Latest iOS App Launch: Price Patrol

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.

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

While you may not be able to claim that Iran's protests can be called a Twitter Revolution, the way news is being spread from Tehran does offer an insight into the online marketing powers of Twitter. The New York Times wrote that critics disagree with naming these protests a Twitter Revolution because protests throughout Tehran were actually organized in more conventional ways - through word-of-mouth, websites, and text messaging - and not with tweets.  But even though Twitter and its tweets may not have been the instigator, this micro blogging site has managed to draw a great deal of global attention to the protests in Iran and keep this attention trained there. All tweets related to Iran's protests are tagged with the keyword "#IranRevolution."  When I checked the Twitter feed for this keyword, I read a dozen posts that had been posted within the last 20 seconds.  One of them read: "clashes in 7 Tir Sq and Valli Asr Ave:street fires & tear gas;shooting heard-many militia #evileader #iranelection #Mousavi."  By the time I had finished reading this tweet, 137 more tweets had also been published. This is one of Twitter's main marketing tools. While it may seem that one tweet will not garner much attention, multiple tweets can start to take on a whole new meaning.  A compilation of tweets has built a strong personality and sent a strong message from Iran's protesters to their Twitter followers and, through the powers of Retweeting, has virally spread this message to the rest of the online community. Twitter's second main marketing tool is that there are so many different avenues to post Tweets.  You can post a Tweet from a phone, Web browser, or any number of third party web-based and desktop applications.  This functionality makes it much harder for Iran's government to monitor and shut down Twitter than it would for a more conventional social-networking site like Facebook.  This portability also gives Tweeters the ability to post on the go.  While some mainstream news organizations have found it difficult to get out into the streets of Tehran and verify stories, Tweeters have helped to send out raw first-hand reports from the streets of Tehran, although some did later prove to be false. Despite these posts, the news streaming from Tehran through Twitter's applications gives a strong insight into how this site has been used to build a global online marketing campaign for Iran's protesters. -- Stephanie