The rumors had said that iOS 7 will kiss goodbye to skeuomorphism and focus on flatter, sharper designs. At WWDC this year, Apple released iOS 7 for developers. Let’s see what big changes Apple has made to iOS 7:

Better Controls and Multitasking

Apple has always been a pioneer of multitasking – while the last version of the operating system iOS 6, offered better multitasking support, iOS 7 takes is to the next level. The system will now automatically review your app usage and decide on its own which apps require a broader multi-tasking ability. Apple will also give full-preview (instead of tiny icons) of running apps for multitasking.

Another related improvement is in the way you control the apps. You can activate a new area dubbed Control Center from inside of any app. Once you open it, you can control different setting like brightness and open different functions like Flashlight and music.

Sleeker Safari, Smarter Siri

Safari had taken a lot of flak for not being as user-friendly as the Chrome on iOS. In addition to a feature that integrates with iCloud Keychain for managing passwords, Safari also has 3D iCloud tabs that can be easily removed or reordered with a swipe.

Siri and other voice assistants are still a work in progress for smartphones, but there have been some improvements in iOS 7 Siri. Now, there are two voices for you to choose from: male and female. Now, Siri will also have the ability to search Twitter, Bing and Wikipedia to get better answers for your queries.

iOS Cars, AirDrop Service

Apple is doing a lot to get the iOS out of your mobile. Now, not only can you have a mobile and tablet with iOS, but you can also install it in your car. For starters, iOS can be integrated with the dashboard of cars. But you will have to wait for a while. Honda, Nissan, Jaguar, Volvo, Mercedes and other will come out with iOS-integrated dashboards in 2014.

In addition to taking the OS out of the the mobile, Apple has also added a feature the lets you share better. Using AirDrop, users will be able to mass-share files with friends and colleagues nearby.

Better App Store and Better Music

With over 800,000 apps, the iTunes Store is bursting at the seams. It is impossible for users to find new apps for their specific needs. The new iTunes store tries to solve the problem by adding new age-range categories and a groundbreaking feature that suggests apps to users on the basis of where they are. Developers will also be happy with these features as they make it easier for their apps to get featured.

The long-heralded iTunes Radio service will also be a part of iOS 7. for now, it will be an ad supported service for US, other countries will get it at some later point in time.

Summing up

So, with the new iOS, we see many of the old features getting better and we also see many brand new features. Critics are divided about the biggest change in iOS – the design. Some feel that the design elements are rip offs of Android and WebOS, while other see them as natural evolution of the iOS design. Only time can tell whether the revamped version of iOS 7 will appeal to the users or not.

But, at the same time, developing for Android mobiles is not as easy and simple as it should be. However, Google is doing all it can to make the developers happy. Here, we take a look at upcoming and newly released Android features and facilities that make developing for Android fun.

You can do what Google did with Glass

We don’t mean that you can create apps for the Glass or build a similar device. Google released the beta (sort of) version of the Glass to general public, press and other people who has a strong presence on social media. Now you have the chance to use stage rollouts for your apps – this means that you can push your unreleased apps to testers, reporters, bloggers or other people of your choice. This is an awesome feature that will enable Android app developers to bring their apps closer to perfection before release.

Better Apps Usage Charts for Tablets

While the iPad continues to dominate the most lucrative tablet markets around the world, tablets running Android are doing quite well too. Many developers create apps that work well with smartphones as well as tablets, while others are specifically targeting the tablet market. Now Google will provide developers with easily accessible information in a pie chart form, detailing the app usage according to the screen size of different tablets. In addition, it will now be easy for users to find tablet-specific apps on Google Play as Google has now created a separate section exclusively for tablet apps.

Easy to Keep your Eyes on the Money

While it was always possible to see how much your app is earning, now you can do it with ease. Earlier, developers could only see how much their app has made over a long period of time. There was a lengthy process that allowed you to track revenue for particular days, but it was not easy to use. Now you can easily check how much your app earned on any day, with just a few clicks. Google is also working on linking Google Analytics with the Google developer console – this will enable developers to keep a better track of how their customers interact with the app.

Apart from these, there are other important news too: Google has started an Optimization Tips section that will help developers make their apps almost perfect. On the social side, developers will now have the ability to reply directly to the people posting reviews of their apps on Google Play. For app developers creating apps that can work in different locales around the world, Google localization and translation services will help increase the reach and profitability of the app.

Read Also: 5 Big Android Stories You Will to Read in 2013

Most enterprise-level companies want mobile apps to increase business flexibility, improve productivity and deliver higher business value to their clients and customers. Most companies start with one mobile app, but build a suite of mobile apps to complement the existing web or desktop apps. While generic apps from mobile app stores can be accessed by all, the internal apps are meant only for internal employee use.

Therefore, they are distributed by the IT department of the company and not the app stores. To simplify the task of distributing these apps on different devices and employees within the company, it is advisable to build an internal app store. But such app stores do more than just act as a conduit for internal apps. Let’s see what organizations gain by building an enterprise application store for mobile apps.

Enhanced Security

The most significant reason for building enterprise apps store is security. As BYOD becomes more and more prevalent, companies need to find ways of protecting their data on devices owned by employees. An enterprise app store gives IT administration power to regulate what the employees download and share. They can also authorize download or prohibition them, and keep a close eye on what apps the employees are using. Updating apps and maintaining the latest version also becomes easy as the updates can be sent directly from the app store. An enterprise app store makes it easier for the IT personnel to implement the BYOD policies.

Curated List of Publish Apps

An internal app store can act as a passage to the public app stores belonging to different mobile operating system. Only the IT is authorized to download applications from the public store – employees belonging to certain groups have the right to install a particular set of apps, while other apps may be available for other groups. The IT can create a curated list of apps that could be useful to specific groups within the company. By setting such access controls, enterprises can make the most of public apps and avoid any misuse by employees. Needless to say, enterprises can make a list of apps and negotiate with the app providers to get a better price.

Better Employee and IT Productivity

An internal app store ensures that the employee doesn’t have to spend a lot of time trying to find a particular app for his or her needs. The needs of the employees are taken into consideration while creating an enterprise app store. The whole process of downloading apps is automatic – so the IT personnel do not have to spend time helping out the users. This help reduce the time and effort spent by the IT professionals in helping employees with their smart devices.

Does my Organization need an Enterprise App Store?

In conclusion, I would like to note that several companies that do not have own mobile apps also build such app stores. In such cases, the app stores are filled with a list of curated apps that could help increase employee productivity. Companies with a clear BYOD policy and organizations with a number of internal mobile apps benefit the most by creating an enterprise app store for mobile apps. BYOD, level of dependence on mobile apps, number of internal apps and the IT structure of an enterprise are the factors that need to be considered before creating an enterprise app store.

Why am I talking about Steve Jobs and Apple in a blogpost that is purportedly about the usage difference between men and women? It’s because several people in the smart mobile devices and apps market are thinking of segmenting the market from the gender perspective. One company even launched a product that was specially built for women.

What does the tablet for women have? A pink screen saver, a dumbed down interface and apps that women are supposed to like. With hindsight, it may seem like a bad idea to build such a product, but there are real differences in the way women and men use tablets and smartphones. Let’s take a quick look:

Technology Adoption: Women are more open to tying out new features and adopting new mobile technology than men. They are more likely to make the most of all the features of an app, and they prefer health, social networking and lifestyle and games apps. Women are more keen on mobile gaming, while men are happier playing games on laptops, PCs or gaming consoles.

Mobile Gaming: Men have a natural predilection for war games, RPGs, shooting games and games that had long-term goals. Women seem to prefer word games, puzzles, and simpler games. But there are several games that both gender like equally, and both men and women say that they end up getting addicted games and spend too much time playing games on the mobile.

App Types: Some stereotypes are supported by the user base for apps. Catalog apps, lifestyle apps, cooking and recipe apps have a predominantly female user base. Business and productivity apps, finance apps, and sports apps have more male users. But dating apps, games, GPS, restaurant apps and several other categories of apps have almost equal number of male and female users.

What does all this mean for mobile app developers?

Statistics are interesting, but one can read too much into them. Most app owners thoroughly research their target audience before freezing their app concept. For certain, apps, if your target is predominantly female, the app offers functionalities that appeal to the audience. But that doesn’t make any real effect on the kind of app you are creating.

When the first smartphone was create, Apple tried to create an intuitive device that anyone, irrespective of gender or age, could simply pick up and start using. The idea of ‘intuitiveness’ is at the base of all smart mobile devices and all the apps. Your app design needs to be user-friendly, intuitive, and it must follow the best practices. There is no point in creating apps that are limited to one gender.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common problems experienced by a majority of Android users and see if there is a way to solve them. Some of the bugs are specific to certain popular devices, while others plague all 4.2 Jelly bean users. Here, we will talk about the the issues that most Android Jelly Bean users experience, irrespective of the devices they are using.

Powerless Battery

Smartphones are known to eat up a lot of battery – all those new features will need more battery. Android users who have recently updated Jelly Bean 4.2 or the later versions have noticed that the battery drain is a little too high. Rebooting the battery seems to work for some, but if that doesn’t work, there are other alternatives.

Solution: LTE services, Google Now, Google Plus Sync – all these features cause a lot of battery drain. Turning these options off will definitely help you reduce battery drain. The new addition to most top-notch Android smartphones – NFC – also drains battery a lot. Turning off Google Wallet will help save some more battery power.

Frequent Wi-Fi Disconnects / Unable to Connect with Wi-Fi

This is one of the most persistent Android issue: users with different devices and different versions of Android Jelly Bean have faced this problem. For many, the reason for Wi-Fi problem seems to be some or other Jelly Bean update. Not only is this problem too common – it is easily the most annoying.

Solution: Wi-Fi dropping disconnecting or the inability to connect to Wi-Fi can occur due to a host of diverse reasons. There are some common solutions that work for a lot of people:

Settings > Wi-Fi > Menu > Advanced

You will see an option: Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep. Click on Always for this option. This will ensure that you do not lose Wi-Fi connections when your devices goes to sleep. You could also check another option there: Avoid poor connections – this will help reduce the Wi-Fi dropping caused due to weak signals.

Random Reboots / Freezing

Does your mobile reboot automatically at random intervals? Does it freeze out of the blue, for no discernible reason whatsoever? Any such problems that have cropped up after updating Jelly Bean to your mobile are, most likely, caused by app that are not compatible with your Jelly Bean version. Jelly Bean 4.2.2 is supposed to solve this problem, but if the problem still persists, there are a few things that you can do.

Solution: For some lucky users, simply turning the device off and on solves the problem, at least temporarily. You can take care of the problem by checking your apps and removing the apps that are incompatible with Jelly Bean.

One sure shot way of getting around the problem is opening Setting > Application manager and finding out which apps are present on the Running Tab. Remove the apps one by one from this tab and check when the problem stops. This will help you identify the incompatible application.

This is a lengthy and irritating process, but the only other option you have is to try

Settings > Backup and Reset > Factory Reset

But this will erase all your data – you will have to re-install the new version of Android and reload all your data. Don’t forget to back up all your important data before taking this step!

Summing Up

Battery drain, unreliable Wi-Fi connectivity and random reboots are the most common problems experienced by people using Jelly Bean on different devices. The solutions listed here will help you solve your problem, hopefully. Otherwise, wait for the next update and hope that Google solves the problems in Jelly Bean 4.3.3.

Currently, we are seeing a boom in the mobile educational apps section. There are quite a few e-learning or education-related apps for smartphones and tablets in the market, but very few achieve success and popularity. The conflict between conventional education that takes place in the classroom and learning through mobile apps, which is more of supplementary activity, usually stands in the way of an app.

One way you can improve the chances of success for an educational app is by making it relevant within the constraints of the classroom or the campus. There are hundreds of thousands of educational apps or games, but only a handful of them are usable as a part of the class. How to create apps that can succeed in campuses and classrooms? Here’s how:

Build Apps that Bolster Course Content

Some of the most popular applications on the various app stores have no connection with any course content, yet they are successful. Apps like Atlas, How to Draw, How to Play a Guitar, or Reading Bear are all educational apps that target anyone who has an interest in self-learning.

But, for every successful app in this category, there are dozens that are forgotten. If you conceptualize and create an application that matches the course content of students in a particular grade, chances are that the schools or colleges may start using it. Any app that has a clear instructional goal and that can save time in the classroom has a great future.

Help Assessing Knowledge Growth

Evaluation and grading has a big place in most educational systems. Sooner or later, teachers and parents will want to know just how effective your application has been in helping students gain proficiency. By offering assessment mechanisms as a part of your application, you will make it a lot more effective and marketable.

The simplest way of doing this is checking user-proficiency at the very beginning and checking it at different stages of learning. If you can add features that enable students to use their mastery of a particular topic to create digital presentations, your app will be warmly welcomed in classrooms.

Give Control to Teachers

One of the major reasons many teachers are not happy with students using smartphones or tablets in the class is that they do not have any real control on what the students are doing on their devices. Teachers need apps that are fun enough to keep the students engrossed and they need features that allow them to halt the misuse of devices.

If you can create applications that meet these criteria, happy teachers may become your best promoters. Developing educational apps that enable teacher controls & supervision can be a rather uphill task, but in the current scenario, such apps would definitely generate positive Internet and boost app downloads.

Summing Up

When conceptualizing and developing smartphone applications for the educational market, you need to be clear about the people you are targeting. General apps that teach a particular skill can become quite popular, but specific education apps targeting a particular segment of the market can be a massive hit. And the time is just right to build such apps.

By the time you are done with the application development process, you would have a vague idea of adjectives and nouns that best describe your app. The person naming the app has to steer clear from anything that can cause a branding, copyright or technical error. You would think that a lot of thought and brainstorming would go into the naming of a mobile app, but a surprisingly large number of developers and entrepreneurs are guilty of rushing through the app naming process.

Are you in the process of app development and hunting for the RIGHT name? We can’t supply the name for you, but the following tips will make your task easier and cause you to chance upon the ideal name (and steer clear of unsuitable names).

1. Relevance is Paramount

Mobile applications offer specific solutions that add something to the life of the users. If the name of your app matches with the needs it fulfills, you get tremendous brand recall. Also, ensure that the name is composed of familiar words and is easy to pronounce. Easily pronounceable names create a better impression than names that make the tongue twist.

2. Evocative and Descriptive Names Rock

The name of your app can describe the app itself, for instance ‘WorkShare’ is a self-explanatory name because it describes the action that users can perform through the app. So, if you are providing application that allows UFO hunters to share information about the latest UFO sighing, a simple name like UFOAlert will rock and hit the audience at the right place.

3. Remember: Even a little Long is Too Long

EchoSign, DropBox, WorkShare, EverNote, StratPad, Speaktoit: short, crisp, and memorable names. Make sure that you app has a short name: a single name or a compound word formed from two words that best describe its functionalities or features will work the best. Even three words can be a lot. Also, the longer the name is, the tougher it will be to fit it in a URL. Less than eleven characters is okay, more should be avoided.

4. Check if URLs Related to the Name are Available

Large and costly apps can get into serious trouble if the app has been named but matching URLs have not been secured. You will promote your application through a website and search engine optimization. People who hear about your app will look for it on the Internet, trying to find more information about it. If they land on an unrelated page, it will create confusion and may erode the credibility of the app.

5. Consult SEO Experts

What search terms do people use when they are looking for apps or software similar to yours? Is there are particular search term or a group of terms that match your app’s functionality perfectly? Consult with SEO experts and try to include the terms that they provide as a part of the name.

6. Use Name Generators

If you are stuck and cannot come up with a name that feels ‘right,’ try using name generators. Trawl the app stores and research similar apps and their names. Try to come up with names that are relevant but original. Avoid names that sound too much like that of an existing, popular app.

7. Secure the Name!

So, you have the name in your mind? Try and find hard for any other business that uses the same name. While there may not be any legal problems if you create an app that sounds similar to some obscure business somewhere, you need to ensure that you are not picking a name that is already well known in a different context.

What’s in a Name?

Why is naming the app right so important? Every major app store is chock full of similar kinds of apps. Your target users are more likely to download your application if it stirs something in their memory. So, you need a name that has enough familiar elements to identify the purpose and the category of the app, but also has original elements that set it apart from competing apps.

Let’s take a look at the iPad 5 rumors making head-lines this season:

Release Date

As per a new report by Digitimes, Apple’s iPad 5 is expected to launch around the middle of 2013. The first quarter of 2013 seems to be quite interesting for Apple as it may release a number of its products like iPhone 5, iPad 4 and iPad Mini. Whereas, another report by International Business Times states that, the new iPad 5 could arrive as early as March to boost Apple’s dropping revenue. Though some other reports say that, Apple is seriously considering an April launch for its iPad 5.

iPad 5 looks inspired heavily from iPad Mini but looks very different from iPad in its overall look and feel. Similar to iPad 4 the new iPad 5 may have a thinner bezel to reduce bulk load from it.

The release date of iPad 5 may clash with iPad Mini 2, considering the fact that Apple launches its products around October 2013. Though, iPad Mini with retina display may require more time by designers to actually bring it to Apple lovers. The delay in the launch of iPad 5 and iPad Mini could also be due to lack of production capacity and shortage of touch-sensors as reported by DigiTimes.

Features

iPad 5 design will rely a lot on iPad Mini , with 7.2 mm thinness and lighter than its predecessor. It may have a faster A6X processor, and even faster and better 4G-Connectivity. Services like iTunes may be revamped owing to a better performing iPad 5.

iPad 5 may have the touch sensor capability just like the iPad Mini. Apple has always used innovation as the corner-stone for its successful products. The reason for this could be uplift its slipping revenues from $671 to $431 from October 3, 2012 to March 5, 2013 as reported by IBT. The new iPad 5 will offer better performing CPU, new connectors such as lightning dock, more storage, improved screen display and much more.

Price

Strictly looking into Apple’s pricing trends it can be estimated that with iPad 5 arriving the price of iPad 4 would drop thus, leveraging the price of iPad 5. The price can roughly be around the iPad 4 price but slightly higher.

To sum it up

iPad 5 Is Faster, Better and Smarter

iPad 5 will obviously be a revised version from its predecessors in terms of its visual appeal as well as its performance. Apple’s Design Head Jony Ive, is busy revamping the new offering by Apple to bring a completely chic and simplistic approach to their product.

IDC increased its 2013 tablet shipment forecast to 190.9 million units, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million units. Last year, global tablet shipments grew to 128.3 million units, up from 72 million in 2011, as per IDC. It further predicts that, in 2013 will see more shipments of smaller tablets even more less than 8-inch in screen size.

Mobile apps are turning the tablets around by increasingly empowering end users. Though, the markets have become competitive this has created numerous opportunities for business firms to look for alternatives to better service their customers at any time of the day and from anywhere.

It is a known fact that with the advent of mobile apps businesses have experienced a tremendous boost and continue to do so. Let us ponder on what makes brands use mobile apps to tap their business potential to the fullest:

All Time Data Access

With the increasing penetration of Internet and Wi-Fi networks brands get a chance to stay in touch with their existing and potential customers anytime, anywhere. For instance, according to a new report by the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), global e-commerce sales will cross the 1 trillion Euro ($1.25 trillion) mark by 2013.

Access to Custom Information

Instead of waiting in long queues customers have the advantage of searching for products they most want and are able to make a purchase online much quickly. Subsequently, mobile apps offer custom preferential data to consumers which helps them, to make better choices and save some bucks.

Access to a Variety of Services

The app market is booming with a variety of services such as mobile apps for personal, professional and social needs. Users can interact, share and search real-time information via their mobile apps.

Boost to Small Businesses

Mobile apps helps small or new start-ups to improve their online reputation, offer delightful and prompt customer service, and tap new markets. Besides, investing in a mobile app is a cost-effective and time-saving option for such businesses.

Improved Data Management and Synchronization

Mobile apps allow business personnel to better control and manage their data. They can create back-up by saving important data in the cloud and sync it as per business needs. In addition, apps also help to revise, re-schedule, and conceptualize ideas anytime, anywhere; thus, inviting innovation in the business process. Third-party synchronizations such as social sites are a must-have for every business under the sun as they attract more traffic and overall reach of a brand.

Popular Mobile App Categories

Though, there are a variety of mobile apps in the market certain categories are most useful for businesses to improve their productivity. These are calendar, e-mail, contact list, voice and video chat, note keeping, office suites, and data sharing apps to name a few. Professionals can use any of these or a combination of these to experience sustained and higher productivity for their businesses. Smart business practices such as these not only helps brands to drive higher ROIs but also to retain a pool of loyal and satisfied workforce.

To wrap it up

As per a recent survey by International Data Corp., worldwide mobile workforce will reach 1.3 billion by 2015, making a total of 37.2% of the total workforce. Mobile apps are indispensable for business entities for a number of reasons and will lead to ground-breaking inventions in the future.

The iPad is a lightweight and portable innovative-device by Apple. It hosts a number of interesting features to simplify the otherwise cumbersome business routines. Its apps are the main selling point for any iPad device. iPad apps cater to all business verticals and are a great boon for their employees and customers.

Let’s take a look how the iPad apps revolutionize business processes:

Why Your Employees Need An iPad App?

1. Custom apps can do a lot to ease routine tasks and thus aid to increases productivity and creativity of the business.
2. They serve as an effective tool and increase the life-span of business by offering efficient results.
3. The most vital components of any business are employees and customers. The iPad app technology gives tremendous value to them.
4. Happy and satisfied customers drive more revenue for the company and thus iPad apps generate a better revenue process for businesses.
5. The iPad acts like a one-stop destination for all the information that they need to know. It eliminates the need to carry hard copies or laptops. They can get access to any content while-on-the-go, as it is stored in a central easily accessible system.
6. Business executives can service their customers much better and in a rather unique and faster way with the help of such tools.
7. iPad apps help to gather valuable customer data just at the tap of a finger and lets employees to share this vital data among team members for further processing. Thus ensuring better planning and task execution.
8. The iPad apps do not require any specific training by team members thus saving a lot of time.

Why Customers Need an iPad App?

1. iPad apps help to gather new, existing and potential customer data rather fast. Hence, companies can assess their demographic or other factors based growth potential.
2. Customers get a personalized touch of the services with custom communication and timely notifications.
3. With iPad apps any number of vital documentation is sent easily to the customers in a fast and precise time-frame so as to avoid business ambiguity.

Why Businesses Need To Have an iPad App?

1. A new way to look at media; gives you the ability to take in unlimited information at any convenient time and at any given place.
2. iPad is easy to carry around and does not require any physical constrain on the body.
3. It has a multi-faceted software that provides the flexibility to designers to shape it in any way possible.
4. It increases the work efficiencies of internal as well as external teams with the use of push notifications.
5. With iPad apps businesses can forecast almost the exact outcome of their business decision.

The Bottom Line of iPad App Adoption

The primary reason why businesses look for tools and better alternatives for business is because they aim to build bigger ROIs. Similarly, customers want faster and logical solutions to their problems. Thus iPad apps are a flexible and dynamic medium that caters to the needs of multi-level business processes.