll your close friends with a series of silly faces? Welcome to Snapchat. Snapchat has become a cornerstone in the social media application world since it was first released in 2011. The app soon amplified its primary function (sending real-time snapshots to friends) by introducing new features, and quickly gained momentum amongst high school students. Snapchat now has 166 million daily active users (for comparison, Facebook has 1.28 billion) who send an average of at least 3 billion snaps in 24 hours. While Facebook’s users are distributed across all demographics, Snapchat’s audience is the highly coveted high school and university student market: Generation Z and millennials. A recent study showed that 88% of students use the application. Despite Instagram and Snapchat being in a tight race for the top spot, an Adweek survey found that 67% of respondents thought Snapchat’s features were better — something that could continue to boost Snapchat’s popularity and market dominance in the future. If you’re developing an app and you haven’t yet studied Snapchat (especially if your target market is Gen Z), you’re missing a prime opportunity to learn from one of the masters. Snapchat introduces a lot of new and seemingly silly features — and not all of them knock our digital socks off — but what makes it one of the most successful social media apps is that it continues to innovate with its users in mind. If you want to tap into Generation Z with your own app, start by looking at what Snapchat does right. Here are the features that have propelled Snapchat to success with its users. Easy Photo Chatting Don’t overlook the first aspect that made Snapchat popular: the ability to send disappearing photo chats. Users were encouraged to share genuine snapshots of their daily activities. This was a refreshing step away from the posed, curated, and edited images often shared on Facebook and Instagram. It met a key consumer need for Generation Z at a time when students were growing discontent with the nature of existing social media, and were looking for a new outlet. The disappearing act is key. Snapchat’s designers anticipated a potential consumer pain point with their product, and solved it in advance. What was the one downside to taking “real” photos of yourself (particularly in the eyes of a teenager)? They show the real, imperfect you. While sharing “real life” photos may feel embarrassing or compromising, users could rest easy knowing their pics would disappear in less than 10 seconds. Potential problem, solved. Snapchat Stories Aside from one-to-one photo sharing, users can also create Snapchat stories to share with the world (or at least, their own circle of friends). Stories are series of individual photos or videos which followers can choose to view any number of times with a 24 hour period. This innovation took something users were already doing — sharing Snapchat photos with all of their friends — and made it much easier. Instead of scrolling through to select each of your contacts, it just takes one click, and your photo is posted for all of your friends to view. Today, Snapchat stories are also shared in the “Discover” section by brands and celebrities, a feature that introduced monetization to the app. With the Stories feature, Snapchat became a true trailblazer. The release of Instagram stories in August 2016 was regarded by most as a near-identical incarnation of Snapchat stories. Facebook, which now owns Snapchat, incorporated a similar stories feature at the top of its News Feed just a few months later, further proving how successful this feature was. Lenses Galore One of Snapchat’s most well-known features is its diverse offering of lenses — digital masks that can turn your face into an animated animal, add fake cosmetics effects, and distort your voice. These lenses (also referred to as filters) are purely meant for entertainment, and are hugely popular amongst Generation Z users. The lenses are regularly refreshed, offering fun new masks for users who want to become someone new. And, guess who followed its cousin by quickly adopting a version of lenses? You got it — Instagram. Geofilters and Stickers Geofilters allow users to easily add stickers to their photos that share their location with followers. By swiping on a photo or video, illustrated filters pop up based on your location — from a glammed out New York skyline, to a custom geofilter a company has created for an event. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real thing for Generation Z. Geofilters offer a clever and colorful way for users to do something they already do frequently; give their friends more information about where they are and what they’re doing. Businesses quickly recognized this as an opportunity to create branded filters, embracing Generation Z’s love of sharing to spread and strengthen brand recognition. Learning From Snapchat The development of Snapchat is an interesting case study — for reasons beyond the founders’ refusal of an initial $3 billion takeover deal from Facebook. Build for Success, and Let the Money Follow Unlike many apps, Snapchat didn’t begin by focusing on monetizing its features or finding investors. In fact, for the first several years, the application didn’t have an obvious monetization pathway at all. Its founders have said time and time again that they aren’t in this for the short-term gain, and for the most part they’ve done their own thing. That includes starting with a small team and being agile enough to introduce features they thought users would like, without much thought to the immediate profitability. The lesson to those trying to build a new app? Think more about what your users want and need than what will make the most money. If you can deliver a great product to users, monetization will come later. Be Open-Minded and Adaptable Another lesson to learn from Snapchat to have a willingness to adapt to new forms of technology. Snap Inc. (Snapchat’s parent company) recently launched Spectacles, a set of glasses that allow wearers to record 10 second videos. The world will see exactly what you’re seeing. Spectacles sync wirelessly to a user’s Snapchat account and recharge when they’re put back in the case. The technology is still in its initial stages, but at $129.99 a pair, this could be an effective way for Snapchat to rake in more cash. Innovate with Users In Mind Finally, Snapchat isn’t scared to shake up and innovate an established market — for the right reasons. Innovations for your users are much different than innovations for your investors, which may benefit your users. Snapchat’s next feature will likely be the introduction of short video shows, and the company is in talks with Saturday Night Live and comedian James Corden to find a way to revolutionize television offerings for a Generation Z audience. The agility and creativity Snapchat brings to the table is enough to keep app developers on their toes. These traits have made the app both an inspiration and a leader in the social media market, particularly for younger audiences. Above its agility and creativity, though, sits a genuine desire to please, delight, and support users. If app developers take anything away from this Snapchat case study, it’s that building a successful app comes from putting users at the core of what you do. When you cater to your consumers’ interests, ease pains and inconveniences, and make their lives more enjoyable, they will want to use your app. The business success follows naturally. With new features incorporated all the time, we can anticipate Snapchat’s success sticking around much longer than its photos do.

Since Google announced its release of the software development kit for Android-powered wearables last month, the shower of interest has turned into a veritable deluge. App developers across the globe are caught up in the storm. Why? The components used for wearable devices have gotten little and inexpensive and a large number of consumers have smartphones that are simpatico with a wearable device. Juniper Research predicts that more than 130 million smart wearable devices will ship by 2018. Google is keeping the name of its newest line simple - Android Wear - but they’ve made sure to let everyone know that, while the premise is straightforward, the possibilities boggle. Initially the vanguard mobile device OS will be tailored for smartwatches and comparable trappings, but they will soon offer a closetful of trendy, fashionable body-fitting devices. But whatever form the Android Wear device takes, there are certain requirements that it must meet, according to Google. Alex Faaborg, Android designer, explains the Android Wear concept in a promotional video. “It needs to be incredibly fast, incredibly glanceable... there’s really only two components: the information that’s most relevant to you, and the ability to speak to it and do a quick command.” He goes on to say, “We designed an entirely new UI specifically for this form factor, and its really based around voice and contextual information.” Google has lined up a number of hardware and chip partners to produce this upcoming fashion line - LG, Samsung Electronics Co., Motorola, Intel Corp., Fossil, Asus, HTC, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm Inc. It looks like LG will be the first partner to produce - its “G Watch” is poised to debut within the next few months. And the price is far from Gucci-like at only an estimated $300. Google’s announcement “definitely gives wearables a status that it’s a market in it’s own right and it needs to be treated with the respect that a separate operating system branch gives it,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Kantar World Panel. App developers agree. They are are well aware that there are no boundaries in the wearables space, but they also know he/she who hesitates is lost. "A whole new app ecosystem is going to be born," said Shawn Hardin, chief executive officer of Mind Pirate, which released "Global Food Fight," its first game for Google Glass, earlier this year. "Those who are going to make that happen in a big way are going to be valuable companies because of it, and those who wait too late won't be a part of it." And Google - - - look out for iWatch… Sources: http://www.techhive.com/article/2109241/meet-android-wear-googles-bid-to-bring-serious-productivity-to-smartwatches.html http://gigaom.com/2014/03/10/google-to-release-sdk-for-android-powered-wearables/?utm_content=buffereef88&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer