Jitin Narang, Author at TechAhead Software

About Jitin Narang

Jitin Narang is COO at TechAhead Software, a leading Mobile & Web Application Development company which helps brands to reach, connect, interact with their audience through web and mobile effectively. You can contact him on Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn. Read all articles written by him here Reach us for Custom Mobile Applications ( iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows) and Web Applications ( Open Source, Dot Net, Java ) requirements.

Selecting the Right Android Tablet for Testing Your Apps

Today, with a “boom” in the tablet making industry, many options for tablets are available in the market running on android platform having different hardware configurations and different intuitive UI’s by different makers. Because of these so many options available, the app developers are confused and can’t possibly decide which tablet to purchase for testing purposes. Here are tips on making your Android tablet selection.

Tablets for testing

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For apps to look good on Android tablets, right from the stage of beginning the process of app development it’s important to test the look and feel on these larger devices. Tablets are not just scaled up phone displays — the additional space can offer a much richer user experience, if the developer takes full advantage of it.

The developers need to be selective as so many different hardware options are available that you can’t possibly purchase them all and most developers will likely benefit most from using the emulator and starting with a small number of tablets. Though if you try the other way round, then the pile of devices that you’ll be needing to test your app is going to look like this:

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Categories/families of tablets

Numerous models are available in the market presented by various big vendors. So as to shorten this big number game, you can eliminate the older models from most vendors, leaving you with a smaller set of tablets to consider. As per me buying the tablet whose configuration belongs to the latest generation will likely be the most effective, even if the previous device has a larger user base. With the release of new products, the balance changes continuously in the market and the user base. Launch of a more recent device continues to become more relevant, whereas an older device increasingly represents a diminishing user base. Though that still leaves a number of tablet vendors to choose from.

Another wrinkle coming in the selection of the tablets is the fact of the app stores present outside of Google Play. I generally ignore the abstruse vendors that run their own app ecosystem. But the Amazon’s Kindle Fire line and Barnes & Noble’s Nook are two options that do bear merit. A relatively large fleet of users are allowed access in these stores due to their retail presence and a very smaller set of device configuration are to be worried about for the purpose of selection.

So that leaves me with the following three main configurations that I want to be able to test:

Amazon Kindle Fire
Google (e.g., the Nexus 7 or another brand tablet)
Nook

By getting one device which represents one from each of those categories, it’ll give the developers to a large cross-section of Android tablet users.

Emulator options and considerations

Emulation is extremely slow and sometimes can be frustrating for the developers too. The configurations to be pursued, takes time to decide. There are quite a few options to emulate tablets and, unless you are collecting one of each device, it is likely that you’ll need to emulate some devices. The much lower cost of creating and maintaining these virtual devices can be deceptive.

But the good news is that the specialized addition to the emulator has been released by Amazon and Nook that makes the virtual device behave similarly to the real device. Amazon, Google & Barnes & Noble have given up instructions on their pages which are to be followed by developers so as to start these emulators provided by them for specific devices. And with the recent release of the Android Virtual Device (AVD) Manager directly creating named devices such as the Nexus 7 is now possible. Even when you buy physical hardware; there is a solid place in your testing strategy for virtual devices.

Tablets price comparison

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Price and Benefits of buying a certain brand of tablet

The developers should evaluate the tablets based upon what business need is to be fulfilled and not from the consumers perspective who has an entirely different set of needs. What others tout as the best tablet to buy might not be the “best” tablet for your organization. If business makes purchases to save time and gain an advantage, small differences in the price of tablets shouldn’t drive decisions. The important thing to gain is to save hours of the developers time and hence access the precisely right hardware independent of the price which has to be shelled out for buying of the tablet as long as it solves the purpose.

Top 4 Suggestion for Better User Control of iOS7

With Worldwide developer’s conference just a few hours away, Apple Inc. is reported to be bogged down under unwarranted pressure and media speculation. Besides, major announcements that Apple is expected to make, this year’s event will be the tipping point for investors and consumers, who have set their hopes high. In the last couple of years an average Smartphone user has matured by several degrees wherein they seek for highly personalized features on their phones.

ios7-concept

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Due to this heighten awareness with regard to the use of technology; Apple will perhaps have to embrace a certain level of openness, much on the lines of its arch rival and competitor Android. Needless to say, the popularity of Android OS is largely attributed to its open source orientation and highly customizable features. Acknowledging this quotient well enough, Tim Cook CEO of Apple shocked the tech world with his following statement last month- “I think you’ll see us open up more in the future, but not to the degree that we put the customer at risk of having a bad experience.” The statement directly indicates giving nod to third party customization. And if at all this happens then it is a shift for Apple, especially when it has practiced a highly closed down policy from the very beginning. Although, Apple fans have sworn their loyalty to the brand, the bar of user expectation is set higher each time there is advancement in the purview of Smartphone ecosystem. Recently, the iOS7 has been in news for inducting more abstract and flat design, far away from gloss and skeuomorphic design we are so familiar with. However, Apple has reached a stage wherein it is expected to take risks and focus more on laying control of the operating system in the hands of the users. Here are a top 4 suggestion in the same direction.

1. Widgets

Real time update, be it weather, finance or social media is the need of the hour. Just like an Android phone that delivers pertinent information right on to the home/lock screen of the phone, it’s time for Apple to re-think design for its home/lock screen and pave way for Widgets. Widgets are nothing but mission controlled features that provide a user with every bit of the information that he/she needs. For example a widget can be related to news, music, social, calendar. The list is just endless.

2. Customizable Default Setting

The ban of third party services from iOS is perhaps the biggest loss of the OS and highest gain of its competitor Android. Third party services for example Google’s Chrome, Google Maps are much superior to iOS default service such as Safari or Apple Maps. If with iOS7, Apple allow users to have a choice with a more customizable environment it will be excellent for user experience as well as Apples own fortune.

3. Cross Platform Data Sharing

The best advantage of using Android devices is that it seamlessly allows sharing of data on varied platform and devices that support the nature of the content. With an increased instance of social media and sharing activity a relaxation of such sort will definitely heighten the experience of using iOS devices.

4. Advanced notification and active icon

Action icons will allow user to procure important information by merely looking at the icon of an app instead of tapping the app and then seeing the information. This feature will definitely advance the overall feel of using iOS. The four points mentioned in the write-up has put Android phones at an advantageous spot. Although, Apple apps store is generating more revenue, the onslaught of Android devices is much more overwhelming. Also, the revenue graph of Google Play, the app store of Android shows and upward graph and industry big-wigs predict that soon the gap will be met. Therefore, if iOS has to prepare for the future, it will have to lay the bridle in the hands of its users.

Challenges Faced During Mobile Testing

While it cannot be denied that mobile app testing is important for successful launch of an application in the market, it is a very expensive and a time consuming procedure. Additionally, to survive is a competitive app development ecosystem it is important to conduct a robust testing process which allow users to enjoy the application developed by you to the fullest. The market for mobile application is increasing and rising as per the technology norms too. Hence, testing of the application is does face many challenges so that the quality of app delivered are checked before delivery and at last the consumer is satisfied.

mobile app testing

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Here are some of the challenges experienced while testing Mobile Applications –

1. Variety of the Devices available in market:

The main and the most common sort of a problem in mobile testing is the several number of devices that are available in the market having different complexities like different screen sizes, resolutions etc. And knowingly a very common fact comes up with this: the more the number of devices, more is the number of test cycles to be performed on the device which anyhow increases the time effort and cost respectively. Also it’s always better to test the devices in the real-time environment rather than using the emulators as it’s time consuming.

2. Different OS versions:

Same as different screen sizes and resolution is a problem, similarly is the problem of various OS available on different devices and is taken as one of the major challenges in mobile application testing. Test cycles for different mobile OS version are to be carried out so that maximum numbers of app consumers are satisfied because it is observed that though a new OS version is launched in market, still there are customers who use its older versions.

3. Frequent changes:

As the users use the application, their reviews and feedback helps in optimizing the on-going app and implementation of new updates in the apps, so as to deliver a better and richer user experience and to enhance the functionalities of the on-going app but these frequent changes are actually a nightmare in mobile application development for both developers and testers. The market is updated daily with introduction of many new apps daily with new features and designs and to cope up with them a lot of rework for developers and testers is to be done.

4. Automation:

As mentioned in the earlier point, Automation is a very big consideration for mobile app testing. Repeated changes in an application lead to changes within the test scripts. At the same time the instance of re-testing and regression is overwhelming mainly owning to multiple platform possibilities. Automation can be leveraged if the duration of a project is extended or long lasting. In short, regression and smoke testing can only be automated up to a specific time period.

5. Meeting tight deadlines:

To meet the deadline is one of the most important criteria to be followed to satisfy the customers but it also comes as a major challenge in testing part as already known testing is a time consuming process In such a short span it’s very difficult and time consuming to isolate defect root cause.

The aforementioned points are some factors that impact the procedure of efficient mobile app testing. Curbing the cost of mobile app testing is important, especially if you have stringent marketing budget to promote the application. Therefore, make sure to select the target devices, connectivity and the right tools in the most effective manner. A very pertinent point that will help you overcome the requisite challenge of mobile app testing is by striking a healthy balance between mobile specific app testing and the traditional methodologies.

Vertu Ti – The Most Expensive Android Phone

Vertu Ti most expensive Android Phone

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People spend lot buying luxurious items like cars, watches, diamond rings etc. to raise up their status in the society but is it actually worth buying a luxurious phone in a world which is already dominated by smartphones like iPhone 5! This is the question which Vertu faces as it launches its first Android phone- The Vertu Ti worth $10,700.

When last we looked at Vertu, it was the launch of their very first full touchscreen smartphone, the Vertu Constellation back in September of 2012, along with the announcement of another series from Vertu and that henceforward it’ll be an independent firm, thanks to the intervention of the private equity group EQT VI. It was moving forward for no longer being a part of its erstwhile parent firm –the troubled Finnish giant, Nokia, which was in the process of weaning itself from Symbian and taking the leap of faith that is Windows Phone 8.

The Constellation was classic Vertu – a perfectly smooth and blemish free painstakingly matched with the utmost craftsmanship of the most premium materials, that ran the latest version of Symbian, and who’s most important identity lay in its combination of seductive visuals and tactility with a suite of Vertu specific personal services.
But this premium handset launched still ran on the latest version of the Symbian OS and hence there was no doubt that the handset was handicapped to some degree, which never rose to the level of transparency that the user might have anticipated which would have made the Constellation really reach its full potential. The very fact that one had to go through the Symbian Ovi portal to access social networking sites was particularly irritating.

Though the time marched on and however not only the Vertu is now out from the shadows of its former owner but has embraced, a long last, a state-of-the-art open source operating system. Vertu Ti impresses not just with its creative and outer shell but also with the technology that it offers which lends itself admirably to customization and whose stability and speed, in combination with upgraded internals (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, dual core 1.7 ghz processor, 64 MB internal memory) gives the always physically beautiful Vertu smartphone exterior the brains to match its beauty.

With the launch of Vertu Ti, the company has actually proved that luxury phones are no more, just about precious hardware and are incapable of providing current technology.
The Vertu Ti along with its Vertu Concierge service has been integrated along with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Also a suite of Vertu specific apps and portals have also been added to it that makes it a very different value proposition than any other Android phone. The device is extremely snappy– fast, no lag at all going from app to app, with a wonderfully organized seamless integration between the standard Android front end, and the custom Vertu concierge services (accessible through a dedicated red ruby key in the case flank.) Build quality is as gorgeous as ever, with the titanium casing placed with dotted screws around the phone which actually suites the overall aesthetics of the handmade phone.

The phone is available in four models which are Pure Black Titanium, Titanium Black Leather, Black PVD Titanium Red Gold Mixed Metals and Titanium Black Alligator.

It is worth mentioning about the Ti is that Vertu’s partnered with Bang & Olufsen for the phone’s speakers which produces an unmatchable sound not just in volume but in clarity and richness, which is actually breathtaking.

Hands on Video of Vertu Ti

(Courtesy Cnet UK)

I/O 2013 – A Conference for Developers

Before the start of Google I/O conference 2013, Sundar Pichai, vice-president for Android, Chrome and Google Apps had stated that the primary focus of this year’s event will be on developers. And that’s exactly what happened at the event. As opposed to popular belief, Google did not make any announcement with respect to a new hardware. No Nexus 4 Phone was released. There was no announcement on up gradation on Nexus 7 tablet, launch of Chrome phone or a new version of Android. Rather, a great deal of time was spent discussing tools that will enhance the experience of developing
world class apps.

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On Thursday 16th May, an 11 member team of Android development department took feedback from an audience of developers on different aspects of Android ecosystem. To begin with Dave Burke, Engineering Director, Android Platform, acknowledged that there is a persistence problem with fragmentation. Since, the very beginning Fragmentation has been a source of major concern for many developers and Android device makers from across the globe. The issue that most Android devices take months to get an update has been a matter of much criticism against the platform. During the conference, the engineers confessed that they have been working upon this flaw and soon Android updates will be “rolled out to the new devices in a timely fashion”.

Presently, many Android devices that are available in the market are propelled by the earlier version of Gingerbread. This is mainly due to hardware constraints, especially the memory. The kind of applications that we see today is quite advance and rich. These applications at times do not enjoy the support of older version of the device. Addressing this issue Burke said, “We’re trying to make Android more efficient so that even entry-level Smartphone’s can use the software”.

It was also discussed that there is immense scope for improvement at the hardware level as well, especially the camera component of the phones. The engineers also discussed matters related to ‘Project Butter’. Making the device smoother instead of ‘janky’ that is pausing of screen instead of moving easily is another matter of high priority for Android engineers this year. Amidst interesting discussion, Google also made other important announcements.

Google introduced five brand new features to the Google Play developer console which comprises of App Translation Service, Referral Tracking, Revenue Graph and Beta Testing and Stages Rollouts. The App Translation Service will allow developers to buy professional translation straight from the dev console. While Referral Tracking and Revenue Graphs will let developer’s tracks the ads that has helped them the most and a quick scan of the total revenue generated by the app respectively. Finally, the Beta Testing and Stages Rollouts which will allow developers to conduct testing of application at different levels, namely alpha and beta.

Google Wallet Instant Buy, a brand new Android API that allows a third party developer to induct payment features into an application was another introduction for the developers. The features promise a quick checkout process, sending of user information, shipment details which will be beneficial for the future of m-commerce.

Google play service is another API that was showcased at the conference. This new API will be a treat for many developers as it accredits Android apps developers to use different services of Google such as Google Maps, Google +, Google Cloud Messaging on to their applications.

The flavor of this years I/O conference is indeed all about the developers. With significant features support extended to the Android developer community worldwide, scope in the realm of Android apps development is indeed promising. These new tools promises to bring in a wave of change that will significantly improve Android development by several notches.

Google I/O Keynotes Video

5G Technology to Arrive by 2020 Claims Samsung

Samsung, one of the leading mobile manufacturing companies in the world has claimed to have successfully tested its 5G network with 1Gbps speed. 5G which stands for 5^th generation mobile network and wireless system will be the next big thing in the realm of mobile telecommunications. It is expected that the 5G technology will be many times faster than the current 4G systems. However, users will have to be patient as the commercialization of this technology will not ensue before 2020.

samsung 5g-technology

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Countries in the likes of UK, China and India are still to come in terms with their 4G mobile network , therefore it is no surprise that active usage of 5G network cannot be envisioned before 2020. Currently the 4G technology offers about 100MB/sec of data transfer speed for high mobility communications and about 1 GB/sec for low mobility communications, with features like multi-channel hi-fi TV broadcasts, remote control household appliances, Video on Demand, mobile video conference, and high quality gaming. According to Samsung, the 5G technology will offer uninterrupted access to high paced network which will enable a user to watch 3D moves in real-time streaming. In addition to that users will also be able to play games and even get access to high definition content.

For the 5G technology to work smoothly, service providers will have to deploy a “high-speed 5G cellular network requires a broad band of frequencies; much like an increased water flow requires a wider pipe.” As opposed to what it was believed “that the millimeter-wave bands had limitations in transmitting data over long distances due to its unfavorable propagation characteristics”, Samsung claims that the latest “adaptive array transceiver technology” has worked out to be the perfect solution for this impediment. This new approach will allow transmission of “data in the millimeter-wave band at a frequency of 28 GHz at a speed of up to 1.056 Gbps to a distance of up to 2 kilometers”. The AATT or “adaptive array transceiver technology” that deploys 64 antenna elements is the best answer to deal with problems related to “the radio propagation loss at millimeter-wave bands, much higher than the conventional frequency bands ranging from several hundred MHz to several GHz”. At present, Samsung is still working on further research and development on the next generation of mobile telecommunication, which they expect shall not be commercialized before 2020.

With every technological leap there is major change in the way world functions in almost every aspect of life such as entertainment, business, lifestyle etc. Just like how the Smartphone revolution has brought about major changes in our lives, where in major mobile manufacturing companies are seen developing robust devices that allows people to accomplish intricate tasks on the move. Therefore, with advancement in 5G mobile technology and cellular communication there will be a further upsurge in international businesses, ties, communication and entertainment sectors. It will also improve productivity, as it will allow smooth transmission of data, files, and reports at a very high speed. From the point of view of accessing entertainment and gaming on mobile network, there will be improvement as well.