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Mobile

4 great examples of mobile apps improving business

EducationYou’ve probably heard all of the mobile statistics by now. Mobile is the fastest growing trend in history. Tablets will outsell PCs/laptops this year. Smartphone and tablets accounted for 70% of total devices sold in 2012. The statistics paint a pretty clear picture.

But, you already know that mobile is the next big thing. You know that mobile apps are quickly becoming essential to the business world. Recognizing the trend is the easy part. So, what’s the problem? If you’re like many companies, the problem is understanding how mobile can improve your business. What type of mobile app should your company build?

If you’re asking yourself those questions, I’d like to help spark some ideas. This article highlights four innovative ways other companies are using mobile apps to improve business. Along with explaining each app, I’ve also explained how you might possibly apply each example to your business. Hopefully, the examples will spark some mobile app ideas for your company:

Considering mobile apps? Read this first…

EducationI’ve noticed some confusion surrounding the term, “Mobile app.” People typically associate the term “Mobile app” with apps that are built for a single platform and downloaded from an app store. In reality, those types of apps are native apps, and they’re only one of three mobile app types.

This is where many businesses get confused. They see the popularity of native apps among consumers, and assume it’s the best approach for business. However, while native apps work great for the consumer market, they’re often the worst of the three mobile app options for business.

Why? We’ve outlined the reasons for you in a free white paper entitled, “Native Mobile Apps: The wrong choice for business?” The paper also explains each development option from a business perspective, along with the pros and cons of each.

So, how should businesses approach mobile apps? The video below outlines one method of building mobile apps that’s specifically designed for businesses:

Weekly recap: 5 ways devops can help companies, tablets outsell PCs, and more…

EducationEvery week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on how devops can help companies create applications faster, why “Shadow IT” must be embraced, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Shadow IT: Once hidden, often hated, but well worth embracing
The concept of “Shadow IT” is becoming more and more prevalent. Tired of waiting around for the IT department, end users are now buying and using SaaS services without the IT department’s knowledge or approval. IT departments are scrambling to adjust, driven by the fear of being bypassed altogether. The solution: Give users a development platform that meets their needs, while giving the IT department control over data and user access.

Weekly Recap: How to avoid mobile app failure, hidden HTML5 tags, and more…

EducationEvery week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on avoiding mobile app failure, hidden HTML5 tags, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Hidden HTML5 tags every web developer should know
If you’re a web developer or designer, HTML5 puts some great new attributes and elements at your disposal. While you may be familiar with some of the more popular new tags, here are some little-known capabilities that might prove quite useful.

Weekly recap: 19 principles every IT leader should heed, how to improve website load time, and more…

EducationEvery week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on principles every IT leader should heed, how to improve your web site/app load time, and more. I hope you find them useful:

How to improve website load time
Slow web apps/sites are a sure way to annoy your users. If your web apps don’t load as fast as you’d like, this article gives some great tips on fixing the problem.

Weekly recap: 10 things to improve application development, HTML5 tutorials, and more…

EducationEvery week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on how to improve application development, HTML5 tutorials, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Mobile developers look to cross platform development tools
A recent report highlights the current trends in mobile application development. As it turns out, developers are turning to tools that let them build one application for all platforms, rather than building separate applications for each platform.

More questions to ask before building a mobile business app (Part 2)

EducationA few weeks ago, I started a two-part article for businesses who are considering building their own mobile apps. As mentioned in that article, smartphones and tablets are spreading faster than any other technology in history. As businesses rush to take advantage of this trend, they often dive into mobile without a proper understanding of their options.

In part one, we focused on 4 essential questions to ask before building a mobile business app. Today, I’d like to finish up this two-part article with 4 more questions your business should ask before building mobile apps, which you can find below:

Weekly recap: Tech upgrades that make your business run faster, the first step on legacy code, and more…

EducationEvery week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the first steps of legacy modernization, tech upgrades to improve your business, and more. I hope you find them useful:

First step on legacy code: Classifying
The difficulty with modernizing legacy applications is understanding which code to keep and which to replace. Some code might be essential to your company, while other code must be replaced ASAP. This article outlines the steps for classifying your legacy code before a modernization project.

Weekly recap: The future of IT, omni-channel mobile development, and more…

EducationEvery week, I share the most interesting and useful tech articles that I’ve found over the past week. This week’s top articles focus on the future of IT, the need for ‘omni-channel’ mobile development, and more. I hope you find them useful:

Forrester: Mobile app dev needs ‘omni-channel’ perspective
Rather than simply devising a mobile strategy, mobile apps must be part of a larger “omni-channel” application architecture. Businesses must understand that mobile devices are just one method for accessing their applications. Applications must be accessible across all devices.

Native apps: The wrong choice for business?

EducationNative mobile applications are popular among consumers, but how do their advantages translate to the business world? Not as well as you might think.

If you’re considering mobile apps for your business, here’s a new white paper that you’ll want to read. It explores each mobile app option, and explains why businesses should think twice before taking the native approach. You can access the white paper right here.