'Net Features : app

Amplify Partner Communication with Mobile Apps

Allison Howen — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:30:00 GMT

Businesses typically launch mobile apps as a way to reach their customers who are on the go. It might be time, however, to consider also launching apps as a way to reach the variety of vendors that businesses work with on a daily basis.

This is where ChannelCandy comes in handy, which is a platform that allows businesses to launch branded mobile apps that enable them to communicate and engage with their business partners. The company works with companies to design, build and launch customized mobile apps that are available in iTunes and GooglePlay. In addition, the app’s content is launched as a mobile website in order to allow other mobile platforms, like Blackberry and Windows devices, to view the content as well.

ChannelCandy apps help businesses keep partners up-to-date with important information and notifications. In fact, these apps can be used to share a variety of rich media with partners, including videos, whitepapers, case studies and certification courses. That said, Co-Founder Jay McBain states that these apps are also effective at driving interactions between a brand and its partners.

“It’s not just a broadcasting tool, we are trying to drive two-way communication,” said McBain. “We do that through secure community groups, community walls, and we have a live chat module and messaging within the app where you can go back-and-fourth – a lot of different ways to interact.”

Plus, the app can be set up to include valuable partner tools, such as calculators, configurators, deal registration, quoting tools and more. McBain also explains that the apps can integrate with Salesforce and many other back-end platforms, so that employees, vendors and partners can all have access to these tools while on-the-go.

It is important to note that the ChannelEyes team (which is the company that powers ChannelCandy), builds the app with guidance from the client, and includes the client’s unique branding within the app, such as logos, colors and splash pages. Furthermore, the ChannelCandy technology was recently recognized as a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner, which is a title that popular brands like Instagram, DropBox and Flipboard have previously won.

“When you think about how businesses can get better working with their partners, that is really where we are focused,” said McBain.

Affiliate Program Monetizes Apps without Ads

Allison Howen — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Looking to generate a recurring revenue stream from your app without adding advertising or in-app purchases? If so, consider checking out the Placed Affiliate program.

This new program from the location analytics company monetizes location data for market research (not ads). By using the Placed Affiliate SDK, developers can turn location data from their app users into monthly revenue. This is because Placed measures mobile device information, including location, when the app has received explicit location permissions from the user. Moreover, to ensure privacy, Placed requires a secondary notification of measurement upon first install, along with links to the Placed Terms and Privacy Policy.

After the location data has been measured, Placed converts the information into income for the app developer. It is also important to note that developers who already monetize their apps through options like in-app advertising can still leverage the Placed Affiliate program to increase their total app revenue.

During this program’s run in private beta, Placed measured almost one billion locations. Now the company is expanding its Affiliate program by inviting developers to participate with this monetization channel. That said, interested developers must receive an invitation to participate, which they can sign up for on the company’s website.

"To date, developers have faced limited options in monetizing their apps, largely restricted to advertising, in-app purchases, or creating a paid version of their app," said David Shim, Founder and CEO at Placed. "Placed Affiliate opens up a new channel of monetization for app developers utilizing the unique element of mobile - location. This incremental revenue helps app developers focus on building the best apps, which ultimately benefits users."

Get Pushy and Track Results

Allison Howen — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Developers have been leveraging Parse to send a half billion push notifications per month to their application users, and now, the app development platform is launching an analytics solution to help its developers obtain insights into their messaging campaigns.

Following the launch of the Parse Push Console for advanced targeting and scheduling of notifications, Parse’s new solution, Push Analytics, enables developers to learn what happens to their messages after they are sent. In fact, the new SDKs allow users to track if their application was launched by a consumer tapping on a push notification, both in real-time and over time.

While existing push customers already have access to the number of users targeted per push as well as graphs that display an app’s pushes over time, the company states that these new tools expose even more detailed information and statistics per push. It is also important to note that the new analytics functionality is not only limited to push notifications, because it allows developers to monitor app opens from within the analytics dashboard too, even if their app isn’t using Parse Push.

Optimize Native Apps With A/B Tests

Allison Howen — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Most Web workers know the importance of testing usability features when building a website, however, this same strategy should also be implemented when building mobile applications.

Luckily, a new service from mobile experience management (MEM) provider Artisan enables users to do just that. Artisan Optimize, which is the first available product from Artisan and currently in public beta, enables clients to test and modify the user experience of native mobile apps with no coding knowledge required. In fact, the Artisan platform enables non-technical marketers, publishers and merchants to manage, understand and enhance apps without having to resubmit them to app stores.

“The Artisan platform for Mobile Experience Management has come a long way in a very short time,” said CEO Bob Moul. “Early beta testers have now reached full production and are regularly updating their native apps to refine and improve the user experience. This is something that’s never been done before. Retailers, marketers and publishers are gaining unprecedented access not only to audience response, but also to the process of updating mobile apps in a real-time environment. Organizations have an opportunity to unleash the full potential of the mobile app experience, learning which app designs are most effective, and how to improve app development for the strongest performance results.”

Not only does Artisan Optimize enable clients to build and distribute A/B tests to users within an app’s existing audience base, but the platform also collects valuable data from individual app users. It is also important to note that the platform features a “click to install” SDK, which means that it is simple to integrate into applications.

General availability of the platform is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2013, and the company notes that future products will add more capabilities in order to create an environment where mobile experiences can be managed without having to write code, recompile or resubmit applications to app stores. Learn more about Artisan’s services that are scheduled to launch in 2013 below:

Artisan Analyze – This platform will enable clients to understand and track every page view and app event.

Artisan Create – Clients can use this service to design and build the user interface of new native mobile apps.

Artisan Personalize – This solution will give clients the ability to segment and target audiences with personalized app experiences.

Artisan Performance Management – Clients will be able to use this platform to monitor performance and adapt app delivery for the best user experience.

12 Top Mobile Apps for Web Workers

Allison Howen — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:00:00 GMT

Today marks the century's last day with a repeating date, and there are many ways that you can choose to celebrate this event.

For example, you could order a dozen doughnuts and eat them all before midnight, grab a 12-pack with some friends and watch the Concert for Sandy Relief or simply score a perfect game by bowling 12 consecutive strikes.

However, the typical professional may not have time for the aforementioned activities in between the daily responsibilities of responding to emails and monitoring website traffic. Luckily, Website Magazine has compiled a list of some of the year’s best mobile applications to help digital professionals more efficiently complete tasks, as well as stay in touch with their business while on the move – which leaves more time for celebrating 12-12-12 and other future events. Check out (you guessed it) 12 of the year's top business apps below:

Facebook Pages Manager

The world’s largest social network focused on improving its mobile offerings in 2012, which included updating its mobile applications, as well as launching a few brand-new apps, such as Facebook Pages Manager. This much-needed app enables users to manage and monitor multiple business profiles while on the go. For example, users can view page insights from the app, post status updates, share photos and reply to private messages. The only downside is that this app is still only available for iOS devices.

Webtrends Today

If you are craving social metrics while away from your desktop (and there were plenty who did in 2012), consider downloading the free Webtrends’ iPad application. This analytics app offers insights into trending data for sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Users simply need to enter their social account credentials to view an iPad-optimized display of data from their social profiles, including engagement metrics, Klout score and follower numbers. Moreover, Webtrends clients can leverage the app to access their Analytics 10 profiles, which allows them to compare performance metrics across digital channels.

Kaon 3D Product Showcase

Shipping products to tradeshows or meetings can be a costly expense, but the 3D Product Showcase application from Kaon Interactive seems to solve that problem. This free app, which is designed for the Nexus 7, enables B2B marketers to visually demonstrate multifaceted products directly from their tablet device. Prospects even have the ability to interact with product details thanks to the app’s rotating, zooming and spinning functionality.

Adobe Edge Inspect

Creating mobile content just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the free Adobe Edge Inspect application for iOS and Android devices. Developers can use this preview and inspection tool to more efficiently create mobile content. After a user has installed Edge Inspect on their desktop computer, they can pair the computer with mobile devices, like smartphones or tablets, and browse in synchronization amongst technologies. Furthermore, pairing the devices allows users to perform remote inspection and debugging so that it is possible to instantly view HTML, CSS or JavaScript changes on mobile devices.

ReachLocal

Keeping up with leads and daily tasks can be a struggle, but ReachLocal’s mobile application can help lighten the load. This free app is available on both iOS and Android devices, and enables users to manage website and advertising leads from the palms of their hands. Users with a ReachLocal account can leverage the app to view real-time alerts for new calls, emails, Web forms and chats. Furthermore, users can also listen, rate and respond to calls from directly within the app. It is also important to note that the app provides users with detailed reports that include metrics such as impressions, visits, click-through rates and social media engagement.

7Search On the Go

Advertisers can monitor their search marketing accounts while on the go thanks to the 7Search mobile application. This free Android app provides advertisers with account overviews and also offers functionality for reviewing campaign performance. Additioanlly, campaign managers can pause and activate individual campaigns from within the app, as well as download campaign and keyword reports. Additionally, advertisers can contact their customer support representative by phone or email with the app’s support tab.

Adobe Color Lava for Photoshop

Adobe offers many mobile applications that can help make the job of a Web designer a little easier, one of which is the Color Lava app for the iPad. Designers can leverage this $2.99 app to create custom colors and color themes with their fingertips, which, with a network connection, can be accessed in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Moreover, users also have the ability to email custom color creations to friends and colleagues through the app.

Pomodroido

The typical professional is distracted multiple times a day during everyday tasks, such as browsing through a newsfeed or sorting through emails. Luckily, apps like Pomodroido are available to help Web workers manage their time better. This free Android app helps users maintain focus by breaking down work periods into 25-minute intervals, which can be adjusted by the user if desired. This app also includes a ranking system, which rewards users based on the work that they complete.

Compete Site Analytics

You never know when you may be in dire need of website traffic metrics, which is why the Compete Site Analytics application is a must-download. This free analytics app for iOS devices brings the popular Web measurement platform, Compete, to mobile devices. The app enables users to view traffic data, such as unique visitor numbers, site rank, month-over-month and year-over-year growth for any searched Web property. Furthermore, the app displays a 12-month trended graph of unique visitors for searched sites.

Textastic

This iPad application enables users to edit text and code for more than 80 programming languages. The $8.99 app is compatible with Textmate syntax definitions and themes, and offers code completion for HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP functions. Other features include Bluetooth keyboard support, customizable font, as well as local and remote Web preview for HTML and Markdown files.

Google Analytics

If the other analytic apps on this list don’t satisfy your analytic addiction, you can always try the Google Analytics app. The search engine giant launched an Android application that extends the services of its popular analytics platform to mobile devices. The free app displays the most current metrics and information from a user’s Google Analytics profile, including real-time statistics and customizable dashboards.

Salesforce Chatter

Stay connected with colleagues from any location with the Salesforce Chatter application for iOS and Android devices. Users simply need to sign up for a free Chatter account on Chatter.com for access to this enterprise social network. Once a member, users can view co-worker updates, assemble posts, share photos, view documents and links, as well as find and follow people or groups within an organization. Furthermore, the app enables users to email co-workers directly and communicate with colleagues via FaceTime.

User-Generated Photo Galleries on Display

Allison Howen — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:57:00 GMT

It is no secret that visual content, such as images and videos, help increase engagement rates on websites. Finding an elegant way to fit this type of content into a site, however, can be daunting.

Luckily, companies can leverage a new application from Echo and Chute, which enables users to integrate user-generated content into websites and apps. The Chute Media Gallery app is powered by Echo and provides marketers and publishers with a unique way to feature real-time photo walls about any topic on their sites.

“People are producing visual content about brands every day,” said Khris Loux, co-founder and CEO of Echo. “Chute Media Galleries provide an easy and efficient way to instantly harness this content and use it to create engaging, real-time experiences for websites, microsites or as part of marketing and advertising programs.”

The Chute Media Gallery app is currently available in Echo’s App Ecosystem. Users can leverage the app to create photo galleries for a specific hashtag, search term or user account. The photos can be generated from a user’s local harddrive, or from photo sites like Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Twitter and Instagram.

It is also important to note that the Echo platform provides Chute's app with a few important capabilities, such as automatic spam filtering and advanced moderation controls. The photos within the galleries are displayed in a pinboard-style layout that includes social features, such as the ability to comment, like or reply to each photo. Additionally, content and updates are featured in real-time, so that pages don’t need to be refreshed.

“This app by Chute is just the latest in a series of apps in our app ecosystem,” said Chris Saad, Echo co-founder. “We invite all developers to work with us to add their apps to the echo app store.”

HootSuite's Autoschedule Goes Mobile

Allison Howen — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:15:00 GMT

Social media management just got a whole lot easier.

This is because HootSuite has updated its mobile applications to include Autoschedule functionality, which allows social media managers to automate posting times directly from their mobile device.

This feature is simple to use and will undoubtedly be very helpful to the 3.75 million users who have downloaded Hootsuite’s mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. Users simply need to access the schedule icon after a message has been composed, toggle the Autoschedule switch to “on” and schedule a posting time. Then, the scheduled messages will appear in the Pending Tweets stream.

It is also important to note that aside from Autoschedule, HootSuite launched a few additional updates for its apps, including push notifications, better navigational features for the Android app and an updated iOS layout that is optimized for the iPhone5.

Stop Shipping, Start Showcasing

Allison Howen — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:00:00 GMT

If you want a more cost effective way to showcase your products while on the go, you might want to check out the new 3D product app from Kaon Interactive.

The product marketing provider launched an interactive app for the Nexus 7 tablet, which enables B2B marketers to demonstrate large products to prospects directly from their tablet device. Additionally, the Kaon 3D Product App features rotating, zooming and spinning features, which allows customers to easily interact with details of complex products.

By showcasing high-definition 3D product models on a tablet, companies can better engage with clients and drive sales while also eliminating the high costs connected with shipping products to sales meetings or trade shows.

“The tablet market is poised for robust growth and the slim form factor and price point of the Nexus 7 is perfect for the fast-growing B2B marketplace,” said Gavin Finn, Kaon Interactive’s President and CEO. “We see Google as an industry innovator, and as a thought leader in our target markets, therefore we wanted Kaon to be the first to deploy 3D product marketing applications to millions of users on the new Android tablet devices.”

Safely Deploy HTML5-Based Mobile Apps in the Cloud

Michael Garrity — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 20:17:00 GMT

appMobi, a provider of cloud-based HTML5 mobile development and deployment tools and services, has officially announced a licensable enterprise version of it’s mobile app development and cloud services stack.

The new service, privateStack, was built to aid businesses, government agencies and other organizations in completing mobile application deployments with end-to-end control for enhanced security and more. Many of appMobi’s enterprise customers had expressed interest in creating hybrid, Web-based mobile apps for different audiences, including sales teams, services technicians, executives, operations personnel and customers.

Hybrid apps tend to appeal to enterprises because of how much they simplify app creation and deployment using HTML5, as opposed to the more arcane languages (e.g. Objective C) used by native app developers. However, these requests were often hampered by concerns about data security, service quality and the general difficulty of distributing corporate apps in public app stores. Thus, appMobi came up with privateStack to address these problems. It will provide enterprise CTOs with the ability to support native-quality, cross-platform, HTML5-based mobile apps with total control over hosting geography, security, user authentication and gateways into corporate data silos.

privateStack comes with all of appMobi’s HTML5 development tools for hybrid development with both appMobi and PhoneGap, as well as all of the features from appMobi’s cloud services platform, including authentication, rich media push messaging, mobile app analytics, remote app updates, in-app purchasing, gamification and social network interfaces.

All privateStack applications can be built into iOS and Android store-ready apps or deployed on secure corporate intranets. The service is offered by appMobi as an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) for top-tier update and rapid, seamless scalability. It’s also offered in both managed and custom configurations.

Customers interested in hosting privateStack on their personal corporate data centers can do so thanks to the availability of enterprise source licensing.

Free Apps Dominate the Market

Allison Howen — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:30:00 GMT

If your company is thinking about launching a mobile application, it might want to have a starting price of free – at least if it wants to have a better chance of being downloaded.

This is because a recent study from Gartner reveals that worldwide mobile app downloads are expected to surpass 45.6 billion in 2012, however, free apps will make up 40.1 billion of those downloads – meaning that free apps are predicted to account for 89 percent of total app downloads in 2012.

"In terms of the apps that consumers are buying, 90 percent of the paid-for downloads cost less than $3 each," said Sandy Shen, Research Director at Gartner. "Similar to free apps, lower-priced apps will drive the majority of downloads. Apps between 99 cents and $2.99 will account for 87.5 percent of paid-for downloads in 2012, and 96 percent by 2016."

Nevertheless, developers can still monetize their apps by using an in-app purchase model. This is because consumers are more likely to download a free app and decide to spend money on in-app purchases if they receive a good user experience. In fact, Gartner’s study predicts that the number of downloads featuring in-app purchases will increase from 5 percent of total downloads in 2011 to 30 percent in 2016, which will lead to in-app purchases driving 41 percent of app store revenue by 2016.

But for those who need further proof that mobile has already arrived as a major player in the tech industry, the study also reveals that Apple’s App Store is expected to have more than 21 billion downloads in 2012 – which is a 74 percent increase compared to 2011. But it is also important to note that Gartner analysts claim that aside from major global app stores, such as Apple's App Store and Google Play, some third-party stores are gaining steam by using their brands to attract users or take advantage of the lack of dominant players in some markets.

"Amazon has appealed to users with its strong brand, global presence and a good selection of high-quality content while Facebook's recently launched App Center — supporting both mobile devices and desktops — will become a powerful competitor due to its strong brand and leading position in social networking and gaming," said Shen. "In China, there is a boom market of independent Android stores, due to the lack of presence of Google Play and 'weak' stores from CSPs. We expect to see more new entrants to the market, aiming to deepen relationships with their customers and/or to capture some of this growth market."

While only time will tell which apps, brands and stores will rise to the top of the Mobile World, one thing is for certain – no price beats free.

Check out Gartner's graph below to view more of the study's app download insights:

Quickly Test Mobile Design Elements with Plunk

Allison Howen — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:20:00 GMT

Usability is everything – especially when it comes to mobile.

But creating a design that is truly user friendly requires an abundance of testing. This is where Plunk comes in handy. Plunk is a free Web app from ZURB that enables users to create click tests for design elements of a mobile app or website.

These tests reveal a lot about the usability of your mobile design, because they show where an audience clicks in response to a direct request. For instance, one Plunk example from Foursquare asks its audience to check into their current location. Once an audience member starts the test, they are presented with Foursquare’s app and have the opportunity to quickly click the requested call-to-action button.

In order to start testing with Plunk, users must visit plunkapp.com and upload a screen of a mobile Web page or application. Then, the test administrator can drag and drop a hot spot over the target that will be tested. After setup is complete, administrators can share the test, which is available for 48 hours, via email and social media in order to gather results. Then, test administrators can visit their reports page to view how many testers clicked the right location, which can help them decide if their site or mobile app’s design needs to be modified.

Full-Screen Banner Ads Come to AppsGeyser

Allison Howen — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:30:00 GMT

AppsGeyser, the free Android application building platform, is helping developers monetize their apps with the launch of full-screen banner ads.

The company decided to launch full-screen banner ads after preliminary testing revealed that when full-screen ads were run upon opening an app, revenues for the app increased tenfold. This is especially true for "once-a-day" apps, such as a weather app, which users typically only open for a short period of time everyday.

In order to activate the ads, developers will need to qualify for monetization, and then select the full screen option in the Monetize Apps tab. It is also important to note that full-screen ads will be in addition to banner ads, not instead of banner ads. For developers who aren't sure whether the full-screen ads are a good fit for their app, AppsGeyser recommends testing it out by creating more than one version of the app and analyzing which version obtains more revenue per user.

"Giving developers a free Android app builder to ease development is only the first step in our process,” says AppsGeyser Co-founder Vasily Salomatov. “We measure our success by the success of our developers. We're eager to help more developers increase their revenues by a factor of ten!"

Create an iPad App with DIY Magazine Publishing Platform

Allison Howen — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 06:00:00 GMT

By now we all know how important it is to have a mobile presence, yet this task is still easier said than done.

However, that does not have to be the case – especially for content publishers who leverage the DIY app-publishing platform MAZ.

MAZ is a New-York based startup that enables content publishers to roll out iPad apps in as little as 15 minutes. The company’s core platform, MagAppZine, is targeted toward magazine publishers, but the company also has two new platforms that are currently in beta – BookApps and CatalogApps.

Publishers can upload PDF files into MAZ to create content for their app. MAZ apps include in-app web browsing, Twitter access and built-in social sharing buttons, as well as come with a built-in web browser and media player so that publishers can add an unlimited number of links and multimedia items into their apps. Users also have the ability to preview apps on their iPad before they are published.

All MAZ apps take advantage of iOS 5 features, including the ability for users to add in-app purchasing, in-app subscriptions, Newsstand integration, push notifications, background downloading and automatic issue metadata updates to their apps. Once an application is created, users simply hit submit and MAZ takes care of the rest, including dealing with platform providers like Apple, to get the app launched. Furthermore, MAZ users have the ability to add advertisements within their apps, and are also fully equipped with analytics and reporting so that they can monitor their app's metrics.

Publishers can try the platform for free, however plans to create one app normally cost $299 a month. This package offers users the ability to upload an unlimited amount of issues, make an unlimited amount of changes to their app, add as many links and multimedia items as desired, and offers unlimited access to MAZStatz.

Break Out of Your Creative Cage

Michael Garrity — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:45:00 GMT

One of the really great things about working on the Web is that it can be done from pretty much anywhere, as long as there is some kind of connection. This, of course, has its downsides, particularly when it comes to collaborative projects.

Many companies have tried to find a solution to this problem by creating tools aimed at these professional teams that may not always be within the immediate proximity of one another.

One such tool is Cage, a brand new collaboration application that allows creative teams to present their work for feedback and approval. The app just recently launched its public beta version.

Creative professionals can use the application to easily upload and present files, but they can do far more than that. It also allows them to manage tasks, organize revisions, and receive approvals form team members in a single environment. The public beta version is undergoing a massive redesign and interface redevelopment, as well as introducing a multitude of new or improved features.

Some of these enhancements include the ability to manage, assign, and complete tasks within the app, in-app sharing, a video player with the ability to offer frame-by-frame feedback, support for a wide variety of file types, customizable email notifications, an archive of inactive products, and more.

Since its private beta release in 2011, Cage has been utilized by over 20,000 creative professionals, including employees of Marvel Comics, Electronic Arts, Target, Twitter, and more.

Manage Search Marketing Campaigns On the Go

Allison Howen — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Manage your search marketing account on the go with the new Android campaign management app from online advertising network 7Search.com.

The 7Search On the Go app is available for free in the Google Play Store and marks a milestone for the search marketing industry because it is currently the only option for a mobile campaign management solution. The app was created because of a rising demand for productivity apps, which is due to the continued growth and usage of smartphones as media consumption devices.

“We work with quite a few digital agencies that have multiple 7Search accounts," says David Figueroa, the company's director of customer service and support. “Being able to monitor campaign progress and view performance reports on the go is essential for digital campaign managers. This app lets you do just that and more. 7Search On the Go makes our customer support staff available to advertisers no matter where they are.”

The application provides advertisers with basic functionality such as an overview of their accounts and a look at their campaigns. Campaign managers can also use the app to pause and activate individual campaigns, download a PDF of campaign and keyword reports, as well as email reports directly from the app.

Additionally, users can contact customer support by phone or email while on the move if needed, via the app’s support tab.