Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Thursday, May 23, 2013

App tips and tricks for developers in 2013

Anton Faulconbridge of RantMedia writes:

2013 promises to be an exciting year for the app industry. With the number of smartphone users almost on par with laptop, desktop and tablet users, this is a crucial time for app developers to bring fresh and innovative material to the table.

Whilst many industries are drying out, the smartphone technology sector continues to flourish and a wave of app developers who sit up and take notice of new trends are likely to do well compared with slapdash competitors. Let’s take a look at some savvy tips and tricks to stay ahead of the game in 2013.

1. Flat design matters

You know those skeuomorphic designs which try to replicate real life as much as possible?  Yeahh. Don’t do that. If you’re wondering what the heck skeuomorphic stands for, it’s basically a design interface which aims to look exactly like real-life counterparts. For example, the notes app on the iPhone is designed to replicate a real note book and comes complete with a lined paper and a border design.

These old fuddy duddy designs are slowly being driven out by a new wave of ‘flat design’ interfaces which are minimalist, functional and altogether more sophisticated.

2. Take advantage of push notifications & location

One trick mobile app developers don’t want to miss is integration of location services and push notifications. Of course, GPS and push notifications are old news in their tradigital sense, but used in new ways can provide a more targeted service.

Push notifications which alert the user without the app being opened are a great tool for pushing your app, one example being social media notifications such as retweets, new followers and likes.

When you have a high number of apps on your smartphone device it’s easy to forget they are there. Location services are useful in this way, for example if a user lives in Cardiff and is signed up to a deals website, they could receive push notifications about deals in the area.

3. Buttons are old news

Whilst we may never tire of that 2005 Chemical Brothers album, Push the Button, we’re eight years on and it’s time to revolutionise the way we use buttons, at least in an app sense.

There are many ways to enhance the user experience and move away from usual button methods, multi-touch functions such as swipe and pinch will give your app an edge. The main challenge for an app developer is to incorporate new techniques without taking away from the user experience.

4. Quality takes time

Getting your app to the top of the app store list is no easy feat, it’s a saturated market out there. Producing high quality apps is one sure fire way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. Although there are costs and extra time involved in producing high quality apps, this increases your potential of being popular with users and the chance of a worthwhile ROI.

Anton Faulconbridge is the director of RantMedia, an app development agency in Cardiff. Anton divides his time between training up app developers in Cardiff and sharing advice with the World Wide Web!
Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Categories: Applications, OpinionNumber of views: 18705

Tags: opinion location applications user interface

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 24th June 2013

More of the same

Mark Bridge writes:

Another week, another couple of product announcements from Samsung. There appears to be no stopping them, despite a recent drop in the company’s share price.

This time it’s a couple of tablets – one of which runs both Android and Windows 8 – and a 20 megapixel camera that’s got a 4G-enabled Android device built in.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Last week at The Fonecast: 17th June 2013

Making the network truly mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

The telecommunications industry was making plenty of headlines last week – but much of it wasn’t particularly upbeat.

The debate about privacy and security continued in the wake of allegations about US agents intercepting internet traffic. Meanwhile, Nokia prepared to make its last Symbian smartphones and Tradedoubler warned that mobile devices were having a negative effect on high-street consumer loyalty.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

How to shield from internet snooping

George Putic of voanews.com writes:

When news broke about U.S. government agencies collecting metadata about its citizens’ Internet and phone communications, many were surprised by its scope. The surveillance covered a vast number of Internet messages and phone calls. The government did not deny the action but pointed out that the collected data contained, not the substance of the communication, but the so-called metadata.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Giving it all away

Paying with our privacy

Mark Bridge writes:

There’s been a lot of talk recently about PRISM, which may allow the US National Security Agency - and anyone they choose - to access some of our personal online information if it passes through the USA. It’s unclear exactly what (if anything) is being shared with whom… and given the nature of national security, we may never know.

However, alongside the possibility of governments seeing information we thought was secure, it’s also worth pointing out that we choose to share plenty of online information ourselves.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

6 things you need to know about mobile research, smartphone rumours and imaginary new products

Mark Bridge writes:

Where did it all go wrong?  When did the mainstream mobile industry start to slide away from innovation and into repetitive nonsense?  For a while I suspected the downloadable ringtone was to blame. Just days after hearing 'Barbie Girl' on the mobile phone of a man from Vodafone Value Added Services in the late 1990s, I'd downloaded a poptastic tune to my own Nokia 2110. Soon, the entire mobile world was focussed on 30-second instrumentals instead of technical innovation. It was the beginning of the end.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First1415161719212223Last

Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
12345678910Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«May 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
293012345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement