The Freemium approach is not new to software and gaming. For years, companies have offered free downloads to customers for a trial period as a means of letting them sample the product, with the belief that it would lead to paid conversions at a later stage, when they were convinced of the benefits of the product. However, with the surge in the number of mobile device users, the number of people with access to apps or games has increased considerably. According to statistics from Juniper Research, revenue from in-app purchases will reach $4.8 billion in 2016, more than twice the figure of $2.1 billion in 2011. The main reason for this is that more and more consumers are opting out of having to pay upfront for their apps and prefer the availability of choice as to whether or not to upgrade depending on their experience and frequency of use. For developers too, the Freemium model is beneficial for a number of reasons.

Additional revenue per customer

In-app purchases help developers get additional revenue from regular customers through offering extra features at a price. For instance, the Photo Effects app on iTunes Store lets users download the free version and edit their photos or videos by cropping the image, balancing colour or brightness, applying filters or photo effects, rotating the image and a host of other features. However, the user has to make an in-app purchase worth $2.99 for the option of saving and sharing the image on email or uploading to social networks.

Drop in piracy

Many paid apps faced the threat of piracy due to cheaper copycat or pirated versions being made available to users. This issue was faced by both iOS and Android developers. However, Freemium apps reduce the threat of piracy as they allow users to download the basic version at no cost. An example is the popular apps, Angry Birds, which went the freemium way on Google Play(Android Market) to put a check on piracy.

Reduced development costs

Another benefit that the freemium model offers developers is that they can initially develop a basic version of the app and offer smaller upgrade features at a price once the customer is a hooked. This reduces the time and development costs involved in getting the app on the store compared to developing a fully loaded premium paid app or offering several different $0.99 versions. In addition, as was the case with free apps, there isn’t a long wait for building up a fan base before recovering costs or gaining the confidence to develop a premium version.

Conclusion

Despite these benefits, the freemium model will not automatically guarantee success to all developers. Like with paid apps, consumers will only be willing to pay if they are satisfied with the functionality, features and the uniqueness of the app. With Freemium apps trending across iTunes Store, Google Play(Android Market) and Amazon App Store, developers will find it harder to get their apps noticed. Only innovative developers, who learn to maintain the fine balance between encouraging in-app purchases and overselling or exploiting the user, will see long term success.

TechAhead has developed hundreds of apps for iOS, Android and other mobile platforms. We have helped clients from across the world develop mobile apps in various categories, and are well acquainted with the process and technicalities of incorporating in-app purchases within apps. Get in touch with our mobile apps development experts on info@techaheadcorp.com for a FREE 30-minute no-obligation consultation($200 Value), if you have any app development requirement.

Building applications for each device–iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and more- requires different frameworks and languages. PhoneGap bridges Web Applications and Mobile Devices using Standards-based Web technologies.

PhoneGap has two Components :

1. The PhoneGap Core Libraries are designed to handle common tasks supported by most devices-

a) Access geolocation from the PhoneGap JavaScript API

b) Access contacts from the PhoneGap JavaScript API

c) Invoke a call

2. PhoneGap’s JavaScript API makes those common phone functions available to JavaScript to run in the Browser (Native WebView).

Along with its Cross-platform Advantage PhoneGap comes with following Limitations:

i) Writing Javascript to do heavyweight data processing will typically be much slower than writing native code for the device and serving the results to a front-end.

ii) If we want to do some background processing (e.g. background services in Android), Javascript cannot achieve it.

iii) Similarly, if we plan to implement a very Complex Business Functionality, a preference would be given to the native language.

For such complex tasks, it is best to delegate the responsibility to Native Components.

Extend PhoneGap Framework – Create Native Components (Plugins)

The solution to the Limitations is to:

1. Create a Custom Native Component (Plugin): This Native Component(Plugin) would be built for each platform you plan to support.

2. Create a Custom Javascript API: All these Native Components (Plugins) needs to adhere to the Custom JavaScript API, which exposes their functionality to the JavaScript running in the Browser.

Thus, overall PhoneGap Architecture becomes:

They are Not Cross Platform:

Suppose you are developing a PhoneGap Plugin for two platforms: iOS and Android, you need-

1. One JavaScript file for Android, along with a Java file(Native Component) for Android.

2. A different JavaScript file for iOS, along with pair of .h and .m files (Native Components) for iOS.

Both JavaScript files can (and should) have the same interface for the developer who consumes it, but the implementations of each interface would be different.

Developing Android PhoneGap Plugin:

Regardless of which platform you begin developing with, following two methods play the key Role:

1. PluginResult.execute() is your core Native function: The JavaScript that you will write in your JS plugin will need to call Phonegap.exec (successCallback, failCallback, pluginName, action, [args]). That’s a JavaScript function, found in phonegap-version.x.x.js (or cordova-1.7.0rc1.jar or higher) that expects a function named “execute” on the Native Plugin side.

2. Phonegap.exec() is your core JS function: The Native Plugin need to define one call to Phonegap.exec() on the JS side.

“CopyImagesPlugin”: This plugin lets you copy any number of image resources form assets to the Device SD-Card.

Step 1: Create a new PhoneGap Project (along with all PhoneGap dependencies) using New Project Wizard in Eclipse. If You have not installed PhoneGap Development Addin to eclipse, then you can do it in following manner:

Open Eclipse -> Click on ‘Help’ on MenuBar-> ‘Install New Software’ ->

click on ‘Add’ button at new Window-> and copy following url to Location field:

https://svn.codespot.com/a/eclipselabs.org/mobile-web-development-with-phonegap/tags/r1.2/download

Give any name to Name Field. E.g. ‘Phonegap Addin Tool’

Click on ‘ok’ button this will start downloading al required Softwares.

Click ‘Next’ and finish the installation Wazard.

It will ask to Restart Eclipse and eclipce toolbar now includes PhoneGap icon as shown in below image:

Step 2: Implement the Plugin Class: “CopyToSdCard”

/**
 * Android PhoneGap Plugin to Copy images form Assets to SD-Card
 */
package com.phonegap.plugins.test;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import org.json.JSONArray;
import org.json.JSONException;
import android.util.Log;
import com.phonegap.api.Plugin;
import com.phonegap.api.PluginResult;
 
public class CopyToSdCard extends Plugin
{
 @Override
 public PluginResult execute(String action, JSONArray args, String callbackId) {
 
 if (!action.equals("copyFiles")) 
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.INVALID_ACTION);
 
 try {
 String arr_length = args.getString(0);
 String fileUrl =args.getString(1); 
 
 String fileName = args.getString(1);
 
 String dirName = 
 "/mnt/sdcard/"+args.getString(2);
 
 Boolean overwrite =false;
 
 return this.downloadUrl(fileUrl, dirName, fileName,Integer.parseInt(arr_length), overwrite, callbackId);
 
 } catch (JSONException e) {
 
 e.printStackTrace();
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.JSON_EXCEPTION, e.getMessage());
 
 } catch (InterruptedException e) {
 e.printStackTrace();
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.ERROR, e.getMessage());
 }
 
 }
 
 private PluginResult downloadUrl(String fileUrl, String dirName, String fileName,int arr_length, Boolean overwrite, String callbackId) throws InterruptedException, JSONException {
 
 try {
 if(dirName.equalsIgnoreCase("null"))
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.OK, "invalid");
 
 Log.d("PhoneGapLog", "Copying "+fileUrl + " into " + dirName + "/" + fileName);
 
 for(int index=0;index<arr_length-2;index++)
 {
 File dir = new File(dirName);
 if (!dir.exists()) {
 Log.d("PhoneGapLog", "directory " + dirName + " created");
 dir.mkdirs();
 }
 String name="image_"+index;
 if(index==0)
 {
 continue;
 }
 File file = new File(dirName, name+".jpg");
 
 if (!overwrite && file.exists()) {
 Log.e("SaveToSdCardPlugin", "File already exist");
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.OK, "exist");
 }
 
 InputStream is=CopyToSdCard.this.ctx.getAssets().open("www/images/" +name+".jpg");
 byte[] buffer = new byte[1024];
 int readed = 0, 
     totalReaded = 0;
 
 FileOutputStream fos = new FileOutputStream(file);
 
 while ((readed = is.read(buffer)) > 0) {
 
 fos.write(buffer, 0, readed);
 totalReaded += readed;
 }
 fos.close();
 
 Log.e("PhoneGapLog", "Copy finished");
 
 }
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.OK, "done");
 
 }
 catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
 Log.e("PhoneGapLog", "File Not Found: " + e);
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.ERROR, 404);
 }
 catch (IOException e) {
 Log.e("PhoneGapLog", "Error: " + e);
 return new PluginResult(PluginResult.Status.ERROR, e.getMessage());
 }
 
 }
}

Step 3: Implement Plugin JavaScript

1. Create a file called copyToSdCard.js

2. In it create a class named CopyToSdCard.

3. Create a member function named copyFiles ().

4. In copyFiles () function call PhoneGap.exec(<>, <>,<>,<>,<>);

5. Finally register both CopyToSdCard class as an JavaScript Plugin and register Java Class as the native Plugin (invoked from Javascript)

Below is the complete Source code for copyToSdCard.js file:

function CopyToSdCard() {}
 
Downloader.prototype.copyFiles = function(index,fileUrl,dirName, params, win, fail) {
 
//Make params hash optional.
if (!fail) win = params;
PhoneGap.exec(win, fail, "CopyToSdCard", " copyFiles", [index,fileUrl,dirName, params]);
};
 
PhoneGap.addConstructor(function() {
PhoneGap.addPlugin("CopyImagesPlugin", new CopyToSdCard());
/*’CopyImagesPlugin’ is the name with 'CopyToSdCard' Plugin is registered in res/xml.plugins.xml
*/
});

Installing Plugins for Android

On Android, the plugin Java source code needs to be included in your PhoneGap Android project either in source form or as a JAR library.

In addition, the JavaScript for the plugin needs to be added to the ./assets/www/* folder of your PhoneGap Android project and linked in your HTML source code.

Finally an additional element needs to be added to the ./res/xml/plugins.xml file. The plugins.xml file describes what plugins are allowed to be called from JavaScript.

Step 4: Register plugin to res/xml/plugin.xml file:

<plugin name="CopyImagesPlugin" value="com.phonegap.plugins.test. CopyToSdCard"/>

Step 5: Add following javascript reference to your html file:

<script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="copyToSdCard.js"></script>

Step 6: Add following javascript code to html file:

<script type="text/javascript">
 
 
function saveToSdFromAssets ()
{
        var filename=prompt("Please input the Directory name:","PhonegapPluginTest");
        if(filename.length>0)
            {
                callSavetoSdPluggin(filename);
            }
}
 
function callSavetoSdPluggin(fname)
{
 
var total_images_to_copy=10; //copy images from assets/www/images
 
  window.plugins.test.copyFiles (total_images_to_copy,fname,fname, false,
  function(data)
  {
      if(data=="exist")
      {
          navigator.notification.alert('File(s) already exist.', '', 'Message');
      }
      else if(data=="invalid")
      {
          //navigator.notification.alert('Not Saved: File name not valid.', '', 'Message');
      }
      else
      {
          navigator.notification.alert('File(s) saved on sd card.','','Message');
      }
  },
  function(data){ alert("error is : "+data); });
 // hideLoader();
}
</script>

Finally, call the above javascript method saveToSdFromAssets () from your Html file say on a button click as below:

<a href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="saveToSdFromAssets();" data-role="button" data-theme="a" value='Save to SD Card'  width='50%' >Save to SD Card</a>

Similarly, The same plugin can be developed for iOS and other mobile Platforms in respective Native Language (in case of android its Java).

At TechAhead, we have experience of creating cross platform mobile apps for our clients. If you have any requirement for cross platform mobile application development, contact us on info@techaheadcorp.com for FREE 30 minutes no obligation consultation with our mobile apps experts($200 Value).

Credits: wiki.phonegap.com

Samsung made a lot of improvements, both in terms of hardware specs, and features. Being full of features, and having lot of horsepower under its hood, it can give competition to any smartphone available in market today. That bring us to a question, Will it be able to give really hard competition to arch rival iPhone 4S? Let us try to find out.

Comparison at a Glance:

The Screen:

Samsung has once again outdone themselves. Galaxy S III boasts of HD Super AMOLED PenTile display, measuring 4.8” with a resolution of 1280×720 and 306 PPI. But they are yet to outdo Apple iPhone 4S, which has 326 PPI for its 3.5-inch screen. iPhone 4S beats Galaxy S III in resolution comparison.

Cameras:

The Galaxy S III boasts of two cameras with the ability to shoot in HD. The rear camera has a resolution of 8 MP, capable of shooting HD at 1080p at 30fps and pictures with stunning quality. It has 1.9 MP camera in the front that can shoot HD at 720p. The rear camera matches the one available in iPhone 4S, of 8MP, capable of recording HD at 1080p. Galaxy S III wins for the front camera though, as iPhone 4S only has a VGA camera in front.

The Processor:

Samsung Galaxy S III comes with a mighty 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM memory. iPhone 4S on the other hand has an Apple’s A5 1GHz dual-core chip. Also, iPhone has only 512 MB RAM. With more processing power and double sized RAM, Galaxy S III wins in this segment as well.

Voice Recognition:

Samsung also unveiled S Voice, which is Samsung Galaxy S III’s voice assistant and is seen as direct competitor of Siri in iPhone 4S. The quality and effectiveness of S Voice will only be known once the device launches in public, but it can give Siri a tough competition to Siri, which was used by Apple aggressively for promotion of iPhone 4S.

Conclusion:

Those who enjoy the Android OS will prefer the Samsung, and the Apple iOS fanboys will prefer the iPhone. In my opinion, with its features and better hardware, Samsung Galaxy S III seems to have an edge over iPhone 4S. It will be interesting to see how it matches up to iPhone 5, which is scheduled for launch later this year. What are your views about the comparison? Let us know in comments below.

No matter what you prefer from the two, you will agree that what really makes smartphones useful, be it Samsung Galaxy or iPhone, are the useful apps. At TechAhead, we have created hundreds of beautiful apps which  are very user friendly, and help businesses as well. If you have iPhone apps development or Android application development requirement, you can reach us on info@techaheadcorp.com for a FREE 30 minutes no obligation consultation with our mobile apps experts($200 value).

So what a mobile developer should choose if he is looking for cross platform mobile apps development? Which is better, easier to use, supports more feature, etc? Let us try to find out by analyzing both of them.

PhoneGap: PhoneGap is HTML/CSS/JS. Anything you can do with them on a normal web page, you can do in a mobile browser’s web view. PhoneGap works as wrapper of sorts, by leveraging web views native to the mobile devices. PhoneGap allows you to build an app, as complex and modern as you want, while providing the ability to have it gracefully degrade for lower end devices, all in the same code base. PhoneGap allows you to use some of the phones features throught APIs to enhance your application

Titanium: Appcelerator Titanium, on the other hand takes your Javascript code, analyzes and preprocesses it and then pre-compiles it into a set of symbols that are resolved based on your applications uses of Titanium APIs. Titanium actually compiles your application and uses the iPhone SDK to build a native application.  For example, if you create an animation in Titanium, that’s not a CSS3 animation, it’s a Core Animation that runs on the GPU and the code generated/compiled is part of Core Animation APIs. Similar is for Android.  For android, it generates JVM bytecode from your JS and produce native Java Code.

The fundamental difference between PhoneGap and Appcelerator Titanium is that, while PhoneGap is a web based solution, Appcelerator Titanium is a pure Javascript API that creates native code. Major differences between them are tabled below:

Summary:

So, as it turns out, both are very much different from each other. Both of these frameworks are important and have their place in the mobile landscape. A developer should choose one based upon the requirements and the type of solution required. Neither is the wrong choice, but depending on a scenario, one might be better suited than the other.

At TechAhead, we have experience of creating native, as well as cross platform mobile apps for our clients. If you have any requirement for cross platform mobile application development, contact us on info@techaheadcorp.com for FREE 30 minutes no obligation consultation with our mobile apps experts($200 Value).

Credits: SavageLook.Com | Quora

At TechAhead we have created apps on both, iOS and Android platform, for our clients. If you have any iPhone apps development or Android application development requirement, get in touch with us at info@techaheadcorp.com for FREE 30 minutes no obligation consultation with our mobile apps  experts($200 Value).

1. Path – A social networking app that helps maintain and share a journal, Path allows photos, music, videos or even your thoughts to be posted directly on social networks such as Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter. Originally an app that was used for photo sharing, Path has since evolved into a complete journal. Navigating its beautiful interface is easy with the iPhone’s swipe feature, enabling one of the best user experiences as everything can be accessed from the main screen by swiping. It also has a timeline feature that keeps track of the date and time of all posts.

2. Flipboard – Like the name suggests, this app helps in aggregating all posts and rss feeds into a single flipboard, so that everything can be accessed on the go. One of its coolest functions is that users can collect clippings from magazines or blogs that they want to read and store them either to Instapaper for immediate reading or to Read it Later for retrieval at a later date. It’s almost like creating a personalised magazine.

3. Hipmunk – This iPhone app allows users to find the cheapest flight between two points. What’s more, it has several useful features that enhance user experience such as reducing the annoyance factor by allowing agony filters such as the number of stops or flight duration. As an extension of the web version, this app allows users to bookmark a flight using the mobile search and then log in to the site with a secret code/password to make an online purchase.

4. Bump – This popular app allows sharing of contacts and photos just by bumping two phones against each other. It is a great way to transfer contact details to a new person in a formal setting or a social event. Alternatively, photos can be shared easily with family or friends.

5. Tweebot – This app from Tapbots is one of the most popular Twitter apps on the iPhone, due to its customised user interface, sounds and integration of the iPhone’s tap and swipe features for activating timeline, direct message viewing, adding links and other convenient functions. A new readability feature allows easy viewing through the browser.

6. Yelp – This handy iPhone app lets users locate restaurants, bars, gas stations or any other place of interest in a neighbourhood by browsing through the list of options and then narrowing down the choices based on proximity, price and opening hours. What’s more, users can access and read reviews by the ever-growing Yelp community, for help with making the right decision.

7. Clear to do – While an app that helps manage a to-do list may seem mundane, with its attractive and easy to use interface, Clear makes managing tasks simple and fun. It integrates the tap, pinch and swipe features of the iPhone beautifully to help update tasks, tick them off the list, add reminders and even make a shopping list – a handy way of managing daily tasks.

8. Airbnb – This app, which falls under the Travel category lets users easily find accommodation options in bed & breakfast places throughout the USA. Tapping on a destination of choice, swiping through the various bed and breakfast or apartment rentals, viewing photos of the places, narrowing down the options based on a map view of the proximity to a place of interest, makes navigating this app easy and entertaining.

9. GroupMe – This is a fun app that allows users to send out group messages to contacts in their address book. Group responses are displayed in a chat room style format. This app is great for communicating with groups, whether it is for informal networking with friends or coordinating with team members for organising an event.

10. Calcbot – Another app from Tapbots, this is one of the most user friendly calculator apps for the iPhone. It has a prominent display that shows recently entered operations. Besides simple functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, Calcbot can also perform scientific calculations.

At TechAhead, we have helped clients from across the world develop iPhone apps in various categories. Our iPhone apps development experts have the experience and skills for designing apps that focus on improving user experience. Write to us at info@techaheadcorp.com for a FREE 30-minute no obligation consultation with our iPhone experts ($200 Value).

Here’s a look at what the new iPad has to offer.

What’s the same?

Price – With the new iPad falling in the same price range as its older version, the cost of the device hasn’t changed significantly. Customers can get the basic 16GB Wi-Fi version of the new iPad for $499, while the high end 64 GB model with 4G capability comes at a price tag of $829. With the release of the new iPad, the price of the older model has been reduced to $399, making it marginally cheaper.

Screen size – This is one thing that hasn’t changed. Both the new iPad and the iPad 2 have 9.7 inch touch screens. However, they do differ in terms of the resolution with that of the new iPad being far superior.

Storage – As far as storage capacity is concerned the variants offered across both models are similar. Both the iPad 2 and the new iPad offer 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB options. Neither model allows additional storage through an expandable slot.

Battery life – Although the battery used in the new iPad (Li-Po 42.5 Wh) is more heavy duty for supporting the advanced display, processing and 4G capability, there is no change in the life of the battery. The iPad 2 (Li-Po 25 Wh) works for 10 hours on Wi-Fi and 9 hours on 3G, the new iPad also works for 10 hours on Wi-Fi and 9 hours on 4G.

What’s new?

Screen resolution – This is one feature where the new iPad wins hands down over the previous model. The resolution has doubled, while the pixels have increased four times from 1024×768 at 132 ppi to 2058×1536 at 264 ppi.

Processor – The iPad 2 has a 1 GHz Apple A5 dual core processor. One of the advantages of the new iPad is its advanced capability with the 1GHz Apple A5X quad-core graphics processing capability.

Retina display – The new iPad comes with retina display, which makes it a good buy for those looking at using it as an e-book reader. Unlike the iPad 2, which always gave the feeling of reading on an electronic device, the higher resolution display on the new iPad makes it comparable to the best e-book readers in the market. The retina display feature also makes it easier for using in sunlight, making it more compatible for outdoor use compared to its predecessor.

Mobile broadband – With 4G, the new iPad offers download speeds that are approximately ten times faster than the 3G connectivity that is offered in some versions of the iPad 2.

Camera – While both models have cameras with front facing VGA, the iPad 2 camera is more basic with video recording at 720p HD compared to the new iPad that allows HD video recording at 1080p.

Voice dictation – Siri, which was launched on the iPhone 4s, was one of the features that many people were looking forward to in the new iPad. Apple has chosen instead to have voice dictation that takes away the need to be dependent on the not so friendly on-screen keyboard.

Personal hotspot – One of the coolest features that the new iPad offers, along with its 4G capability, is its ability to be used as a hotspot for linking up to five Apple devices through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB.

While the new iPad has attractive features compared to the iPad 2, there are still some expected features missing, such as the HDMI out port. For existing iPad 2 owners, who are contemplating an upgrade, it’s really about whether they would need the advanced features compared to the existing ones, and this would largely depend on the type of usage such as whether they need an e-book reader or for better HD video recording, as the iPad 2 offers sufficient features for mobile browsing. For first time buyers, doubtless the new iPad is a better choice as it comes loaded with more features at almost the same price.

Since its launch in 2010, there have been over 55 million iPads sold worldwide. It is the market leader in the tablet segment with 54.7% market share. For developers and businesses, this presents a tremendous opportunity for reaching out to a large customer base. At TechAhead, we have experience in developing iOS apps for iPhones and iPads for clients from across the world. If you have any iOS development requirement, write to us at info@techaheadcorp.com for a FREE 30-minute no obligation consultation with our iOS experts ($200 Value).

Instagram, created by Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom in 2010, became #1 free photography app in iPhone App Store, within hours of its launch. Facebook acquisition made Instagram more famous, but it was pretty famous already among iPhone users, and saw 5 million downloads within a week of its launch on Android Platform. What makes it so successful? Why so many people love it? Lets try to find out the reasons.

Amazing Filters - Anyone (with a smartphone) can be an artist. Everyone loves to click beautiful pictures. Earlier people will take picture with their mobile, enhance it using Photoshop or similar software, and upload them on social media networks. Instagram allowed them to do all this in few clicks, allowing them to enhance pictures with its simple to use filters on their iPhones. Click a photo, apply a filter, and the awesome photo is ready to be shared through built in social sharing option. Mark Hendrickson explains it pretty well in a Quora post, “Snapping a photo with Instagram and applying a filter suddenly makes that photo seem inspired, even though the original subject matter was probably rather boring and the original shot poorly taken. When you hit the button to share with friends, there’s a satisfying feeling of anticipation that others will be impressed by your little creation.”

Strong Social Sharing base Framework: What really fuelled the growth of Instagram was the fact that it allowed really simple and quick sharing of photos created through it. It had the best integration with social services (Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr etc) compared to any iPhone app from the very beginning. People call it the Twitter of photo sharing combined with fun social features, and we agree with it.

Strong Instagram community: Photos can be seen as the reflection of one’s soul, and Instagram was built around photos. Instagram has a strong community that likes and comments on photos. The app naturally promotes collaboration and discussion about photography & art, and people with these passions love their craft. People liking and commenting on your pictures is really satisfying as we’re social creatures, and Instagram community excels at providing that, the people with similar interests, most of whom understand art.

It’s interesting how other apps that existed before Instagram could have done this but didn’t expand their vision to add even the most basic features that have made Instagram successful. Successful app development is not only about making an app that is functional, but it is also about creating an app that is loved by its users. At TechAhead, we have produced apps that not only fulfill our client’s expectation, but also exceed it more often than not. If you have any iPhone apps development requirement, get in touch with us for a free $200 worth of consulting with our iPhone experts.

The post was originally published at ToolsJournal

Sceptics predict that the Windows 8 Tablets may not survive in a marketplace that is already overrun by iOS and android based devices. However, a point that cannot be ignored is that Microsoft has the largest reach in the PC segment with the majority of desktops and laptops running on Windows software. Hence, with a good price and features strategy, it could well give the competition a run for their money. Here is a look at what can be expected from Windows 8 Tablets.

Architecture

Moving away from the conventional AMD and Intel chips, the Windows tablet will run on ARM architecture. While this will mean a lighter, more portable device with the tap and swipe feature that is so popular in the iPad, one of its disadvantages is that traditional Windows software will not work on it. Windows 8 tablets will require special apps to be written for it.

Operating System

The Windows 8 tablets will feature the new Metro interface that currently runs on the Windows 7 phones.  While users give it a high rating, at present, it faces several challenges on account of price and app selection. However, once this is sorted out, it could pose serious competition to iOS and android.

Choice of Devices

Unlike the iPad, which allows users to choose only between different versions of the same device, with Microsoft’s multi-vendor policy, there will be a range of Windows 8 devices from hardware partners such as Nokia, Samsung, Lenovo, ASUS, Dell and HP, among others. This would mean a wide range of designs and hopefully, competitive prices, making it more accessible for the average consumer.

Windows

Unlike the iPad, which can only open and run a single app at a time, by allowing the use of multiple screens, Windows 8 tablets would allow users to view more than one screen simultaneously. This would be a convenient feature while using it for work, such as reading on one screen and writing on the other.

While the above features are guaranteed with the launch of the new Windows 8 tablets, there are several unknown factors that could play a part in the success or failure of these devices.

Dual Mode functionality

One of the features where Windows 8 devices could beat the iPad hands down is if they offer the fun filled tap and swipe features of a personal device along with a professional interface for business use. By offering a range of dual mode devices, Windows could gain significant market share from the iPad, which has its limitations as a business device.

Sky Drive

Microsoft has plans to integrate the availability of all content through Sky Drive, making everything accessible from anywhere, irrespective of the kind of device used. This would be a major advantage for Windows 8 tablets, if it does come into play sooner rather than later.

Syncing between devices

If Windows 8 devices come with the facility of syncing content using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi between other devices that run on Windows, such as a home PC or a Windows Mobile, users would benefit significantly as it would not require investing in additional hardware.

Availability of apps

At present, iPad and android devices have the largest number of apps made specifically for them. Whether Windows 8 will see the same pattern is largely dependent on the success of the device, and the number of units sold. However, businesses can’t afford to ignore the prospect of reaching out to the existing Microsoft customer base that might invest in these devices if they come with convenient features such as cloud storage and inter device syncing.

Clearly, there is a lot of excitement in the market about the upcoming launch of Windows 8 tablets. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will offer features that set it apart from Apple rather than trying to copy the offerings on the iPad. Of course, a lot will be dependent on Microsoft’s hardware partners, especially in terms of the design and the prices of these devices. However, considering Microsoft’s success in the PC market, if it gets its act together, it could upset all forecasts and gain leadership of the Tablet market over the next decade.

While the industry and the world wait for the arrival of the Windows 8 devices, for businesses, now is the time to consider having apps compatible for the new platform. At TechAhead, we have designed Metro style apps for clients on Windows 7 and are geared to meet the challenges of designing apps for Windows 8. If you have a windows mobile app development requirement, write to us at info@techaheadcorp.com for a FREE 30-minute no obligation consultation with our mobile experts ($200 Value).

The advantage of mobile payments is that it presents mobile users an instant source of currency for making purchases using their phones or handheld devices. For years now, there have been different types of payment mechanisms that have tried to provide this service. The earliest version used sms for getting a payment authorised, which was then included in the customer’s mobile bill as a premium charge. However, this was dogged with problems such as unreliability due to messages getting lost, slow speed, security issues and high costs. Since then, more advance payment systems have been put into practise, including direct mobile billing, WAP based payments and NFC payments.

According to Gartner forecasts in 2011, there would be over 190 million mobile payment users worldwide by the end of 2012 (more than double the number in 2009). A report by market analysis firm Generator Research, estimates that the market for mobile payments will reach $633.4 billion by 2014, indicating that it will see a rapid growth in the coming years.

Essentially mobile payments will succeed for two reasons. Firstly, it will provide customers a contactless and easy method of payment that is an extension of online e-commerce transactions. As for merchants, the prospect of reaching out to the large number of mobile users is resulting in investments being made in setting up the necessary infrastructure and encryption technology to ensure that the customers’ financial information is kept secure during the payment process as well as in cases of loss of the smart phone. A number of companies have introduced online payment mechanisms to facilitate easy payment options for customers and merchants. This includes the recently launched Paypal Here and others such as Square, which will help small businesses accept credit cards using iOS and android devices. For customers, PayPal, Google Wallet and Amazon Payments have apps that enable payments to be made without carrying a wallet.

While it will be a while before mobile payments become the accepted mode of transaction for e-commerce, there is no doubt that it will replace the wallet once customers are convinced of the safety of their financial information. More importantly, in developing countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America, mobile payments will bring financial power to a larger population that does not at present have access to online commerce. Whereas in the west, the paperless transaction that it presents is a push towards the trend of ‘going green’.

Clearly mobile payments are here to stay and will give a major boost to M-commerce. For companies, this brings the prospects of increased revenues, but it also highlights the need to keep up with technology to cash in on impulse purchases by offering instant payment options.

We have created different type of apps in many verticals, simple to complex mobile apps for our clients. We can also help you with your mobile apps development requirement. Write to us at info@techaheadcorp.com for FREE 30 minutes no obligation consultation with our mobile experts($200 Value).