September 2013
September 30, 2013
zawya.com - 'Initiative Talks' explores opportunities and challenges for marketers in the mobile era
The increasing influence of mobile technology in telecommunications marketing was the subject under discussion at a major seminar held in Dubai Wednesday, September 25th. Branded as 'a conference with a difference,' the event was organised by Initiative, a UAE-based media communications network and examined the challenges and opportunities presented to industry operators in a digital age that is characterised by networking on the move.
Promoted under the tagline '#LetsTalkMobile,' the conference was the latest in Initiative's series of interactive gatherings for its 'Initiatives Talks' platform, which invites discussion and debate about the region's telecommunications landscape. Among those attending were media representatives, marketing executives, key stakeholders and decision makers with a vested interest in discovering the latest in mobile communication trends.
"This is an age of rapid change for telecommunications, with new patterns of behaviour constantly supplanting ones that have only just been established. While this is exciting, it is also challenging for industry operators wanting to reach an audience," said Ramzy Abouchacra, Regional Managing Director for Initiative in the GCC. "We recognised that there was a need to disseminate information about the ever-evolving landscape of telecommunications, particularly with regard to smartphone technology, which is growing exponentially. We believe our Initiative Talks platform fulfils this need and is an important knowledge resource for the region," he added.
The Initiative Talks programme of conferences is the fruit of extensive research undertaken by the organisation across the pan-Arab region examining behaviour, trends and predicted outcomes for mobile data use. The high quality of information gathered through their quantitative and qualitative research has seen Initiative partner with major telecommunications operators, including Etisalat UAE, Mobily KSA and Etisalat Egypt to provide them with strategic direction.
"Initiative Talks is a thought leadership platform that aims to share with our partners the various learnings that we have accumulated throughout the pursuit of managing our client partner's business," said Faysal Zok, Managing Director at Initiative. "Each programme aims to shed light on key trends and provides in-depth analysis of consumer behaviour vis-à-vis these trends. This year's event is focused on the telecommunications and mobile industry, specifically, the mobile experience and its new emergent technologies, while allowing space for our partners to express their perspectives in that regard," he added.
The Initiative Talks' programme included an analysis of the mobile experience from Sarah Ivey, Initiative Global Chief Strategy Officer, whose presentation discussed the statistics for mobile device use across the MENA region. These revealed, among other things, that KSA were the keenest on-line shoppers, with 40 per cent of smartphone users in the country purchasing goods and services from home.
Customers in the UAE were more than twice as likely as those in KSA to check on-line product reviews using their device at home and also led the way in comparing prices and looking up product specifications from the comfort of their living rooms. Smartphone users in Egypt were found to be least likely to shop and check product information from home. Ivey's research also looked at the phenomenon of smartphone take-up, with the results showing that the UAE and KSA had a very high number of early adopters, but also that there are few reliable mobile shopping websites or payment applications in these markets.
"Early adopter markets have users who are highly active and engaged and therefore have higher usage levels across most smartphone activities compared with more mature markets whose usage is diluted by Mr and Mrs Average," said Ivey. "However, early adopters don't explain the entire disparity in the markets. Practical factors, such as infrastructure availability and network reliability also influence consumers' smartphone take-up and use," she added.
Established in 2001, Initiative Media Middle East forms part of the Middle East Communications Network, one of the largest communications groups in the MENA region. Initiative operates with a network of over one hundred media specialists and has offices in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Cairo, Beirut and Morocco. Other MCN group affiliate offices include Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia and Algeria.
Mobile Technology Conference, Dubai, UAE, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 29, 2013
talkandroid.com - Interested in trying out Google Glass before making a purchase? Google is taking Glass across the US to set up a few locations where potential customers can go hands on with the facial device, although you still won't be able to buy them. They've announced Durham, North Caroline will be the first location on October 5th, and they'll let out details of future trips on the official Google Glass Google+ page afterwards. If you're interested, you can subscribe to the page below and keep an eye on it.
Google, Google Glass, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 29, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - SingTel signed a partnership with Samsung "focused on driving next-generation mobile communication, infotainment and technology services in Asia".
In a statement that was light on specific details, it was said that the companies will offer applications and digital services to customers across SingTel's units in Thailand (AIS), Phillipines (Globe Telecom), Australia (Optus) and Indonesia (Telkomsel), as well as Singapore.
Indian affiliate Airtel was also included on the list.
The partners will also work together to "identify opportunities for joint launches and marketing campaigns of key Samsung device announcements".
They will also "be able to leverage each other's distribution channels to extend their reach to more customers".
Joint projects will begin from the fourth quarter of this year.
DJ Lee, president and head of sales & marketing at Samsung Electronics, said: "In order to introduce Samsung's next generation mobile communications, we continue to fully support and work closely with leading mobile operators."
SingTel, Samsung, Mobile Alliance, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 28, 2013
marketwatch.com - Syniverse today announced the results of a comprehensive global primary research study that shows the importance of an enterprise mobile strategy across multiple industries. Enterprise mobility solutions are being leveraged to achieve customer-related goals, improve operational efficiencies and increase revenue. The findings come from a global survey of Fortune 1,000 companies conducted in July 2013.
The study, completed for Syniverse by market strategy consulting firm iGR, identified each brand's top mobile needs and expectations, yielding significant findings in the areas of mobile strategy, mobile marketing and messaging. The survey was fielded in 10 countries across the world's major economic markets.
"Advancements in mobile technologies over the past few years have unleashed unprecedented opportunities for consumers to interact with brands," said Jeff Gordon, President and CEO of Syniverse. "This mobile paradigm shift positions the consumer squarely at the center of the mobile ecosystem. As a result, businesses are seeking opportunities to engage with consumers in more contextual and real-time ways, as well as to provide a uniform global experience."
The results of the survey reveal the power of a brand's immersion in mobile, improving efforts in service and marketing, while boosting the company's bottom line. Key outcomes include the following:
-- An overwhelming majority - 92 percent - of respondents said that mobile solutions are "very important" or "important" in their industries. Mobile enables them to achieve improvements in customer experience, service and communications, as well as realize reductions in operating expenses and capital costs. An additional bonus, mobile has helped companies retain and grow their customer bases, increasing loyalty and revenue along the way.
-- Large companies have fully embraced a mobile strategy as a critical component of their businesses. When asked what their mobile plans were, 72 percent of respondents said they have implemented or are in the process of implementing a mobile strategy, and another 16 percent have defined a strategy but haven't begun implementing it yet.
-- Mobile is no longer an optional marketing tool, with 84 percent of respondents saying that mobile is "very likely" or "likely" to be used in customer and marketing campaigns.
-- Location-based services strategies have been or are in the process of being implemented by 56 percent of the respondents.
-- HTML5, apps and messaging are the three mobile technologies in which respondents invested the most, with messaging being used for customer, partner or employee communications by 87 percent of the respondents in order to improve customer service and reduce costs. Almost one-third of respondents declared their use of SMS for customer or business partner communications.
"It's clear from the survey results that companies are moving quickly with their integration of mobile, and they are increasingly seeking customized mobile solutions to meet consumers' unique needs," Gordon said. "To help these companies manage the multiple interconnections and touch points necessary to enable these solutions, and to help them provide the security and real-time experience that mobile consumers have come to expect, it is critical for mobile service providers to prepare for these emerging needs. Businesses' migration to mobile presents a great opportunity for service providers to grow their businesses by becoming a critical part of the value chain."
Gordon added that the need for a full-scale mobile strategy for enterprises also makes it imperative that mobile service providers adapt their strategies to serve new consumer demands. As a leader in mobile solutions for more than 25 years, Syniverse is at the forefront of delivering enterprise mobility solutions to enable success in the new era of mobile.
Syniverse, Mobile Enterprise, Mobile Strategy, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 28, 2013
insurancetech.com - Allstate announced today the introduction of QuickFoto Claim, a mobile claims capability available through its existing mobile app for its auto customers.
After an accident, a customer can take photos of their vehicle and the damaged area, submit them through the app, then after review by Allstate an estimate is sent back electronically to the customer.
The introduction follows a previous mobile introduction by Allstate earlier this year - an app for its DriveWise usage-based insurance product - and a mobile FNOL capability delivered at the South by Southwest festival by its subsidiary, Esurance.
Current claims capabilities in the Allstate app allow customers to document accident details, start a claim, view the status of an existing claim, see their claim payment history or send messages to their claim representative.
"QuickFoto Claim is the latest in a series of claims-related capabilities within Allstate Mobile designed to enhance our customers' mobile experiences with Allstate," Allstate SVP Bob Wasserman says in a statement. "This new capability make the claims process even easier and more convenient."
Allstate, Mobile Claims, Photos, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 27, 2013
businessinsider.com - A downtrodden economy and a nasty property bubble have thrown the real estate industry on rocky terrain in recent years, but new mobile technologies could be the industry's saving grace. When it comes to buying and selling properties, mobile tools for collaboration and information sharing are paving the way for a real estate tech revolution. Now, a leading real estate technology company has expanded the reach of its mobile app to help agents and prospective buyers in the field.
a la mode, inc., a real estate workflow technology company, today announced it will add Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Long Island to its RE:Focus Analytics iPad app. The interactive app already features MLS data from a variety of locales, providing agents and brokers in the field with up-to-date market analytics on their mobile devices - even without an Internet connection.
a la mode's RE:Focus Analytics app has already been successful throughout the country, and the company continuously fields requests from agents eager to access the service. The app already provides coverage for five MLS areas, including MRED (Chicago), ARMLS (Phoenix), MFRMLS (Orlando/Central FL), MLSPIN (Boston) and RAMB (Miami).
MLS Long Island, which boasts a whopping 20,500 members, covers real estate properties in Flushing, Brooklyn, Bayside, Forest Hills, Greatneck and more. Taken together, nearly 175,000 agents across the U.S. have access to the app's comprehensive listings and data.
RE:Focus Analytics offers agents an interactive dashboard to quickly compare properties and prices and access market reports in real time - even when working in the field far from Wi-Fi or an Internet connection. The analytics help real estate buyers make more informed decisions by driving out misconceptions of the local market. The app also works as a marketing tool, helping agents send reports to clients and publish charts and graphs to social media directly from the app.
a la mode boasts 28 years of technical service in the real estate industry, and more than 100,000 professional agents, brokers, lenders, inspectors and appraisers already use the company's technology. The company recently made headlines when it opted to waive all transaction fees for victims of Hurricane Sandy, the impact of which caused mortgage lender orders for disaster inspection to skyrocket 200 times the normal amount.
As key real estate companies dip their toes into the waters of mobile technology, this industry could become significantly strengthened despite the challenges of the past few years.
Real Estate, Mobile Solution, MLS, Long Island, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 27, 2013
tabtimes.com - Many people will soon use mobile rugged computers for their everyday computing and communication needs, which will drastically change practices, capabilities and expectations.
We're going through a radical shift in the way people work and use computers. Increasing availability and affordability of wireless broadband is, for the first time, giving the global workforce true mobility.
One trend driving movement to true mobility is the increasing availability of rugged, or ruggedized, computers. As opposed to traditional computers, rugged computers are specifically designed to operate reliably in harsh usage environments and conditions that may involve strong vibrations, extreme temperatures, and wet or dusty conditions.
Standard computers are simply not suitable for use in outdoor environments. They have poor battery life and cannot withstand shocks, dust and water. They break too easily and too often, making the price-benefit ratio inferior to that of rugged computers. Although rugged computers are more expensive to purchase, the total cost of ownership is much lower - as much as 65% lower per year - mainly because their durability minimizes or eliminates the loss of productivity that results from computer breakdowns.
A rugged excavation solution
Every day, forward-thinking mobile workers are discovering new and improved ways to apply modern technology in the workforce. They're finding that work is much simpler, faster and more enjoyable with data devices that can sort, synthesize and analyze data as well as collect it, and that can work seamlessly with both worksite machinery and advanced office hardware.
Nowhere is this truer than in the construction industry. Rugged mobile technology lets construction businesses, contractors, excavators and others communicate and perform work more easily for faster, better outcomes. This ultimately allows them to provide better products and services for their communities.
Take, for example, an important excavating job in the community of Joplin, Missouri, the site of a devastating May 2011 tornado that destroyed 30% to 40% of the town. As the city of Joplin began restoration efforts, a local business, Asbell Excavation, was hired as part of the clean-up crew.
Asbell's team members were assigned the weighty task of examining around 2,000 electric power transformers and containing any oil leaks they found. They knew time was of the essence, and that serious environmental damage could result from any delays in their process. In order to first identify leaks and then return in a timely manner to clean them up, the crew decided to bring in GPS-enabled rugged tablet computers to help with the job.
Workers set out to identify each spill and record its location using GPS. Equipped with rugged tablet PCs, loaded with a Carlson Software program that included imported location coordinates, they navigated to each site and got to work to make sure oil was removed to landfills and cleaned to EPA standards.
Using ruggedized tablets, the team was able to focus on the task at hand and getting from place to place as quickly as possible, without having to worry that its computers were intact and safe from harm. When every second counts, rugged technology often proves its worth the most - as one crewmember said, "We could just throw it in the truck and easily bring it along with us as we went from spill to spill."
Examples like this one demonstrate the innovative use of rugged technology where consumer devices simply do not hold up. The rugged devices were light enough to carry on foot at spill sites, and they held up to all the hazardous conditions the crew encountered at ground zero of a major disaster - proving that they're also capable of standing up to equally harsh conditions in other excavation and construction environments.
Mobile Computers, Rugged, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 26, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - BlackBerry said it had signed a "letter of intent" for a $4.7 billion sale to a group led by Fairfax Financial, although it has the option to shop around for better deals in the meantime.
The parties intend to "negotiate and execute a definitive transaction agreement" by 4 November 2013. However, in the meantime BlackBerry is "permitted to actively solicit, receive, evaluate and potentially enter into negotiations with parties that offer alternative proposals".
In a statement, Barbara Stymiest, chair of the BlackBerry board, said: "The Special Committee is seeking the best available outcome for the Company's constituents, including for shareholders. Importantly, the go-shop process provides an opportunity to determine if there are alternatives superior to the present proposal from the Fairfax consortium."
The Fairfax deal would see BlackBerry taken private, which will enable it to continue without being under the constant scrutiny of investors and financial analysts.
But it will not mean the end of the company's woes: Fairfax and its partners will be looking at how to make a profit from the investment, and the fact that BlackBerry is struggling to re-assert its relevance in the current mobile environment will not change because of its new parent.
Late last week, the company announced it is facing a $1 billion loss for the quarter to the end of August 2013, as it has struggled to attract buyers for devices powered by its new BlackBerry 10 platform, specifically the BlackBerry Z10.
With sales having tanked, it has announced plans to cut 40 per cent of its staff and focus on serving enterprise and prosumer customers.
Earlier this year, BlackBerry formed a special committee to review its strategic options, the second time it did so in 18 months.
With the company having been open to talks for some time, it is not immediately clear why it will be able to find an alternative offer in the next six weeks which has not been available before.
The Fairfax consortium deal has, however, provided an acceptable ballpark valuation for BlackBerry as a whole, although it seems more likely that other buyers will be interested in parts of the business rather than the whole.
Previous reports have suggested that buyers see value in some activities, such as BlackBerry's patent portfolio, enterprise mobility management products, and BBM social messaging service, but with its handset business providing a drag.
Fairfax currently holds 10 per cent of BlackBerry, which it will contribute into the transaction. The consortium is seeking financing from BofA Merrill Lynch and BMO Capital Markets.
Blackberry, Fairfax, Offer, Deal, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 26, 2013
businessinsider.com - Mobile commerce is exploding. As recently as late 2010, commerce transacted from phones and tablets was only 3% of e-commerce. By the end of last year's holiday shopping season, that number had risen to 11%. That's approximately $18.6 billion in consumer spending - and that doesn't even include travel-related purchases.
New mobile merchandising trends - merchandising being the art of selling people products they didn't know they wanted - like mobile catalogs and coupons are helping to drive this explosion.
In a recent report from BI Intelligence, we examine the main reasons why mobile commerce is exploding, and analyze the new mobile merchandising trends - like mobile catalogs and coupons - that are contributing to this growth.
Smartphone Coupons, Coupons, Retailers, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 26, 2013
businessinsider.com - PayPal has acquired Braintree, a company that specializes in powering mobile transactions. Meanwhile, Facebook announced that it's pairing up with payment companies to roll out "Autofill," which makes it easier for its users to buy things straight from their phones.
Mobile devices are edging closer to fulfilling their long-delayed promise as digital wallets, and tech and financial services players do not want to be left out.
Consumers and merchants are beginning to see the advantage of channeling offline payments through mobile devices, rather than transacting in coins and cash, credit cards - or clunky register systems.
In a new report from BI Intelligence, we explain the main reasons why mobile payments are poised for takeoff, provide proprietary estimates for the growth and size of the mobile payments market in the years to come, and analyze the specific trends that will help shape the growth in mobile payments, including user concerns around security. We track the demographic and geographic nature of the consumers who will drive the growth, merchant-side adoption, and the mobile payments solutions that will lead the charge.
Mobile Payments, Transactions, Commerce, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 26, 2013
businessinsider.com - Australians have adopted smartphones and tablets into everyday culture faster than consumers in many other developed economies
There are several explanations as to why. Geography is one factor. Like the United States, Australia is a continent-sized country, and mobile communication offers businesses and consumers solutions as they try to bridge the geographic distances.
But perhaps the main reason is the push given to mobile hardware and wireless data services by the Australian carriers. The carriers have expanded coverage areas and updated network infrastructure in densely populated, metropolitan hubs like Sydney and Melbourne. This has created a virtuous cycle: Greater demand for data services increases consumer demand for smart mobile hardware.
In a new report, BI Intelligence keys in on several aspects that help distinguish Australia's mobile industry from its counterparts in the rest of the world, analyzing smartphone and tablet usage data and penetration rates, examining the dominant mobile operating platforms, looking at social media usage and behavior on mobile devices, and exploring how mobile marketing and monetization have exploded.
Mobile Industry, Australia, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 25, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - Paying bills on the mobile phone is becoming increasingly popular in the US, but other forms of payment - particularly online and direct debit - are still, by far, the most favoured options.
According to research from the Aite Group, Americans will spend around $3.8 trillion on bills during 2013, but only 3 per cent of that value, or $114 billion, will be accounted for by mobile.
Online is the most popular payment method (45.8 per cent), followed by mail (21 per cent) and direct debit (16.8 per cent). In-person (9.3 per cent) and phone (4.1 per cent) make up the rest of the 2013 projections.
However, while mobile bill payments are increasing in popularity (it accounted for just 0.3 per cent of the total bill value in 2010), mail and in-person payments are in sharp decline.
Aite estimates that mail payments will account for 15.4 per cent of all bill payments in 2016, down from 34 per cent in 2010. The percentage of payments made in-person is projected to drop from 14.6 per cent (2010) to 6.7 per cent (2016).
Online, mobile and direct debit payments, meanwhile, are on the rise. Online and mobile bill payments, projects Aite, will account for roughly 55 per cent of all bills paid by Americans during 2016, although online makes up the bulk (at 48.7 per cent) to mobile's 5.9 per cent share.
Mobile Payments, Bill Payment, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 24, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - BlackBerry revealed the extent of its woes, confirming it is set to cut 40 per cent of its workforce and report an operating loss nearing $1 billion as its latest generation products have failed to find buyers.
As part of its efforts to survive in an "increasingly competitive business environment", it intends to drop its consumer efforts and "refocus on [the] enterprise and prosumer market, offering end-to-end solutions including hardware, software and services".
"This puts us squarely on target with the customers that helped build BlackBerry into the leading brand today for enterprise security, manageability and reliability," said Thorsten Heins, president and CEO of BlackBerry.
The company is forecasting fiscal second quarter revenue of "approximately $1.6 billion", down from $3.1 billion in the prior sequential quarter, and from $2.87 billion in the same period last year.
It expects to recognise hardware revenue on "approximately 3.7 million smartphones", the majority of which are powered by the aging BlackBerry 7 platform rather than the latest BlackBerry 10 operating system.
It will record a charge of "$930 million to $960 million" related to its BlackBerry Z10 smartphones, the first in the line of BlackBerry 10 powered devices which were expected to reinvigorate the company's device sales.
Following the launch of the BlackBerry Z30 last week - an incremental upgrade featuring a larger screen - the Z10 will be "re-tiered" and made available to "a broader, entry-level audience".
Net loss, including restructuring and inventory related charges, is expected to be in the $950 million to $995 million range.
BlackBerry is looking to reduce operating expenditure by around 50 per cent by "the end of the first quarter 2015", including the staff cuts which will take it to around 7,000 full-time employees worldwide - down by around 10,000 since its peak.
In its statement, the company did not make any reference to its BBM social messaging business. It has previously been suggested that a spin-out of this unit is on the cards.
BlackBerry will announce its full second quarter results on Friday (27 September).
Blackberry, Enterprise, loss, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 24, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - Following in the steps of its three US nationwide rivals, Sprint is giving customers the option of upgrading their smartphone every 12 months.
Starting at $65 per month, the Sprint One Up package also gives customers unlimited talk, text and high speed data while on the Sprint network.
The new program is available to new and existing customers on its Unlimited, My Way and My All-in plans.
To get the 'early' upgrade option, customers purchase an eligible smartphone or tablet and agree to 24 monthly instalments.
After 12 consecutive payments, customers can give back their current device and upgrade to a new smartphone or tablet.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse claims "no other plan can compare", emphasising the Sprint guarantee on unlimited talk, text and data for life.
The trend of offering device upgrades before two years are up in 'traditional' contracts is spreading beyond the US, with the UK's EE launching a similar plan recently.
T-Mobile's Jump initiative started the trend in the US, enabling customers to upgrade to a new device twice every 12 months at an additional cost of $10 each month, as long as they have been part of the programme for six months.
Unlike EE's package, T-Mobile's Jump does not require the user to accept a 24-month contract but instead is done on the basis of a one-month rolling arrangement.
US rival Verizon Wireless announced a similar plan called Edge this summer, while AT&T unveiled Next, another rival package.
Sprint, Device Upgrade, Unlimited Data, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 24, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - AT&T says it expects Q3 smartphone upgrades to be similar to Q2 levels, at around 6.8 million, which would make it a record Q3 performance. The second-largest operator in the US further expects its smartphone base to increase by more than one million in the three months ended 30 September.
AT&T attributes the Q3 feat to new marketing programs and to a 4G network that it claims is the fastest and most reliable in the country.
However, AT&T expects lower year-on-year smartphone upgrades in Q4, largely because so many customers opted for a Q3 upgrade.
AT&T also announced the completion of its $780 million acquisition of Atlantic Tele-Network acquisition, which retails under the Alltel brand.
The former Alltel network covers approximately 4.5 million people in mainly rural areas in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina. It has around 590,000 subscribers.
AT&T says it will immediately begin upgrading the former Alltel network and plans to move customers to the AT&T network by mid-year 2014.
AT&T also said it is "exploring opportunities" to monetise some or all of its remaining wireless tower assets.
Bloomberg News reports that AT&T is working with TAP Advisors LLC and JPMorgan Chase & Co on the sale of its tower assets, which could raise about $5 billion according to some estimates.
Possible buyers, says a Bloomberg source, include SBA Communications, Crown Castle International and American Tower.
AT&T releases its full Q3 2013 financial results on 23 October.
AT&T, Record Smartphone Sales, Alltel, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 23, 2013
businessinsider.com - Apple announced that it sold over 9 million iPhones during the opening weekend of sales.
This is much better than analysts expected. Analysts were forecasting 5 million at the low end, and 7.75 million at the high end.
The stock is up ~6% on the news.
Last year Apple sold 5 million iPhone 5s during the opening weekend, so this is a huge increase.
The new iPhone drew huge, enthusiastic crowds and long lines when it was released last Friday, despite the fact that there were no external changes to the device. Part of the reason there were big lines is that the company didn't allow pre-orders of the new iPhone 5S. Another part of the reason: People like iPhones.
Apple is mostly sold out of the iPhone 5S, which suggests this number would have been even higher if Apple had enough phones in stock.
Apple's 9 million units include both iPhone 5S and iPhone 5Cs. Apple didn't break out how many units of the iPhone 5S it sold vs. the 5Cs. Total iPhone sales were likely boosted by the new 5C model, which didn't exist last year.
Apple says that 200 million iOS devices are now running iOS 7, the newest version of the iPhone/iPad software. For comparisons, last year, 100 million iOS devices upgraded to iOS 6 over a comparable time.
It also says that it had 11 million listening hours over the weekend for iTunes Radio, its new music streaming service.
"This is our best iPhone launch yet-more than nine million new iPhones sold-a new record for first weekend sales," said Apple CEO Tim Cook, in the press release. "The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we've sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly. We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone."
Apple also issued an SEC filing that says its revenue is going to be at the high end of its previously forecasted $34-$37 billion range for the quarter.
Apple, iPhone, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 23, 2013
business2community.com - Every second counts for the modern day workforce
The 8-hour workday has gone by the wayside. In a cab, at the beach and everywhere in between, today's workers are never more than a few clicks away from joining a meeting, checking email or collaborating on important projects. The onus is now on companies to keep pace with the mobile workforce.
If workers are getting things done around the clock, how do you track their time effectively? If they're working everywhere from Brazil to the Ukraine, how do you accurately follow their contributions to a project while keeping an eye on resource usage? The key is to meet them where they already are-on their mobile devices.
Goodbye, 9-5
The modern workforce isn't shy about getting work done at any hour of the day. 9-5 is more of a rarity than a reality, thanks to technological advances in the mobile realm. An assortment of devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones are making the 24-7 workday a new standard.
Previously easy to monitor, workdays are now an HR nightmare to track. For one, workers have never enjoyed trying to keep track of all their hours. It gets confusing jumping from meeting to meeting and logging on and off all day. No wonder companies face chronic disorganization in their time-tracking processes, not to mention employee deceit, human error and compliance issues that can cost millions.
Mobile Apps for Mobile workers
There are 24 hours in a day, but as employees cross time zones and work remotely and at odd hours, even the 24-hour day becomes a blur. To keep track of employee hours in a mobile, cloud-based workforce, companies must meet employees on the devices they already use.
The modern workforce requires a mobile application to do nearly everything. Tracking time immediately and accurately is no exception. On a mobile app, a contract employee can clock hours right after work happens, on a business trip, from their hotel room or in an airplane. This allows managers to review the hours and push payroll through on schedule. Businesses, in turn, potentially save themselves the millions of dollars that can be lost to compliance fines and revenue leakage. Businesses end up with an accurate payroll and projects that stay on budget, worth its weight in gold-and in mobile devices.
Time is money. Keep track of it.
By making time tracking a simple, mobile process, companies can finally embrace the boon of having a workforce that gets things done everywhere and at all hours of the day. Mobile apps are fast removing the complication from time tracking, freeing up workers and HR alike to better allocate their brainpower.
Mobile Enetrprise, Time, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 23, 2013
madmobilenews.com - Half of all emails are now opened only on a mobile device, and some companies' campaigns may be opened on mobile devices most of the time. The large number of email opens on mobile coincides with the rising popularity of mobile devices, Experian Marketing Services emphasized in its second quarter email benchmark study.
About 23 percent of emails are opened using only webmail, while the same percentage of emails are opened using only a desktop client, such as Outlook.
Understanding Customers
Is the strategy to reach the largest number of potential customers or to target a smaller, more certain set of customers whose business promises higher revenue per sale?
In either case, the Experian study calls for optimizing on multiple platforms and taking time to understand how customers access a company's email or site.
The first group is best reached on smartphones, which promise the highest open rate, while companies that want to communicate with the latter group should optimize for tablets.
The study emphasized the importance of using responsive design, which optimizes for multiple platforms, from desktops to smartphones. It allows customers to read and navigate a page easily, with a minimum of resizing and scrolling around the page, regardless of the device. In case studies, brands that tested responsive design saw up to 63 percent higher click rates and 18 percent in increased transaction rates.
Customers most often choose the convenience of opening or clicking emails on smartphones, but they're still more comfortable completing transactions on other devices, such as desktops or tablets.
Currently, the iPhone is the most popular device used for email opens and clicks, while the iPad is favored for transactions - it garnered 48 percent of mobile transactions. The iPad's larger screen factors into its popularity for completing purchases.
Transactions that rely on mobile account for 13 percent of total revenue, while transactions that involve both mobile and another platform equal another 2 percent of revenue.
Mobile-combo transactions are the darlings of mobile commerce, because each purchase creates more revenue on average than other transactions. The user opens the email more than once and goes to the trouble of reading it using both a mobile device and webmail or a desktop, proving greater dedication to the product or brand. Those customers are more likely to buy and tend to spend more money.
The Experian study analyzed 29 campaigns from seven brands in the past year, and included results from 5 million people opening or clicking emails.
Email, Mobile Devices, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 22, 2013
csoonline.com - Companies that depend on Mobile Device Management (MDM) software to secure Apple iPhones and iPads will find they have far more app control with those devices running the new iOS 7, companies say.
MDM technology is what many corporations depend on for mobile security, and providers say users of their products will find that the latest version of iOS, available Wednesday, shows Apple making a strong push toward app-centric security.
This is a significant change from previous versions of the mobile operating system, which focused more on controlling hardware-centric components, such as the camera, the Bluetooth wireless system and the GPS, said Chandra Sekar, director of product marketing for Citrix. Apple has recognized that enterprises today want more control over the applications running on the device.
"What Apple is doing is recognizing that need from an enterprise standpoint and providing MDM APIs that better allow vendors to take advantage of the operating system hooks to provide application-level security," Sekar said.
MDM customers will have the most control over apps that their IT departments install on the device and shuffle over to a separate business account, which Apple allows to run separately from the device user's personal account.
For companies that allow employees to use their own devices, conflicts may arise if the worker is already using an app that the company wants to install. In order for the company to have data control, the employee will have to agree to uninstall the app first, John Herrema, senior vice president of product management for Good Technology, said.
Once the company takes control, restrictions on data movement may prevent employees from using the app in the same way they did before, Herrema said. This could become even more problematic if the employee paid for the app.
Mobile Device Management, Apple, iPhone, iOS 7, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 21, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - Ailing smartphone maker BlackBerry is reportedly preparing to cut up to 40 per cent of its staff before the end of the year, as it looks to manage its costs in the face of shrinking sales.
According to the Wall Street Journal, while the company declined to comment on the headline figure, it did state that "organisational moves will continue to occur" as its business transformation continues.
Earlier this month, it was reported that BlackBerry had made significant cuts among its sales teams, which can hardly be a good omen for a company looking to grow its operations.
The WSJ said that the latest cuts will "come across all departments and occur in waves".
BlackBerry is set to provide an update on its progress on its quarterly results call next week, although the omens are not good - job cuts and reports of lacklustre device sales meaning it is hardly likely to impress.
The company is in the midst of a strategic review which may see it broken up, following claims that it has only seen "tepid" interest from potential buyers.
While assets such as its platform, patents, and social networking properties (BBM) are believed to have some appeal, the core smartphone business is seen as the fly in the ointment - it is underperforming and with volumes dropping, no longer offers the benefits of scale.
Yesterday, BlackBerry unveiled its latest BlackBerry 10 device, the larger-screen BlackBerry Z30.
Blackberry, Job Cuts, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 20, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - In a deal reported to be worth DNK4 billion ($727 million) over six years, China's Huawei is to supply and manage the mobile network of Denmark's TDC - including 4G - from March 2014.
It's a major blow for Ericsson as it used to supply equipment and provide managed services for the Danish operator.
"This is a milestone for Huawei in Denmark," said Jim Lu, Huawei's head of Central Eastern Europe and the Nordics.
The Chinese supplier is to replace TDC's existing base stations, and will add 200 new employees to its Danish operations.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Ericsson used to manage TDC's network from Romania, but Huawei plans to set up a network operating centre in Denmark.
The TDC announcement comes shortly after senior Huawei executives told reporters in a briefing on Wednesday (18 September) that the Chinese firm expects to rake in more than $2 billion in 4G sales this year as operators in China and Europe expand their networks.
Bob Cai, vice president for Huawei's wireless marketing - quoted by Reuters - said that Huawei's LTE revenues were insignificant last year, but grew quickly to $1 billion in the first half of the year.
According to data from research firm IHS iSuppli, cited by Reuters, LTE infrastructure spending will nearly triple to $24.3 billion in 2013 from $8.7 billion in 2012, fuelled by growth in China, Japan and Europe.
So far, Huawei and Ericsson have a combined share of 74 per cent of the 4G market, Huawei executives said, using estimates from research firm Informa.
ABI Research reckons Huawei took a 31.1 per cent share of the Radio Access Network (RAN) market in Q2 2013, an improvement of 7.2 points (from Q1 2013) that was sufficient to overtake Ericsson and grab number one position during the quarter.
Ericsson, according to ABI figures, had a 23.4 per cent share of the RAN market in Q2 2013, followed by NSN (15.9 per cent), Alcatel-Lucent (14.3 per cent) and Samsung (6.7 per cent).
Huawei, Mobile Deal, TDC, Ericsson, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 20, 2013
archive.thedailystar.net - Mastercard, an American multinational financial services corporation, looks to strengthen its footprint in Bangladesh through a modern electronic payment system, a senior official said.
"It is a terrific market for the electronic payment industry. The game is just getting started and we are very much excited," Ari Sarker, MasterCard's division president for South Asia, told The Daily Star in an interview.
The company, which is set to open its first country office in Bangladesh in November, wants to offer innovative payment services, spearheaded by the mobile phone.
"The use of mobile wallet is now very limited in Bangladesh, but it has tremendous potential to grow seeing that the use of smartphone is growing very rapidly in the country."
Bangladesh has around 1.2 million credit cards and 1.7 million debit cards, while mobile subscription is more than 100 million.
"The convergence of mobile and card devices, therefore, is inevitable," he said, adding that the full-fledged arrival of 3G services would accelerate the process.
Nearly $100 billion is spent every year on private consumption in the country, of which only 0.5 percent, or $500 million, is done through electronic payment means such as debit or credit cards and mobile wallet, he said.
Sarker, who has been with MasterCard since December 2010, tipped the country's electronic payment industry to hit $10 billion over the next five years. "We honestly believe it is doable if the government, bank and mobile phone operators provide the necessary support."
The headroom for growth in other South Asian countries, too, is "extremely large", he said.
The annual electronic payment market in India is around $12 billion at present, after growing over 30 percent over the last couple of years. India now has 340 million in debit cards and 19 million in credit cards, while around 150 million people have access to internet and nearly 12 million people go online for any kind of shopping.
"We believe it would also happen here as the county has higher mobile phone penetration, and internet usage, too, is on the rise due to easy availability of bandwidth."
MasterCard, which started card services in 1997 in Bangladesh, also wants to serve the country's 'bottom of the pyramid' segment by partnering with financial inclusion agencies.
In emerging markets, the challenges for growth of the electronic payment industry involve educating the consumers and merchants and bringing the best practices for the issuing banks, he said.
"Merchants should see the value of electric payment and consumers should see the convenience in using the facility than carrying cash," he said, adding that card payment will induce customers to make on-the-spot purchasing decisions.
About the recent spate of card forgery in the local banking industry, the MasterCard official blamed the poor fraud-fighting tools. "Organisations have to investment money periodically to prevent fraud."
He recommended rolling out 'chip and pin' cards to replace the magnetic strip cards to check forgery.
A joint effort of Europay, MasterCard and Visa to ensure greater security, the cards come with an embedded microchip that is authenticated automatically using a personal identification number (PIN). "The technology ensures that the cards can not be cloned."
He also urged the Bangladesh Bank to introduce PCIDSS (Payment Card Information Data Security Standard) in the country. "It is a standard on how the payment processor will run their shop. It will ensure basic level of security in the electronic payment system."
In 2012, the company processed 34.2 billions transactions, a 25 percent year-on-year, according to the company's annual report.
MasterCard has so far entered into partnerships with 11 financial institutions in Bangladesh.
Huawei, Mobile Deal, TDC, Ericsson, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 20, 2013
archive.thedailystar.net - US number-two operator AT&T is looking for buyers for its wireless tower portfolio, with the sale potentially fetching up to $5 billion, reports Bloomberg.
AT&T first stated the possibility of the tower sales in March, with potential buyers including Crown Castle International, SBA Communications and American Tower. Sources said the company is working with JP Morgan Chase and TAP Advisors on the sale.
Funds from a tower sale would bolster AT&T's coffers as it undertakes a $14 billion network upgrade programme, plans a stock buyback that could be as much as $11 billion, and considers European acquisitions.
The tower industry has been undergoing consolidation, with American Tower recently agreeing the $4.8 billion acquisition of the parent company of Global Tower Partners and purchasing more than 4,000 towers from NII Holdings in Brazil and Mexico.
Crown Castle meanwhile struck a $2.4 billion deal with T-Mobile USA in September to acquire the rights to operate 7,200 towers.
A number of operators have sold their tower assets and leased them back, allowing them to focus on more profitable parts of their operations.
Separately, AT&T announced plans to improve access to Latin American markets for its business customers via a partnership with Mexico-based operator group America Movil.
The collaboration will see the US number-two operator improve connections to America Movil fixed networks in 15 countries, allowing it expand the reach of its enterprise services for multinational companies.
The partnership includes access to the Telmex, Embratel and Claro networks in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. AT&T already has similar capabilities in Mexico and Brazil.
The two companies have a long-running relationship with the US operator holding a stake of around 9 per cent in the Carlos Slim-controlled group.
AT&T, Tower Sale, Sale, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 20, 2013
businessinsider.com - Apple's iPhone 5S is seriously fast.
After the fingerprint scanning Touch ID, and the new camera, the speed of the 5S is the thing that is sticking out about the phone in reviews.
But how fast is fast?
Anand Lal Shimpi did some thorough testing of the 5S versus other smartphones, and even some tablets.
His results confirm that the iPhone is the fastest phone on the market by a long-shot.
Here are the results of the SunSpider test, which is a fairly standard test companies try to optimize results for.
iPhone, Apple, Fastest Smartphone, Samsung s4, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 19, 2013
businessinsider.com - In the midst of Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C news, BlackBerry has launched a new device. The Blackberry Z30 was announced yesterday, CNET reports. It features a 5-inch display, stereo speakers, a bigger battery, and the latest version of its BlackBerry 10 operating system.
The Z30 is the official name for the BlackBerry A10 (what it was called when it was in development), but despite early positive reviews, news of the flagship phone was eclipsed by other top tier smartphone launches, mostly the new iPhone 5C and 5S. The announcement also comes on the heels of a disappointing Q1 for BlackBerry. Q2 numbers will be released next month.
Blackberry, Z30, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 19, 2013
businessinsider.com - iPhone and iPad users will be able to download iOS7, the new operating system from Apple, on September 18.
Brace yourselves. This is the most dramatic change in iPhone software we've seen yet. Apple has completely redesigned all the basic apps that come with the iPhone like Mail, Calendar, and Music.
To prepare you, we've taken some before and after shots of these apps as they look now and how they'll change in iOS 7.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of the differences we've seen.
Apple, iPhone, Apps, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 18, 2013
online.wsj.com - Struggling BlackBerry Ltd. is preparing for deep staff cuts-up to 40% of its employees-by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.
The layoffs will cut across all departments and occur in waves, likely affecting several thousand workers, the people said. BlackBerry had 12,700 employees as of March, the last time it disclosed a total number.
The cuts come as the once dominant smartphone maker looks for...
Blackberry, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 16, 2013
online.wsj.com - The mobile broadband provider said that for an increasing number of companies, mobile connectivity is "vital to business success".
"Over time, the development of mobile technology has made staying connected even easier and more cost-effective," O2 stated.
But it said the recent launch of 4G mobile broadband "has opened the floodgates" to a wave of new and exciting ways to work.
This can help serve customers more efficiently, enhance internal processes and make more agile decisions wherever employees are, O2 added.
The broadband provider said both the speed and stability of 4G connections are making a big difference to business users - whether they are using laptops, tablets or other mobile devices.
"4G will also help organisations to reduce travel costs, as employees won't need to move around to communicate with one another or collaborate effectively across dispersed teams," O2 noted.
The firm added that online collaboration tools - such as unified communications platforms and web conferencing - work "much better" with 4G, providing users with a more seamless experience.
4G, Mobile Broadband, Workforce Management, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 16, 2013
searchconsumerization.techtarget.com - Choosing the right notebook or tablet for a mobile workforce that relies on the cloud requires thinking beyond the hardware; device decisions need to be based on the platform, applications and end-user behavior.
Tech Guide, Working in the cloud, logo The line between tablets and notebooks has blurred as the IT industry struggles to define new device segments by the operating system and form factor, and whether devices are detachable units, convertibles or have no keyboards at all. Things will get more confusing when an onslaught of devices become available during the fourth quarter of this year.
In addition, many end users rely on cloud computing to access work and personal data from their various mobile devices, another reason that organizations have to review their mobile strategy and consider cloud-based alternatives to on-premises software.
"The majority of enterprises are Microsoft-backboned, whether it's Exchange or Office 365," said Ryan Reith, program manager for IDC Corp.'s mobility tracker. The productivity gains for mobile workers who use the cloud spans across devices and the ability to work anytime, anywhere with the right files is in high demand.
Notebooks, Tablets, Mobile Workers, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 16, 2013
cfoinnovation.com - Organisations all over the world are leveraging the benefits of a globally mobile workforce.
According to the latest annual KPMG Global Assignment Policies and Practices (GAPP) survey, 72 percent of over 600 organisations surveyed use global mobility programmes to support overall business objectives.
In its 15th edition, the GAPP survey - which involved respondents from countries including the United States of America, Australia and Singapore - provides a wealth of information for those responsible for or interested in global mobility.
The detailed data found in the report is an opportunity to compare or contrast one's current practices to those of their peers or other types of organisations. Further, it allows for critical learning of best practices and new ways of thinking.
"A globally mobile workforce is as popular as ever," said Ooi Boon Jin, Head of International Executive Services, KPMG in Singapore. "Over the 15 years of this survey's existence, in those companies where use of mobility is the norm, we have seen continued expansion and adaptation to the programmes. We have even observed companies with headquarters in Nordic and Asia Pacific regions beginning to jump on the globalisation bandwagon. These companies are moving their staff to new strategic growth locations."
Flexibility and adaptability of programmes to address changing demands is strongly evidenced through the variety of assignment types offered. Some 81 percent of
organisations offer short term assignments. About 96 percent offer long term assignments. Meanwhile, about 47 percent offer permanent transfer/indefinite length assignments.
Surprisingly, given the current economic environment, and the noted desire to support the business, only 12 percent of survey participants say that cost control and assurance of an acceptable return on investment (ROI) are of importance.
"Having agreed-upon metrics to demonstrate ROI helps any global mobility programme demonstrate objectively their value to the broader organisation and secure continued programme funding," says Ooi. "However, a notable amount of survey participants struggle to track ROI information as it relates to international assignments-27 percent do not know the percentage of assignees that leave the organisation within 12 months of repatriation and 31 percent do not know why they leave."
Encouragingly, survey participants, year-on-year, continue to exhibit inclusionary mindsets as it relates to the definition of a "family" within their policies for benefit purposes. Some 55 percent include unmarried domestic partners and companions of the opposite gender and 49 percent include unmarried domestic partners and companions of the same gender.
These broader definitions are most evident in European and Asia Pacific-headquartered organisations, and also within the financial services and high technology industries.
In circumstances where organisations may offer incentives for assignees to accept international opportunities, many survey participants also take into consideration dual-career couples and their children. For instance, 21 percent provide job search support in the host country and 21 percent reimburse education expenses for the spouse/partner. Some 41 percent offer language training and 37 percent offer cross-cultural training to the assignee, spouse and their children.
Overall, the use of international assignees will remain the same amount or more for 86 percent of survey participants.
MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 15, 2013
buyingbusinesstravel.com - Easyjet has extended the use of mobile boarding passes to its biggest UK base at Gatwick.
The no-frills carrier began trialling the smartphone boarding passes in May at six airports including Stansted, Southend, Manchester and Edinburgh.
The system allows passengers to use the existing Easyjet app to download their boarding pass on to their iPhone or Android mobile device.
Easyjet's marketing director Peter Duffy said: "Giving passengers the option of mobile boarding pass technology is another way for us to make flying with Easyjet as easy as possible."
The airline said that mobile boarding passes were now available across 85 per cent of its networkd with more than 500,000 mobile passes being downloaded from the app.
Easyjet, Mobile Boarding Passes, London, Gatwick, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 15, 2013
greenprophet.com - In a first of a kind device that will help us get rid of the tangle of cords: an Israeli company company called Wi-Charge says it can power up mobile devices through the air. Another Israeli company Powermat (now used by Duracell and GM) uses a conducting mat to replace these wires, and in effect the company is also working to charge electric cars, but Wi-Charge is somewhat different. It needs no mat and can follow you around the room, like WiFi.
A power "transmitter" is suspended from a high point in the room and this is connected to an existing electrical outlet. The Wi-Charge transmitter then generates a narrow beam of infrared light which hits a photovoltaic (light) receiver installed on a mobile device, like your wireless home speakers (yay!) or a cellular phone.
The receiver then converts the light energy into electric energy.
Even if you walk around the boardroom or are pacing the kitchen the Wi-Charge beam will follow. See it working in a restaurant setting below.
Wi-Charge is being developed by Israeli entrepreneur Victor Vaisleib and scientist Ortal Alpert, and they are funded by some well-knowns in the VC market including Terra Ventures Partners operating in the clean tech sphere.
For those worried about coming into contact with the "power" beam, the technology is not harmful to people staying in the room, the developers say, and the beam stops transmitting anyway if any object comes between the receiver-seeking Wi-Charge beam and the transmitter.
Wi-Charge, Mobile Devices, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 14, 2013
technode.com - Ader Mobile, the mobile ad platform run by Renren, surveyed 1,040 Chinese mobile netizens (aged between 15 to 64) in Q2 2013.
According to this study, mobile devices is becoming an indispensable part of our daily life with 90% of customers access mobile Internet from mobile devices on daily basis. 80% of users access to Internet via their smartphones and 47% via their iPads.
71% of the customers surveyed said that they won't go outside without mobile device at hand and 46% choose mobile devices over TV sets/desktops. The average time customers spend on mobile Internet is 183 mins per day. The most popular online slot for mobile device users is from 19:00 to 22:00. Home and workplace are where mobile Internet is most frequently used.
Mobile devices are changing customers' behaviors in terms of communication, information acquisition, entertainment and consumption with instant messaging tools, news/information, online music and shopping as the most favored functions in these categories respectively.
Mobile payment becomes popular with 76% of users have made mobile purchases and 36% made at least one mobile purchase on monthly basis.
Mobile devices connect advertiser and consumers, as 66% of users pay much attention to mobile ads. Mobile ads shapes up consumer behaviors with 53% of users admit that their consuming behaviors are influenced to some extend by mobile ads. Simple and intuitive ads are more acceptable among mobile users. Advertisements in the form of graphic, text and videos are more receptive for 27%, 20% and 9% of customers.
Renren, Mobile Internet Users, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 14, 2013
smallcapnetwork.com - Investorideas.com, an investor research portal specializing in investing ideas in leading sectors including biometric and mobile security stocks issues a snapshot on key developments in the sector. Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) acquisition of mobile security company AuthenTec for over $350 million has Wall Street and the industry buzzing about how biometric technology in smartphones will impact the global m-commerce market.
Gartner Research projects worldwide mobile payment transactions will exceed $235 billion in 2013, reaching $721 billion in annual transactions with more than 450 million users by 2017. That creates a big opportunity for companies in the mobile security space.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), always known as first to market and an innovator, apparently plans to integrate the fingerprint scanners into the iPhone 6 to address consumer concerns over mobile payment security.
How significant is the biometrics acquisition for Apple? Wells Fargo analyst raised its forecast for Apple based on the biometrics integration.
"We believe investors may be under- appreciating Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) Authentec acquisition--specifically the ability to perform secure device-side authentication, which could help open up the mCommerce market and further penetrate the enterprise market," said Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um.
Renren, Mobile Internet Users, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 14, 2013
smallcapnetwork.com - Telefonica's Movistar is unleashing a radical series of pricing initiatives on Friday (13 September). They include the scrapping of 18-month post-paid contracts (except for those acquiring handsets using loyalty points); the expansion of voice and data limits on 4G without paying more than 3G prices (details still to be announced); and, starting over the next few days, the selling of unlocked mobile phones so customers can use their purchased devices on other networks.
A data-sharing tariff, allowing customers to access their data allowance from different devices, will be introduced by the end of the year
In addition, Movistar customers on tariff plans that have a large amount of minutes will soon receive unlimited voice traffic.
Under a campaign dubbed 'Mas por lo mismo' (more for the same price), Telefonica says the measures are a response to customer needs.
They come exactly a year after Telefonica Spain launched its quad-play Movistar Fusion service, which now has 2.5 million subscribers.
Originally combining fixed-line broadband and 3G, a Fusion 4G option (using either DSL or fibre for the broadband fixed line) now becomes available when LTE is launched commercially on Friday
Telefonica expects that its domestic 4G network, supplied by Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson, will cover nearly 50 per cent of Spain's population by the end of the year.
Unlike many other operators in Europe, Movistar is eschewing 4G premiums.
In a news conference held Wednesday (11 September), reported by Reuters, Luis Miguel Gilperez - head of Telefonica's Spanish division - said he expected to see more customers and revenues, marking the start of a turnaround in its weak home market where it has lost customers to rivals.
According to figures by CMT, the Spanish telecoms regulator, Movistar registered a net loss of 248,000 customers during March (and a staggering loss of 700,000 for the first three months of 2013).
By contrast, Spain's MVNOs, with cheaper offers, logged a net customer gain of 210,000 during March.
"We aren't on the path to growth yet but we are close to reversing the trend in clients and revenues," said Gilperez, who expressed hope that the new tariffs would speed up the pace of net customer additions.
Telefonica Spain, Moviestar, 4G, Unlocked Phones, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 13, 2013
businessinsider.com - McDonald's is testing a mobile ordering app that would allow customers to order and pay from their phones.
The app would allow customers to order and pay online. The customer could pick up their food curbside, at the drive-thru window, or in the store, reports Leslie Patton at Bloomberg News.
The app is being tested in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas, Patton reports.
McDonald's sees its new app as groundbreaking in the fast food industry.
"While many competitors are publicizing their efforts to get an initial foothold in the mobile arena, no one has developed a comprehensive solution that integrates all the opportunities this technology presents," the company said in a memo obtained by Bloomberg
The app is another attempt to attract millennials to the brand.
McDonald's has also tried to appeal to younger customers by offering premium menu items like the Egg White Delight and McWrap.
McDonalds, Mobile Ordering, Fast Food, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 13, 2013
businessinsider.com - Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S and 5C today-two huge updates to the iPhone lineup.
There weren't a whole lot of surprises, because most of the details about the phone had already leaked onto the Internet by the time the phones were announced.
Here's what you need to know: new colors, better battery life, an awesome camera, faster processor, new colors, and a brand new operating system.
We got our hands on a bunch of images of the new device, so you can check it out from every angle.
Apple, iPhone, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 12, 2013
businessinsider.com - Mobile devices are edging closer to fulfilling their long-delayed promise as digital wallets.
Consumers are beginning to see the advantage of channeling offline payments through their mobile devices, rather than carrying around clunky coins and cash - even debit and credit cards. Consumers are primed to go wallet-free and begin paying for goods and services via their mobile devices, and as a result, mobile payments are set to explode.
In a new report from BI Intelligence, we explain the main reasons why mobile payments are poised for takeoff, provide proprietary estimates for the growth and size of the mobile payments market in the years to come, and analyze the specific trends that will help shape the growth in mobile payments, including user concerns around security. We track the demographic and geographic nature of the consumers who will drive the growth, merchant side adoption, and the mobile payments solutions that will lead the charge.
Mobile Payments, Consumer Apps, Merchant-Side Apps, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 12, 2013
androidcentral.com - In a deal that has taken over 8 months to complete, AT&T and Verizon have finalized a swap of spectrum and cash that will see AT&T pick up 700MHz licenses across several states in the US. Various 700MHz spectrum licenses are moving in AT&T's direction, while Verizon picks up $1.9 billion in cash in addition to AWS spectrum licenses in a handful markets. In the end AT&T will pick up 700MHz B block - aka the "lower" 700MHz band - spectrum in 18 states with the potential to cover 42 million people. The increased spectrum holdings should translate to higher speeds and better coverage for customers in these markets.
This lines up nicely with the news that was released this morning indicating that AT&T is ready to set up interoperability in the lower 700MHz bands for LTE, opening up the number of devices that will work on its network and the ability for it to strike roaming deals with other carriers. Hit the break for a full list of the states and markets where spectrum is changing hands between the carriers.
AT&T, Verizon, 700MHz, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 12, 2013
gizbot.com - Chief executive of Sony Corp., Kazuo Hirai, recently announced the most awaited camera centric smartphone, Xperia Z1 at the ongoing IFA Berlin trade fair. The handset comes in direct contrast to other mobile devices with latest imaging technology and innovations like Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and Nokia Lumia 1020 which comes with stunning 41MP camera. So far the company did not mention anything about the price of the Xperia Z1 but they did mention about the global roll out starting September 2013. Lets have a look at the specs of the device: Display The Sony Xperia Z1 comes with a 5-inch Full HD TFT capacitive touchscreen display powered by Sony's Triluminos technology and X-Reality engine. The display offers resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and stunning 441 ppi pixel density and features shatter proof and scratch-resistant glass. OS, Processor and RAM The device runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Krait 400 processor clocked to 2.2-GHz coupled with 2GB RAM. On the graphic side, there is a presence of Adreno 330 as well. Connectivity Sony Xperia Z1 comes packed with a load of connectivity options like GPRS, EDGE, WLAN, Bluetooth, NFC, USB, WIFi and MHL. Camera The Xperia Z1 features a 20.7-mega pixel camera sensor ducked inside with "Sony's award-winning "G Lens" with a 27mm wide angle and bright F2.0 aperture, custom made large 1/2.3-type CMOS image sensor Exmor RS for mobile a BIONZ for mobile image processing engine". The camera is apt for taking images in the low light as well. Sony claims the Xperia Z1 comes with the best mobile camera experience in such a compact frame. It also features LED flash and 2 MP front facing shooter capable of shooting at 1080p@30fps is also added at the front. Storage and Battery The device houses a 16GB of ROM which is expandable up to 64GB via microSD card and the deive draws its power from a massive 3000mAh Li Ion battery. Other features Sony devices are known better for their waterproof build thus Xperia Z1 also comes with IP58 certification that makes it dust-sealed and water resistant up to 1 meter. Sony also announced four applications to be included inside the device. "Social life" is a name of app that lets you broadcast your thought on Facebook instantly. With "Info-eye", you can search for the nearest information on any items, simply by capturing them. "Timeshift Burst" mode let you take as many as 61 images in just 2 seconds. "AReffect" let you take images using Sony's famed Smart ARTM augmented reality technology. During the unveiling, Sony also announced that developers are fee to make more third-party apps for Xperia Camera apps. The device that measures 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm and weighs 170g will be available in three signature Sony colors: Black, White and Purple. When it comes to the competition, Xperia Z1 will face a monster devices like Nokia Lumia 1020 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom in the market. Apart from these smartphones with best imaging capability, it will also have to rival with latest devices like LG G2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and HTC Butterfly S.
Sony, Xperia Z1, IFA, Camera Phones, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 11, 2013
bostonglobe.com - You're hiking in the woods when your smartphone buzzes with a job alert, or better yet, an e-mail from a prospective employer looking to schedule an interview. You compose a response, propose some dates, and, after nailing down the appointment, return to the trail with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.
Today's mobile age means never having to miss a job lead or opportunity, but job hunting via smartphone is not necessarily quick, simple, or easy. As job seekers turn to mobile devices in record numbers, they may quickly find that employers are not keeping up, maintaining career and recruiting sites that include long questionnaires, multiple materials to download or upload, and other features that just don't translate to hand-held technology.
In a recent survey of Fortune 500 companies, only 20 percent had mobile-friendly career sites, according CareerBuilder, a job search portal with listings from more than 300,000 employers. That can mean scrolling through seemingly endless screens only to find that the application requires a document that you don't have stored in your phone.
A company's employment page might offer a mobile app to download, then, once you do, fail to bring you back to the job you were interested in. About 40 percent of CareerBuilder users give up when they run into such glitches, said Hope Gurion, the site's chief products officer.
"A lot of recruitment technology is behind other advances," said Gurion.
So what's a mobile job seeker to do until employers catch up? For the time being, career specialists recommend a hybrid approach, using smartphones and tablets for quick communications, such as responding to e-mails, and laptops and desktops for the heavier lifting.
Job Hunters, Employers, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 11, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - Vodafone's sale of its 45% stake in Verizon Wireless for £84 billion ($130 billion) - the third-largest M&A deal in corporate history - will leave a £19.4 billion surplus for the UK-based mobile group once its shareholders have enjoyed a lucrative payday. How Vodafone reinvests this income could shape the group's strategy for many years to come.
Under CEO Vittorio Colao, the divestitures of Vodafone's minority assets have been well timed. The 8 billion ($10.5 billion) sale in April 2011 of its 44% stake in French mobile operator SFR occurred just prior to Free Mobile entering the French market and sparking a fierce price war. Colao may see similar clouds gathering over the US market. Profit margins could come under pressure now that 4G-LTE networks in the country are widely deployed, and tougher domestic competition is also likely following the Sprint/SoftBank and T-Mobile/MetroPCS mergers.
Vodafone, 4G, Europe, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 11, 2013
businessinsider.com - This Could Be Why Fewer Smartphones Are Being Stolen Today
Microsoft Promises Not To Snoop Through Your Email In Its Newest Policy UpdateLego's New Product Lets You Build Stuff And Then Virtually Play With Your Creations On Your Tablet
Nokia has several variations of its Lumia Windows Phones, but there are four that stand out as the company's top tier devices - the Lumia 920, 928, 1020, and 925.
It's the latter model, the Lumia 925, that's by far the most impressive. And it's the best Windows Phone you can buy.
The Lumia 925 has been around for a few months, but it's now available on AT&T for $100. You can also buy it through T-Mobile for $30 down and $20 per month for 24 months. But don't let the cheap price fool you. The Lumia 925 is still a premium Windows Phone.
Let's be clear though. Under the hood, the Lumia 925 is essentially the same phone as the Lumia 920 that launched nearly a year ago. The camera is a bit better and there are other minor hardware improvements, but if you compare the specs you'll see that the Lumia 925 is still last year's device wrapped in a prettier package.
That's not a bad thing. My chief complaint with the Lumia 920 was that it was far too thick and heavy compared to other top-tier smartphones. The 925 is slimmer, lighter, and much more attractive. It has an aluminum frame that holds in a durable polycarbonate plastic backing. The front is all glass and has a vibrant 4.5-inch screen.
The aluminum feels really nice and smooth, and it's refreshing to finally see a Windows Phone built with at least some metal. (Most are really plasticky.) However, just like the metal on the iPhone 5 and HTC One, it can scratch very easily. I've only had the Lumia 925 for about two weeks and it's already attracted a few dings and scratches. (Don't get me started on what my poor iPhone 5 looks like after all these months.)
Like it does with other Lumia phones, Nokia makes a big deal out of the 925's camera. There's a dedicated camera shutter button on the side that you can use to launch the camera app, which makes it easy to quickly snap a photo without digging through your list of apps. Photo quality is really good, better than most phones I've tested.
But don't let a fancy camera be the deciding factor. As pretty as this phone is, it's still a Windows Phone, and Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 software still has a few annoying quirks.
The biggest problem with Windows Phones is still its lack of high quality apps. Developers prefer to make their apps for iPhone and Android because Windows Phones only hold a tiny percentage of the smartphone market. It's not worth it for many developers to dump time and money into making an app for a relatively tiny audience.
That means the Lumia 925 is missing a lot of popular apps that iPhone and Android users love: Vine, Instagram, Gmail, Google Maps, and so on. Even the Facebook app isn't made by Facebook. It's made by Microsoft with Facebook's permission. That means you're not always getting the latest mobile features.
Yes, there are a ton of alternative apps to these popular services. But if you want the best apps, a Windows Phone like the Lumia 925 isn't a good choice.
Overall, Windows Phone 8 is a nice smartphone operating system. If you don't really care about apps, then it's a great option, especially because most Windows Phones like the Lumia 925 cost about half as much as other phones like the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4.
If you want a Windows Phone and are an AT&T or T-Mobile customer, you should look at the Lumia 925 first. It's not the best smartphone, but it's a decent option if you're looking for premium device at a cheap price.
Nokia, Lumina 925, Windows Phone, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 10, 2013
cnn.com - For the first time ever, Apple unveiled two new iPhones on Tuesday, a traditional upgrade of its iPhone 5 as well as a simpler, cheaper version.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are a reaction to a changing smartphone market.
"Business has become so large that this year we are going to replace the iPhone 5 and we're going to replace it with not one, but two new designs," Cook said. "This allows us to serve even more customers."
The iPhone 5C was the first phone demoed at Tuesday's event at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters.
iPhone 5S to come in gold, gray, silver Check out Apple's new iPhone 5C iPhone 5S has fingerprint technology
"It has an incredible all new design, one that's more fun, more colorful than any iPhone we've made yet," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president for marketing. In a video, Apple design guru Jonny Ive described the 5C as "beautifully, unapologetically plastic."
The phone will sell for as little as $99, for a 16GB version, and $199 for one with 32GB of storage (each with a two-year mobile contract). In a departure, Apple will also be making its own cases for the 5C, selling them in a variety of colors for $29.
Then there's the iPhone 5S, which is the more traditional update to the iPhone 5.
"It is the gold standard in smartphones," Schiller said.
The 5S features a handful of performance upgrades, including what Apple calls a dramatic increase in processing speed.
It will have the first 64-bit chip in a smartphone -- Apple's A7 -- which Schiller said has tested at up to twice as fast as the iPhone 5's processor. It also will have a new feature, a motion co-processor, that will let the phone be used as a fitness tracker along the lines of a FitBit.
Schiller said battery life will be "the same or better" than the iPhone 5 and its camera will have 15% more active sensor space, improved white balance and auto-focus, and a new flash.
Also, its camera will, for the first time on iPhone, allow video in slow motion.
Arguably the most dramatic new feature on the phone, though, is Touch ID, a fingerprint scanner for added security. Users will be able to log into their phone via the home button and make purchases from iTunes using their fingerprint as a password of sorts.
The iPhone 5S will sell for $199 for a 16GB version, $299 for a 32GB model and $399 for the top-end 64GB phone.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 5C starts on September 13. Both versions are on sale starting September 20. Cook also announced the newest version of Apple's mobile operating system, iOS 7, will be released to the public on September 18.
It will have over 200 new features, according to Apple, including the ability to switch voice-activated digital assistant Siri to a male voice.
The iPhone has remained the world's top-selling smartphone, save for a few quarters when it was dethroned by phones in Samsung's Galaxy S line. But after making up nearly 24% of all smartphones sold in late 2011, Apple's device is now down to about 14%, while Android phones account for a whopping 79%.
With the iPhone 5C, Apple is clearly looking to emerging markets like China and India, where a less expensive phone would, presumably, sell well to a massive potential customer base.
Historically, rollouts of new Apple products have been near-mystical affairs for fans. But as the smartphone market has matured, some analysts say the real excitement may need to come from other products.
"Apple needs a new 'hero product,' but I do not think it necessarily has to be a phone," Gartner technology analyst Carolina Milanesi told CNN. "With technology innovation slowing down, maybe they are better off turning iPhone into a market-share grabber and showing innovation in another product."
A likely candidate could be the company's anticipated "iWatch." Apple is all but certain to join the emerging smartwatch market that Samsung entered last week with its Galaxy Gear device.
Also, Apple has also long been rumored to be working on a TV set.
Apple, iPhone, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 10, 2013
businessinsider.com - Earlier this year things were not looking good for Apple's iPhone business.
Year-over-year growth was down to single digits. Samsung was the darling of the tech press. There were reports that Apple was slashing orders for the iPhone from its suppliers. Android continued to post astounding market share numbers.
Well, it looks like Apple is about to change everything and get its iPhone mojo back.
This week, it will announce the iPhone 5S, and iPhone 5C, a low-cost iPhone. Those products don't appear to have any revolutionary new features. (The 5S is said to have a fingerprint scanner that makes the phone more secure. We'll see what that's all about.)
Those phones are nice, but they're not what's going to reinvigorate the iPhone line.
Apple, iPhone, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 10, 2013
archive.9news.com - The top-of-the-line smartphone may offer more storage, upgraded photo-taking capabilities, a better battery and a faster chip. But what gets Wall Street and tech industry insiders excited is the fingerprint technology and the possibilities opened up for Apple by secure, easy authentication of smartphone users' identities.
"Everyone is looking at what this new phone can do, and one of the key things is fingerprint authentication," says Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um. "People are underestimating what this technology can do."
Um raised his price-range estimate on Apple shares to $525-$575 from $485-$525 on Thursday, partly due to the potential of fingerprint authentication.
Initially, the iPhone 5S will likely have the fingerprint technology near the home button at the bottom of the device, as this is the first place users touch when they open their phones. After their identity has been verified through their print, the full display will appear automatically, without users having to swipe and enter a four-digit PIN.
"The swipe and PIN was one of the things Steve Jobs hated. It was in the way of the user experience," says Sebastien Taveau, chief technology officer of Validity Sensors.
Validity Sensors is one of the few leading, independent fingerprint authentication companies around, counting Intel and Qualcomm among its investors. The other, AuthenTec, was acquired by Apple for $356 million in 2012. Since then, Apple has sold some of AuthenTec's other technology while keeping the fingerprint sensor know-how, Taveau noted.
Identifying users through their fingerprints is more secure than passwords and PINs, so this technology could help Apple expand in sectors such as mobile payments and enterprise computing, which demand the highest levels of security, Taveau, Um and others said.
"Within the next two years the vast majority of high-end smartphones will have biometrics and mainly fingerprint logins. It's going to be very useful for payments," says David Marcus, president of PayPal, the electronic-payment division of e-commerce giant eBay.
This year, PayPal helped launch the FIDO Alliance which stands for Fast Identity Online. The group is developing common, open standards for the use of fingerprints and other biometrics to identify users - with the aim of doing away with passwords and PINs. Other members include Google, BlackBerry, Lenovo and Validity Sensors.
Such technology may turn the smartphone into a truly secure way to pay, Wells Fargo's Um says.
Banks and other payment companies may be more likely to develop apps for the iPhone with this new, secure authentication, Taveau said.
"When I touch that icon and it reads my fingerprint, my payment app and account will appear. When my wife touches the same icon on the same device, her app and account will appear," he added.
In the enterprise computing world, fingerprint authentication may help the iPhone and other Apple gadgets become more accepted by company IT departments worried about security, Taveau and Um said.
"Enterprises want to know devices are in the right hands, and this pretty much guarantees it," Um says. "This addresses enterprise security issues for Apple and will open up that market to the company more."
Apple, iPhone, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, Passwords, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 10, 2013
talkandroid.com - Most of today's big news revolved around new devices, but there was some good news for those with the Samsung Galaxy S III and S4. Samsung announced that Android 4.3 will arrive for both phones in October. In addition, Galaxy Gear functionality will be added to the S4 with the update, which is scheduled to come out around the same time as the Galaxy Gear smart watch.
Samsung, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, Android 4.3, Jellybean, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 9, 2013
talkandroid.com - Here we are again, checking out the latest distribution charts for Android- we certainly have some interesting developments for this month's numbers. First, you'll notice that the prehistoric versions of Android OS (Donut and Eclair) are no longer on the chart! Why is this? Not because nobody has them running on their devices anymore, but because data for the chart is now gathered from the Google Play Store app, which only runs on devices with Android 2.2 or greater. Either way, devices running the older versions of Android only account for around 1%.
Now, for this month's improvements in Android fragmentation- combined, Jelly Bean is currently loaded up on 45.1% of all Android-powered devices, up from 40.5% from last month. For the first time ever, Ice Cream Sandwich actually showed a decrease, going from 22.5% to 21.7%. Sure, it's not a lot, but the decrease certainly shows that OEMs are doing a better job upgrading their devices to Jelly Bean.
Gingerbread shrunk a bit as well, going from 33.1% to 30.7%, and Froyo followed suit, coming down to 2.4% from 2.5%. We'll be back next month with the latest Android distribution numbers. Hopefully we'll get to see a new KitKat section on the chart!
Android, Google, Jellybean, Gingerbread, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 9, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - Sony unveiled its latest premium smartphone, the Xperia Z1, touting its camera and imaging capabilities as it looks to continue the recent positive progress made by its smartphone business.
Speaking on stage at IFA, Sony president and CEO Kazuo Hirai (pictured) said the Z1 "is truly a watershed moment in Sony's history" with expertise from the company's digital imaging team making it "the absolute embodiment of that One Sony ethos".
The fully waterproof Z1 features a 20.7MP camera that uses Sony's G Lens technology, which Hirai described as "unlike anything ever seen before in a smartphone".
A number of camera apps were also announced, including Social live which allows users to broadcast live shots to Facebook; visual search capability to provide information on landmarks and other recognisable items; and AR effect, which gives the ability to overlay animations onto photos.
Available in some markets later this month, the Z1 has a one-piece aluminium body and 5-inch HD 'Triluminos' screen and runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor. Battery performance has been improved over previous models while NFC support means the device can be paired with the Sony QX10 and QX100 digital cameras.
"Xperia Z1 is at the heart of Sony's vibrant and growing ecosystem of both content and hardware that will enrich your life," Hirai said, citing the SmartWatch 2 which was announced at the GSMA's Mobile Asia Expo in June and functions as a second screen for the Z1.
Hirai also talked up the role of developer partners which he said are "integral to evolving Sony's mobile ecosystem and building unique experiences that complement our hardware through thousands of exciting apps and services".
Sony's mobile fortunes have been improving of late: it sold 9.6 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2013, up 29.7 per cent on the 7.4 million units reported a year earlier. The company forecast that smartphone sales for fiscal 2013 will hit 42 million, up from 33 million in 2012.
However, despite the increase in smartphones sales, IDC figures actually point to Sony's smartphone market share falling from 4.7 per cent a year ago to 4 per cent in Q1 2013.
Sony, Flagship, Xperia Z1, Camera, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 9, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - The overall mobile phone market is growing faster than research firm IDC previously thought, primarily due to strong gains in emerging markets and the sub-$200 smartphone segment.
IDC had projected 5.8 per cent growth for the year but that has been revised upwards, to 7.3 per cent, as vendors are projected to ship more than 1.8 billion mobile phones.
It marks a sharp rebound from nearly flat growth in 2012 (1.2 per cent).
Moreover, smartphone shipments are expected to exceed one billion units in 2013, the first time that milestone will be passed in a single year.
"Two years ago, the worldwide smartphone market flirted with shipping half a billion units for the first time - to double that in just two years highlights the ubiquity that smartphones have achieved," said Ramon Llamas, an IDC research manager. "The smartphone has gone from being a cutting-edge communications tool to becoming an essential component in the everyday lives of billions of consumers."
IDC reckons annual mobile phone shipments will grow to 2.3 billion units by 2017 with smartphones accounting for 1.7 billion.
In terms of operating systems, IDC expects Android's market-leading share will dip slightly - going from 75.3 per cent in 2013 to 68.3 per cent by 2017 - but still far ahead of second-placed Apple. IDC estimated the Cupertino giant will have a 17.9 per cent market share by 2017, up from 16.9 per cent in 2013.
Windows Phone, said IDC, will solidify its position as the number three OS player with incremental share gains over the course of the forecast (10.2 per cent market share in 2017 from just 3.9 per cent in 2013).
With the acquisition of Nokia's device and services unit, IDC warns that Microsoft will increasingly need to drive share gains by itself as OEM support for Windows Phone is expected to wane now that the company is set to become a full-fledged hardware maker.
Microsoft will also need to ship more low-cost smartphones to high-growth emerging markets, argues the research firm, if it is to continue building on its recent nominal share increases.
IDC, Mobile Phone, Forecast, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 8, 2013
appstechnews.com - According to the latest mobility survey, from Irish backend as a service (BaaS) provider FeedHenry, enterprises are not taking advantage of mobile app developments in their organisations.
The survey of 100 companies, conducted in conjunction with Vanson Bourne, found that in the majority of cases, enterprises had an "ad-hoc" approach to mobility rollout, although senior execs were keen on putting together a more sophisticated strategy.
Only 7% of respondents said they had a "specific strategy for mobile apps which has been fully implemented"; however, a further 42% said they were just a little further back down the road having only partially implemented their strategy. 14% of those polled said they didn't have a mobile app strategy and weren't planning one.
Yet in terms of future rollout, the numbers were brighter. Almost nine in 10 (89%) of companies surveyed said they were looking at deploying at least one mobile app this year.
61% of organisations said they were pushing out at least five enterprise apps, whilst 18% were looking at deploying more than 10.
The reasons why companies looked to apps were interesting; half of respondents said they were looking to develop apps to help run the business. 30% looked to apps to grow their business, whilst the remaining 20% saw apps as a platform to "transform" their business.
Intriguingly, 43% of those interviewed said there would be "major" growth in the B2C app market in the next 12 months.
The report also examined the effect of enterprise apps in the field, and revealed that organisations have on average four mobile apps to assist workers, but for 13%, they have no apps whatsoever.
Inevitably, with the increase in mobility rollout there was a correlation with cloud computing use. However, the report revealed that whilst the number of organisations (90%) using cloud will stay the same - indicating saturation level is high - these companies' overall usage of cloud services will increase during the coming year.
The report however sounded a word of caution, because whilst cloud usage was high, there was little evidence to link it to companies directly using it for enterprise app strategy. One in three respondents said that integrating enterprise apps in the cloud into the backend would be a major issue.
This, of course, would come as welcome news to FeedHenry, who back in May announced a funding drive of $9m (£5.78m), led by Intel Capital.
Regardless, this research fires a warning shot at companies looking to easily integrate app software.
"Enterprise mobility has the power to improve employee productivity, transform business processes and drive new revenue streams," noted Chris Marsh, principal analyst at Yankee Group Enterprise Research.
"However, this survey shows that many app deployments are tactical rather than strategic, and that companies should look more to cloud based and agile mobile application strategies to support their growing mobile workforces, without which enterprise productivity and profitability improvements will suffer," he added.
What do you make of the survey results? Is this 'ad-hoc' approach to app deployment a worry?
Mobile Enterprise, Mobile App Strategy, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 8, 2013
mercurynews.com - The revolution in mobile computing devices that has been raging for a decade is not dead yet, as several technology giants made moves seeking to stay (or become) relevant as PC sales dwindle with consumers using smartphones and tablets for most of their computing needs.
Apple (AAPL), which lit the initial spark of the mobile era with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, is expected to show off its newest iteration of the popular device at an event in Cupertino next week. Confirming earlier reports, Apple on Tuesday invited media to an event at its headquarters, where the tech giant is expected to unveil two new iPhone models at once for the first time: A lower-cost iPhone housed in plastic instead of metal that many expect to be offered in multiple colors, and a continuation of its main iPhone line that may also offer multiple color choices, including a gold iPhone aimed at the Chinese market.
After the introduction of its most recent smartphone, the iPhone 5, last September, Apple stock hit an all-time high of $705.07, but it has struggled since, falling as low as $385.10 as analysts and investors grew impatient with the lack off innovation at the Cupertino company that rolled out the iPod, iPhone and iPad in the past decade. With the expected introduction of two new iPhone models and a trade-in program designed to keep consumers coming back to Apple smartphones, the company is seeking to counter that trend, leading analysts to predict the event could be an important milestone in Apple history.
"The next event will arguably be the biggest product launch in Apple's history because it will tell us about the future of the company as a true innovator," IDC analyst John Jackson recently told the Mercury News.
Apple stock rose 0.3 percent to $488.58 Tuesday.
The PC giant that Apple left in its dust in consumers' eyes made its biggest move to fight for mobile relevance late Monday night: Microsoft announced that it has agreed to pay $7.2 billion for Nokia's mobile phone business, combining two formerly dominant tech giants. Nokia was the leading cell-phone manufacturer for 14 years, making analog phones that sold well worldwide until smartphones became more popular; Previously just a software company that licensed its products to hardware makers, Microsoft has moved into hardware with its own tablet and now a smartphone business.
"We know we need to accelerate. We're not confused about that," Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer said in a conference call Tuesday. "We need to be a company that provides a family of devices."
The purchase of Nokia could have an ulterior motive: Ballmer recently announced his impending departure from the company, and the purchase includes Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, a former Microsoft executive who was already seen as a candidate to replace him.
Investors and analysts were not impressed by Microsoft's deal, however: The company's stock declined 4.6 percent to $31.88 on the day, and many analysts questioned the wisdom of purchasing a company that has fallen so far in popularity.
"The question is whether combining two weak companies will get you a strong new competitor -- it's doubtful," telecommunications consultant Paul Budde told Bloomberg News. "Both Nokia and Microsoft really missed the boat in terms of smartphones, and it is extremely difficult to claw your way back from that."
Google (GOOG) made a similar, but more expensive deal, for Motorola Mobility two years ago, paying $12.5 billion for the hardware company. The difference is that Google already had a successful mobile platform, which it reinforced with Tuesday's announcements that 1 billion Android devices have been activated, and the operating system will have a corporate partnership for its next version.
Android chief Sundar Pachai made the twin announcements Tuesday, and Hershey's backed it up with a news release announcing further synergy as Android Kit Kat rolls out.
While speculation of a paid branding deal circulated, Google quickly shot that down, explaining that the partnership had nothing to do with profits.
"This is not a money-changing-hands kind of deal," John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, told BBC.
Android Kit Kat is expected to debut this fall; Google typically launches a specific device to coincide with each new version of Android. Google stock gained 1.6 percent to $860.38 Tuesday.
Android is far ahead of Apple in smartphone market share, with one manufacturer, Samsung, shipping more smartphones than Apple and smaller vendors such as LG snagging a significant share of the market. While relegated to the "Other" category in IDC's most recent smartphone shipments report, Nokia placed second in total mobile phones shipped.
Big news was not relegated just to companies making smartphones: The largest wireless carrier in the United States, Verizon Wireless, was involved in a huge deal over Labor Day weekend. The company, begun as a partnership between Verizon and Vodafone, was taken over completely by Verizon in a deal that will ship $130 billion to Vodafone.
All the merger action on the long weekend juiced investors to push stocks up, but gains were tempered by possible combat in Syria. Silicon Valley stocks weathered those fears well, however, as shares in local technology companies gained 0.8 percent, better than all three major U.S. stock indexes.
Yahoo (YHOO) gained 2.4 percent to $27.78 after officially announcing the arrival of former AOL executive Ned Brody as the chief of advertising for the Americas. The Sunnyvale-based Internet portal also reportedly shut down its Yahoo China site, which was pushing readers to a site owned by Alibaba, in which Yahoo still owns a significant stake. Netflix (NFLX) reached a new two-year high of $290.71 and closed with a 1.8 percent gain at $289, as the Los Gatos video-on-demand company continued to rise.
Silicon Valley's major solar companies headed in opposite directions, with San Jose solar manufacturer SunPower (SPWRA) gaining 3 percent to $22.13 and San Mateo solar installer SolarCity plunging 5.9 percent to $29.49, its lowest closing price since May. The other company in the SV150's green energy sector, Palo Alto electric car maker Tesla Motors (TSLA), hit a new all-time intraday high of $173.70 Tuesday, but ended the day with a slight, six-cent decline to $168.94. After tremendous gains on the backs of their earnings reports Friday, Salesforce and Splunk again hit record highs Tuesday: Splunk moved 3 cents higher to $55.24 and Salesforce gained 0.9 percent to $49.58.
Apple, Microsoft, Google, Mobile War, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 8, 2013
business2community.com - Android Field Position Gains: Rapid Consumer Mobile Device Market Share Growth
With the popularity of the iPhone, it is easy to forget that more than half of the smart phones out there are Androids. Even though Apple has been the pioneer and early leader in smartphones, the Android OS has been making huge market gains in the consumer space. In fact, according to a study released by Gartner on Wednesday, Android's OS continues to dominate the OS market, earning 79 percent of second-quarter market share this year.
We are seeing the same market trends when it comes to tablets. Apple's once dominant tablet market share is diminishing as Android has raced ahead to be the world's most used tablet operating system. Google's Android-based tablet devices now dominate the segment, with 62.6% share of the market in the second quarter of 2013, compared to just 38% of the market in the same period last year, new data from International Data Corporation shows. This means a lot more consumers are buying Android devices, both tablets and smartphones; a huge change considering that just a year ago Apple's iPad was the only tablet generating serious sales.
The fact that Android is making such an impression on the consumer world means that more and more blue collar workers will own these types of devices already, and since BYOD is all about people bringing in their own mobile devices to work, you'd expect a similar breakdown in the enterprise. Instead, it's almost the opposite. This is in part because the workplace is not totally a BYOD world. Regardless of recent consumer versus enterprise trends, Google Android has emerged as the OS that businesses and developers are taking a second look at, primarily due to its popularity in the consumer smartphone market.
Will Android's Consumer Popularity Translate to the Blue Collar Field Workforce?
Could Android's surge in the consumer space translate as well to those companies employing blue-collar workers, such as field service technicians?
Mobile Apps, Android, Blue Collar, Field Workers, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 7, 2013
venturebeat.com - First-time buyers are turning away from Android as Apple's three-year-old iPhone 4 was the top model for feature-phone switchers in the last three months, according to the latest numbers from Kantar Worldpanel.
Proving once again that the U.S. smartphone market is a very, very different animal.
"Android's decline in sales is due to its decreasing share of first-time smartphone buyers, a key consumer group in the US, as over half of the market still own a featurephone," Kantar's Dominic Sunnebo said.
Android, of course, has a massive global market share lead, with 80 percent of smartphone sales worldwide - especially in developing markets such as China, where Apple's iPhone is seventh. But American buyers showed again that they still love Cupertino's shiny white and black devices.
Apple's smartphone market share increased to 43.4 percent in the three-month period ending July 13, up from 35.6 percent in 2012's equivalent quarter. Windows Phone also jumped up a half a percentage to 3.5 percent market share - a small number, perhaps, but still a healthy 17 percent year-over-year increase. Android dropped, however, from 58.7 percent market share to 51.1 percent.
And that's with no new devices from Apple in about a year.
"Between July 2011 and July 2012, 52% of customers that bought an Android device previously owned a feature phone. Over this past year, that number has declined to 46 percent," Sunnebo said. "iOS, on the other hand, has maintained its share of first-time smartphone buyers over two years (43 percent). The iPhone 4 in particular, has seen its share of purchases among first-time buyers increase, from 9 percent in July 2012 to 15 percent in July 2013- making it the top model among this consumer group."
Sunnebo sees good things ahead for Windows Phone as a result of Microsoft's recent acquisition of Nokia's handset business.
Nokia still represents seven percent of feature phone sales, and those buyers will be upgrading at some point. In addition, Nokia has already shown strength with Windows Phone in European nations such as Italy, where it achieved 13.1 percent of new phone sales, and Mexico. In the U.S., the Nokia brand is nowhere near as strong, but Windows Phone's appeal to first-time buyers, Sunnebo says, will help Microsoft and Nokia.
Of course, Apple is also planning to unveil new iPhone models - and possibly more - on September 10 in Cupertino. With new models for the Christmas buying season, Apple will likely be able to increase its U.S. market share even more. And, with a cheaper iPhone 5C, perhaps even make a dent in those more price-sensitive developing markets.
Kantar's data is derived from 240,000 conversations with consumers annually in the U.S. alone, and tracks actual customer purchases of phones rather than shipments.
Apple, Microsoft, Google, Mobile War, Android, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 7, 2013
everestgrp.com - Bestselling author Nassim Taleb talks in one of his books about the anti-fragile, things that enjoy extreme conditions and thrive in disorder. Enterprise mobility appears to be a creature that loves disruptions in the technology market. With Microsoft's recent reorganization, Amazon's enhanced focus on Kindle, the never-ending rivalry between Apple, Google, and Samsung, and the queue of other players vying for this market, (Canonical, Dell, HP, and Lenovo), this disruption phenomenon is not going to fade anytime soon. In fact, when combined with the aspirations of organizations to allow enterprise application mobile avatars, and technology companies developing mobile enterprise application platforms, we have a perfect storm in the making.
However, many organizations still believe that allowing "toys in the workplace" is a good enough IT response to the CEO's clarion call for employee appeasement and productivity. They are under a strange assumption that Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) = Enterprise Mobility. Fortunately, it is NOT; rather, it's time to move BYonD it.
Mobile Application Platform
While mobile device/application management providers such as AirWatch, BoxTone, Citrix, Kony, SAP, and Sophos are witnessing good traction, they have not even touched the tip of the proverbial iceberg due to the limited availability of enterprise applications on mobile devices. However, despite business users' clamouring for more enterprise applications on mobile, it is not surprising that organizations are slow to adopt.
Smartphones (e.g., from Apple, Blackberry, Google, HTC, Nokia, and Samsung), tablets (e.g., from Amazon, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Samsung), and their brethren indeed improve user productivity, but are largely focused on consuming information, rather than enabling performance of complex tasks beyond emailing and web surfing. Combined with the rapid pace of evolving technologies, form factors, and software, buyer organizations are unwilling to invest upfront and, therefore, continue to be fence sitters. In response, device makers show little interest in offering broader capabilities that can help enterprises move beyond BYOD (e.g., partnering with enterprise application platform providers).
However, the inflexion point has arrived. We will witness device makers, enterprise application providers, and mobile app developers coming together to offer factory-fitted popular enterprise mobile apps much like instant messengers (e.g., HR management, inventory management, CRM, social commerce). Moreover, this trinity will make various enterprise applications available on mobile devices, which we cannot even imagine today. Enterprise application providers will also enable easy access to their/partner's application marketplace via collaboration with the device and network providers. This will enable end-users to seamlessly use their personal devices to access enterprise-class mobile applications.
Enterprises may also experiment with private app stores, as they increasingly require custom-built applications and are not entirely satisfied with a public distribution model. The challenge for them will be creating a platform-agnostic, "no lock-down," mobility store. They can also develop innovative funding models in which users are incentivized to deploy mobile enterprise applications in return for funding for their personal device. Yet, these efforts will require significant investment and management commitment. Moreover, unlike other technology initiatives, these should be led by both IT and the business users.
Without a meaningful mobile enterprise application strategy, mobility will indeed become an undesirable "anti-fragile" that thrives in disorder.
Enterprise Mobility, BYOD, Cloud, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 7, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - BlackBerry is looking to complete the sale of parts of its business by November through a rapid auction process, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Sources said the troubled Canadian company has held preliminary talks with potential bidders for the different elements of its operations with a sales process expected to commence soon.
The company announced in August that it had formed a special committee of board members to explore strategic alternatives to its current situation. Options under consideration are "possible joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances, a sale of the Company or other possible transactions".
It is by no means definite that parts of the business will be sold by November, or at all, but the BlackBerry board is understood to want to move quickly.
Sources said that financial organisations such as Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Bain Capital are likely to consider bids, along with Chinese smartphone player Lenovo.
The possibility of Microsoft being a prospective buyer has been thwarted by the software company's 5.4 billion acquisition of Nokia's handset business this week. MKM Partners analysts said in a note that the Microsoft-Nokia deal "further relegates [BlackBerry] to the also-ran bin".
The company has struggled to generate significant market traction following the launch of its first BlackBerry 10 devices earlier this year, with fierce competition from established leaders Android and iOS.
The company has been reported to be considering a spin-off of its BlackBerry Messenger business as a separate subsidiary, while Bert Nordberg, a BlackBerry director and former CEO of Sony Ericsson, told the Wall Street Journal that the company could continue as a niche maker of smartphones while other parts of the company are sold off.
Blackberry, Asset Sales, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 6, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - UK-headquartered Monitise, a mobile payment platform specialist, has struck an agreement with IBM to broaden the range of mobile money services Visa Europe can offer its member banks. These include banking, payment and commerce services in the cloud.
IBM will help Monitise extend and scale the adoption of these services with Visa Europe, as well as develop additional offerings.
Collaboration between Monitise and IBM is also designed to accelerate deployment of mobile services on all types of devices.
Visa predicts more than half of its transactions will be carried out on a mobile device by 2020. Today there are 466 million Visa accounts in Europe accounting for one in every 6.75 spent daily.
With these new enhanced mobile services provided by Monitise and IBM, Visa Europe (which holds a stake in Monitise) will enable its 3,000 plus member banks across 36 countries to increase their share of these transactions and accelerate the scale of their mobile offerings to meet evolving customer banking needs.
"Visa is committed to making mobile commerce and payments ever easier by connecting consumers, member banks and retail businesses together through the globally trusted Visa network, and by working even more closely with a combined Monitise and IBM team, we are making this vision a reality," said Steve Chambers, Visa Europe's CIO.
Monitise, IBM, Mobile Banking, Visa, Europe, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 6, 2013
businessinsider.com - Someday soon, your car won't be just a vehicle to transport you from Point A to Point B, but a rolling, seat-belted mobile device.
Right now, most cars with onboard navigation systems require that you plug in your smartphone so it can use your cellular network. That's changing. Cars are increasingly engineered to be digitally connected to the world they travel through, in ways that go far beyond your GPS or pre-installed music apps.
According to AOL's Autoblog, Audi will be introducing a feature in some of its car models that allows users to take advantage of onboard LTE, giving the driver and passengers access to fast Wi-Fi. Information will download from the cloud more quickly, and passengers will be able to stream movies without a lot of buffering.
Making systems easier to use is the ultimate goal, along with limiting driver distraction. With some in-car systems able to give you updates on the news, the need to keep one's eyes on the road is obvious. That's why these systems generally limit many capabilities of the web, and don't allow drivers to surf when they should be driving. They also have text-to-speech features: You can have your car read your Facebook updates to you.
In the ongoing effort to simplify in-car services, Apple will be adapting its popular iOS interface - the very thing that gives your iPhone its look and feel - to your car. Not much is known about Apple's new system, but we can assume that at least present-day iPhone users are likely to feel comfortable with it.
BMW is also working to streamline these often-wonky in-dashboard devices (think many knobs and switches). Their 7-Series cars have an optional system that allows you to use your fingernail to scrawl out quick, handwritten commands, without having to peck through a menu screen to get what you want.
Where are we headed? Toward even more data in our automobiles. Soon, car seats might also have sensors that can detect if we're having a heart attack, then safely stop the car and contact emergency services for us. And if we're in an accident, they might be equipped with black boxes similar to what's in airplanes.
Auto Industry, Car, Ultimate Smartphone, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 6, 2013
businessinsider.com - Today, at their Unpacked 2014 event in Berlin, Samsung has finally revealed the smart watch we've been hearing so much about - the Samsung Galaxy Gear. Touted as the "true companion for the Note', the device works seamlessly with the Galaxy Note 3 and Note 3 only at the moment, although compatibility for other Galaxy devices (like the Galaxy S4) was mentioned as being offered in the future (we assume it'll also act as a standard Bluetooth device for non-Galaxy devices as well).
Almost like Google Glass for your wrist, the Galaxy Gear features a simplified Android UI, 1.63-inch 320×320 SAMOLED display, voice actions via S Voice, a 1.9MP camera with 720p video recording, speaker and 2 microphones (1 for noise cancelling) built right into the wrist strap, 4GB internal storage, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and its own tailored-made applications.
Samsung says the device will squeeze out 24+ hours of battery life and will be available in 6 different colors this October in US and Japan at around $300, with the rest of the world getting access to the device as early as September 25th.
Samsung, Galaxy Gear, Smartwatch, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 5, 2013
phandroid.com - Earlier today, Google and Swiss-based Nestle threw the world for a loop when they officially announced Android 4.4, the next version of Android, would officially be named after the world famous name-brand chocolate treat, KitKat (not Key Lime Pie as many had believed). The BBC who was able to get the inside scoop on the deal, where they sat down with John Lagerling, Android's director of global partnerships.
In the interview, Lagerling he patted Google and new bff Nestle on the back on the back for keeping such a massive deal heavily under wraps (pun intended). Remember, there hasn't been a single leak made public, not even a hint. All of this despite the 2 giants meeting back during Mobile World Congress in February to discuss the deal, finalizing the deal within the hour, convincing Hershey in the US to get on board the project, and production for the packaging of 50 million KitKat bars featuring the Android tie-in kicking off over 2 months ago. We have to say, that's pretty impressive.
According to Lagerling, confidentially was "paramount" for Google. This is why many of Android's employees and partners believed the next Android would be named after the generic key lime pie dessert, even though nothing was ever formally announced. According to Lagerling, it was all a part of Google's master plan. You see, if Google made a big deal about keeping the next Android version a secret, it would have only gotten more attention and eventually, someone would have leaked a KitKat wrapper or something along those lines. Instead, Google was open about using the Key Lime Pie nomenclature as a decoy where, even on the Android team, only a very small, tight-knit group of individuals were privy about plans to change gears and roll with KitKat.
So, why KitKat over Key Lime Pie? At first look, it seemed to make perfect sense. Google is an ad company and it was only logical to assume that Nestle paid out big bucks to be featured as Google's confectionery of choice. However, according to Lagerling, the partnership was not a "money-changing-hands kind of deal," but more or less a marketing one. In the end, Google gains brand awareness, while you read this article and feel a sudden craving for a Kit Kat.
It's true, a Google spokesperson also told The Verge something about the candy being Android engineering head Hiroshi Lockheimer's favorite treat, but we know the decision was more than simply that. Google knows the power of "the ad" and despite 1 billion activations to date, not too many average users are familiar with Google, their mobile OS, or the devices they sell via their online store. This sweet new Nestle deal should help with that nicely.
Nestle, Google, Android, Kitkat, Deal, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 5, 2013
phandroid.com - We all know that Android version numbers are named in alphabetical order after desserts. We had Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean... and now Android Kit Kat?
In a Google+ post announcing Android's 1 billion activation achievement, Sundar Pichai - the new head of both Android and Chrome - posted the above picture of a "KitKat" statue outside the famed building 44 on Google's campus.
Is Android KitKat really the next version of the Android operating system? It sure is.
Google has never named a version of their OS after a trademarked brand. No Hershey. No Krispy Kreme. No Ben & Jerry's. Google's names have always been generic names of dessert categories.
Everyone has been calling the "K" version of Android "Key Lime Pie" for quite awhile now. Google has always been a more playful company, known for their Google Search Doodles and zany April Fools Day jokes, so initially there was debate whether the image was authentic or a hoax. But make no mistake about it... Google Android 4.4 KitKat is official.
They're even partnering with Nestle on a contest: you could win a Nexus 7 tablet or Google Play Store credit on specially marked Kit Kat candy bars. Pretty cool!
That page scrolls down to discuss all the different versions of Android and their importance. For Android KitKat it says "It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody."
We're not surprised that Android KitKat is 4.4 instead of version 5. Lately, Google has been more iterative than revolutionary, thanks much in part to the maturation of the platform. Bringing Android to as many people as possible sounds very iterative, unless we're in for an outrageous surprise by seeing Android on even more types of devices.
Nestle, Google, Android, Kitkat, Deal, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 4, 2013
appstechnews.com - Enterprise mobility startup MobileSpaces has launched its 2.0 iteration, which claims to be the first mobile security software to support iOS 7.
The latest program combined iOS 7 functionality with Android app virtualisation technology, leading to a BYOD workspace that supports any app.
iOS 7 "rounds out the product", according to CEO David Goldschlag.
"Enterprises were telling us that [they] want to manage their apps, and they want to embrace bring your own device," Goldschlag tells Enterprise Apps Tech in a call. "They want to choose apps for the enterprise; the enterprise wants to choose the apps they need; and we want to let the employee choose the device that he wants.
"iOS 7 provides us with the capabilities to have a unified policy system across Android and iOS," he adds.
The overall company philosophy is one of creating an 'app-agnostic' workspace, which Goldschlag described as "the Holy Grail" for end users and enterprise.
Goldschlag, formerly head of mobile at McAfee, founded MobileSpaces alongside Yoav Weiss in 2011 based on his conversations with customers at the major security provider.
"All my customers at McAfee were telling me that MDM was not the right solution," Goldschlag says. "They didn't want to manage the device.
"If you're using MDM, then you're controlling the business and personal data. That's too intrusive, and you're not preventing data leakage. Data from the enterprise can get to the device, and then go out to the Internet, and you haven't protected the information.
"So MDM wasn't the right solution, and Good Technology, which gave a container, [and] strong control for enterprise apps within the container, only worked for email, calendar, browser and Office."
Goldschlag tells of the excitement at finding what he saw as the missing piece of the jigsaw. "The magic in the technology [was] there was no need to rewrite, or modify, or redistribute any applications - we took all the friction out of it.
"I tested this idea on customers when I was at McAfee," he continues. "Would you buy a solution that was app agnostic? You put an app in with truly no licensing, no work - it's just like deploying the app from the public stores.
"The answer was: that's the Holy Grail. Perfect."
It sounds like a very sound footing for a company to build itself upon. And the two co-founders aren't the only ones with that idea, either.
Last month MobileSpaces returned from its second round of funding, to the tune of $8.6 million (£5.5m) from Marker LLC and Accel Partners. Series A funding, again from Accel, arrived last March.
Goldschlag explains that this funding will help beef up MobileSpaces' commercial arm.
"We were well along the path to having a complete product for solving the need of the enterprise to choose any app," he notes.
"The proceeds from this will be used to further product development, but mainly for scaling sales and marketing.
"We've been building up the commercial half of the company."
With the idea that iOS 7 completes the company's vision, thoughts of course turn to what Cupertino's latest OS means for the enterprise.
Goldschlag noted that 7 was "the most important enterprise capability Apple has released" since anything post iOS4, and that it was aligned with MobileSpaces' app agnostic vision; controlling data sharing through enterprise apps and deleting enterprise data in apps.
Richard Absalom, consumer impact technology analyst at Ovum noted last month that the latest iteration of iOS will "demonstrate that [Apple] is getting serious about selling direct to the enterprise - and not just through the BYOD channel."
MobileSpaces, David Goldschlag, iOS7, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 4, 2013
techday.com - Enterprise mobile is fast maturing from a niche tool to become a core business platform, according to industry analysts Ovum.
Research director of Public Sector Technology at Ovum Kevin Noonan believes that as organisations become increasingly mobile, there is a growing need for secure business systems.
"Good Technology's recent announcement of its relationship with Salesforce is an important step down that path," he says.
"Government agencies in Australia are fast embracing mobile as a means of driving greater productivity, however governments are still taking care not to sacrifice appropriate levels of security and privacy.
"Companies who can deliver secure business solutions that are easy to use, will be well positioned to meet the needs of this fast growing market," he concludes.
Enterprise Mobility, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 3, 2013
businessinsider.com - The Drug Enforcement Agency can comb through roughly 26 years of phone records in their pursuit of big-time drug dealers through a newly revealed partnership with AT&T to provide the law enforcement agency with real time access to an unprecedented amount of user information.
According to reports from The New York Times and ABC News, the DEA has been paying AT&T since 2007 to work directly with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program to offer access to every call that goes through the communications company's switchboard.
The Hemisphere Project, an unclassified but "law enforcement sensitive" program, places an AT&T employee in four DEA offices across the country -- two in Los Angeles, one in Houston, one in Atlanta -- to assist federal and local officials working together to track down suspects.
It gives the DEA access to records including phone numbers, time and duration of calls and the location where the call was made dating back 26 years -- all the way back to 1987.
"Some four billion call records are added to the database every day," the Times explains, per training slides for AT&T employees that were released through FOIA requests.
The program is primarily used to track drug trafficking suspects who routinely switch phones or phone numbers to avoid detection from law enforcement. Drug dealers will use "burner phones" to make a small batch of calls to lieutenants in their operation before discarding the phone before police can track their behavior.
The Hemisphere Project tries to work around that. ABC News does the best job explaining how law enforcement officials use the records to track major suspects:
Essentially, the program uses a suspect's past phone calls to identify associates, and then uses those associates' recent call patterns to identify the suspect's new number. Subpoenas are obtained to proceed with each step.
The DEA's project gives them access to more user information than the phone records collected by the National Security Agency's surveillance programs. Their archives only go back five years because of restrictions imposed by the Patriot Act.
But the Hemisphere Project doesn't collect and store data at DEA offices. The AT&T rep works to retrieve and deliver data "in real time," law enforcement sources told ABC News, from archives stored by the communications company.
"Hemisphere results can be returned via email within an hour of the subpoenaed request," Hemisphere training materials say. "Hemisphere data contains roaming information that can identify the city and state at the time of the call."
The Justice Department issued this statement to The New York Times:
Brian Fallon, a Justice Department spokesman, said in a statement that "subpoenaing drug dealers' phone records is a bread-and-butter tactic in the course of criminal investigations."
Mr. Fallon said that "the records are maintained at all times by the phone company, not the government," and that Hemisphere "simply streamlines the process of serving the subpoena to the phone company so law enforcement can quickly keep up with drug dealers when they switch phone numbers to try to avoid detection."
Two legal experts contacted by the Times had differing opinions on the programs legality. "Is this a massive change in the way the government operates? No," said Columbia law professor Daniel C. Richman. Richman acknowledged there are questions to be asked about the ease with which law enforcement can access the data.
"I'd speculate that one reason for the secrecy of the program is that it would be very hard to justify it to the public or the courts," deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union Jameel Jaffer said.
The craziest part about this story -- besides the massive, questionable partnership between a major law enforcement program and a telecommunications company -- is how the program came to light.
Andrew Hendricks, a Washington peace activist, obtained a Powerpoint presentation explaining the program through a Freedom of Information Act request to West Coast police departments while he was investigating something completely unrelated.
DEA, AT&T, Phone Records, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 3, 2013
businessinsider.com - Microsoft announced tonight that it will buy Nokia's devices and services division.
This is the part of Nokia that makes smartphones (and soon) tablets.
Microsoft will pay 3.70 billion Euro for Nokia's devices business. That's nearly $5 billion is U.S. dollars. Microsoft will also pay an additional 1.65 billion Euro ($2.2 billion U.S.) for the rights to Nokia's patents.
All together, the deal will cost Microsoft about $7 billion U.S.
Microsoft will also take on about 32,000 Nokia employees. Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop will transfer to Microsoft too. (Elop used to work at Microsoft before becoming the Nokia CEO.)
The joining of Microsoft and Nokia isn't a huge surprise. Nokia is the only manufacturer that exclusively uses Microsoft' Windows Phone 8 operating system for its top-tier smartphones. Meanwhile, Microsoft has struggled to gain significant market share for Windows Phone as Android and the iPhone continue to dominate.
Nokia's flagship Lumia phones are most likely the best-selling Windows Phones today. The company sold 7.4 million last quarter. A lot of those sales are due to the fact that Nokia attacks the low-end of the smartphone market with cheaper devices. It also makes high-end phones like the Lumia 920, 925, and 1020.
This can also be another sign that Microsoft is taking its transition from a software company to a "devices and services" company much more seriously. Until last year, Microsoft did not make any major products (besides the Xbox) itself. That changed with its line of Surface tablets that run the new Windows 8 operating system. The company announced that it was making the transition to a company that provides both devices and services.
But Microsoft has yet to make a smartphone of its own, despite numerous rumors that it had plans to. By buying Nokia, Microsoft now has its own manufacturer that it can work closely with.
Microsoft's purchase isn't likely to annoy other manufacturers that make Windows Phones either. Most of those manufacturers (Samsung, HTC, etc.) have been able to make more money from Android devices than an alternative operating system like Windows Phone 8. Nokia is the only manufacturer that relies almost entirely on Windows Phone 8.
Finally, there's Elop. He's one of the names that have been floating around as a potential replacement for Steve Ballmer as Microsoft's CEO. Ballmer announced last month that he plans to retire within a year. A special team of Microsoft board members is now on the hunt for a new CEO.
Microsoft, Nokia, Business, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 2, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - IDC has lowered its tablet forecast for 2013 and beyond, noting "growing competition from larger smartphones and the prospect of new categories such as wearable devices diverting customer spending".
The research house said that it expects shipments to reach 227.4 million units in 2013, down from a previous forecast of 229.3 million - but still up 57.7 per cent year-on-year. It noted that despite its reduction in expectations for this year, the market will continue to grow at a rapid pace, to nearly 407 million units by 2017.
The company also adjusted its regional outlook, with maturing markets such as the US expected to cede share more rapidly to emerging markets such as APAC.
Market saturation, increased adoption of smartphones with 5-inch and greater screens, and eventual growth of the wearable category will impact tablet growth in all regions, but will hit mature regions first.
This will mean that the "mature market" (North America, Western Europe and Japan) will fall from 60.8 per cent of the market in 2012 to 49 per cent by 2017.
Tom Mainelli, research director, tablets, for the research company, said: "A lower than anticipated second quarter, hampered by a lack of major product announcements, means the second half of the year now becomes even more critical for a tablet market that has traditionally seen its highest shipment volume occur during the holiday season."
IDC also said it expects average selling prices to fall as more mainstream vendors use low-cost components to better compete with whitebox tablet vendors, which "continue to enjoy widespread traction in the market despite typically offering lower-quality products and poorer customer experiences".
IDC, Tablets, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 2, 2013
mobileworldlive.com - Vodafone is in advanced talks with Verizon Communications to sell its 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless, the biggest mobile operator in the US. According to reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, the deal on the table is worth $130 billion. An announcement could be made as soon as 2 September.
Vodafone nonetheless released a statement today (29 August) stressing there is "no certainty that an agreement will be reached".
Speculation has been mounting this year that Vodafone and Verizon Communications (which holds the remaining 55 per cent in Verizon Wireless) were looking to strike a deal, although disagreement over valuation has reportedly proven to be a stumbling block.
Another potential showstopper is Vodafone having to pay a high capital gains tax bill to the US government. Fran Shammo, CFO at Verizon Communications, has long downplayed that fear. He believes any deal could be structured in a "tax-efficient" way.
According to Bloomberg sources, Verizon is working with several banks to raise $60 billion ($10 billion from each) to help fund the deal.
Sources further speculate that Verizon will probably sell back its 23 per cent stake in Vodafone Italia to the UK firm. The Bloomberg report says this could be worth around 4 billion for the US giant.
While Vodafone shareholders will no doubt welcome the extra cash - and provide much-needed financial muscle for expansion elsewhere through acquisitions - they will lose a gem if the deal is clinched.
Thanks to rocketing smartphone adoption, faster networks and the growing popularity of mobile data plans, Verizon Wireless contributed over half of Vodafone's adjusted operating profits in the year ended 31 March 2013.
The US wireless heavyweight had also started to pay Vodafone substantial dividends. Much to the chagrin of Vodafone shareholders, however, dividend decisions were made solely in the US. There were no guarantees they would be regular or even continue.
For its part, Verizon Wireless has become increasingly reliant on its more profitable wireless operation. Wireless accounted for about two-thirds of Verizon Communications' turnover during 2012, and largely funded the firm's dividends of $5.2 billion during the year.
Vodafone, Verizon Wireless, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 2, 2013
businessinsider.com - Mobile video has begun to accumulate scale, and has also turned out to be one of the few types of mobile content - along with games - that monetizes reliably and drives premium ad rates.
In a recent report, BI Intelligence breaks down the mobile video ecosystem, analyzing the behavior and devices behind the growth in consumption, and examining the demographics and behavior of mobile video consumers. We specifically detail how mobile video monetization is booming, and look at the new video ecosystem that is taking shape, with mobile devices - rather than television - at the center. The report is full of charts and data that can be downloaded and easily be put to use.
Mobile Video, Tablets, Phones, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 1, 2013
cio.com - Everyone from chief marketing officers to business managers to citizen developers is seizing mobile app and content controls away from the CIO in the enterprise. Mobile software vendors, too, are lining up to deliver simple-to-use tools in the cloud that cater to this new less-technical customer.
All of this is breaking open the floodgates to rogue IT.
The power-shifting trend was hammered home this week when mobile device management software developer MobileIron trotted out a new offering called Anyware, a cloud-based mobile management service that lets businesspeople manage and use iOS and Android apps in minutes.
Anyware has already received rave reviews for its end-user simplicity. The critical point, though, is that it was designed for nontechie admins to manage mobile apps and data. MobileIron's Anyware effectively allows a sales manager to decide what documents and apps a salesperson should have without getting IT approval, prompting technology writer Ryan Faas at CITEworld to proclaim: No IT department required.
Mobile Management, Mobile Enterprise, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management
September 1, 2013
ationmultimedia.com - Digital content in the Thai market has an estimated value of around Bt18 billion this year, with mobile devices and 3G infrastructure both playing key roles in driving growth of between 12 and 20 per cent in the sector.
Thailand also has high potential to provide digital-content outsourcing for the international market, according to an industry expert.
Trirat Chatkaew, director of the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa), said the digital-content market in Thailand offered great potential for continuous high growth, largely because of the growing trend for mobile devices, which are changing people's lifestyle and behaviour as they increasingly access information and other content via such gadgets.
Moreover, the broadband network now offers high speed, which allows users to more easily access digital content over the Internet.
He added that companies were now making much more use of digital content such as advertising, short movies, presentations and 3D animation to present and promote their businesses, while "edutainment" also has an important role in driving digital content in the Kingdom.
"The agency [Sipa] expects the digital-content industry in terms of animation and gaming in Thailand this year will be worth around Bt18 billion, comprising Bt10 billion from animation and Bt8 billion from gaming. The industry overall will grow by around 12-15 per cent this year.
"Thai digital-content developers also have a good opportunity to provide outsourcing services and develop content to support companies in countries such as South Korea, China and Japan, as well as European countries," said Trirat.
The Thai digital-content industry in the next three to five years will have an annual value of about Bt30 billion, he said.
Support from Sipa
His agency, meanwhile, will drive and assist local developers of products and services to support both the local and international markets via a digital-content contest in categories such as education, short movies and advertising.
Sipa will also provide matching funds and facilitate business-matching in the near future.
Kittipong Prucksa-Aroon, deputy managing director of Asia Soft, said the overall digital-content market is showing continuous growth, especially the mobile-gaming segment as more people use their devices to play games on the go.
The company plans to make its "Ragnarok II" game available on mobile devices by the end of the year, as well as announcing up to eight popular games to the Thai market.
Asia Soft will utilise the social-media platform, which is the new business model for supporting gamers, of which there are around 40 million in the Thai market, he said.
The company will also expand its business base in Myanmar, as well as turning its attention to Indonesia and the Philippines, since they are seen as high-potential markets in the next three to five years, he added.
Lak Taechawancha, managing director of Imagine Design, said the Thai digital-content market would grow by 12-20 per cent annually, with digital content now increasingly reaching all segments of business, enabling companies, for example, to offer customers e-magazines as well traditional publications and to expand and promote their content to users anywhere, anytime.
Imagine Design now also engages in co-production with companies in Malaysia and South Korea to develop TV series to support both the local and international markets.
It will also be officially announcing "Muay Thai Act 3D" animation to promote the Thai martial art to the global and local markets. It plans to license the animated content to the international market, said the MD.
"I think the digital-content market in Thailand will continue to expand due to the growth of smart phones and other mobile devices, which will make it easier to access digital content anytime, anywhere, and businesses will create advertising and provide much more content to their customers.
"However, local developers also need support from the government sector and a road map to support digital-content development in the nation as a whole," said Lak.
Meanwhile, Permbun Aimsupasit, managing director of Advance Intelligence Modernity, said the information-technology industry in Thailand was now in the post-PC era, with people increasingly using their mobile devices to access digital content and knowledge.
In light of the new trend in consumer IT behaviour, the company will come out with a new mobile game for users of smart phones and tablet devices, releasing it via digital distribution and with cloud-computing support.
Advance Intelligence Modernity's "War Wolf" will hit the market by year-end, said Permbun.
The company's managing director predicted the digital-content market between 2013 and 2016 would grow by about 13.6 per cent per year on average, with the greatest potential being for mobile device-based content.
Mobile Management, Mobile Enterprise, Mobile Devices, MobiWork, Mobile Workforce, Mobile Workforce Solution, Smartphone GPS Tracking, Field Sales, Field Marketing, Field Service, Logistics, Mobile Workforce Management, Field Service Management