Walking through your local mall, you would find it nearly impossible to see somebody using a iPhone or Android smartphone. But tell me this; How many Windows Phone have you seen out in the wild? One or Two? None?  If it goes Microsoft’s way, this will soon change.

In the next couple of months you should see a huge marketing push for Windows Phone with commercials airing during March Madness as well as commercials during the Spring lineup of prime time shows airing on the major networks. Why is Microsoft just now really trying to show off what they have to offer with Windows Phone? Because Windows Phone is finally a mature operating system with some awesome hardware to back it up.

Let’s talk a little about why now is the time to make the switch to Windows Phone.

Windows Phone 8

When Windows Phone 7 first came out with its “tiled interface” it definitely caught a lot of peoples eyes. Too bad the same couldn’t have been said with its market share. The problem with Windows 7 really came down to the fact it was just missing many features that Android and iPhone have been offering for some time now. Windows 7 just didn’t have them. Now, with Windows 8, we see that they have almost everything that can be found on iPhone and Android, plus many features that the other two operating systems do not have.

Windows 8 is also beautiful and easy to use. It offers a level of easy customization that will keep everything looking the way you want it to as well as different from everyone else phones. It also has the level of polish that you would expect from a 2 year old operating system. Did i mention the apps?

Apps

Apps were one of Windows Phone largest problems. In order to compete with the big boys and try to steal some of their market share, the big name apps had to be available for Windows Phone. Unfortunately, with WP7, they were not.

Turn the page to today though, nearly 2 years later, and Windows Phone now has over 300,000 apps from some of the largest app developers out there. From Netflix to Kindle, Angry Birds to Kik Messenger, Windows Phone is fully stocked with the apps you need. Word on the street is Instagram is coming to Windows Phone this summer too.

Nokia

I could talk about all of the hardware that manufacturers are making with WP8 on it and how great the hardware is, but at the end of the day, Nokia’s hardware (and software too) is the top of the line. The Lumia line of cellphones are not only powerful devices with excellent screens, they are also beautifully manufactured.

Nokia has created a device with a camera that outshines the iPhone and the power that outshines nearly every Android device. Not to mention, Nokia has created a suite of apps for its’ Lumia line that are awesome.

So if you’re in the market for a new phone, give Windows Phone a second look. I promise you it will be worth it.

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How much does a mobile app cost? This is, by far, the number one question that any of our potential clients ask.  While the question may seem to be fairly cut and dry, the answer is not.

Asking how much an app is, is a lot like asking “How much does a car cost?”. On one end of the spectrum I have a ten year old Toyota Corolla with 170k miles, No AC and a tape deck that i could sell you for 5,000 dollars and on the other end, I have a 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera S hard top convertible, with 400 horse power and basically every bell and whistle for just a smidgen 100k. The same fluctuation occurs with mobile applications and in a similar manner.

Basically, the more extravagant you would like your app to be, the more extravagant the price tag is going to be. I know to some that price tag may seem pretty high. But if you look at the fact that most developers in the US charge between $100-$125 dollars an hour, and multiply that by the amount of hours it takes to develop even the simplest of apps and you can quickly see how an application gets so expensive.

Are there ways to alleviate that large price tag? Of course. One thing that we have done to alleviate the cost for our customers is do the project in phases, where phase one would be to create the application bare-bones, allowing the most simple functions to be developed into the app, keeping the price low. Then later in phase 2, or sometimes phase 3, we add functionality that the client really wanted, but couldn’t afford right off the bat. This allows our clients to spread the cost over a longer period of time and still get the outcome that they were looking for.

Another way to lower the cost of your application is to find a developer offshore. While this will definitely lower your costs, you must remember the old saying “you get what you pay for”. We have had several clients come to us asking us to fix broken code that they had developed offshore.  While it may have sounded like a good idea at the time, your going to be paying for it in the back-end of the project when you have to fix all of your code because it isn’t working properly. You also may not get the type of project management, quality assurance and future support using this type of development.

The only way you can be sure of how much your application is going to cost is by contacting a developer (like AndPlus) and give them an accurate description of the application. An experienced developer will then take this information and formulate a proposal, breaking down the hours it will take to develop your app and put a price tag on it for you. One thing to always remember; if the idea for an app is something you would like to keep confidential so no one steals your idea, make sure you sign an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement). It will protect your ideas.

If you would like to get a quote on your next mobile,custom software or web development project, feel free to contact AndPlus at 508-425-7533 or by filling out our contact page.

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As businesses have continued to integrate mobile applications to improve core business functions, they have also begun to incorporate mobile applications for use behind the scenes, in the form of building automation applications. Today’s building automation systems have advanced far beyond the HVAC-centric systems of the past, handling such functions as lighting, security and safety. All of these functions can now be handled by facility and building managers using a mobile device such as an iPhone or Android handset.

In the past building automation controls were based on proprietary networks, which meant that facility managers were locked into a single vendor. Today, there are industry standard protocols such as BACnet and LON, which allows flexibility for facility managers to expand upon their automation systems with any vendor of their choosing. Protocols, like BACnet and LON, make it easy for developers, such as AndPlus, to integrate a mobile application as part of a building automation system.

Some advantages of integrating mobile applications as part of your building automation systems are:

• Lower utility costs
• Manage systems from anywhere at any time.
• Lower operational costs
• Respond to alarms and service calls faster

By adopting building automation mobile applications, you will transform your building performance, which is typically under-utilized and invisible, into a powerful asset. By properly linking all of your building devices into a singular user interface accessible from mobile devices, you are guaranteed to cut costs and save energy. Take monitoring to the next level. Become better informed, more intelligent and faster reacting with your building automation solutions using mobile applications.

AndPlus is no stranger when it comes to creating mobile apps to control your building automation. If you would like to put your building in the palm of your hand, fill out our contact form on our contact page!

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I remember the first phone i ever had with a camera on it; an LG VX 8300 flip phone. The ability to take awful photos with my phone gave me the power that at any place or anytime, I could capture a photo of myself, my friends or my surroundings and send it instantly to my friends. It was pretty cool.

The first cellphone cameras were revolutionary. For the first time people could carry one device with them that gave them the power to instantly become a news reporter, photographer or film maker. And that’s exactly what people have done. Today, over three hours of video are uploaded per minuteto YouTube from mobile devices. There are 250 Million photos uploaded to Facebook daily, with nearly 100 million of these images were taking with mobile phones. Add in images uploaded to Twitter, Instagram and other photo sites and the numbers are surely astonishing.

Phones today are a little different then they were when I first purchased my VX 8300. By a little, I mean a lot. Better screens, better processors, better cameras and more disk space create a better environment for creating rich media. In the app-centric world that we live in, this media is being used in ways that would have made my VX 8300 explode. Mobile apps like Instagram allow you to create visually stunning images that are easily shareable with friends. iMovie for the iPhone will allow you to edit full length films that could only be done in the past with computers with a lot of processing power. Apps like Facetime and Skype will allow you to have a face to face conversation with your friends.

While these applications are great we’re starting to see apps that use your camera in a different way. As a navigator, a scanner, or even translator.

Augmented reality is something that developers are just breaking the ice on. Augmented reality uses your camera in combination with your GPS to navigate your surrounding in better detail.   Picture yourself walking or driving down the street. With augmented-reality displays, which will eventually look much like a normal pair of glasses, informative graphics will appear in your field of view, and audio will coincide with whatever you see. These enhancements will be refreshed continually to reflect the movements of your head. All this is thanks to the camera (with a little help from a GPS) Say “thank you smartphone cameras”.

Barcode scanners have been around for a long time. You know, those red deathbeams lasers at the grocery store that scan your Cheerios box. Well smartphones can do the same thing thanks to the sophisticated cameras that are now in smartphones. Applications can be created to scan just about any type of barcode, QR code or intelligent code. As a matter of fact, AndPlus has created a few applications using barcode scanners. One in particular app called SecondSeats allows users to scan their tickets while they are in an event and upgrade them to a better open seat for a small upgrade fee.

Scanning Barcodes with mobile devices

Applications like Microsft’s Bing Vision allows you to scan text in any language and then convert that text to any language of your choice. Applications like this use the camera and something called OCR (optical character recognition) software that recognizes characters and highlights them, then using a translator service like Google Translator to translate the text. Muy Bein!

I’m sure this is just the tip of the ice berg as far as mobile applications utilizing smartphone cameras go. Only time will tell what the future will have in store for us, but I’m sure that the camera will play an integral part!

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We are in the age where all the information in the world is at your finger tips, and everyone wants it right now.

This is true when it comes to your company. Collaboration in the cloud  is changing the way the world works. It is helping companies execute business strategies, improve productivity, enhance teamwork, and improve decision making, whether employees and team members are in the same building or halfway around the world.

Now, mobile solutions are taking collaboration to the next level. The business benefits of enabling people to communicate more naturally, anywhere, and at anytime are clear and being realized by many. With recent advances in applications and devices, employees, customers and partners are increasingly expecting to contact, interact, and conduct business instantly through their preferred communications channels. To compete,  businesses need flexible communication services, and these services are increasingly being consumed through mobile devices connected with the cloud.

Is your company interested in collaborating with your employees, customers and partners on mobile devices connected through the cloud? Contact AndPlus to discuss how we can get you company off the ground and collaborating in the cloud!

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When laptops first became  investments for companies, productivity shot through the roof. The ability to take your PC with you wherever you went significantly enhanced your productivity, and the business world was changed forever.

Fast forward to today, and we are looking at a similar shift in the hardware we use to continue to work when out of the office. Smartphones.

In a survey taken in January 2012 by Aberdeen, the use of enterprise mobile applications, in over 200 enterprise businesses, increased productivity by 45%. The data also revealed that overall operational efficiency rises to almost 44% when enterprise apps are in use.

What kinds of apps are businesses using?

Enterprise mobile applications typically are one of the following types of apps -

1.   Simple mobile apps to reduce administrative workload by enabling employees to perform basic day-to-day tasks on their mobile devices.

2.   Mobile CRM apps that enable sales reps, the field service staff and their managers to access information about their customers where ever they are instead of needing to call the office to chase the information down.
This includes ability to:

• Access account information:  Allows Sales reps to capture, monitor and view key information about prospects, and customers on their mobile devices. It also provides them the ability to view customer history as new opportunities arise.
• Manage pipeline: Allows sales reps and their managers to view and update sales leads and opportunities on their mobile devices
• Manage account activity: Enables sales reps and managers to view and update upcoming tasks and scheduled activities pertaining to a specific customer or partner on their mobile devices
• Run reports: Enables sales managers to view charts and reports such as sales pipeline, top opportunities and top sales orders on their mobile device.

3.   Mobile apps that monitor your inventory and logistics processes.  This includes ability to monitor inventory levels, perform simple inventory transactions, and access detailed information about products.
AndPlus creates custom mobile applications for your company that can integrate your current CRM’s and data management systems with mobile applications. IF you would like more information on how AndPlus can create a custom solution for your company, please contact us by filling out our contact page or call 508-425-7533.

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Does anyone like paper work?

I can imagine the overwhelming answer to that question is no.

Most field workers carry around NCR forms (white, pink and yellow 3 part forms) that they use to write out specifications on jobs, work orders, contracts and invoices. Some workers also carry digital cameras for taking pictures on the field, laptops for communicating via emails with their office, and  a cell phone for other communications.

Wouldn’t it make sense to have all of these tools built in to one central location?

Piles of Paperwork!

A friend of mine works for a company in the area the does home energy conservation audits and makes recommendations to owners of the homes on what services are available for them to make their house more energy efficient. He is the person that goes into all of these homes and does the actual audits. At every site he must go through the entire house marking each item that can affect the homes energy efficiency. From the furnace in the basement to the ventilation in the roof.

Throughout the inspection he must mark everything down on paper. He also makes sketches of the house and takes pictures of problematic areas of the house that he then files away.

My friend does three to four of these a day. After a full day of work he has to go back to the office and painstakingly transfer all of his handwritten notes and digital images to their data entry system.

Can you say biggest waste of time ever?

Problem Solved

We work with a company that has a number of field workers. Workers and management were complaining because of long hours and redundancy with paperwork. After meeting and consulting with AndPlus, we came up with an idea to create a mobile application that can run on iPad, iPhone and Android that will allow the field workers to enter all data directly into their data entry software from their mobile device. The application uses text entry fields and drop down menus to enter information about the specific job that they are on. It also utilizes the devices camera to add photos to each file.

Another great feature of the custom mobile application was the fact that it can run and fully operate online or offline. All of the data is cached to the device for offline viewing and updated once the user is connected to a network.

Not only has this saved workers time and stress, it has saved the company money in hourly salary. Also, now all of the employees have one device to access email, scheduling, data and valuable resources on the internet.

Do you see an opportunity for mobile applications in any other industries?

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School is back in session. In the past few years one thing has become very clear. Backpacks are shrinking.

Backpacks are shrinking?

Today classrooms are ditching text books and classroom tools for mobile devices and apps that run on them. So, just in time for the kids (and teachers) to be getting back to school, we’ve compiled a list of the most useful mobile apps for back to school!

Graphing Calculator

The one thing that I never could justify buying before going back to school was a graphing calculator. For over $100 dollars you get an advanced calculator that had some pretty useful features. But they were very cumbersome to use, and really, not worth the money. (especially when there were a few in class that people like myself could use) Fortunately, for today’s students, there is an alternative. Graphing Calculator (iPhone $1.99) is a perfect alternative for the $100 Texas Instruments graphing calculator. It has all the same features and a very similar interface. This is considered a steal at $1.99, so pick it up!

Kno

Buying books is the biggest rip off for college students. They force you to purchase a new or used book from any where between $50 and $200, to only trade them in at the end of the year for a fraction of the price. Well thanks to Kno (iPhone, iPad, Android – Free), this problem is partially solved. Kno offers textbooks for all grade levels k-12 and college. The app is packed with features. From social sharing your notes with the app, to the app creating flashcards of chapters that you have read. On top of the awesome features, know has worked out deals with publishers to make these e-publications much cheaper than their printed versions.

Miss Spell’s Class

Wit kidz 2day, spellin lik ur textin has bcom da norm. Miss Spell’s Class was developed by Dictionary.com to try help kids learn how to spell correctly. Miss Spell’s Class is an original word game that lets players test their spelling skills against the most commonly misspelled words on Dictionary.com. Players must quickly decide whether each of 20 words is spelled correctly or incorrectly, as speed and accuracy count to get to the top of the class! You can find this app on iPhone and Android for free.

Blackboard Mobile Learn

Blackboard is a web app that students and teachers use to do things like online classes, assign and turn in classwork, and coordinate other activities in and out of the classroom. With Blackboard Mobile Learn, the same features are available as the web app, while including a few more useful features on the mobile app. You can receive push notifications of course activity, grades and new assignments. Professors can even create mobile formatted tests that can be taken on a cell phone or tablet device. No chalk or eraser necessary.

MyHomework

If your anything like me, homework was always the last thing on my mind when i got home from school. With MyHomework, the developer has made it fun and easy to keep your homework in order and make sure you never miss an assignmnet.  The app color-codes items according to their due date and syncs to a desktop to keep all of a student’s information centralized. Its a great tool for college kids who like the structure of an online system but put a few hundred miles between them and their parents for a reason.

FlashCards++

I was never much of a flashcard user. I was more of the type of student who listened in class, took notes, did half of my homework, studied 5 minutes before the test and got a B+ in the class. I did see a lot of kids in college studying with flash cards and thought to myself that it must have taken forever for them to make those flash cards. Students today don’t have to worry about that. They go into the iPhone or Android app store, spend $3.99 on this handy app and create the cards right on their phone, or better yet import the excel spread sheet they made of their cards right into the app. Even better, when your done with the test you don’t have all of those piles of old flashcards sitting around collecting dust.

Did I forget any awesome must have apps for students? Add your own in the comments section below!

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As the world is slowly unchaining themselves from their desks and becoming more reliant on mobile computing, most companies are beginning to realize the necessity of creating a way to reach their customer in this new mobile world. Some companies are turning to mobile websites, which are in essence a condensed version of the companies full website modified to display nicely on your phone. Other companies are developing mobile applications that are made to utilize features of your phone for added usability (like the GPS, accelerometer, camera, etc…) and also create a unique user experience that mobile websites can’t deliver.

Some companies have been left in the wake of all the mobile app chaos, scratching their head, not knowing whether they should go into the mobile realm, or forget about it completely. Well, its becoming more and more apparent that mobile is here to stay and companies of all sizes need to get on board with it. It is a little overwhelming. That is why we’re here to help. Download our whitepaper below on “How To: Launch a Mobile App For Your Business” and you’ll be on your way to creating a mobile app for your business!

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The verdict is in. Samsung has been ordered to pay Apple one billion dollars for infringing upon several of Apples software and design innovations.

Samsung may be forced to stop sales of 17 of its Android phones, thankfully not including their flagship phone the Samsung Galaxy S3 but will effect other versions of the Galaxy line. This is a  huge blow to Samsung, who has been riding the Android wave to success in the last few years with it’s Galaxy line of smartphones. But as the saying goes, one man’s pain is another man’s gain.

“Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now.”

Bill Cox, marketing director for Microsoft’s Windows Phone Division tweeted this after hearing the verdict. Why so?

Windows phone looks nothing like iOS leaving it safe from any patent infringement disputes with Apple. In the lawsuit, Apple claimed that Samsung’s design for Android looked far too close to iOS. Apple pointed to Windows Phone as an example of an operating system that looked and operated completely different then iOS.

Smartphone makers are going to be looking towards other operating systems to install on their devices. Most of the infringements were based off of the Android operating system that Samsung was running on their devices. Nearly every smartphone hardware company makes an Android handset. Instead of taking the risk to be sued by Apple, these hardware companies may take a look at other operating systems (A.K.A. Windows Phone) to install on their devices.

Google will have to work around Apple. Google is going to have to re-engineer their operating system to make sure that it doesn’t infringe on any of Apples innovations. This takes time. Within this time, consumers may look to get behind the newest version of Windows phone rather than wait for an updated version of Android.

As it stands right now, the amount of handsets being shipped globally with Windows operating system on them is approximately 6% of all phones. Android ships about 68% of all handsets and Apple ships nearly 17% of all handsets. Where the amount of shipped Android handsets will fall, it’s likely that we will see Windows Phone filling that void.

Or will it be perfect timing for the new Blackberry phones rise from the darkness? Leave a comment below to let me know your thoughts!

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