M is for Marshmallow: The next Android update

Previously referred to as Android M and assumptions of the name perhaps being milkshake or muffin, the search giant has announced the official name for the next version: Marshmallow, and it’s not 5 dot something, but version 6.0!

Android M is expected to become publicly available this fall and shall introduce some exciting features while further optimizing performance. Fingerprint support, security authentications, direct sharing between Android devices, and simpler approach to app permissions will be few added features. What the 6.0 might also include is Android Pay, which will allow users to pay for goods at both retail stores and in apps using their phone.

The biggest change on Android Marshmallow will be the debut of “Now on Tap”. The feature will let you access Google Now through holding the home button on your phone, similarly to what Apple provides with its assistant, Siri. With this feature of the search giant, Google will provide useful information based on what you are doing, such as which email you’re reading or where you hangout the most. It will scan your messages and webpages to predict what you want to Google before you reach the search engine.

Android is responsible for powering almost 70% of the phones today. The problem they face is migration to the newer versions within time. The current Android Lollipop version is used by only 18% of the Android users, while the majority are using previous versions such as Kitkat and Jellybean. By comparison, Apple’s current iOS 8, is on over 85% of all Apple’s devices. Early acceptance will yet again be a challenge for Google.

If you are a developer, you can start testing your app by downloading the preview SDK

Tips for hiring a good web application development company

Quality is of most extreme significance in the matter of coding a web application. Here are a few tips that will help you locate the right web application development company to carry out your web app project.

Avoid Sloppy Joes

Not all web application development companies know how to compose code well. Moreover, not every web app development company follows the same coding principles and rules. You should be aware of inexperienced web application development companies, which will compose messy and scattered code and won’t consider any potential outcomes for future development. Messily composed code makes it difficult for any other developer to make any changes afterwards.

Additionally, you must be careful with web applications development companies that don't follow the rules, regulations, and guidelines of your country regarding intellectual property rights, refund, and revision policies. Verify that they comprehend the ethical standards that you want to comply in your project.

A decent degree does not mean quality programming

Just because somebody has a graduate degree, it doesn't imply that the individual is an extraordinary software engineer. Somebody can have all the shrewdness granted by books, yet it doesn't promise a psyche that can take care of a practical problem.

Lean toward clean and reliably composed code

Assume, you have two type of web application development companies, they both can accomplish the same results, yet one writes 10 lines of code, while the other just 3. Which web app development company should you prefer? Of course the one which writes short code.

A software engineer can compose a SQL Query so wretchedly that after five subsequent database connections, the SQL server programming or the server's CPU stops responding or stops working. A decent database developer should have the ability to compose a SQL Query that will deliver the same results with the server having the ability to handle 100 simultaneous database connections without going down.

Ask smart questions

These questions are pretty common and simple, yet many businesses and brands forget to ask these questions to their potential web app development company. Make sure that you get answers for these questions from your potential web application development company.

• Does the code come with proper documentation to allow for migration and scalability?
• Will you have the ownership of the final program code?
• Are there comments used in the code that would provide ease of migration and readability by another developer?
• Can I take the final program code to another development company for future edits and expansion?
• Would there be a copyright issue?
• Do they utilize a structured and web application framework? If yes, ask for additional information on program libraries, tools and the type of framework used. Ask to see a sample of the project’s folder structure with programming files in it.
• What type of security testing and methods are being used to find and fix vulnerabilities?
• What type of quality assurance testing is in place and what methods are being used to do bug testing and fixing?
• Are there coding guidelines and conventions in place? If yes, ask to see the coding guidelines and conventions documentation.
• What type of stress testing and methods are being used to check the site’s scalability and tolerance for large traffic growth?
• Do they use MVC Architecture?

Conclusion

Overall, hiring a web application development company is not an easy task by any means. Yet, you can follow simple tips (like we have discussed above) to avoid any catastrophic damage to your brand or business.

A few tools to help any developer in an application development company

As far as I can see from my workstation, developers are really busy guys in an application development company, or at least they pretend to look busy. In my app development company, I have never seen them using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or any other social media platform. Either they are really good at camouflaging their social media activities or they don’t use it at all during office hours. Developers hardly rest and they are always up to something, whether it’s an upgrade or update of a previous app or a totally new project.

Between, if you find any developer in your applications development company using LinkedIn, you must immediately realize that he is about to leave your apps development company.

The point is developers are the busiest people in an application development company, actually the most busiest next to the CEO. Therefore, it responsibility of an app development company’s project managers to facilitated them with whatever tools they need to make their work easier and faster.

In my application development company, I asked a developer, What do you prefer while developing an app? Writing a code from scratch or use an already available part of some basic features of an app? He said, if it is not part of a customized app we prefer to take help from an existing code.

For those who never worked in an app development company, there is a lot you can reuse when it comes to coding. For example, you can use an app’s social sharing code while developing another app.

In our application development company, we believe in continuous learning and develop processes to help us build better apps. As an app development company, we researched and found some interesting apps which may help developers in our apps development company in building apps quickly.

Trotty [Alan Trott], this is for you mate, I hope you can use some of these apps and ultimately get a couple of minutes for us to have a cup of coffee with us at Starbucks.

Sweb Apps: This application is for an aggregate amateur, Mark would be angry at me for imparting this application as it may bring about his cutback. Who might require an iPhone application designer on the off chance that you can construct an application without composing a solitary line of code. Enroll on this valuable site and begin building up your iPhone application immediately. There is a great deal of templates accessible for you to pick.

AppIncubator: So, you have an amazing thought for an application, however you couldn't breath new life into it. I know you are not able to locate a suitable smartphone app developer. AppIncubator is only for the individuals like you. You should do nothing more than visit their site and spot your necessities, group at AppIncubator will convey that thought into the light by doing all the coding and improvement.

Kanchoo: If you are another app development company looking to make local applications for iPhone, then this instrument is for you. With Kanchoo, you can make symbols, sprinkle screen, and compose the portrayal for the device which would be  utilized by the iTunes. You can even form clients' application utilizing the online devices, and further utilize the application to load the substance. This could be anything from photographs to news articles.

I trust you (readers) like this post, please share your input and recommendations in the comments box and don't hesitate to include any application that could help people at my application development company. 

The job of a creative digital agency in social media advertising and promotion

If we compare modern day marketing and promotion with last decade’s efforts, we will be amazed to see the changes. A great deal of things has included in later years, including the buying and displaying ads on modern day social media platforms and online search engines.

Advertising agencies have changed their methodology also, they have turned to digital scene in partnership with modern day creative digital agencies. Full service digital agencies have discovered dependable accomplices in the form of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Almost every top digital agency utilizes these platforms to advertise and connect with clients through diverse strategies.

The responsibility of an international digital agency requires to construct a reputation around an product, company or a business. In order to achieve that, creative digital agency needs to use the best platform and channel available to them. Consider this, a digital branding agency needs to venture a clothing company on any social networking platforms. The most important thing for that top digital agency is to select the  most suitable platform to promote their client’s products.

To answer that question, the full service digital agency will need to examine target audience, region, age group, collaboration and engagement percentages of that age group on each social media platform, advertising choices, content type, and budget.

The job is not completed yet, in the wake of settling these subtle elements, the best digital agency will need to make a social media advertising and marketing arrangements and afterward execute it appropriately.

Amid the arrangement, the creative digital agency needs to examine the information getting through their picked digital attribution model for their promoting and advancement campaign. The digital branding agency will examine distinctive social media measurements and roll out improvements to their arrangement according to the readings.

Social media advertising and promotion is a persistent process as brands can't trade off the engagement and collaboration component, which assumes an imperative part in changes.

Apple’s big plan to push iPad aggressively into the corporate world

iPad sales have been declining for quite some time, this year is no different. As per Apple’s first quarter report, iPad sales declined more as compared to last quarter. However, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, who is very optimistic about iPad’s future, an aggressive push into the corporate world will revive iPad once again. For how long, nobody knows, but they are quite enthusiastic about it.

In order to push iPad aggressively into the corporate world, last year Apple signed a deal with IBM to launch more the 100 corporate iPad apps. Moreover, there are rumors of a large-screen (13 inch) iPad in production that will target the corporate clients.

To be honest, as far as hardware is concerned, iPad almost offers same durability and processing speed as a simple laptop could offer. However, a 9.7” and 7.9” screen has been a nuisance for most users. That’s why there are rumors of an iPad with a 13” inch screen. We have learned from ZDNet that Apple’s large screen  iPad’s production has been halted due to the unavailability of large display panels.

It is true that almost every app looks better on iPad as compared to the iPhone and iPod, especially when it comes to games. That is why many iPad applications development companies boast about their skill, expertise and abilities to transform an app’s experience on to a large screen device.

iPad application development is a bit difficult and unique sort of skill. It is not about the screen size only, you have to consider a lot of things like app’s accessibility, user interface and user experience while developing an app for iPad. That’s why companies like IBM prefer to join hands with Apple to utilize their iPad app development expertise for their corporate clients.

There are not many iPad apps development companies that could successfully transform an iPhone app’s experience into an iPad app. Even a simple iPad applications development process includes steps like UX & UI designing, prototyping, development, testing, and launch. However, any company that could master the iPad application development process, can earn a lot of respect and money in the iPad app development market.

Social app development is important for branding

Social media platforms kept piling up users on a continuous basis. Facebook has more than 1.5 billion users and its reach and expansion has forced brands to use it for branding and business purposes.

We have seen a lot of brands looking for social app development companies to turn their social media ideas into social media promotion via social media app development. There are a lot of online digital agencies working as a social media app builder to cater the rising need of social media app development. In result, we have seen Facebook apps like Oreo Land and NFL Draft Yearbook to interact and engage with people.

NFL Draft Yearbook (Image Credits: Cygnis Media)

There is a reason why brands and businesses are approaching social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for marketing. As we have said earlier, Facebook has 1.5 billion users, which is a huge target audience, moreover, brands like to engage and interact with the users the way they like. And Facebook and Twitter is the way people are interacting these days.

I have seen several brands and businesses looking to create an identity over social media platforms to engage new users to turn them into loyal fans. IGN, a famous entertainment website needed to promote an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster movie Parker, they chose a social media platform to promote the movie. The Facebook app designed by social app development company plays trailer of the movie for users along with registering them for a sweepstake which offer cash prizes. The results were astonishing, the trailer was played more than 100,000 times while the sweepstake engaged more than 500,000 people.

Social app development is a trending way for social media promotions and several brands and businesses are approaching this with creative social media ideas. We may see a lot of beautiful social media apps in the year 2015.