Tag: Mobile Web

Posted on

Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean – Android Operating Systems

I’ve had an Android mobile phone for several years and have upgraded to  Motorola Droid Razr Max and like it. Just recently Verizon upgraded my operating system to Ice Cream Sandwich. If you have an Android tablet or phone, you know the terminology – Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean – all names of Android operating systems. Sounds yummy, but for users can sometimes be confusing.

With Apple’s lawsuits and push to strangle Android, I feel that Ice Cream Sandwich was a push to differentiate the Android platform from Apple’s. Case in point is the screen opening action that Ice Cream Sandwich now requires. No more slide – that’s Apples’ now you have a circle and click options in a circle. There are other changes that Ice Cream Sandwich has brought about as well such as new app and interface actions and new ways to customize your phone. If you want to get the most from your Android phone Motorola has a nice tutorial on Ice Cream Sandwich so you can check to make sure you are up to speed.

Here are a few nuggets:

  1. Widgets have really changed some of the ones you may have loved like the separate icons for GPS and Airplane mode are gone and are now combined into one power widget.
  2. There are many more options for customization and improved ability to manage and remove apps.
  3. Social widgets have changed and now are found in apps that you can drag to your three home screens. In fact you’ll have fewer home screens than Gingerbread so use the apps screen more frequently.
  4. You have more control over the four spots in your favorites tray at the bottom of all screens.
  5. Updates now show ads. Sigh, I hate this one, but clearly with Google’s big push to mobile advertising this must have been a must have for them in creating the Android up grade. It’s the carrot and stick – woo you in with candy and then hit you on the head with advertising.

Overall, it took me a bit to get used to and I am not sure I like the operating system any better than Gingerbread but you do have some nice new options. Plus it sure looks like Google is trying to differentiate the Android operating system to prevent potential legal problems with Apple.

Posted on

Widgetbox Mobile App Builder Reviewed

Scan to see my app.

In this blog post I’ll review the Widgetbox Mobile App Builder.

Have you been dying to get into the Mobile App game? Widgetbox has created a point and click mobile app builder that you can offer to users for download. I created one that you can check out, but it is only available for viewing until June 24th. You may need to view it in Google Chrome or with your smartphone.

At Widgetbox you add your blog, social networks, and can create custom pages. Widgetbox then creates a simple, cool, app for smartphones. The kicker is that to have the app for more than the free 14 day period, you’ve got to pay $25 a month for the starter program, $50 a month for the upgrade version, or $100 for the premium version. That’s just a bit pricey for me to pay for something I am just playing around with.

Although not everyone wants a mobile app for their business, some businesses may just want bragging rights. You don’t have to have your app in the iTunes store or Google Play for people to get it. You can promote your app on your own website via a download link or using a QR code.

I for one think that the apps is very cool and the Widgetbox website was super easy to use, but the price per month was a deal killer for me. Now if the price had been $5 a month of even $10 a month, I probably would have bought it for bragging rights, but $25 was just too much for what I would use the app for. However, you may really like the options and integration that they have so this application is definitely worth a closer look for your own personal needs.

Keep an eye out for other cool click and create apps for mobile as there is real growth in this arena for the future.

P.S. Widgetbox did not pay me for this review, I just found their site, liked what I saw, and wanted to share it with you.

Posted on

Smartphones Are Changing the World as We Know It

We thought that the invention of the Internet was the most life changing thing to happen in our lifetime, but I am here to tell you that smartphones are the next big change driver. It just takes a few weeks of using a smartphone to know that the Web will never be the same and that the future is in the integration of the Mobile Web with the Internet.

In fact while you are reading this post, I will be up in NYC using my smartphone to help my family navigate the subways, find places to eat, secure tickets to events, and follow an itinerary mapped out by an Android application called  mTrip. I consider my Motorola DroidX smartphone such a revolutionary tool that my head is simply spinning with the future possibilities.

Here’s just an example of what I mean when I say smartphones are revolutionizing the world.

  • I downloaded mTrip. Planned our NYC itinerary with it. Used it to actually plan out each day based on activity level, types of things we were interested in, and our dates of visit, and location. We are able to follow an itinerary, get directions to get us from one location to another by walking or subway. We can find shops or places to eat by simply clicking virtual view and then holding the phone out and turning in a circle. Highlights appear on the screen over images shown on the phones camera. Click a highlight and see photos of the restaurant interior, pricing, menu, and even review specials or discounts.
  • I downloaded the subway maps for NYC so we could see the stop names by line and even watch for service delays by train or line number. There’ll be no delays for my group, we will simply work around the problems.
  • I browsed for several other travel apps like tripadvisor, GuidePal, and other NYC subway apps. With nearly one click I now have phone numbers, locations, and even coupon codes for dining specials.
  • On top of that we won’t ever be lost as I have Google Maps and full navigation on my Droid. What better way to be an out of town traveler than to have all the information you need in your pocket or purse for a terrific experience based on what you want to see and do.

With information at your fingertips where ever you are with your smartphone you are connected to the world. I consider this technology revolutionary in scope and know that the Mobile Web for smartphones will forever change our world for the better.

Posted on

QR Codes Explained

QR Code to our Website
QR Code to our Website

You’ve seen them before, the funny square images on print pages and in magazines; they’re called QR Codes or Quick Response Codes. Scan the one to the right and it will take your mobile smartphone to our website’s home page.

QR Codes are not new, but they are gaining importance with more users accessing the Web with 3G and 4G technology on their smartphones. Similar to a bar code used by retailers to scan at checkout, QR Codes however are two dimensional graphics that can hold thousands of characters of information. This makes them the perfect way to direct users to online content quickly.

If you’ve seen funny colored graphics that look like Indian Blankets, these are Microsoft’s proprietary versions of QR Codes and are called MS Tags. They however need a special Microsoft reader to decode and in today’s mobile world may have limited use.

There are plenty of free QR code scanners, generators, and readers. I have one for my Droid phone called QR Droid that works great. With any mobile QR app, you take a picture of the QR code and the app then lets you select the appropriate action based on the information embedded in the QR Code. Scan ours with your phone and you’ll go our website home page.

In the next few days I’ll be writing about how you can use QR codes for SEO and for integrating your website onto the mobile Web.