Welcome to the New Barefoot Solutions Blog

An aspect of artificial intelligence (AI) research, machine learning is focused on the process by which computers improve at performing tasks by exposure to data rather than by specific programming. Algorithms are constructed to allow the machine to collect and analyze data, comparing large numbers of examples to discover patterns. This allows the machine to draw conclusions and learn from its accumulated experience in order to predict results in new data. The result? “Instead of people writing software, we have data writing software,” says Jen-Hsun Huang, Chief Executive of NVIDIA, a firm that makes chips for AI systems. This hasn’t only led to change in research and software development, but also to the daily lives of people across the planet. Read on to discover the greatest implications of machine learning for mobile applications. Commonplace AI AI is already a part of our day-to-day experience. Over the past decade or two, consumers have become accustomed to seeing the results of machine learning in the form of recommendations from online retailers, or music streaming and video services based on the user’s previous searches, purchases, and ratings. Machine learning is used for many other commonplace applications such as search engines, identifying and blocking spam email, detecting text in a foreign language and providing a translation, or recognizing unusual activity to detect potential credit card fraud. The progress made in this area provides a foundation for advanced uses of the technology, from revolutionary self-driving cars and drones to medical diagnostics, legal research, and financial advising. Practical Applications In December 2016, Bank of America Merrill Lynch published Robot Revolution – Global Robot & AI Primer  with the goal of “setting out the challenges and opportunities offered by robots and AI.” The paper outlines the potential economic effects that may result from the increasing use of robots and AI, as well as possible investment opportunities. It demonstrates the massive scale of AI’s influence and projected growth over the next several years. They estimate that by 2020, the AI and robotics market will expand to $153 billion, up from $58 billion in 2014. The Internet of Things, which includes physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other items which are connected to and can exchange information over the internet, will play a big part in this. While some of this market consists of industrial uses for AI and robotics, a significant portion of the market is expected to be made up of business, home, and personal uses like mobile applications. A Pocket Full of AI Neural networks are designed to mimic the structure and function of neurons and their connections in the human brain. They are used in many familiar applications that rely on machine learning such as voice recognition software, Facebook’s facial recognition software for photo tagging, and Snapchat lenses, to name but a few. Until recently, machine learning relied on massive computing power, which required a connection to a server with enough energy to handle the load. Mobile applications have been limited by this need to use cloud-based servers in order to function. However, new technology is beginning to change this. In 2016, researchers at MIT announced that they had designed a new chip to implement neural networks that is 10 times more efficient than existing mobile processors. This will allow mobile devices to run AI algorithms internally without connecting to the internet. The offline process saves time and energy and means much more powerful apps can be created to use on mobile devices. Speech recognition and language translation applications are already being developed, with other types of apps sure to follow. Endless Possibilities Once machine learning applications no longer have to connect to the internet to function, the variety and utility of available apps is likely to expand rapidly. An examination by Deloitte University Press concluded that machine learning applications will soon be found in every industry, and will feature one or more of the following capabilities: An analysis or diagnosis of sensory data Perceptual interfaces or interactivity Navigation and motion control These new apps could include personal health monitoring, augmented and virtual reality, drone piloting, presentation capabilities, and more. The ability to provide personalized information to an individual while navigating a city street, retail store, airport or museum will surely be of interest to advertisers or the curators of such spaces. Progress in machine learning is made thick and fast, so it’s never too early to start considering new applications that could enhance your life and business.

Barefoot Solutions is excited to announce it’s latest app Price Patrol. Price Patrol is an app for iOS, in addition to Android users that allows you to browse or search for items, choose your price range and the distance you are willing to travel, then alerts you once it has found a match with Location-Based Push Alerts. Winner for Best Product and Best Logo from the 2013 San Diego Entrepreneur Day, Price Patrol is complete with a powerful database driven website, Yii Framework with Web-based Administration Panel and a Web Application to work with as well. The app is constantly scanning over 20 Million items and 120,000 retail locations to find you the best deals at the most convenient locations. It also has Google Maps Integration, as well as GPS Location Services to easily find what you need, where you need it. To learn more about this app, visit http://signup.pricepatrolapp.com/ and read all about Price Patrol's amazing features.

You’ve heard the adage, “the best offense is a good defense.” A quick Google search yields unclear results as to who the author is, but the meaning of the saying is as clear as a sunny day in Los Angeles. Wait… Essentially, if you can anticipate the challenges you may run into in any endeavour, the chances are much better of conquering victoriously. With football season well underway, we have offense and defense on the brain and naturally want to help you with your defense. So what issues can you anticipate when you hit the ground running in building your app? Let’s go: Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail Yeah yeah, we aren’t fans of using hackneyed idioms either. But this one felt appropriate to get the point across in a way that (hopefully) doesn’t revive nightmares of childhood teachers. Those finger wagging tyrants who scolded you to get preparation work done for papers you never wanted to write. Well now that we firmly revived those memories, those ladies and gentlemen were right. You must have a plan detailing where you’re going before you get to work in almost any part of life. Same goes with building your mobile app. What is the purpose of your app? What kind of a problem will it solve and how is it going to do so? Have a plan in place and the obstacle monsters will digress. Nice to Niche Ya Some cold hard reality: Someone may have thought of your mobile app idea already. Now that this devastating information has sunk in and you’ve peeled yourself off the floor, it’s time to get to work. What is going to make your mobile app different from the rest? Facebook has been done and done well (you can argue with that but you’d be wrong), and the world doesn’t need another Facebook. Too many entrepreneurs want to build another version of [insert app you know and love here], but that’s not what is going to make you a success. Figure out your niche and stick to it. The Name of the Game - Competition It’s no secret that there are a ton of apps out there. And the competition continues to swell with 2,000 mobile apps published each and every day. Understanding what your competition looks like and what makes them special will help you find a way to differentiate your app. After building an app that separates you from the rest, you must ensure a skillful marketing strategy to get your app off the App Store/Google Play and into users’ mobile devices. We talked about this at length in The Best Mobile App Marketing Techniques, but as a quick overview remember to: Understand ASO Utilize Word-of-Mouth Marketing Leverage the Blogosphere Get and Read Ratings and Reviews We have some more tricks in the aforementioned article, but there’s a start. We Pledge Allegiance, To Your App Say it with us: “We want loyal users. We will take care of them and meet their needs.” It doesn’t matter if your raving fans are your best friends in real life or Aunt Sue from across the street and isn’t really your aunt but she makes the best brownies so she’s Aunt Sue. They are the humans who will gab about your app to everyone they know, and you want to encourage their loyalty. This is helpful for a couple of reasons, one being for marketing purposes. The second is their frequent use of your app equips them to find your flaws. As strange as that sounds, this is great for you. Having users out there who will take the time to let you know how you can improve enables you to grow your app so it can transform into a product users will pledge their allegiance to - and ultimately make you more money. Get To Work If everything were easy, everyone would do it. While the competition is hot and finding loyal users in a unique niche can be tricky, you can do it. And we can help you get started - let us know how we can help here.