Industries – Page 18

Why Education Apps are the Future of Learning

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

The traditional art of learning has witnessed a huge change with the introduction of technology. The old system restricted new changes in the modes and methods of teaching and there was no questioning the supreme authority of teachers.

Modern day teachers are facilitators rather than authoritarians. Also the student status has changed from that of passive listeners to active contributors of self development.

This change in view towards imparting education was accompanied in the last few years by research and growth of the education app development industry.

There are thousands of apps being developed and launched in order to provide assistance to formal education in schools and colleges.

What awaits Education?

We cannot just predict the future of education and learning from plain guesses or draw non-objective conclusions. Education as we know it today had very humble beginnings.

Our reservoir of knowledge in every stream was the result of our predecessors’ continuous effort to innovate and discover.

Later, at least in several countries this process came to a halt, and the only meaning that the word education carried with it for a lot of people became memorizing and retaining what had been memorized.

Read also : Best Educational Apps For Kids

There was no need for innovations or individuality in learning. Curiosity and critical thinking were only required limitedly.

Education app development is a highly demanding task in itself. They should be appropriate to the age group and should match with the curriculum and the needs of each individual child.

So it is important that you contact the right Educational app development company to deliver your apps that will cater to your specific educational needs.

Taking Educational apps to the Future

Nowadays, majority of students in developed countries are smartphone owners. Mobile devices have drifted from luxury items list to essential items list.

It will not be a wonder when in the future, education will be commonly provided through an electronic only medium. Each student will have their own device which is either owned or provided by their institution.

As of now, educational app learning is not intended to be an educational method in itself but rather it is supposed to complement the existing ways. Students can take advantage of learning at their convenience with these apps.

Self-teaching and anytime-learning are all positives of learning with apps. The way students learn is diverse and mobile apps provide this flexibility.

Role of Teachers and Parents

Teachers, parents and students should be aware of the changing trends in the industry. The major ones emerging now is going cloud and being social.

Smart devices with educational apps installed on them have the potential to replace notebooks and textbooks. It will altogether change the prevalent concepts of classrooms and the ways students are taught.

Students and teachers can locate themselves locally or globally and be a member of the same school or university.

Educational apps provide many benefits to students which include convenience and fun elements while learning. As mobile devices overtake computers, could these apps be the future of learning?

Everything is available in a Single Device

In virtual methods, children are expected to start learning when they feel at any time in the day as the notes would be available on the app and you need not have to wait for a class or lecture.

Educational apps promote self-learning as they are handy and provides a wider range of information on a single device.

Organised Learning

Before, learning was documented via paper, extensive files etc. Educational apps, however, allow learning in a smart and systematic way. Files are saved online in an organised manner and are easily accessible for learners.

Apps provide enhanced learning experience for the students as compared to the regular classes. This enables them to take more interest in all the subjects, even the ones which they found boring earlier.

Beneficial For all Users

While educational apps are beneficial to children, parents and teachers can also get benefited from these apps. Teachers can use apps to organise their teaching plans to make classes more interactive. Apps are easy to alter and update, essentially giving users more time to spend on learning.

With the use of cloud technology, information can be stored and retrieved universally. Teachers can share learning aids such as pictures, PDFs, videos, podcasts etc.

Online which can be accessed from the student’s smartphone or tablet. They can also grade their student’s assignments and projects likewise.

Education app development holds to be the future in education, where students can learn from anywhere and teachers can teach from anywhere.

Overall, educational apps have certainly improved self-learning, as they are convenient, easy and provide a range of different learning styles, in and out of the classroom. So, definitely education apps can move on to be the future of learning in coming years.

Also Check : Latest Updated Educational Apps Directory List

Augmented Reality in Games

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Augmented reality being one of the greatest technological innovation, affected the mobile app development world big time, especially the gaming industry. It can be used on any devices ranging from smart phone to camera’s. But for augmented reality to work properly there should be an element of reality. This can be done by using a wide television screen or by physically being in the situation. The device you use will superimpose images over reality to create a unique and interactive world.

According to Global AR Gaming Market, AR gaming industry will grow at a CAGR of approximately 151.43% by 2021. Which is a delightful news for all those AR enthusiasts spread across the world..

Impact of Augmented Reality In Games

While AR can be used in almost all aspects of life, it is more often used for gaming purposes. As the feature is gaining a lot of attention among the gamers, several mobile game development companies have come forward offering display devices that help in enhancing the gaming experience. Even Google has released Google Glass, An optical display which can be worn as eye glasses.

Different devices like Wii and Play station offer features to augment reality games where players take on a role and use physical actions to control the movements and actions during the game. This technology is generally used in fighting games, sports games and in online gambling games where players are likely to have a complete control over the game using an AR device.

For gamers and developers, augmented reality opens a lot of new chances of creativity. Mobile games which were usually played on screens can now be played on any surrounding in accordance with the convenience of the player.

AR games are deeply getting implemented in the gaming industry and have different categories like:

1) Strategy-based AR games
2) AR shooting games
3) Sport AR games
4) Geo-location based AR games
5) Table games and Card AR games
6) RPG AR Games
7) AR Quest Games
8) Casino Gambling AR Games

Strategy-Based Games

Creating strategies, fighting with enemies, building cities etc. are the categories that are involved in strategy games i.e. the strategy of the game is combined with reality to bring in a greater experience to the user.

1) Parallel Kingdom: This AR game comes with the feature of strategy. The game enables the player to conquer territories based on his/her location.

AR Shooting Games

AR shooting games allows the player to defend as well as attack in a fierce manner, mainly gunfights as the category suggests

1) Zombie GO: Zombie based games are quite a hit in the gaming industry. This game brings the zombie destructions in real-time. Throughout the game, zombies pop out in every corner to aim at you. The player needs to fight the zombies with the different weapons provided.

Zombie GO is available in Android

2) Real Strike: This is a real life shooting game that includes highly realistic environment and real animations. The user can even record fights and create videos by their own. This game is available on iOS 4.0 and updated versions.

Sport Games

If you are a real sports fan, then you will certainly like the possibility for games in augmented reality. In AR based sport games you’ll be able to play different sports like cricket, football and basketball right at your workplace or anywhere you are.

1) Run An Empire: This is an augmented reality game that will certainly turn you into a regular runner. Here, the player can conquer lands, gain levels, invade land of other players and claim the earned profits. The more you run, the more land you gain.

2) Zombies Run: The main mission of this game is to complete tasks through running or walking. Here the player needs to collect items while running from zombies that chase you.

Geo-Location AR Games

Geo-location games are the most thrilling class in augmented reality games. They use locations and the real maps in the game to augment fantastic creatures and other real life features for the players. Using smart phones that enable GPS, the player can move around and perform tasks.

1) Pokemon GO: This is one of the remarkable gaming project which brought more popularity among gamers. The game became so popular that it even won Guinness records which got to the top list of the highest earning games on last year.

The game based on geo-location shows the battlefield in real environment. Here, players need to catch, train Pokemon to later fight with pets and other opponents.

2) Parallel Mafia: Parallel Mafia game allows you to be in a world which is ruled by criminals. While playing the game, you become the boss of the criminal group in the game you have created.

3) Temple Treasure Hunt: This game is generally meant for myth and mystery lovers. Temple treasure hunt uses Indian mythology based characters which work with the location using a real map. The player can choose roles of either a treasure hunter or a treasure protector while playing.

4) Geo AR Games: Geo AR game can be used by both children and adults. During the game, the player can easily turn city park, gardens etc. into an impressive world with beautiful landscapes and animals. Within the game, players get an opportunity to create fairy tales by their own at beautiful places.

Table Games and Card Games

Such games are one player or multi-player supporting. Here, the table/floor used by the player acts as the battlefield.

1) Genesis: It is a unique card game based on augmented reality. With the help of the AR technology, Characters in the cards comes to life and will attack the opponent card character. you can see this magic through a your mobile phone. All you have to do is download the app and focus your camera directly to the card.

2) Toy Car RC: It is a simple race game for kids. The major character in the game is a car named Wheely’ which travels around the whole world, through space etc. to complete missions

Some of the other table and card augmented reality games include AR Defender 2, PulzAR, Warp Runner etc.

Horror Games: Augmented reality based horror games are highly immersive, binaural and more photo-realistic which are usually played after dark at home with lights off and headphones on.

1) Night Terror: The Night Terror is a scary game controls what you see, hear and where you go. The game transforms your surroundings into a horror film scenery where ghosts hide behind every corner.

RPG(Role Playing Game) Augmented Reality Games

In RPG augmented reality games, the player takes the role of a fictional character who undertakes the hunt in the real-world. An important factor is that the game works according to the players imagination.

RPG games became more popular with the introduction of the game the, Warcraft. Dispersion is another RPG augmented reality game for iOS, Android by using Google glasses and Microsoft HoloLens.

AR Quest Games

These fascinating games allow you to search treasures across the countryside or the neighbourhood.

1) Invizimals: The Resistance: Here the player needs to hunt for creatures all around. The aim is to find all the 150 invizimals and save the creatures from being extinct.

2) Geocaching: This game is considered to be the largest treasure hunting AR game in which the treasure is hunted in the hidden places around the planet.

Casino Gambling AR Games

Casino Gambling AR games were the best introduction to the online casino gambling industry. Here the players can enjoy games in real time from a studio or any other location. Such AR games provide the opportunity to interact and play with live players and game dealers.

To give the players a more lively experience, Google has introduced augmented eye wears and 360 degree cameras that will help players to step into action and enjoy gambling.

Conclusion

Even though augmented reality was introduced a few years back, and is still in developing stage. It manages to make ripples in the gaming world. This cutting edge technology seems to have a great future in all fields. One of the top social networking site, Facebook is now working on a platform that supports augmented reality games and location-based features.

As mobile game development is taking more steps closer to augmented reality, there can be amazing possibilities in future not only for gaming apps but also for other mobile apps. Overtime, AR would definitely become an important factor that will bring change on how we use our smart phones and eventually other technologies.

12 Points to be Kept in Mind for Developing Apps for Children

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Mobile app development companies who are into app creation for children must approach things in a different way. In order to make a kid’s app successful, the developer must look at it from a child’s perspective and cater features according to their needs. Apps for children needs to be stimulating, engaging, entertaining, creative, exploratory and at the same time it should also be informative.

Anyhow, there are certain tips and basic rules which app developers need to focus on while making an app which might make the process devoid of confusion.

Before creating an app, certain key points are to be kept in mind, they are:

1) Determination of Goal

To start up any app, the primary importance is to determine the goal which must be set by keeping in mind the specific requirements for children. There are different categories of app for children such as games app, story book apps, maths and phonics apps, educational apps, quiz apps, creative apps etc.

Every company should remember that their idea must be original and unique since competition is high. Most of the renowned kids brands who are new to the app world are now focusing more on making kids apps. Companies such as Nickelodeon, Disney, Penguin, Mattel and Moshi Monsters etc. have already set foot on to the mobile app industry.

The more original your idea is, the more your app will stand out in the mobile market. It’s important to keep apps relatively simple and intuitive. Avoid unnecessary manual settings to the app that make children confused.

Be it a fun, positive engaging or educational app, ultimately parents are the ones who choose the right app for their children, so it is important that developers appeal them as well.

2) Age group must be specified

First of all, make a clear idea that for whom are you creating the app. Is it for small children, teens or for all age groups? The age group you’re aiming at can determine many things related to an app. Ineractivity, look and feel, marketing strategy, price, privacy & information, store category etc. are some of them.

To seek help in this issue you have IARC. IARC (International Age Rating Coalition) is a system of age marking which promotes relevant content ratings and this can help on improving app engagement by targeting the right audience for your content.

To upload an app to Google Play Store developers need to fill in a questionnaire for the automated-age-based rating system, which will then be reviewed by IARC members.

3) UX(User experience) and UI (User Interface) in app for children

UX and UI are a critical part of a kids app. Designers need to concentrate on specifications that can emulate the kind of experience a child gets while playing with real toys. Such apps should be able to capture the attention of children by making it easy to interact with the app. UI or UX is said to be the vital element of any mobile app because design attracts users and keeps it more user-friendly.

Points to be remembered regarding UI and UX

• Kids app should be generally colourful, bright, engaging and sort of funny
• It should incorporate cool 3D effects, textures, sound, fun buttons etc
• Should have a clear menu, bigger text that is easily understandable.
• Loud sound effects and large icons help kids to connect with the app better.
• Actions like swipe, tap, drag and drop can be included
• Feedback like vibration, animation or any sound effect to let the kids know that they have performed an action

4) Choose the Right Platform

Some features for a mobile app might be exclusive for iOS, however, others prefer Android platform because its more appealing to children. But finding the best platform seems to be a difficult task for developers.

The availability of different screen sizes, external hardware devices, easy monitoring etc. makes Android more beneficial when compared to iOS.

iOS prevents kids from installing, deleting and making in-app s whereas Android impose limits to mobile phone usage, block callers and testers and get reports how they use the app. UI/UX of Android and iOS app are different because there are many features that are custom build in iOS which might not be seen in Android.

Being an open source, any feature can be implemented to during Android app development but for iOS, there are several restrictions due to which developers have to think before choosing this platform.

5) Participatory Design

Participatory design or co-design is a simple method to analyze how children see the world. This can involve gathering children of different age groups, usually ranging from 6 to 12, providing them craft supplies and allow them to come up with their own creative designs for your app. This can help designers and developers to get ideas and suggestions from children and also understand the feeling a child has to a particular topic.

6) Make it Colourful

Its a known fact that kids love the colour and they expect the apps they use also to be colorful. Try to make the app bright and engaging. Experiment new things and make sure that things are made clear rather than just stuffing it up. Design should contain interactive elements such as buttons which could have a simple white outline/drop shadow, a background that should be sparkling and wiggle.

7) Content should be kept fresh

When kids get to know that new contents are being added on a regular basis, the retention will be higher, as they get more excited to return back to the app and explore new features. To increase usage, content widgets are a great idea. KIDOZ SDK, is a kid content discovery platform, where apps can be integrated in just minutes.

8) Provide a real-world experience

Children will always be intrigued by everything around them. Games that help kids to explore are quite popular among kids. Such games can also help them to learn about real life facts and experiences.

9) Include feedback options

A great user experience is attained only when the actual aim of making a particular app is accomplished. Adding options like music, rewards, timers, count-downs etc. can entertain children and push them to continue playing. A feedback mechanism is necessary because kids tend to make mistakes and learn from that.

10) Inappropriate Advertisement/ In-app s

Parents are always concerned when their kids start using mobile phones. Their main worry is about how safe it is for kids to use this technology. Children will be tempted to stuffs from app and they can be exposed to inappropriate contents. If a company wish to flourish in kid’s app creation. It would be better for them to keep away from creating this kind of things.

While creating an app, developers should keep this in mind and promote more user-friendly apps. Fortunately, almost all mobile app development companies includes built-in parental control tools that help parents to know what ads or in-app s should be provided while your child is using the phone.

• In iOS systems there are tools that can limit the mobile functioning. Passwords can be set for various features like switching off certain apps, installation and removal of apps
• Android also offers parent control on apps use or a user account with chosen limits that can be created for the child
• In Windows operating systems, there is a special feature called kid corner, activating which, a child will get access only to chosen contents.

11)Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

If you are making an app for children under the age of 13, then there is a law that no personal information should be collected. COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, signed in 1998 ensures that those who create apps for kids cannot collect any personal data from children.

12) Usability Testing

Usability testing is the key part in the development cycle of an app. There are certain points which need to be focused on before commencing this test. They are,

• Test mood changes of a child while using the app, whether they are having fun, are they confused or bored while using the app
• Go through button positioning and make sure its placed at the right place
• Check how a child reacts when level changes or transitions occur within an app/game
• Test different colors, layouts, widgets, buttons etc. and choose the optimal ones that can more easily relate to kids

Today’s children live in a technology driven world, where all interactions and communications happen through smart phones. A kid’s app require much more care and consideration than an app aimed at general audience. Even though the business prospects are bright there is a lot of underlying risk to it. So before getting started go through the instructions and opinions listed above and be aware of do and don’t in creating apps for children.

If you have any comment on the above, please share with us in the comment section below.

How To Create A Chat App Successfully

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Messaging or the use of chat apps are surging in popularity these days as people prefer chat-based apps over text messages as it provides real-time interactions and gives them a personal touch experience. Compared to the previous year, the number of persons who use chat apps for messaging has increased by 15.5% when compared to previous year.

How To Create A Chat App

Being a cheaper service when compared with text messaging, most of the chat apps, provide service at very low cost or is completely free to use. 2018 is again considered to be a year of growth, where 1.85 billion people annually might use these kind of apps.

Features of a Chat App:

1) Send messages all over the world

2) Add social networking features

3) Simple and uncluttered

4) Free audio/video calling and messaging services

5) Enable individual as well as groupchats etc.

6) Mostly cloud-based

7) High reliability, scalability

8) Higher load support

9) A faster way of sending messages

10) Support graphical emoticons for enhanced user experience

11) Works in multi-platforms

12) Cost-efficient service

13) Improve security with an end to end encryption

With the explosion of popular, easy-to-use messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line, Telegram, WeChat, Tango, SnapChat, Skype, Google Hangouts, Hike etc., the demand of chat apps is growing day by day. Almost all of these apps provide real-time messaging, free voice and video calls, group chats, end-to-end encryption messaging, unlimited sharing of data and files, contact sharing, and much more either over the mobile data plan or using Wi-Fi.

When it comes to building a chat app, the main advantage for businesses is:

Increased Productivity
Increased visibility
Brand promotions
Quicker marketing facilities

Chat Application Trend that Companies Need to Leverage On:

1. Use of Emojis:

When it comes to building a user-friendly chat app, one of the main factors to include is emojis which lets users express their emotions with just a click. Usage of emojis not only enable overall interaction but even makes the app more attractive and fun to use.

2. Integration of AI:

Now app developers are leveraging on AI to seamlessly connect and integrate with the audience. Deep learning, face recognition, emotional perception etc. are integrated into chat apps to make a better and smarter communication.

3. Multi-platform:

This feature lets you access the same account on any device, thus giving more access to their communication tools.

4. Ephemerality:

Living in the moment or end-to-end encryption is another feature that it taking over in almost all chat apps. The best thing about this feature is that you need not worry about the messages or the media that your sharing because it only exists for a very short time span.

5. Geo-location Integration:

Geo-location provides users the facility to tag the exact location to provide an effective flow of interaction on a real-time basis.

6. Cloud Service Synchronization:

This helps users to monitor, scale, store and update the hosting environment and data.

Overall, a chat app is not only for texting or sharing pictures, but it can be used for all sort of content. To attract users, brands and businesses need to generate new trends and techniques to top the chart.

Each successful chat app needs to have specific salient features, so let’s take a look at the steps to create a chat app successfully with the best functionalities.

The Startup Idea- What Makes your App Idea Special?

Having a strong app idea can lead you through the process in a well-defined way. As marketer/businessmen, look at all ideas in the app world through the lens of “how this is going to make money.”

When you’re coming up with an idea to build a chat app, you need to ask yourself two basic questions.

“How many levels are you going to have in an app?”
“What’s the design of the app going to be like?”

So, if you want to take in an advice, then, it’s way better to focus on an existing model and make it better with add-on unique features.

As you think about your idea, make sure that it is perfect from the start to end of the development process.

A major feature of innovative products is their combination of three major aspects: human desirability, financial viability, and technical feasibility. It is important to consider all three aspects to develop a fairly detailed concept before spending unnecessary efforts in implementing a solution. Get feedback from others, including potential users, to help refine your idea.

If you are to opt for developing your own chat site, you should consider these things:

1) First, explore your own resources
2) Study your competition
3) Conduct a broad analysis
4) Expand your vision by exploring other industries that are not related to yours
5) Keep an intimate relation with people whom you want to serve
6) Think about the platform where you need your app to work on

Who is your Competition? Does your Idea have a Chance?

Chatting is still the easiest way to send messages. Brands follow audiences, so, it’s not that surprising to see the explosive growth of chat apps in all fields. There are quite few from which most of us choose. Here, is our list of ten of the top chat apps that can be your app competitor.

1) Telegram:

Kicking this list off is Telegram, which is free to use. The only thing you’ll have to do is, install and start using it. Telegram focuses strongly on encryption and security. Users looking for a chat app more focused on delivering secure messages in a speedy manner certainly can go for this app.

2) WeChat:

WeChat is a popular option to consider and there are plenty of reasons to love this app. It supports Android Wear, which can help you send messages from your wrist if you have one of the supported devices. It also has a PC client so that you can message from your laptop or desktop.

3) Whatsapp:

It is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to send messages without having to pay for SMS. It’s available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Symbian.

With free voice and video calls, you can have face-to-face conversations, when voice or text just isn’t enough, by using your phone’s Internet connection. The latest version of the app has introduced an end to end-to-encryption to keep the personal data of the users secure.

4) Facebook Messenger:

This is easily the biggest and most widely used chat app among social media chat apps. You can talk with any of your Facebook friends or set group chats for multiple people.

5) LINE:

LINE is actually one of the biggest chat apps out in store, and it offers group chats, free video calls, free voice calls with your LINE contacts no matter where you are.

6) Hangout:

It is surely one of the most recognizable chat apps, and like a few in the list, it can be used on multiple platforms like tablets, smart phones and the computer.

7) Snapchat:

This isn’t like the traditional chat apps, but it is a chat app nonetheless. Instead of just your typical typed up messages, it lets you take a quick picture with the option of attaching a caption before sending it to your contacts.

8) Hike:

One of the unique features of hike is its offline chat facility for users. The amazing collection of stickers enhances the experience of chatting, by helping to convey real emotions.

Competition is a good thing. Go through the stories behind leading brands. Google wasn’t the first search engine and Facebook wasn’t the first social network. There are too many examples to count on.

The above-listed apps are just a few from lots left. Unless your app can do something exceptional, it will be certainly very difficult to stay in the market.

Documentation of your Idea

“A really great talent finds its happiness in execution.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There is no legal protection for ideas. Protecting the idea is crucial, especially during developmental stages. Although no legal filings can protect your app idea, the documentation can certainly help you.

Experimentation is an ongoing process that involves trying, retrying and continuous refining. Take into account different scenarios as possible and give each, a type of logic. While you begin first, think about your layout and widget choices. Make an idea of which platform you are going to use and how your UI will look on different screen sizes and resolution densities.

Sketched layouts also known as wire frames will help to show where each element will be placed and how important it will be in relation to other objects on the page. In this, you visually conceptualize the features, and approximate the layout and structure of your application.

Choosing your Platforms- iOS/Android/Windows

The popularity of mobile enterprise and consumer-based mobile apps has grown tremendously in the last decade. The app stores are flooded with millions of mobile apps covering myriad of topics and genres. Since Mobile App Development can be a lucrative business, an app developer hoping to develop the next big thing is always on the horizon.

Mobile platforms have sprung up over the years to cater to the increasing demand, but to choose which platform is best for your app is a tough one.

Knowing about the basic functionalities of iOS, Android, Windows doesn’t give you the full picture of the good and bad of each platform. The capabilities of one operating system may not be possible with the other. Know the limitations of each platform and choose.

Here are a few tips to decide which platforms you have to develop your app for.

1. Target Audience for Your App:

One of the biggest determining factors when it comes to selecting mobile platform is your app’s target audience. If your app targets the mass market, make sure that the most popular platforms such as iOS and Android are your priorities.

Android and iOS have the largest user base. Windows take a significantly smaller share of the pie. According to Business Insider, Android has captured almost 80.2% of the users while iOS trails behind at 14.8% of its users.

In the case of mobile revenue, iOS users are comparatively more loyal than Android by creating greater revenue opportunities for developers who wish to work on the iOS platform.

2. Piracy Issues:

Piracy is a prime concern for mobile app developers. Android is reported to have a whopping number of pirated apps in the playstore and can easily be pirated, circulated as apk files and installed on devices without having to root them. But in the case of iOS, be it free or paid, it requires a validation by the Apple App Store before downloading anything.

The open nature of the Google Play Store compared to the iOS App Store has created circuitous routes for downloading more apps without actually having to pay for them. This is a major cause for the concern to developers who aim to monetize their applications.

3. Environment:

iOS:

Developers looking to create apps on iOS have to work with Xcode, which supports C, C++, Objective-C++, Java, Python, Ruby, Rez and Swift source code with a variety of programming models.

The latest version, Xcode 6, includes interesting features like “Playground”, a live debugging tool and an entirely new programming language called as Swift in iPhone App Development. Even though Xcode is sleek and powerful, latency and editing errors in Xcode 6 can create issues for the developers.

Android Apps:

Android developers now have a choice between Eclipse and Android Studio during development:

a) Eclipse

The program components provide the environment for writing, modifying, compiling, debugging and deploying the software. Support system is available for C++, CBOL, Python, Ruby on Rails etc.

The advantage is that a wide range of cohesive tools is available and it runs on a variety of operating systems. But on the downside, it can be extremely slow and resource intensive.

b) Android Studio

Android Studio is now officially called IDE (Integrated Development Environment). One of the newly integrated features in Android Studio is Gradle, which is deeply integrated that users who have not used this feature may find it extremely challenging.

One of the commendable features is its layout designer with a drag-and-drop interface. This enables the creation of visually appealing chat applications.

The main drawback is the complexity, lack of resources and tutorials for beginners. New users may find it challenging to learn the ropes in Android Studio.

Windows Apps

Windows phone users make approximately 3.5% of the worldwide smart phone market share. Comparing with other mobile platforms, Windows is definitely not the top choice for an app developer.

Even though the features of Windows may not be as promising as iOS/Android, Windows App Development does provide some pretty versatile tools. This platform supports a variety of languages such as C# or C++ with XAML, C++ with Direct X and JavaScript with HTML/CSS.

Although the Windows platform may not have as large market share as Android or iOS, many of their development options are expertly designed for everyone from beginners to veteran developers.

Cross Platform Development

One more option to reduce time & cost is to go for the Hybrid Mobile App Development also known as cross-platform development.

Here, one code language runs on multiple platforms and is a cheaper and faster solution. They provide a native look and feel with the help of an HTML UI framework and CSS, JS Technology.

But, as discussed, each tool has its pros and cons, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

How much will it Cost you to Create a Chat Application?

Mobile App development cost estimate not only hinges on development time and hourly rates, but also the price depends on a number of factors that are needed to successfully implement an idea.

Depending on project requirements, the development team can be basic or extended. A basic app team includes a UI/UX designer, project manager, at least two developers and a quality assurance engineer. If the app requires a back end infrastructure to develop, then, an API and a back end developer should also join the team.

The price of building a mobile chat app is made up of various components:

1. UI/UX design- up to 100 hours
2. Development-up to 900 hours, plus 25% of the PM and QA services.

Considering all this, the medium development price would score around $1,000- $15,000 for a an app.
Generally, a professional company takes somewhere around $5,000 to $10,000 to develop a fully functional instant messaging application like WhatsApp and Hike.

Obviously, complexity of a product is the main factor when it comes to app development costs, and out of this, the following three factors affect the final cost:

1. Technical complexity
2. Number of devices and OS
3. Custom designs and animations

1) Technical Complexity

There are several features that can add technical complexity to a project. Some common examples include:

a) Third-party integrations: Some functions in mobile apps require integration with third party libraries, frameworks, and services. Real-time chats can be easily implemented with the help of Layer, Pubnub etc.

b) Backend development: A backend is an operating system with APIs to enable the exchange of data between a mobile application and a database. The back-end implements the application business logic.

c) Admin panel development: This is a very useful tool that makes it easier to operate apps, manage users, content, view stats, and more.

d) In-app s: From virtual goods to additional functionality, there are different forms of in-app s that we can implement.

e) Use of hardware components: Smart phones are packed with different hardware components such as gyroscopes, heart rate sensors, NFC, Bluetooth, GPS, barometers etc. Finding the right one for each device and testing how different components communicate with the software may increase the cost and time.

2) Number of devices and OS

When it comes to an iOS app, it should be compatible with the latest and previous versions of iPhone and support the latest and previous iOS versions (iOS 9 and iOS 8).

This is also applicable to Android OS versions.

3) Custom designs and animations

Custom user interface costs would be higher than the price of building from standard components.
This includes the choosing of custom and standard UI components.

Designing & Developing your Chat App

The dominance of social networking sites has been curbed by the emergence of messaging chat apps. Currently, the demand for live chat apps has increased to such an extent that they are heading towards dethroning the social media sites.

Messaging app is an understatement. Because there are so many features developed in an instant messaging application that has made them deployable for numerous applications.

When you are looking to build a feature-rich and sturdy chat app, you will have to use the appropriate technologies.

Features to be incorporated while creating a Chat App:

Location based information
Group chats becomes mandatory
Auto sync feature
Offline messages
Last Seen for the recent online activity time
Screen Sharing enables users to share their screens with their contacts
Multimedia sharing allows sharing unlimited multimedia data
Voice Calling feature
Social Integrations
Video Calling for real time conversation

The trend of bots has already taken off, where a large number of brands run bots. Bots make customer service interactions easier for customers, and for brands. Apps like WeChat, Kik and even Facebook messenger has started using bots in their chats.

Hiring a Developer to Create Chat App

When you are going to hire a developer, you tend to have so many options- a firm, an individual, a small team, overseas etc. The hardest part in this would be where to start and whom to trust.

Here are few great ways to start your developer search:

Enquire Around:

This can be through co-workers, friends, family or discussion boards, websites, and review sites. Ask for referrals and explain to them what you’re looking for.

Google – Enables search of different firms and their portfolio/service offerings with their contact details.

Freelancing Sites -You can browse in freelancing websites and find job postings that are similar to yours and see what people write as their job request. You can later do research on these forums by going through their profile pages or on their main web pages, and maybe, even follow up with their contact form.

Choosing a Developer:

Individual Developers

Personal and collaborative– If it’s the right one, they may act more like a partner than a hired person

Specific skill sets– Every developer has their own strengths and if you get one that matches exactly what you’re doing, you will get the best results.

Cheaper– This can either be for better or for worse because you’re not paying for project management and overhead.

Firms

Highly deliverable and time-oriented– Firms focus on project plans and time lines. You’ll be reported with updates on project in regular basis telling you where things stand.

Project management– You’ll have one prime person who can take the lead on everything you want to discuss about the entire project.

Have backup Plans– This means that if something comes up with any of the developers, there is always a backup plan to continue your project.

Testing/QA– This helps to detect bugs and get multiple perspectives on the project.

Whomever you opt for, your primary goal is to generate revenue with your chat app. The developer needs to know exactly how to build in features to make an income out of it.
If you opt for a free app, be sure that the freelancer/the firm is well versed in integrating mobile display ads, in-app s or paid subscription services.

Which are the Best App Development Tools?

Different cross platform tools have different specialities. Each platform is unique and exhibits different features, capabilities and behaviour. Multi-platform apps are truly in-today; so, you will have to find solutions to develop the best cross-formatted apps, without emptying all your resources.

Here is a list of some great tools for Mobile App Development:

1) RhoMobile: It offers an open-source framework based on Ruby. This permits to create native app, spanning over s stunning range of OS’ and smart phones. This includes Android, Windows Mobile, iOS etc. The framework supplied by this tool is in such a way that you only need to code once. This can be used to build apps for most of the major smart phones.

2) PhoneGap: Allows developers to create chat application for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices. It uses standard web development languages such as HTML and JavaScript, and allows the developer to work with device hardware features such as accelerometer, GPS/location, camera, sound etc.

3)MoSync: Yet another SDK tool based on standard web programming. This offers the developer integrated compilers, libraries, run times, device profiles and various other useful tools. MoSync now also includes Eclipse-based IDE for C/C++ programming.

4)WidgetPad: This is a collaborative, open-source environment for development which uses standard web technologies, such as JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3.

It includes source code editing, collaboration, debugging, project management, distribution. Widget Pad, which is now in private beta, can be used to create a chat application for iOS and Android.

5) Sencha: Helps to develop your tools in HTML5 and works across a handful of devices on different platforms and boosts productivity with pre-built components. Once you have developed the HTML5 code, then you can translate it to both android and iOS platforms.

6) Cocos2d: It is primarily used in two-dimensional game development. It allows the developers to use C++, JavaScript, C#, Xcode, Python etc.

7) Corona: This tool comes with the promise that you can start coding your new app in as little as five minutes after the download. The programming language is Lua, which is written in C.

8)Xamarin: Includes app store delivery, performance testing and monitoring, and the ability to do virtual tests on more devices to test whether everything is working properly.

Making use of these tools can make things easier for you to develop a reliable chat app.

How to Monetize your App?

Finally, when you are finished with your app and polished it as a result of beta testing feedback, the next step is to think about business. When you plan your own development, monetization should be one of the key elements of your design.

Five strategies to design the financial aspects are given below:

Pay per Download:

Using pay per download for your app, each user will have to pay as they download and install it on their phone. Payment can be handled by an app store, mobile operator or you can set up a mechanism. Payment is generally handled in one of two ways: operator billing or credit/debit-card payments.

In-app payment:

It’s a way to charge for specific actions or assets within your application. Alternatively, you can offer some basic features of your application for free, but, charge for premium contents like videos, virtual credits, premium information and additional features.

Mobile Advertising:

As it is common on websites, you can think of earning money by displaying advertisements. Many companies offer tools to display mobile ads and it is the easiest way to make money.

Sponsorships:

The user gets your app for free and in return, is prompted to sign-up for a newsletter of your sponsor. The sponsor will pay the developer an amount for each newsletter registration.

Stickers:

Premium sticker packs are a mixture of the app’s own-produced content and content from established producers such as Disney or Sony, and from smaller providers. The rich, graphical nature of stickers can create interesting and engaging content.

Official accounts:

Such accounts allow brands, celebrities and merchants to connect and engage with users. The official account uses familiar features within the app so that they can connect with users as friends and share contents and messages.

Content Merchandising (themes, filters, wallpapers):

There are different content types that can be retailed within a messaging app. Whether this works or not depends on the implementation of the idea. This content extension can also help in core messaging experiences.

Commerce:

With a large number of users and the presence of brands in official accounts it’s likely that mobile commerce will be a direction for ambitious chatting apps to go in. WeChat has already included a scanner used to read QR codes to help users share their accounts and connect with friends. These bar codes help the users to pay for the product from WeChat.

App Publishing

Publishing refers to the process that takes the completed Mobile App development project to the App Store.

The final step in the development of an application is to publish the application. It involves two essential tasks:

Preparing for Publication – ‘Release version’ of the application is created so that it can be deployed to compatible devices.
Distribution – The release version of an application is made available through one or more of various distribution channels.

iOS Devices

In order to distribute applications to all iOS devices, Apple requires apps to be published through the App Store, making it the one-stop shopping location for iOS applications.

With over 500,000 applications in the store, developers of many types of apps capitalize on the massive success of this single point of distribution. The App Store is a main solution, offering app developers both distribution and payment systems.

The process of submitting an application to the App Store involves:

1. Creating an App idea and selecting entitlements
2. Creating Distribution Provisioning Profile.
3. Submitting your application through iTunes Connect.

After you submit an app for publication, it goes through a review process by Apple to ensure that it meets the guidelines for quality and content. If the application fails to meet these guidelines, iOS will reject it and you’ll have to resubmit it.

Android Devices

The simplest way to distribute an Android App is via the Google Play store. It is also the simplest way to reach millions of users.

The starting point is the Google Play Developer Console. It is the dedicated dashboard for developers, which lets you manage your apps in the Play Store.

After you have signed up and paid the registration fee, complete your account details, including Developer Name (the name that is displayed on the Google Play store).

Once this is done, officially, it can take up to 48 hours for your Google Play Developer registration to be fully processed. Confirm the verification mail. After the account has been created, you can publish your apps.

Windows

In order to publish your app in Windows Store you need to create a Windows Store Account. Once you create your account, go to Dashboard using the live ID.

Verify your payment method link. Once you get the message that your account is verified, you are ready to begin submitting your app.

App Store Optimization

ASO is the process of optimizing mobile apps to rank it higher in the search results of an app store. The higher the app rank is, the more will be its visibility to its potential customers. The increased visibility can bring in more traffic to your app page in the app store.

If you’re not using ASO for your app, then you are losing the largest channel available to search your app. With thousands of apps in different app stores, majority of the developers do not utilise the ASO facility to promote their app. So, you can use this as a secret weapon to rank your app in the app store and for its overall success.

Main factors that affect ASO:

Title: The keyword used in the title should be the one with the most search traffic. For best results with ASO, use relevant keywords within your title.
Keywords: To improve your search rankings, you need to use keywords which are relevant and which are most often used by your target audience.
App Description: This one main field has to be filled with your apps data. This includes ‘above the fold’ and ‘below the fold’. Most of the customers only read the ‘above the fold’ which includes 1-2 sentences as description.
Publishers Name: Make sure that the developer’s name has relevant keywords which could help you rank better for people doing generic search.
Total number of Downloads: Your number of downloads are important to ASO
Ratings and Reviews: This is also important and difficult to control. However, there are ways to motivate happy users to rate and review your app.
Follow the Content Policy: You need to determine the proper app content rating and follow the content policy which is laid down for Android, iOS and Windows devices.
Minimize your Code Size: You should aim to minimize the code size by removing any redundant code and thus, eventually reduce the size of your app.
Design an attractive icon: Having a unique and attractive icon can grab customers’ attention. Attractive icons can make the users curious to know about the app.
Include Screen shots and Videos: Including tempting videos and images can give the user a clear idea about your app.
Localize your app listings: To globalize your app, you need to focus on the localization. It is the method of marketing your app to a non-English speaking audience in their native languages.
Update App Regularly: Keep updating your app to ensure that they meet the changing guidelines of different devices. If you fail to keep up with the guidelines, your app can be blocked in the store.

Like SEO, ASO also takes a substantial amount of time before showing results, but, you need to constantly work on it and keep on improving it. Monitor it regularly and be aware of the competitor’s ranking.

Marketing Strategy

Your work doesn’t end with the launch of the app. Rather, the real work just starts. You need to start marketing your app to the maximum possible levels.

If you have a well planned and executed marketing strategy, it can yield immense benefits among the users.
Your main focus has to be the end-users of your app. So, you will have to study their mobile behavior and understand the same, before embarking on a particular marketing strategy.

Some things to be noted to achieve success with your marketing strategy:

1) Study Customer Behavior Patterns:

Focus on your target audience and find ways to engage them. Study them keenly and recognize their unique behaviour patterns where each user is unique in their own ways.

2) Main Objective should be kept in mind:

Your main aim should be to provide maximum benefits to your users through the application. To achieve this, you will have to keep active interaction with the audience, and offer them, irresistible deals and offers .

3) Refine your Marketing Strategy:

This involves the process of planning, including a team to handle various aspects of your app, publicizing and advertising your service, gathering and processing user information and choosing the right mobile platform to market your app.

4) Select the right mobile technology:

SMS is the best method to reach the maximum users, which also adapts to almost all types of mobile phones. This method of communication is the most direct and one which your audience can opt-in to receive as well.

5) Find your niche and be exclusive:

To differentiate your app with others, introduce features that no one else has given. By doing so, you enable your app to live alongside other messaging juggernauts like WhatsApp, Facebook messenger, We Chat, LINE, Hangout etc.

It’s easy to assume that your app can become the next Snapchat or WhatsApp as long as you build a solid product. However, what makes the app successful isn’t the fact that it exists, but. the efficiencies it creates.

6) Digital/Content Marketing:

Best of all, you can start a micro site and start blogging to your audience and promote your app as you would promote any other product. You can use a variety of valuable content in different forms to attract users from search engines and more.

7) Organic Promotion:

To trace your mobile app distribution process, make sure you sign up for a good analytic tool. Let the app review sites as well as authors and pen down your app’s review. This will help in more downloads and popularity for your app. Share your app and the content on various social media platforms. You can also request users to review or rate your mobile app. Mobiles are holding a considerable share of the digital world, but, web still matters and thus, it is strongly recommended that you create a web page for your app.

8) Paid Promotion:

Install a tracking tool to figure out the paid ad source the visitor is coming from. Calculate the total number of downloads needed to be in the top chart list. Once your app has created a buzz, cut short the paid marketing and maintain keyword rankings organically.

By focusing on marketing strategies, you can create chat application that not only makes life better for your users, but also makes a profit for your start up plan.

Post App Launch Services

Considering the kind of competition we have these days, post app launch services are vital for app success.

Customer Support:

Ensure that you provide your users the best customer support or risk losing them. Why? Simply because they have plenty of alternatives available.

Bug Fixing:

No software is ever bug-free. Also, with a number of software updates happening to operating systems, the chances are ever so high for bugs. So, test and fix buggy software within a short period. Otherwise users would leave you indefinitely.

New Features Incorporation:

There are so many new features cropping up every now and then. To stay in the race, you should adapt new features and work on providing fresh features as well.

On the whole, create chat application is an amazing option and is becoming powerful for most brands and consumers. The greatest opportunity of a chat app lies in its ability to promote all areas of the brands strategy into a great user experience. When creativity is blended with traditional business, it makes an app complete.

Experiences suggest that apps which save money or time are most attractive, followed by games and business tools. But, the success of any app cannot be predicted. Success usually comes with a lot of experimentation and perseverance.

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5 Trends that Increase Demand for Health Care Mobile App Development

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

The ability of mobile phones to transmit important information anytime, anywhere is leading to its increasing use in the medical world.

Apps can track the state of our health and notify users if something does not go according to plan. Data from these apps also allows doctors to refer medical history of their patients and to provide any advice or feedback urgently.

On the whole, apps seem quite useful for the healthcare industry. But what are the key trends driving the demand for mobile apps in healthcare?

Let’s take a look.

Electronic Medical Records

These can help in obtaining information online. Medical records are saved electronically rather than on paper.

If a paper or a file is misplaced, then information about a patient’s health will be lost. Lack of proper medical history and data results in poor treatment and wrong diagnosis. Mobile apps on the other hand, are part of a larger healthcare management system, allowing data to be stored securely doctors and patients to review every small detail required for correct treatment.

Exchange of data without any loss between medical centres

The ability of software to exchange and to make use of data or information is also called as interoperability. The lack of interoperability between doctors, medical centres and hospitals is compromising patient safety and health.

Healthcare mobile app development will make it possible for doctor’s clinics, specialists and hospitals have access to real-time patient information. It avoids the loss of information or data while transferring.

E-visit

An E-visit can replace many in-office patient appointments.

E-visit or electronic interactions between patient and physician or doctor through email, text, phone and video conferencing has created demand for app.

Video conferencing allows doctors and patient to conduct meeting personally without going to the doctor’s clinic or hospital. This will also reduce costs and in-office appointments for simple tasks like prescription renewal and medicine change.

E-visits can save a lot of time for doctors and allows them to spend time on serious patients’ issues.

Mobile health or m-health

Mobile health or m-health is new trend helps in practising medicine and improve people’s health supported by mobile devices.

There are different apps are used for different type of requirements.

• It involves chronic care management like managing blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, mental health and other illness.
• People can generate alerts that serve medical reference for patients and doctors.
• Nutrition apps, health tracking, fitness and weight loss apps.
• Women’s health apps include pregnancy, breastfeeding and other.
• Medication management apps help to keep track of taking medication
• Personal health record apps, to store medical conditions data, allergies etc.

Mobile app can be used to satisfy several needs in healthcare:

• Diagnosis and treatment support
• Disease tracking
• Remote data collection
• Education and awareness
• Helpline
• Communication and training
• Disease tracking
• Remote monitoring

Automated inventory management systems

Mobile solutions implemented in hospitals and pharmacies enable them to manage their inventory easily and with real-time access to inventory data and orders. It helps in meeting variation in product demand.

The increased use of devices makes data more susceptible to hackers. Hence there is the need to protect the data. Any app should protect the privacy of individual’s health information. Mobile apps should meet the rules and regulations of privacy maintenance.

These are five trends responsible for demand of mobile app development in the healthcare industry. If you know of other trends that has boosted healthcare mobile apps, please share below in the comment section.

Google Announces ‘VPS’ Technology to Solve Key Problems with VR and AR

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Google has announced the ‘VPS’ technology, an approach to explore indoor GPS to tackle issues with both virtual reality and augmented reality.

Like GPS, VPS(Visual Positioning Service) is also a mapping innovation that utilizes the process of visual focus on the walk way, end of the room and on other objects to set a limit and ensure free movement indoors.

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Google revealed that it has been working with HTC and Lenovo and is planning to launch their first VR devices based on the Google Daydream technology later this year. The company has also introduced a Google Glass, an AR headset for the smart phones and is also planning to use Qualcomm chips for VR headsets.

Google also demonstrated AR features in the Google expeditions platform for students that uses Tango’s sensors to map classrooms and place 3D visualizations within a space.

According to Clay Bavor, the Standalone VR gadgets utilizes the method of ‘precise tracking’ i.e. the gadgets does not rely upon outside sensors to place, but handle the headsets in the physical world.

Why Are Enterprise Apps Different From Consumer Apps?

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Consumer apps and Enterprise apps are different from each other. However, stating their differences is a difficult task. Consumer apps are small, compact and kind of self-contained. They help consumers to interact with any kind of online businesses. But enterprise apps, on the other hands focuses on tracking and improving work performance. From a mobile app development perspective, enterprise apps are more focused on getting their development part rather than designing.

Consumer Mobile Apps

Consumer Mobile Apps or simply mobile shopping apps are getting popular among users for utilities and entertainment. Most of us like the convenience of paying bills, shopping, socializing, watching movies and much more with smartphone apps.

These apps are all utilitarian in nature and helps you to improve productivity in terms of numbers but not much in terms of quality.

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What Makes an Enterprise App Successful?

Enterprise Mobile Apps

These apps help businesses to grow. Businesses need to establish their contacts day by day to flourish in the industry. With such apps, a company can get up-to-date sales and stock data. This can prove to be very helpful to people especially while they are out of the field. Tasks can be done comfortably at any place with these apps. Enterprise mobile apps are custom made for each organization.

Consumer Apps Vs Enterprise Apps

1. Consumer apps are accessed by consumers to buy something or to get other works done
2. Enterprise apps are meant for businesses to keep in touch with others
3. Consumer mobile apps are C2B (Consumer-to-business) – This means that consumers create the value and businesses consume that value
4. Enterprise mobile apps are B2B (business-to-business)– This is the exchange of products, information and services between businesses
5. Consumer mobile apps are designed in an attractive and simple way
6. Enterprise mobile apps are meant for official business and the design is not given much importance.

Consumer Apps

Consumer apps need to be designed perfectly and uniquely. They must include something that would force the consumers to stay back within the app for more time.

The features each app has depend on the specific solution it’s attempting to rectify. Satisfying millions is what makes a Consumer app profitable and famous. For the revenue side, Consumer apps can make use of ads and include gamification tactics to push in-game subscription for more downloads. Consumer app development takes less time and prices are comparatively lower than Enterprise apps.

1) Consumer apps can be downloaded from Google’s Play Store, Apple’s App Store
2) These apps mainly aim at revenue
3) Examples of consumer applications include social networks, games, productivity tools, publisher software and utilities
4) Consumer apps focus more on the design but enterprise apps focus on business required features.

How are Enterprise Apps Different?

These days, even small companies operate in different locations and work with different industries. This can bring in several challenges related to the requirements, currency, language etc.

With the growth of the organization, even the tracking of all information around will get difficult. In such situations, the best method is to introduce enterprise mobile apps that can cope with all the tasks in a timely manner.

Features of Enterprise Apps

1) Enterprise applications being software systems can help organizations to run businesses smoothly
2) Helps to carry out tasks such as planning, data analysis, and data management quickly and conveniently.
3) Can easily integrate and process data from different areas
4) Provide information to the user in a timely manner, which helps the organizations to optimize their operations
5) Used exclusively in business settings
6) Integrate information processing in companies, but also cater to a wide range of different customer groups
7) Successful enterprise applications have to allow parametrizations and create industry-specific solutions
8) The development process of an enterprise app is complex
9) Enterprise apps should have long-term success, great user adoption, high-performance, simplification, adoption and a design that suits the easy working of an organization

These factors differentiate enterprise applications from other business apps.

The recent survey by Forbes compared the income earning potential of enterprise mobile apps with that of consumer apps. The major results are shown below:

• Almost 43% of organizations that participated in the survey reported more income than that of the consumer app owners

• Enterprise app developers are making more than $100,000 per month, compared to the consumer app developers

• There has been a 25% increase in the number of enterprise mobile app developers in the last 6 months

Based on the need of your business, you can develop an enterprise app which can deliver maximum profit with definite growth. This not only helps you to increase employee engagement, but also boosts customer satisfaction, improves working methods, provides competitive advantage and enhances productivity.

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Enterprise apps based on their business needs

1) Enterprise Resource Planning App: This helps you to bring all systems of your company together to access data whenever required. With the use of ERP apps, it becomes easy for the management to make up-to-date decisions and processing

2) Content Management: Includes managing content-product information, documents, presentations etc. This has become common in most present-day organizations.

3) Customer Relationship Management: CRMs help in maintaining better relations with present and potential customers with the help of data. The main focus of such systems is customer retention, which leads to improved sales.

4) Order Management App: Helps to keep track of orders from the start to the delivery point. It streamlines the order management process and helps business owners to resolve issues such as order delivery delay and confused delivery.

Other types of enterprise apps used by organizations include: Export Sales App, Billing App, Human Resource Management (HRM), Financial App etc.

From the above, it is evident that enterprise applications are created to perform a wide range of tasks and process data compared to consumer apps. Developing a customized enterprise app needs a precise strategy to help your organization to overcome challenges in business. With an apt design and development plan, and correct conceptualization, you can make your app innovative and thus help in swift growth.

Three Special Mobile Apps Launched to Support Autistic Children

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

During a seminar organised by the Autism Spectrum Disorders Welfare Trust at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, three special mobile applications, AHSAS, AGHAZ and BOL, were unveiled to support autistic children.

The three applications were developed by a team from LUMS Human Computer Interaction Lab and directed by Dr Suleman Shahid in liaison with ASDWT.

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According to Dr. Shahid, the application ‘AGHAZ’ was aimed to cater the need for communication for children with autism. The app can be used by teachers, parents and therapists to work with children and help them learn Urdu.

‘BOL’ is designed to focus on developing the child’s language and communication skills. It uses picture symbols, voice synthesis in Urdu and English to create new messages.

Asma Ahmed, a senior clinical psychologist at ASDWT says that, there is an urgent need for an autism centre at the government level. The government should also pass proper legislation for educating children with ASD to avail their right to study in an ordinary school.

What Makes an Enterprise App Successful ?

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Mobile applications that are generally used in business to solve any kind of enterprise issues is known as an enterprise mobile application. It is important for enterprises to follow the trend of using apps for internal and external services if they wish to succeed in the current app dominated world.

Different types of Enterprise mobile applications include

• Content management
• Customer support
• Payment processing
• Email marketing systems
• Automated billing system
• Collaboration, messaging and business intelligence
• Customer relationship management(CRM)
• Enterprise application integration (EAI)

Factors that make an Enterprise App Successful

For any Enterprise to develop, the first step to take forward is to have a well-planned strategy. After you have the perfect strategy, you can plan the business and go for a suitable enterprise mobile application. Following are some key factors that an enterprise should consider to build a highly buoyant mobile enterprise application to ensure their enterprise-wide acceptance:

• Clarity of business goals and objectives

Having a clear vision about the goal you need to achieve is very important. Once you have a strong objective, start thinking about the platform on which you want your app to be done. Keep your idea concrete to justify your investment in the mobile app development. The goals you need to consider are to:

1) Increase the customer’s perception of brand experience
2) Project the growth of your organisation
3) Increase the business force of your partners and employees
4) Attract new customers
5) Enhance the revenue opportunities

• Build apps keeping the target audience in mind

Another factor to consider before you develop an enterprise mobile app is to understand the behaviour of the mobile users and the way they use the device. How to optimise the user experience?
This might be the main question in your mind and if you have the answer to this question, you have solutions for rest all. This can help enterprises steer the app development efforts to fulfil user expectations, and result in an enchanting user experience for the app users.

• Selecting the apt platform for your Enterprise mobile application

The process of creating a mobile enterprise app is challenging as well as rewarding at the same time. Whether it’s iOS, Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone, no platform has a clear dominance over the other. So, it’s unavoidable to develop apps for all these platforms on both tablets and smart phones. But. It’s highly critical to choose a development methodology that meets all your cross-platform goals for the enterprise.

1) Native apps: These are built for a specific platform using the SDK platform, tools, languages and operating system (iOS, Android) that are typically provided by the platform vendor. Features of native apps:

• Most reliable and fastest, conventional
• Can get into the wider functionality of the device like: microphone, camera, accelerometer, compass, swipe gestures etc.
• Make use of push-notifications
• Provide access to important device attributes such as geo-location API etc.

2) HTML5-based apps: This is the latest approach used by most of the organizations with HTML5-based development. This helps them to reduce custom development costs for all the platforms. Even though HTML-5 based apps are a cost-saver, it does not provide the advantage of leveraging the native APIs and device capabilities.

3) Hybrid apps (Native + HTML5): Another approach is to include both HTML5 and native development, and adapt the core functionality of all platforms. Depending on the business requirements, you can choose the right platform.

The key method to have the best enterprise is to choose the right framework which is capable enough to meet the changing technology and user requirements.

• Maintain a policy to manage the app within the enterprise

As mobile applications are becoming widespread, enterprises need to ensure that their IT departments control what employees can install and remove from their mobile devices. Also, ensure standard applications and configurations to help the employees derive maximum benefit from their mobile devices.

The system of MAM, i.e., mobile application management is all about managing the apps installed on a user’s device. This has already been used by the organisations through desktops. Now they have to follow the same in mobile devices. MAM provides a higher level of control over the applications.

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Capabilities required for Mobile App Management

1) Authorization
2) OTA application provisioning
3) Regular monitoring of app performance and delivery
4) User and group access control
5) Update the app versions
6) Analyse the usage
7) Event management, reporting and tracking

• Security check for the application

This is the most challenging part of creating an application. With the rapid growth of mobile devices, applications, information protection is critical than before. Particularly when you develop mobile applications for highly regulated industries such as finance and healthcare. Right from password enforcement, data encryption, virus protection etc. organizations need to use robust application security measures to prevent data theft and loss.

Main Security policies that should be followed:

1) Models of devices to be used
2) Minimum requirements needed within the device
3) Networks, data, application etc. permitted to access
4) SSL certificates (data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to the data of the enterprise)

• Ownership

App management requires a central figure to ensure that they don’t go wrong and loose direction. These project leaders will have to analyse the app from the start to the finish.

• Take regular data analytics

It’s important to get to know who all are using your app and how they’re being used. The continuous analysis of these things will help you improve your organisation’s app environment. The things you should keep an eye out are the number of active users, the number of versions and the number of downloads.

• Keep the user expectations in mind

Since enterprise apps are used on a regular basis, the expectation of the user also increases on the side of design menu, loading time, appearance etc. Human resource is the most valuable thing for any company. Each employee has a different set of experiences and this can be effectively utilized while making the app.

• Estimating the Costs

Making and testing of an app is an expensive act and requires up-to-date cost calculations and implementation. Enterprise Apps actually optimize the processing of the company and results in increasing efficiency which can lead to cost reductions. Thus, before going in for making an enterprise app, the purpose and effectiveness of the app should be well studied and calculated.

• Accessing app functionality

While testing the finally developed app, the loading time and functionality are the main things to be checked. Checking for the bugs and other issues is also important. Slow and dysfunctional apps become reasons for user irritation and can harm the company’s reputation.

• Compatibility with all devices

Each device has its own variations and it should be well tested that the app works within all devices. This also ensures that the maximum number of devices including Android, iOS and Windows are used in order to confirm the smooth usage of the app over all platforms.

Whether it is a large/small enterprise, the strategy to have an enterprise mobile application is a key to stay ahead in the current business environment. No one can escape enterprise mobility for sure because technology has been pushing forward so much. Therefore, the question is how soon and how effectively you can make this transformation in your business.

Consumers Prefer Use of Retailer Apps In-Store

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Super Admin Testreveal

Consumers prefer retailers to execute mobile applications that can be used for in-store s which offer more convenience and personalization.

Nowadays, shoppers are preferring to use technology such as mobile apps for in-store shopping that can speed up the shopping experience.

A study by Apadmi shows that one out of five customers wishes the retailers to implement applications to make their shopping experiences more personalized and convenient. Retailers can use beacon-powered mobile apps that notify shoppers on in-store offers and recommends about store products.

“Nick Black, CEO of Apadmi, said technology is slowly crossing the retail channels as consumers become more used to shopping on mobile devices, and more consumers will expect to be able to use their devices in-store”.

“There is a need among consumers for retailers to make better use of technology in-store to make every aspect of the shopping journey more enjoyable,” said Black.

“As shoppers continue to embrace mobile e-commerce and retail apps, the in-store experience needs to remain relevant and incorporate the benefits that can be achieved through shopping online.”

Almost 46% of consumers also expect retailers to provide Wi-Fi inside the shops. A quarter of consumers also would like to use mobile apps to check out in-stores, avoid queue or even order products online and pick them up in-store.

The number of consumers downloading such online shopping apps has been increasing day by day with one in 10 people in the UK downloading apps in last 12 months.

But many brands are still struggling in the early stages of offering real omni channel experiences such as easy payment, personalization and single customer journey.