Mobile payments slow to take off but Starbucks leads the way
According to figures from Grand View Research the mobile wallet market is set to reach more than 1,400 million users by 2020.
But a new report by customer engagement specialist PunchTab shows that so far mobile payments are still the preserve of the early adopter.
Facebook tells advertisers how to (very) closely target users this holiday season
Ads are hard to avoid at the best of times, but it has a tendency to get a little worse in the run-up to Christmas. Advertising has become increasingly prolific on social networks, and this is certainly true of Facebook. As we enter the holiday season, Facebook is providing advertisers with advice that will enable them to deliver finely-tuned ads at highly specific sets of users.
If you picked yourself up a new tablet in the Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales, Facebook makes it possible for advertisers to pick you out of the masses. The social network is not only rolling out a couple of new features to help with targeted advertising, but also providing tips for more successful campaigns.
Enterprise mobility set to remain a hot topic for 2015
It's that time of year when industry analysts like to start rolling out their predictions for the year ahead. One of the first out of the blocks is technology research specialist Ovum with a new report on enterprise mobility.
Up to now mobility has been driven by the consumer market with employees demanding to use their own devices in the workplace. Among Ovum's predictions are that this will continue to lead to a 'mobility mismatch' where employee demand isn't matched by IT department's ability to deliver.
Permission-free post-loading lets carriers push crap apps to Android handsets
It used to be that you'd buy a new PC or laptop and have to spend the first hour or so removing all of the crap that the manufacturer had installed. The same idea carried across to mobile phones, particularly in the case of Android handsets, but the key difference is that -- at least without rooting -- many carrier apps can be all but impossible to remove. Now, thanks to "post-loading" the problem is about to get worse.
As the term suggests, post-loading makes it possible for a carrier to push apps to handsets and install them secretly. This is all thanks to Digital Turbine's Ignite system, and the likes of Vodafone, Verizon, T-Mobile and more are listed as clients. Of course, it's all about money or, as Digital Turbine puts it, "maximizing the efficiency of pre and post loading applications on smartphones for more advertising revenue".
Make It Happen! Microsoft wants to help you keep your New Year's resolutions
The countdown to the end of 2014 is now underway. With less than a month until the arrival of 2015, Microsoft -- specifically Microsoft Lumia -- wants to help anyone making a New Year's resolution to stick to their goals. The idea is simple. Research shows that people are more likely to hold their resolve if they make a public pledge of their intentions. With this in mind, the #MakeItHappen encourages anyone with a goal for 2015 to announce it.
But more than just giving you a public place to announce what you would like for the New Year, Microsoft is also selecting one person a day throughout December and will help them complete their unfulfilled resolutions from 2014.
Now Twitter is going to start monitoring which mobile apps you download
Hate 'em, loathe 'em or abhor 'em, it's hard to avoid ads. You know that you're a consumer. Companies exist because you consume, and you are encouraged to consume more and more. To help lead you to consume, you need to be subjected to advertising -- it's all part of the money-go-round of using the web.
Tailored ads are more likely to bring in cash, and social networks are in the business of gathering information about their users with a view to delivering the most laser-focused targeted advertising possible. The latest venture by Twitter involves keeping tabs on the apps you install on your iOS or Android phone or tablet.
Cloud-based tracking creates an internet of lost things
Electronic tags to help stop you losing stuff are nothing new. But usually they rely on Bluetooth or similar to sound an alarm when an object goes out of range.
A new solution from Canadian company Linquet mixes the cloud and the sharing economy to track tagged devices in a kind of internet of lost things.
Philips launches full HD display with easy one-plug access
Anyone who's tried to connect a notebook to a big screen for use in meetings or presentations knows it can be a process that's fraught with difficulty, particularly when it comes to finding the right connection and cable.
The latest release from electronics giant Philips solves this problem by offering simple, one-plug access to desktop equipment, networks, intranet and internet via a single, super-speed USB cable.
The security challenge of business mobile devices
The trend towards mobile devices and BYOD is great for productivity but it creates new challenges in terms of keeping information secure.
Identity and access management specialist Ping Identity has produced an infographic looking at the vulnerabilities introduced by letting employees use mobile devices.
WatchDox finds and protects sensitive documents anywhere
With more and more data stored in the cloud or accessed from corporate systems on mobile devices, security and regulation becomes a major concern.
Enterprise file sharing specialist WatchDox has announced a new solution to both detect and protect sensitive files everywhere, on every device.
Software producers gear up for 'appification' of the enterprise
As consumers we're used to being able to download apps for just about any purpose. As we come to expect this sort of flexibility in enterprise applications too, a shift is needed in the way software is delivered in order to keep us appy -- sorry!
A new report by Flexera Software in conjunction with IDC suggests that a transformation is under way, paving the way for software vendors and intelligent device makers, including IoT manufacturers, to profit from the 'appification' of the enterprise.
Secure mobile platform helps smaller businesses adopt BYOD
Allowing employees to use their own devices for work is increasingly popular, but it can present problems for smaller businesses when it comes to implementing the technology and keeping it secure.
California-based hopTo has an answer for small and medium businesses in the form of its mobile productivity platform hopTo Work. The platform provides instant BYOD functions with a flexible and secure mobile workspace.
It's NFL season and the Moto X now has football leather
We've reached the midway point of football season. Races are shaping up between NFL teams that are battling for a playoff berth, while others have fallen by the wayside -- I won't name those, to spare the poor fans. But sometimes sports meets technology, and it does so at an increasingly high rate. That happens today as Motorola joins the club of "NFL fans".
The Moto X has gained notoriety, partially because of its functionality, and largely with its customized backs. Perhaps not everyone wants a phone with a wood back, but apparently some do. Now Motorola is going a bit further, adding a "football back". In other words, it has the look and texture of a game ball.
Mobile devices make sales work more complicated
We're frequently being told that the use of mobile devices makes our work lives easier, but it seems that a sizable percentage of people don't share that view.
Mobile sales solution company Seismic has released the results of its Salesforce Spotlight survey showing the complex relationship between business users and mobile technology.
Skills gap still the biggest challenge in mobile app delivery
Finding skilled mobile developers is one of the top challenges when it comes to the timely delivery of new apps.
This is among the findings of the 2014 Mobile Trends report from enterprise mobile platform provider Appcelerator. The company along with IDC surveyed over 8,000 mobile developers and 121 IT decision makers to get their take on trends that affect the way businesses use mobile in the workplace.
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