iMediaShare Proves Yet Again Its Winning Proposition Clocking the Impressive One Million Active Users This Month.

Uniondale, NY – February 22, 2013

This is one in a line of achievements recently marking iMediaShare’s progress. In December last year the company was selected Best Startup of 2012 during the Forbes Annual Business Awards. In January 2013 the app topped the charts in the Amazon Appstore as the Number 1 downloaded app, where it retained the title for some time against the world’s most popular apps.

iMediaShare’s users spend an average of 45 minutes a month using the app, streaming in excess of 10 Million files monthly. The app has received over 33,000 user reviews — more than Amazon Instant Video, Showtime and VUDU’s apps altogether.

Kostadin Jordanov of iMediaShare comments, “We are working hard on making the product better for the users and during the last few months rolled out a series of new features and improvements to the service and application. We are glad that iMediaShare’s popularity is growing and are very grateful to our users for their interest. It is our aim to continue constantly adding value to the service offering.”

Recently iMediaShare introduced some significant changes, one of which a new responsive channel structuring and organization, with content ordered and presented based on careful analysis and viewer-driven behavior. New channels are being added to the offering daily such as a movie collection from Wibi, three popular music channels, and with many others soon to follow.

No additional hardware, wires or setup are required for iMediaShare to run, which makes using the app a breeze for even the least technologically proficient viewers. After downloading the free mobile app the user follows simple on-screen instructions allowing iMediaShare to detect all connected screens. Now the smartphone becomes a central control point to all devices in the house, offering the viewer the freedom and flexibility to enjoy Internet and personal videos, photos and music on the large screen. Sports, news, business, nature, shows and many other online entertainment and information channels are available to the viewer.

About iMediaShare

A virus called Android

We’ve been seeing a wave of Android OS flood everything from digital cameras, tablets, set-top-boxes, audio-visual and a host of other devices. The fragmentation in the smart TV space and the much less than elegant or intuitive interfaces come to show that there may come a time, perhaps this current year, when manufacturers abandon proprietary operating systems in favor of an established third party one. In a recent report WDS mention that we may also see Android invade the automotive industry, maps and navigation being first logical choices.

HTML5 web applications turn a new page

Until recently the infrastructure was not sufficient for HTML5 to properly spread its wings. With new open source operating systems planned for launch during 2013, some predictions see the road open for smartphones with much more accessible price tags. Users all over the globe will enjoy an unparalleled web experience, developers will strive to create solutions that span the walled gardens of the current mobile OS ecosystems, the need for app stores will become obsolete and may be replaced by the introduction of a unified HTML5 market . The growing tablet market will spark an even greater adoption of HTML5 web solutions. It may still be a while before this prognosis transpires since for a long time to come native apps will continue to perform better, smoother and faster.

Latecomers will launch own devices

Some big players are yet to enter mobile but this year may be when we see them make their move. The likes of Facebook and Amazon will most launch their own branded mobile phones. There are reports suggesting that the much criticized Facebook giant may team up with HTC and finally come out with a mobile device. The launch of a smartphone seems a natural progression for what Kindle has evolved to be as well. Price remains a factor for the possible adoption of such a device into a saturated market, but an acceptable price tag is something Amazon’s business model, based as it is not on device cost but usage, should be able to comply with.

BlackBerry and Microsoft – bouncing back or continuing to struggle?

Opinions are divided on this topic as Android and Apple stregthen their market positions and Microsoft and RIM seem to be forever playing catch-up. The much awaited BlackBerry 10 with its two touch screen options, a keyboard version; and massive existing global user base, eagerly awaiting a new generation device, has many hopeful eyes focused on it as the speedboat to carry RIM out of the blues. Microsoft’s collaboration with some big names such as HTC, Nokia and Samsung and their joint desire to oppose the dominating forces on the market, is the vehicle that may lend the giant the ability to maintain its current position.

Mobile shopping and location services will thrive

As smartphone and feature phone device users become more comfortable with online product browsing and comparison, and an increasing number of mobile sites is launched by retailers, we expect to see numbers of actual completed purchases go up as well, propelling m-commerce sales to new heights. eMarketer reports that retail categories such as tickets sales bring in an especially great share of mobile sales. Consumers are also loosening up their reservations about location-tagging online activities and presence in order to notify friends and family of their whereabouts, as well as to get information and access to location-related offers and merchandise, which will in turn further warm the climate in the mobile shopping landscape.

Wireless will resurrect victims of smartphones

An interesting observation of Forbes sees products, untill recently considered on their way to oblivion, possibly being breathed new life into thanks to wireless technology. Things ‘of the past’ such as watches, one-time digital cameras and paper day planners have been overpowered and out-placed by smartphones and completely forgotten. We may still however see the reinvention of some those products, provided they play it smart. The omnipotent wireless technology could be a savior once again, and, if incorporated into some of those obsolete devices, may just bring them back to life. From watches tracking your fitness levels, clothes that react to your emotional feelings, digital cameras connected to the Internet – the opportunities are endless, so watch this space. We will be.

NFC to address information sharing

Until recently NFC was all about mobile payments. An in-depth industry report states expectations that the technology will start to address the sharing of information. The convenience of NFC will impact the adoptability of this approach and work to widen its use. Network access via NFC can replace the need to join a location manually, and in so many cases of user device pairing having it happen with no manual intervention is a great plus for consumers. This route for the technology becoming mass market seems faster than the payment one, which continues to struggle with dependencies and barriers.

Software providers will take over carriers

For a while now we’ve been observing new services such as more cost effective WiFi access and new mobile messaging options eating into the comfortable revenue of network provider kings, used to holding the monopoly of mobile phone and broadband subscriptions. The new players on the scene however possess a much deeper and more extensive knowledge, as well as better understanding of their user base, and use that heavily to their advantage. Google’s wish to try their hand at network presence is no secret with the spectrum experiments being carried out in Kansas City. According to IBB, large carriers will most likely always remain on the scene but may lose the intimate connection with their customers, and consequently take a back seat.

What will “mobile” actually come to mean?

In a recent report Forbes entertains a view of the future, in which the smartphone and the home computer surrender their positions as the smartest devices in the home ecosystem. As wireless access becomes the norm for more and more consumer appliances we may just see an interactive environment in which each device plays its own smart role, with the smartphone as a crowned prince controlling, coordinating and ensuring the smooth functioning of the modern connected home experience.

So, is your company set to get a piece of that pie? Are you taking advantage of mobile technologies in order to increase revenue or serve your customers better? Get in touch with us today if your answers are not a definite ‘yes’!

[sources: WDS, Forbes, eMarketer ]

As the first month of 2013 rolls toward its end, we take the opportunity to share some observations of the past and expectations for the current year. 2012 was far from boring and saw many surprising and not so much developments such as the slow demise of the netbook and its gradual replacement by the tablet in mature markets; growing use of the smartphone before and during shopping for a better experience; the birth of Window 8 for tablets and many others.

Looking forward we see just as many worthy of mentioning possibilities, among which the possible end of patent wars, Windows Phone OS smartly benefiting from the battle of distracted giants, mobile security threats stirring smart vendors into action and so on. Each of the events we’ve witnessed in the past and those we are yet to see will shape the industry in its own way. In this article we share some past figures to set the stage right and in a second part to come out next week we shall present some opinions of how 2013 will unfold.

Mobile Industry Statistics – Smartphone owners and penetration

Over 115 million consumers in the US have used a smartphone monthly during the last year, an increase from 93 million in 2011. It is expected that by the end of 2013 smartphone users will represent more than half of all mobile phone owners and nearly three fifths of users will own a smartphone by 2016. Smartphone users are a class defined by parameters different than gender, age or income bracket, but rather by sharing a common set of behaviors in communication, media consumption and shopping. These users require instant access and immediate response, they turn to their phone and expect results now, be they entertainment or completion of a quick task. This increased frequency of mobile device use will help smart marketers interact with consumers better. Mobile games, video and music consumption is also expected to rocket by 2015.

Mobile Industry Statistics – m-Commerce sales volumes

In 2011 m-Commerce sales in the US reached an all-time high of $6 billion, with 73% growth predicted for 2013, and with the trend expected to continue until reaching a staggering $31 billion in 2015. The rate of m-Commerce growth is expected to be around 55% average annually. The stage is set by the steadily increasing number of smartphone owners, improved user trust and consumer comfort with mobile shopping, and more and more retailers coming online with mobile shopping sites. The proliferation of mobile applications which focus on making shopping always available, much easier, more convenient and even fun will boost m-Commerce further.

Mobile Industry Statistics – Mobile shopping

2011 made mobile shopping a synonym of smartphone shopping, with smartphone users accounting for 93% of overall mobile shopping consumers. As feature phones slowly fade away and smartphones become more accessible it is only natural for users to enjoy the smooth shopping experience their mobile devices offer, and dive into a multitude of mobile browsing, comparing, shopping and purchasing activities. The number of users who have actually completed a purchase on their phone is expected to reach 61 million in 2015. Different categories see different adoption rates with mobile phone purchases still accounting for a relatively small share of e-commerce volumes. The trend however is growing as we see categories such as travel activities and ticket sales slowly gather momentum, with mobile seemingly the preferred medium for that type of transactions and purchases.

Mobile Industry Predictions 2013-2015

After setting the stage with this article, stay with us for the second part of this Mobile Industry 2012-2013 Review, where we unveil some expectations for the current year. We would be glad to hear your thoughts on the subject as well!

[sources: RSR Research, ABI Research, Coda Research Consultancy, eMarketer ]

Is iPad the Chicken or the Egg?

If we start by looking into the history of the devices we will unearth an interesting fact – the iPad actually came first. In Steve Jobs’s own words: “It began with the tablet. I had this idea about having a glass display, a multitouch display you could type on with your fingers. I asked our people about it. And six months later, they came back with this amazing display. And I gave it to one of our really brilliant UI guys. He got scrolling working and some other things, and I thought, ‘my God, we can build a phone with this!’ So we put the tablet aside, and we went to work on the iPhone.” Turns out the tablet was shelved, the concept scaled down and made to fit a phone. Only afterwards was the iPad revived and born, benefiting from the technology created for and lessons learned from the iPhone development.

User Experience

The iPad is Highly Portable for Its Capabilities

Users report it is much easier to carry around the tablet rather than a laptop for example. However while the iPhone wins the round for portability and a laptop is much better for many tasks, the iPad fits in a special place between the two which is not easy to explain since unless you own one you don’t really realize something is missing.

iPad Has a Larger Screen

‘Bigger is better’ is very much true in the case of the iPad vs iPhone battle. The 9.7 inch screen also means more efficient Internet browsing, better video and fantastic images. eBooks and all types of written content love the real estate and results for publishers are another proof point, with sales of e-books jumping significantly up since iPad’s appearance on the market. Apps such as iBooks and Kindle, as well as a multitude of magazine and newspaper apps are contributing to what amounts to a silent revolution in the way people consume content, and their reading, working, playing and communicating habits.

iPad is Much Harder to Drop

The Apple tablet’s considerable and very tactile presence actually protects it much better than the iPhone by making it relatively harder to drop. It is a more solid and substantial device and cannot as easily slip through your fingers like your iPhone has done oh, so many times.

iPad Has a Great Battery Life

Unlike the iPhone the iPad challenges the user to drain its battery in a single day. Short of playing videos back to back you can forget to charge your iPad and at the end of the day it will still retain enough juice for some basic tasks such as reading or firing off some late night emails.

Usage Patterns

In a recent study by bit.ly clicks from Linux, Windows and OS X machines were studied and analyzed, together with iOS, Android and Blackberry phones, as well as the iPad. The cumulative click data indicated a curious observation. While people generally start using their computer and phone as soon as they awake, with the usage graph peaking during the workday and growing tired in the early evening, the iPad usage dips in the morning, remains low during the day and does not peak until late in the evening. According to the study this indicates both higher consumption of leisure content as well as the multitasking of business users combining late night work with lounging in front of a TV.

Usability

iPad Screen Accommodates Ten Digits

When we talk about capability, being able to use all ten fingers sure does bring double the result along. There are many creative apps that are an acceptable compromise on the iPhone, but outright excel and blossom on the larger iPad screen.

iPad Has Multiple Panes

Email software and other like applications really benefit from the multiple panes that the iPad versions offer. The pane-splitting options make email creation and management, as well as many other actions, far superior to the iPhone’s scroll alternative. Having as much as possible within one’s field of view amounts to a much more efficient process.

iPad Can Split it’s Keyboard

If you want to hold your iPad with two hands and type with both thumbs than you have the option of splitting the on-screen keyboard to make this feat possible and easier. There are a number of shortcuts that make activating the split a breeze. While one can type quite fast on the iPhone, double-hand is nothing like it, and it is not twice but much faster. Even with the on-screen keyboard sitting down to compose a longish document on the iPad is completely feasible, while doing the same on the iPhone is almost out of the question.

Applications

iPad and Content Creation

Content generation is an area that really makes the iPad stand out and shine. Some content creation apps you may have on your iPhone are probably hardly ever used due to their being relatively inappropriate in the context of a phone. Writing an article on the iPhone does seem like an inhuman feat, while firing up the same apps on the iPad, with its large on-screen keyboard which gets even larger in landsape mode, almost always yields a great result. With the help of the iPhone hotspot, filing iPad-generated content is no longer an obstacle.

iPad and Content Consumption

The iPad has been a great disruption for media owners by driving a radical change in the way content is consumed. Nearly three quarters of iPad owners share that they hardly ever think of newspapers or books, and half of iPad owners are less likely to buy music or movies on a DVD. Apps like Flipboard make it unnecessary to download separate content apps on the iPad and with a couple of other offerings such as Instapaper and Safari, all the needs of the user are taken care of.

iPad and Productivity

“Four-hundred dollars to make a knowledge worker 10 percent more productive is money extremely well spent.” Those are the words of Paul Lanzi, CIO of Genentech, one of the fastest iPad adopters in the world. To date the company has purchased more than 14,274 iPads for its employees and does not intend to stop there. One study reports that calendar tasks are on the list of the most frequent activities on the iPad which means the Apple tablet is also becoming a preferred organizational tool.

iPad for Fun

The iPad boasts countless ways of providing fun times and entertainment, from games, quizzes and а multitude of media choices right at your fingertips all the way to whimsical features such as a living digital photo frame.

Conclusion

From archaeologists taking snapshots and notes on location; traffic policemen consulting information databases on the road; artists, musicians and movie stars using the device creatively in their fields of work; pilots going through take-off procedures; physicians keeping track of patients; military applications such as remote mission control in war zones, construction site data input and reporting; retailers believing the iPad is the next cash register – it all comes to show that the iPad is not a revolution in itself. It is the next link in a chain of events, set in action by the very first iPhone launched, and built upon with every next device brought out by Apple. Focusing on an experience that can be called holistic, it is one of many components of a massive shift in the way we interact with technology in our lives.

Apple’s iPad accounts for 54.5 percent of mobile web traffic, and continuing to dominate tablet web traffic share entirely, accounting for 98.10 percent of usage – OnSwipe shares research findings of websites using their service.
Read more..

Native, Hybrid or HTML5 Mobile Application?

Your business needs a mobile solution. You’ve spoken to a multitude of developers. You are now totally confused with regards to native, hybrid or web. Here is some fresh info on the subject.
Read more…

Making Magic for Customers

“Today I had a magical customer experience!” Do your clients say that about you? Where is your company with your mobile strategy? Check how Starbucks is leading the way.
Read more…

Can Technical Excellence Bring on Business Revival?

Does Blackberry 10 “kick technical butt” and does “technical excellence lead to business revitalization”? Only time will tell.
Read more…

OBJECTIVE

SOLUTION

RESULT

When we carry technology around with us, more and more intimate details of our life are gathered and aggregated.” Connected devices & location services disclose not only where you are, but what you are thinking. What does this do to our privacy and the security of our data?
Read more..

Are Content Publishers Prisoners of iPad?

Apple – owner of technology or owner of the audience? Or – did the iPad give content publishers the promised competitive edge or did they just get boxed in by a dominant intermediary?
Read more…

Big Data Week

This was the week with “most big data news so far this year”, the latest and greatest big data and data science developments. What is ‘big data’, according to you?
A. Bullshit (Brad Feld)
B. No substitute for judgment (David Friend)
C. The marriage of corporate data & external data (Chris Lynch)
D. Data that’s growing faster than Moore’s law (Richard Dale).
E. All of the above.
Read more…
Image source

Can MicrosoftSurface replace iPad3?

“I’ve ditched two high-end Android tablets in favor of an iPad 3. Does Microsoft’s Surface have a remote chance to replace it as both an entertainment consumption device and a tool for everyday productivity?” Forbes’ columnist Jason Evangello’s shares his personal surprising experience with Microsoft’s first direct foray into the tablet market – The Surface.
Read more…

The iPhone Sharing Huddle

If you’ve ever been crowded together with a group of people around a smartphone or tablet, trying to share in a mini viewing party of your friends’ latest mobile videos – you will understand why we claim that the iMediaShare mobile app is here to break the “smartphone huddle”. Supporting iOS and Android, iMediaShare allows users to instantly shift their viewing of personal photos and videos from tiny phone and tablet screens to their TV or connected screen of choice – no cables, no configuration, no complicated set-up required. Simply download the app from the iTunes store, select the screen that’s connected to your home network, login to your wifi network, and share your personal media wherever you are.

More Choice, More Media, More Headache

The ubiquity of smartphones has enabled consumers to create more and more personal media, from basic pictures, to cool photo apps, to HD video. But our ability to capture life’s little moments has far outpaced our ability to easily share them on our screen of choice in today’s digital living room. When attempting to view those smartphone photos and videos on the TV, many struggle with cables and additional hardware required to make it happen – leaving little option but to huddle around phones and tablets in order to share these moments with friends. iMediaShare was created to free personal media from the confines of a mobile device, so the user can easily share and enjoy any media without the hassle of settings and configuration.

Just The Same But Better (Than Samsung)

While many Android smartphone users are lusting after the media sharing capabilities featured in T-Mobile’s Samsung Galaxy S III Rooftop TV Commercial, few can actually enjoy it. The fact is, these sharing features require other users to also be within the Samsung ecosystem with either a Galaxy S III or Galaxy Tab 2 model, otherwise you cannot benefit from the media sharing displayed in the commercial. iMediaShare makes media sharing a reality, no matter what mobile provider you have or what hardware you use in your connected home.

How iMediaShare Delivers You

What iMediaShare expertly does is extend personal media sharing beyond the confines of today’s mobile and home network limitations. The iMediaShare app makes the Samsung Galaxy S III commercial a reality, beaming personal video and pictures on smartphones and tablets to any connected screen. With over 2.5 million downloads and growing, iMediaShare offers entertainment the easy way for Android smartphone, iPhone and iPad users, allowing easy streaming of home videos, movies, web content and more on TVs, gaming consoles and other connected screens. With iMediaShare, your smartphone or tablet becomes your remote, offering full playback control functionality along with vast options of online content from popular content providers such as Break.com, Vimeo.com, NASA and more. The app is available on iTunes as a free download or as a $4.99 ad-free version, which also supports HD video.  For more information about iMediaShare, visit www.imediashare.tv

Bianor recently had the opportunity to work on a couple of indoor location-based navigation projects. Here are some thoughts on indoor navigation services.

Specifics of Indoor LBS

The context in which indoor navigation is used differs from the way we use a map. Searching for a street address or sightseeing location we just need to get there, and have set A and B points. The demands on indoor navigation services are tougher – the user requires information about stores and products to be found inside the building, special happenings or offers etc. The service is similar to an interactive directory and is less like a GPS car system.

Types of Indoor Location Systems

GPS does not operate indoors since the satellite signal cannot penetrate through buildings. This is why Wi-Fi routers, which triangulate a device’s position, are common in indoor locations. Four Wi-Fi categories of systems determine position based on the following parameters – cell of origin, distance, angle and location patterning.

• ‘Cell of origin’ – this approach’s advantage is the ease of implementation and its drawback the fact that a device can get associated not with the closest cell but with another, more distant one.
• ‘Distance’ – this method requires precise knowledge of transmission times, and is most accurate in semi-indoor locations.
• ‘Angle-based’ – a technique, the major drawback of which is susceptibility to interference, thus it is barely usable in indoor navigation.
• ‘Location patterning’ – does not require special hardware, and has the user carrying anything as simple as a bar-coded sticker. Receiving sensors track the signal via an interference created by the tag. A cheap and easy to implement solution, with a downside the user’s unease with the gadget after having left the building.

Indoor Location-Based Services Challenges

The accuracy of the cellular network solution is an issue. Users can be directed to within a room’s boundaries of target but the ability to provide more precise location-based information is non-existent. In a shopping mall this could be a problem. Another trick is navigating through a wall – you might find yourself staring at a brick wall with your phone insisting that the store you need is a few steps forward. Integration with building blueprints and taking into account all possible use cases is required. A different problem is the fact that iPhones do not scan for a Wi-Fi signal. An innovative solution has the device and the building swapping roles, allowing the Wi-Fi points to detect the phone and provide location information to the user.

Indoor Navigation Uses

Location-based targeted promotions can lead customers to you, especially those in a position to purchase now. If loyalty programs could auto-detect clients and automatically check them in, venues would remain on the radar of their clients’ social circle. Business intelligence gathered by knowing customers’ behaviour inside a store could provide advantages in displaying merchandise, planning specials etc. The convenience and safety provided by indoor navigation and the access to location-based content can facilitate and optimize human traffic in public areas such as airports, shopping malls, stadiums, museums, office parks etc.

Indoor LBS Navigation Sample Project

Here is a sample project assisting users to locate stores within a shopping center and provide useful information about each. After searching for the store name the user receives information on its location and the fastest way there. The solution leverages Cisco’s “transparent walls” approach – the use of WiFi access points and MSE location server to triangulate the user’s indoor position within the premises. The user’s smart phone compass and location coordinates are used to determine the distance from the location.

Why not share with us any experience you may have had with indoor navigation services?

OBJECTIVE

SOLUTION

RESULT