If you want your mobile application to be compatible with Apple Watch, time to get it ready is ticking down quickly (pun intended). The highly anticipated April 24, 2015 Apple Watch release is an exciting time for hardware and development gurus to get in gear and get on the latest in wearable technology.  In an effort to make this easier for you, Apple released on their developer portal a handy guide called Preparing Your App Submission for Apple Watch. This is helpful for us especially as developers, but may not be particularly helpful for the business people who own the app and utilize developers to make their apps happen. That’s why we are here to help to get your WatchKit app - the version of your app specific to Apple Watch - ready so that you can reach this new and exciting audience.  Find a Design-Minded Developer Apple products and iOS in general have traditionally maintained a focus on simple, clean design. Apple Watch may be the biggest example of this focus, with a small interface placed on the especially sleek designs of the watches we’ve seen so far. While we normally urge you to focus on logical UX and UI anyway, this particular Apple Watch user will be getting acquainted with a new hardware product in the watch. Not only is the hardware foreign, but they will be exploring apps in a new way, including apps they have possibly used for years on larger interfaces like tablets or smartphones. Don’t be that app that frustrates the Apple Watch user - focus on design and make sure your developer can get it right before you submit your app.  iOS App Extension Possibilities The WatchKit app will function a little differently than the typical iOS or Android apps in that the watch is an extension of what you can do with your iOS app. This is by no means limiting, but rather adds to the repertoire of what your app can do. One app called IFTTT (If This Then That) is an app that aggregates more than 170 apps, allowing you to control the world around you - from your wrist - with the apps you already have. Such applications it syncs with include simple task apps like one touch thermostat control or more detailed actions such as creating a recipe to post onto Instagram or plug into DropBox. WatchKit apps are also convenient for athletes on the go. CRNT for example is an app to help surfers check current tide conditions on any given beach quickly. And of course while fitness-tracking apps have long been on iOS, WatchKit apps like Exact Fitness Timer allow you to track timers for interval training from your wrist. Update App Store Metadata Your App Store profile will need to be updated to include the new metadata for your app’s Apple Watch functionality. By metadata we mean the specifics of what your app will look like and what features you’ve added. This means including icons, up to 5 screenshots of the new WatchKit app, and adding the right keywords and descriptions to get optimized - especially the no-brainer keyword Apple Watch. This is critical to do right away to help you get that boost above other apps who haven’t put their submission together yet, thus handing you a potential lead in App Store optimization. One tip however, do not include the term Apple Watch in the actual name of your app. This is because your iPhone app and your WatchKit app will share one name and one description in the App Store.  Get Your Marketing Team Ready Once you get the development done and WatchKit application submitted to Apple, you’ll want to get started telling your users, target audience and of course all of your friends that your app will be on the Apple Watch. The buzz around this release is big, and it would be wise to make sure your audience is aware that you’ve taken those progressive steps to get on the Apple Watch early. If you haven’t been on social media much lately, now would be a good time to get attention for not only your WatchKit app, but can leverage that attention to point to your iOS app. And finally while you’re at it and have their attention, you can even mention that you have an Android application, if applicable. Apple Watch officially launches in Apple Stores on April 24, 2015, although Apple is taking pre-orders now. The Watch will be available in three basic variations which include a regular version, Apple Watch Sport and finally Apple Watch Edition. The prices for these watches range fairly significantly from $349 for the most basic, 38mm-sized Apple Watch to $10,000-plus for a gold Apple Watch Edition. Have something to add? More insight on Apple Watch or questions on your app in particular? Let us know in the comments below or ping us directly here.

This is likely not the first time you’ve heard about the war over net neutrality and it certainly won’t be the last. The long debated issue is still being fought as talks have recently heated up in the White House, among the FCC, and throughout large corporations. But what is really happening? Why are we still talking about this and is there anything we can do to preserve the open Internet as we know it? We decided to take a look into the furious net neutrality argument and go over why you should deeply care. What is Net Neutrality? The current Internet as Americans use it today is a neutral place for the free exchange of ideas to fly across your computer screen and mobile device. You can liken today’s Internet to a Reddit thread or the comments in any news article as good examples to demonstrate the absolute freedom we have on the interwebs. Tim WU, the Columbia University professor credited with coining the term, describes net neutrality in these terms: “Network neutrality is best defined as a network design principle. The idea is that a maximally useful public information network aspires to treat all content, sites, and platforms equally. This allows the network to carry every form of information and support every kind of application. The principle suggests that information networks are often more valuable when they are less specialized — when they are a platform for multiple uses, present and future.”   Sounds Good, Who Would Threaten That? As the open Internet climbed to the raging popularity it mightily commands today, capitalists of all kinds pitched the idea of creating a sort of a tiered system to the Internet. This would give preferential treatment to those who have more cash. For example, a large corporation with a boat-load of money could pay to have their site send information faster than those who can’t afford it. The topic for and against net neutrality has been a fiercely fought issue for well over a decade, but recently became a bit more complicated. Those in favor of shifting the Internet to a tiered service argue that if there are companies that can afford faster data delivery, they should be given that option. Again, ending net neutrality is simply a matter of how fast the information is delivered. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) see this idea as a win because they could separate preferred sites - sites in the “fast lane” - so that users would blame the actual site rather than the ISP for the poor performance of sites not in the fast lane. The reason the issue became even more hotly debated is because in 2014 politicians became more involved than ever before. In April 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a stab at net neutrality by releasing a proposal that suggested broadband companies could provide Internet “fast lanes” for those, like large corporations, that could afford to pay a higher fee. As previously stated, this would mean that smaller companies with littler wallets unable to afford the higher fee would suffer in terms of content delivery speeds and would therefore have to compete with a significant disadvantage. Crap. So What’s Next? The issue caught the attention of the White House, which seemingly supports the principle of net neutrality. In a statement released in November 2014, President Barack Obama took a side: “We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas. That is why today, I am asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to answer the call of almost 4 million public comments, and implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.”   Since then the FCC has responded and allegedly will be revising their proposal. They will soon vote on new terms yet to be determined, but FCC chairman Tom Wheeler suggested in an op-ed just days ago that he will push for net neutrality. “These enforceable, bright-line rules [in the new proposal] will ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services. I propose to fully apply — for the first time ever — those bright-line rules to mobile broadband. My proposal assures the rights of Internet users to go where they want, when they want, and the rights of innovators to introduce new products without asking anyone’s permission.” And now, we wait. The future of net neutrality now rests in the hands of the FCC, which will meet on February 26th to vote on the next phase of the battle over open Internet. Wheeler has proposed that, “the FCC use its Title II authority to implement and enforce open internet protections. Using this authority, I am submitting to my colleagues the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC.” We will soon see if this will become a reality when they vote on the 26th.

Technology has given personal trainers quite the run for their money in recent years. Between fitness apps that help dieters keep calories down, to wearables that track a user’s every move, there is an increasing amount of ways for Americans to improve eating, exercise and fitness habits. Lumo Run is another company aiming to improve the exercise experience, but have taken the concept many steps further with smart shorts. Yes, smart shorts, the shorts intended to help runners improve their running form to achieve maximum performance. While these aren’t the first piece of smart clothing on the market, their primary objective strays from the others intended to track progress. Although these shorts can track progress, the aim is to help the users improve posture and form. Improving Running Form Running is an exercise prone to injury. Given the repeated beating joints get with each weight bearing step, runners commonly suffer injuries to the knee, back, ankle, etc. On top of that, shin splints and hamstring injuries are rampant, all of which adding to reasons why having a good running form should be every runner’s paramount concern. As such, runners who don’t want to blow out their knees or their egos in the earlier years of life consult with personal trainers. This is exactly the space where Lumo Run has a hungry market. According to Lumo Run, the shorts, “incorporate the personal attention of a running coach with the professional data of a lab - all within the lining of your shorts to help you achieve your best.” How They Work Training apps tend to provide exercise results after the activity has completed. Luma Run wearables work differently, in that they provide real time data and corrections so the runner can make improvements to their form as the activity is happening. Sewn into the shorts are a 9-axis inertia measurement unit (IMU) as well as a Bluetooth LE module into a waistband that comes with the shorts. These two devices work together to collect data about a user’s run, jog, or walk, which is then sent to a connected app in real time. Pairing the combination embedded in the clothing, a user’s biometrics, posture, and mileage are all measured and recorded, which can assist in guiding toward new and realistic cardio goals. Founder and CEO Monisha Perkash explains, “This is a very exciting piece and a completely different form factor using our motion technology to address challenges in running. The vision is to be the leader in real-time motion tracking and solving movement challenges related to sports, workplace safety and health and medicine.” What’s Available and Where Can I Find Them? The smart shorts come in shorts for men and capris for women. Lumo Run is taking preorders now but anticipates shipping next spring. If you can’t wait until then, the company that makes Lumo Run,  Lumo Biotech, already came out with the predecessor to the running shorts, Lumo Lift. This product shares the similar intention of Lumo Run in that it helps weight lifters improve posture and performance. As interesting as Lumo Lift is, it will be exciting to see how the Lumo Run hits the market and if it changes the way runners train and exercise. Until then, you’ll have to find some other, probably boring, way to improve your posture and running form. Do you have the next best idea for a wearable app? Ping us here and let’s get started.