Getting SMS texts on your iPad and Mac? Not until October
Every time Apple has taken the stage lately the company's executives have spared more than a few beats to talk about "continuity" between iOS and OS X, but now it's been revealed that one of the concept's flagship features won't arrive until October.
That feature, of course, is the ability to receive and send SMS text messages on Mac OS X Yosemite devices and iPads, thereby continuing your conversation no matter what device you're on.
The feature has been available in betas of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, but it won't be ready for the masses when the new iOS version launches on September 17, Apple's own continuity hub says.
Although iOS 8 has a release date, OS X Yosemite still doesn't - not officially, at least, but it does seem as if the new Mac OS will arrive in September.
Here's my iPad, call me maybe
There are a number of other continuity features that will let iOS 8 and Yosemite devices interact, and according to Apple those will be available before October.For example iOS 8 devices and Mac OS X Yosemite computers will be able to "Handoff" half-written messages, partially read websites, in-progress Maps routes, and a number of other app-specific bits seamlessly between one another.
And then there's the ability to make and receive calls using a Mac or iPad, or to use your iPhone as a wi-fi hotspot (about time).
And these features haven't been delayed into October, so maybe we'll see Yosemite this month after all.
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Microsoft's Minecraft buy said to have cost it $2.5 billion
Why would Microsoft want to buy Mojang? Now that's a silly question.
Minecraft is one of the most popular games of this day and age, and it has longevity too. No wonder the deal is reportedly already locked in, according to Reuters.
The Microsoft-Mojang buy was first rumored this week, and the site's source says that Microsoft has already agreed to purchase the independent swedish developer headed by Markus "Notch" Persson.
The final price tag? That would be $2.5 billion (about £1.53b, AU$2.76), said the source.
Announcement incoming
Microsoft and Mojang will reportedly announce their union on Monday.Reports earlier in the week said that the deal was close to being inked, and that Microsoft could pay around $2 billion (about £1.2b, AU$2.2b). Maybe Microsoft had to up its offer to seal the deal?
After all there are a million reasons why Microsoft would want to buy Mojang, and Reuters says the company will use its newfound ownership of Minecraft to boost its Windows Phone handsets and Surface tablets.
But why would Mojang want to bow down to new corporate overlords when it's been raking in dough by the hundreds of millions as an independent company all these years? That much remains to be seen, but hopefully the studio offers some sort of explanation if this deal really is announced on Monday.
The scariest thought is what Microsoft owning Minecraft will do to the versions of the game that are already out on iOS, PS4 and other platforms.
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Thar (may) be gold in next year's 12-inch Retina Macbook Air refresh
Remember when Apple's Macbooks used to come in more than just that flat, spaceship grey color? Granted, the other options were black and white, but what about the eMacs that came in a rainbow?
Apple's design language has become infinitely more streamlined since then, but it was nice to have the choice, and now Apple might be going back to that.
The next Macbook Air, which is rumored to be coming in 2015, will be offered in three colors - the standard aluminum grey, plus "space grey" and gold - according to A Tech Website.
The site cites "a source familiar with Apple's plans," so while this tip is far from corroborated, it does make more than a lick of sense.
Follow the rainbow
Just look at the recent Apple Watch debut; have you ever seen an Apple product debut with so many different varieties and choices available to buyers?The Apple Watch's variants go far beyond mere palette swaps, so a new range of modest color choices is the least Apple may do for its next Macbook Air refresh.
And how snazzy would a gold Macbook Air look? Admit it: you want it.
According to the latest reports the new Macbook Air will arrive in 2015 in a new size - 12 inches - and with a Retina display. All things considered it could be quite an update to what in some ways has become Apple's flagship laptop.
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In Depth: The protester's guide to social media
The protester's guide to social media
From the recent Twitterstorms surrounding events in Ferguson, Missouri, and the killing of US journalist James Foley in Syria, to the Israel-Palestine conflict, political activism and protest is now all about getting the message out using social media.Its importance as a political tool on the streets was first noticed during the Arab Spring in 2011, when Twitter and Facebook were used by protesters in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya to respond to real-time events on the ground. Now it's used by all kinds of people in all kinds of scenarios; all you need is a smartphone.
"The past six months have brought to light serious political, civil and global issues through the use of trending hashtags and social media amplification," says Will McInnes, CMO at Brandwatch. "Without social media, awareness movements and civil uprisings such as #BringBackOurGirls might not have garnered the attention of the mainstream mindset."
Going viral and creating the perfect storm on social media is the best way to get your cause recognised, but which platform should you be using, and what should you be using it for?
Twitter is the 24-hour news channel of political activity and social movements. Accounts can be created in seconds, but really key to its success is its reliance on hashtags, which not only allows easy access to similarly themed posts, but also can fuel a movement's aims.
There's nothing quite like Twitter for spreading awareness of a cause. "From the various conflicts in the Middle East (#GazaUnderAttack and #FreePalestine), to the continued unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and even social media campaigns like the ALS #IceBucketChallenge, Twitter remains the most unfettered and distributed platform for social sharing," says McInnes.
"In contrast to Facebook, Twitter has no stated filter on people's streams or on their global and local trends," says digital marketer Jamie Riddell, cofounder of a social media analytics platform BirdSong.
"Therefore if a topic gets a lot of attention it will be quicker to 'bubble up' into the wider consciousness, from where it can rapidly gain greater awareness."
However, with Twitter now censoring content based on your location, politicos could soon be searching for an alternative (#TwitterCensored). There's evidence that the Islamic State (IS) militants have left Twitter for independent server-based (and so non-censorable) social network Disapora.
There's another key reason why Twitter on its own is not enough for political activists; its lack of private group messaging and restriction to 140 characters makes it far less successful as an organisation platform.
Facebook & WhatsApp
Popularity: 1.32 billion monthly active usersFacebook is bigger than Twitter, but much stricter, with a real-name policy that could thwart renegades and revolutionaries. There's also no guarantee that your latest status update will be read by enough people without you paying to promote it. Facebook's increasingly random way of presenting its news feed devoid of chronology doesn't help.
"With the largest global audience, Facebook has the potential to be a central news source for breaking news and opinion," says Riddell. "However, Facebook's algorithms to define coverage may severely impact its growth as a breaking news network."
Without hashtags, Facebook is hard to navigate, though its private groups and Facebook Messenger make it much more suited to reliable, private one-to-one communication than Twitter. The Facebook 'Events' feature is frequently used by activists, too.
It's a similar case with WhatsApp, which Facebook spent US$16 billion on last February. WhatsApp was used recently in India by presidential candidates, reports Vice, largely because over 40 million people in the country use it.
There's revolt on Reddit, too. "Possibly the most intriguing social platform for protest/cause amplification is Reddit," says McInnes. "It's not the first site you think of when you hear the term 'social media platform', but it's definitely one of the richest."
Others agree that the voting-things-up-and-down community has a future in politics. "Reddit had a live feed on Ferguson maintained round the clock by 10 moderators," says Riddell. "The aim of this thread was to spread live awareness of updates from a range of sources including tweets and YouTube videos." There's all kinds of stuff up there, from police scanner reports and news articles to Tweets, Vine videos, and more.
"Reddit is the melting pot of social media, and continues to be the platform to watch closely," says McInnes.
Reddit also has the benefit of its AMA (Ask Me Anything) threads, offering space for activists, politicians and those involved in an issue to express their views on whatever the Redditing populace might ask about. From big names like President Obama, to reporters and residents on the ground in places like Ferguson AMAs can be a tool for people to push their agenda, or answer the public's questions. Of course just because you ask doesn't mean you'll get an answer and hardball questions are often ignored.
Instagram and Vine
Popularity: 150 million & 40 million active users respectivelyIt's the ability of social media to present instant eye-witness accounts and even streamed TV-like coverage that is fuelling its use by protestors and political activists.
"Civilians on the ground in Ferguson are utilizing Instagram and Vine to share photos and videos that show the rioting and general chaos that is still persisting in the area," says McInnes. "On Instagram as of August 19 (at 1pm ET), there were 272,562 posts using #ferguson, 4,416 posts using #fergusonpolice, and 3,749 posts using #fergusonshooting. At the same time, videos on Vine using #ferguson totalled 14,200 and counting." Views of these posts will obviously be many times higher.
"The video capability of both of these social platforms, combined with the heavily visually-minded inclination of today's communication, has accelerated this regional issue onto a national and global level," says McInnes.
Google+
Popularity: 660 million active usersGoogle+ is becoming an important political tool, but really only for the political elite, who are queuing up to appear down with live streaming and webcasting technology to engage with citizens. Election debates have been hosted on Google Hangouts in Japan and India, while President Obama has a Google+ page and has taken part in Hangouts.
This is no by-product of technology; Google+ is actively promoting itself to political activists of all kinds.
More covert users should consider if anything on Google is secure. It isn't according to Rupert Murdoch, whose News of the World was embroiled in the phone hacking scandal. He has used Twitter to say that, compared to the NSA, "Google has more data on all of us and uses it".
Ditto Google's YouTube, which British security officials may have "special access" to, according to some.
SnapChat, Whisper, Yik Yak and FireChat
Popularity: unknown"While in its relative infancy, SnapChat has the potential to offer live updates from one to many sharing videos and photos," says Riddell of the disappearing instant messaging service that reportedly refused a Facebook offer of US$3 billion last year. "Film Director-cum-journalist Casey Neistat used Snapchat to share videos from Ferguson to his followers."
Anonymous 'online confessionals' have obvious attractions to anyone involved in political activism that doesn't want to be identified. The Whisper app lets users send anonymous messages to each other, but it also lets you filter 'confessions' by your location. Handy for covertly organising protests.
A similar app, Yik Yak, also centres on geographical location. "We do believe that Yik Yak could be a very powerful tool for protesters in foreign countries," said co-founder Brooks Buffington to the Daily Dot. "Our app not only allows people to easily connect with one another in those types of situations, but the fact that we don't require profiles can also give people peace of mind."
Want to spread viral messages without even using a publicly accessible network? Choose FireChat, an off-grid app that uses only Bluetooth to swap messages via mesh networking. It's designed for communication at large events – such as a concert or party – but it provides an easy way to communicate if the internet goes down.
Twitter is perfect for publicising a cause, but activists should be using both Reddit and Vine, too. If you want to find out what's going on around you, fire-up YikYak or – if you're off-grid – FireChat, while those wishing to remain anonymous should go for Whisper. Google+ can wait until you make it to an election campaign.
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Industry voice: Identity Management in the age of wearable technology
Given Apple's track record, it is likely that the Apple Watch is going to accelerate the adoption of wearable technology.
The success of the iMac, iPhone, and iPad bodes well for the Apple Watch, and it is likely that the sale of wearables, including smart glasses and smart watches, is going to grow exponentially.
A glance at the statistics supports this. A Deloitte study estimated that wearables would sell about ten million units in 2014, meaning that the industry is on track to generate $3 billion this year.
Research by Nielsen showed that only 15% of consumers currently use wearable technology on a daily basis, but these devices are set to become increasingly mainstream.
An NPD report found that 52% of people said they know about wearable technology and among those, a third said they would consider buying one. This is likely to escalate in the wake of the Apple Watch's arrival in 2015.
But who is using wearables?
The majority of owners are young, almost half (48%, according to Nielsen) are between 18 and 34 years old, and men and women are equally likely to use a wearable device.Although many focus on the potentially negative impact of wearable technology, including security risks and network overload, it should also be seen as a great opportunity.
The list of connected devices will keep growing, as will the list of commercial opportunities for UK companies willing to invest in consumer-facing identity software.
As more and more organisations today go through digital transformation, identity software is becoming the critical technology that securely bridges cloud, mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) offerings – and this now includes wearable devices.
Identity considerations play an important role across industries, devices and for anything that touches consumers. Whether it is web applications, customer portals, mobile applications or now wearables, the common thread across all of these offerings is user identity.
A different mindset altogether
Want to securely share online medical data to provide better results from your health monitoring wearable? Identity is required.Want to replace traditional home door locks with intelligent locks that use biometric data to authenticate family members? Again, identity.
To truly capitalise on wearable technology and the greater powers that it gives to consumers, businesses need to approach the challenge of identity services from a new angle. Wearables will connect consumers, devices and businesses at anytime and anywhere.
The classic "castle defence" mindset for protecting identity data behind a firewall becomes completely irrelevant. Identity systems need to manage data in real time, at internet scale.
And they need to do more than toggle between simple "yes" or "no" authorisation. Identity systems should be business enablers, facilitating relationships between each "thing" and its user.
A new identity
They should provide agility, flexibility and scalability to adjust the services offered in response to context, such as geographical location, time of day, familiarity of device and a variety of other factors.Identity systems need to understand who you are, what devices you use and how you prefer to interact with services.
There is a name for this new type of identity service: identity relationship management (IRM). While IRM unquestionably improves security, it also provides an unparalleled opportunity to enhance the way that businesses interact with their customers.
The Apple Watch proves that the hardware is available and is here to stay.
Now, it is a matter of providing applications and services for this platform, and identity is essential to providing both the security and the personalisation needed to realise the value of wearable technology.
- Mike Ellis is the CEO of Forgerock, a company that offers a unified open source identify stack to protect enterprise, cloud, social and mobile applications at internet scale
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In Depth: Before Apple Watch: the timely history of the smartwatch
History of the smartwatch: past times
Smartwatches have been the next big thing since 1982. But 2015 is going to be different: when the Apple Watch drops early next year it's going to start a whole new wave of wearable tech.And if that doesn't? Well, we've got smartwatches to look forward to from pretty much everyone else.
So what's different this time, and why haven't smartwatches really taken off before now? Let's look at some of the major milestones - and mistakes.
1982: Pulsar NL C01
Pulsar is a Seiko brand, and while the NL C01 was rather primitive by today's standards - it stored just 24 digits of information - it was quickly followed by more models such as 1984's UC-2000 and 1985's UC-3000. Both of these watches were ambitious: you could buy them with a dock that boasted a thermal printer and a memory cartridge slot.
Ambitious is a relative term, of course: mid-eighties smart watches were still rather gimmicky. What they didn't have was connectivity. Bluetooth was a decade away and cellular hardware was far too big and far too expensive: the enormous Motorola DynaTAC 8000X would set you back a whopping $3,995.
1984: Seiko RC-1000
Seiko's RC-1000 synchronised via a cable, and it was compatible with the various PCs of the time including Apple and Commodore C64 hardware.
Another model, the RC-4000 (dubbed the PC Datagraph) was released in 1985 and that shrugged off the plastic look of the RC-1000, favouring a stainless steal chassis.
It was known for its unusual three-line dot-matrix type and the fact that it housed 2KB of RAM.
1990: Seiko Receptor
The next big shift in smart watches happened at the turn of the decade, and it went beep - literally in the case of Swatch, whose The Beep watch followed in the footsteps of Seiko's 1990 Receptor, a watch that doubled as a pager.
For the first time, smart watches were wirelessly connected to the wider world. All they needed now was all the other stuff. That stuff started to appear in late 90s, largely thanks to - you guessed it - Seiko.
1998: Seiko Ruputer
The 1998 Ruputer (later launched as the OnHand PC in the US) was more of a computer than a watch, boasting a 16-bit processor and 128KB of RAM. The screen wasn't up to much - it was a 102x64 mono LCD - and it wasn't a touchscreen, but you could write apps for the Ruputer in C.
Samsung was thinking about smart watches too: its SPH-WP10 was the first watch phone, although while the device has spawned several imitators it was never an enormous success.
IBM and Citizen tried a Linux smart watch, the WatchPad, but it was short lived. Fossil lasted longer, having found a way to cram the Palm OS into a much smaller screen (Palm OS was designed for PDAs, but Fossil's watches used smaller cellphone screens): it launched multiple models from 2002 to 2005.
History of the smartwatch: time trialled
2004: Microsoft SPOT
You can usually count on Microsoft to enter a potentially massive market far too early, so you won't be surprised to discover that it was making smart watches nearly a decade ago. Microsoft's platform was called Smart Personal Object Technology, or SPOT for short, and it used FM broadcasts to update subscribers' data in major US cities.
A subscription was $59 per year. SPOT watches were released from 2004 until 2008, and Microsoft shut down the SPOT-updating MSN Direct service in 2012.
2009: Samsung S9110 Watch Phone
Microsoft had the right idea and the wrong answer. The future of the smart watch was wireless, but the wireless wasn't FM: it was Bluetooth. The relentless march of smartphone tech meant that all the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together: better batteries, touch screens and low-power, short-range connections to internet-connected devices such as smartphones.
By the beginning of this decade, firm after firm had seen the potential. Samsung had its S9110 Watch Phone (2009). Sony Ericsson launched its LiveView (2010) to pull data from Android phones, and Allerta's InPulse (also 2010) did the same for BlackBerries.
WIMM Labs' WIMM One (2011) shoved a modified version of Android into a watch-sized device, Motorola's Motoactv (also 2011) combined fitness information and music playback and Apple found that many of its square iPod Nanos (2011 again) ended up on people's wrists.
2012: Pebbles and fitness kit
By the end of 2012 we were up to our wrists in wearables: Nike+ Fuelbands and Jawbone Ups, the epaper-screened Pebble and the cute Cuckoo, the Sony Smartwatch and all kinds of GPS trackers and exercise monitors.
But while many of them are very good indeed, their relatively small sales suggest that nobody has quite nailed the smart watch yet. Could Samsung be about to change that?
2013: Samsung Galaxy Gear
Samsung has been extremely busy in the smartwatch market, releasing no less than six devices since the original Samsung Galaxy Gear back in September 2013. This is definitely not a once-size-fits-all approach. For instance, there is the original Gear (since upgraded to Tizen OS from Android), the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo which offer up wearable tech for those who want to keep abreast of email and messages on their phone.
Then there is the Gear Fit, a fitness band of sorts that's tethered to a Samsung device, and the Samsung Gear S which is Tizen based and a smartwatch that runs is separate to a phone, as it comes complete with its own SIM card slot. Oh, and Samsung also dipped its toes into Android Wear with the Samsuing Gear Live. Which brings us on to...
2014: Android Wear
Google went big with smartwatches this year, announcing Android Wear its watch-centric OS that makes use of things such as Google Now and allows developers to create smartwatches with either a round, square or rectangle face.
Google has rounded up a whole host of partners for Android Wear - including Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC and Asus - and at IFA 2014 we saw the fruits of this partnership, with the introduction of the Moto 360, LG G Watch R and the Asus ZenWatch.
Android Wear has already produced some great-looking smartwatches but they have all been under the spectre of an impending Apple wearable which was finally announced in September...
2015: Apple Watch
It's not coming out until 2015 but Apple showed off the Apple Watch in September, presumably with the hope that anyone looking to buy a smartwatch this Christmas would have second thoughts.
Although thoughts on the design have been mixed - everything from 'ooh, it's a little chunky' to 'take my money, Apple. Take it all now' - the mere presence of an Apple Watch almost future proofs this still nascent product category.
Gareth Beavis, TechRadar's resident mobile devices wizard, has played with the Apple Watch and reckons: "The Apple Watch is neither a fitness band, watch or fashion accessory though, despite taking a bit from each of those camps. It's hard to define what it really is, which means that users may struggle to justify the purchase."
And that pretty much sums up the whole smartwatch market at the moment. It's an area that doesn't yet have a purpose but we expect this to change very soon...
- Hands on Apple Watch review. Here's what we think of Apple's wearable.
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Industry Voices: Will Apple Watch change the way we do business?
A few years ago, the thought of wearable technology devices being commonplace was farfetched; things have changed very quickly in the last few years, even in the last few months, as technology marches ahead, delivering ultra-low power processors and new wireless connectivity protocols.
As user adoption of wearable technology becomes more prevalent we can be sure that companies will soon start seeing these products making their way into the workplace.
With the launch of Apple's new Watch some people may be asking will wearable technology affect the way we work? The simple answer is no. it's not going to have the immediate impact on businesses that we saw with the iPad or even the iPhone.
Within a short space of time iPhones and iPads had changed the way employees conduct their work on a day-to-day basis. And just as quickly, both of these devices were raising questions over the management of 'bring your own device' (BYOD), document control and security.
Beyond BYOD
In a study conducted by Ovum last year, it was discovered that 70 percent of workers who owned a personal tablet used it on the job. IT departments have already spent a considerable amount time and energy contending with the use of smartphones and tablets in the office and similarly they will also be concerned about which wearable technologies employees will want to use as part of their work lives.However, the idea of using personal devices for business use is becoming increasingly accepted as businesses realise that the line between work time and personal time has become blurred and people want to be using the same devices wherever they are and whatever they're doing.
Therefore, the launch of Apple's new Watch product and other wearable devices doesn't really have the same "shock and awe" factor this time around as we're used to the introduction of new products in our personal lives and in the working environment.
However, it does raise questions about how the way we do business will change in the next 10 years.
While the impact may not be immediate, JP Gownder, a Forrester Research analyst said earlier this year that "the promise of these devices will start to be seen in businesses in 2014. Enterprises need to start putting together a road map for thinking about how wearables can improve their businesses."
Bring-your-own-wearable
Within the next few years, it's very likely we'll see business processes change as a result of these types of wearable devices.Today, many business processes are already completed from mobile devices and as adoption of wearable technologies increases it's safe to say that people will further change the way they work to accommodate these new products. Watch devices will be a convenient way of introducing people to processes with simplicity and low friction.
In some areas the affect will be more keenly felt. Manufacturing, marketing, sales and service processes can be revolutionised with the capture of more information and the ability to measure the true cost and productivity of processes.
The same technology that the Apple Watch uses for point of sale could be used to dramatically streamline signature and approval processes.
While the introduction of wearable devices to the workplace will steadily increase over the next few years, Forrester believes that ubiquity will not occur for a decade. For now though, businesses need to accept that Watch and other wearable devices will soon be seen in the workplace and the best plan is to prepare and make sure that their adoption as work tools is as smooth as possible for the organisation.
Within 10 years we may be wondering how we got along without them. Or possibly we'll wonder what did we let ourselves in for?
- John Newton is the CTO and founder of content management company, Alfresco.
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Industry voice: Big data in marketing: how to gain the advantage
We create a staggering 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day, according to a report from IDC. In fact, these days we create so much that it's estimated 90 per cent of all of the data in the world today has come about in the last two years alone.
It's no surprise more and more data is being generated as internet-connected devices increase, big data infiltrates our daily lives and consumers gain more comfort about sharing their details with brands.
Consumer attitudes are evolving – recent research commissioned by Webtrends found that, contrary to perceptions of 'Big Brother', more than half of Britons say they're not bothered about the amount of data they share with brands.
Younger Brits are especially keen to share – 68 per cent of 18-24 year olds aren't concerned by the amount they share, followed by 64 per cent of 25-34 year olds. These generations have grown up in a far more connected, data-centric world and often recognise the "tit for tat" benefits of sharing personal info with their favourite brands.
Using data to capitalise on value of real-time insight
As these attitudes evolve further, the door is open for your business to be more creative and innovative in how you use data to give customers the personalised, exciting and engaging experiences they seek. Big data is a key part of the equation to understanding exactly who your customers are and how you can engage with them.With widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets, you can accumulate 'in-the-moment' data that can help to develop truly personalised, relevant, real-time connections with your target audiences in ways that were once unimaginable.
In an increasingly digital era, consumers have come to expect immediate, personalised experiences online, and the control of how and if they engage remains firmly in their hands.
This means successful engagement and conversion may come down to a matter of seconds. Businesses need to have the tools and solutions in place to be able to offer customers the instant experiences they seek. This is where real-time insight comes into its own.
The ability to analyse customer data within minutes enables you to quickly respond to your customers' needs as they occur. Real-time analytics provide intelligence into visitor movement to, from and within a site. Using this, you can modify messaging, content and offers on the fly to make your customer interactions more relevant. This encourages engagement and in turn increases sales conversions.
Insights in action
For example, using real-time insight, you can see which products are being viewed by a customer on your website. You can then serve up links to other relevant products indicated by their preferences and behaviour online, or deliver personalised discounts and offers that increase the likelihood of converting the sale.These actionable insights can also be used to inform future plans for campaigns to target consumers and encourage them to visit your website or engage with your brand, maximising the effectiveness of your marketing spend.
Case study: How KLM used real-time insights to quadruple email conversions
In 2011, international airline KLM implemented an email solution to share general customer offers and updates. This broadened over time to target online customers who viewed flight details but failed to make a booking. These potential customers were flagged to KLM's system, and would be sent an email encouraging them to make a purchase. This email would typically arrive eight or nine hours after their interaction on the KLM website.
In recent years the online travel market has become more fast-paced and KLM realised it needed a solution that would allow it to identify these interested visitors within minutes after they had interacted with the brand – a more optimal timeframe for successful retargeting.
The following year, KLM implemented Webtrends Streams®, the world's first real-time data intelligence and analytics solution. Using real-time data captured by Streams, such as flight destination and date, KLM can immediately react to a potential customer who may abandon their booking by emailing them a personalised, targeted message within minutes of leaving the site to entice them back and complete the sale.
Since implementation, KLM has seen significant uplift in conversion through email retargeting. Within the first few weeks, testing of emails sent in local languages showed that KLM saw conversion rates quadruple – and this success has been maintained. Of the emails sent using Streams intelligence, KLM has seen a 34 per cent higher open rate and a 94 per cent higher click through rate from these targeted messages.
Additionally, this real-time data has allowed KLM to identify where it may 'lose' customers in the sales journey, and enabled it to optimise the user experience, encouraging the customer to complete their purchase during their visit to the site.
Using data for contextual personalisation
The ability to analyse data in real-time also gives businesses – especially retailers – an unprecedented opportunity to extend their customised experiences to customers in both the online and offline ("real life") worlds.Personalised marketing has previously involved combining what we know about a user's profile e.g. their age, gender and nationality, with what they have previously engaged with online, to understand their typical behaviour and what they may be receptive to.
What's been missing, though, is the ability to analyse this data and combine it with real-time information to get a full picture of that user at that very moment in time. This 'in-the-moment' browsing data could include the device a customer is using, their specific location and their stage in the purchase cycle.
Combining known user information with the environment in which they are engaging with a brand to offer a real-time, relevant and engaging experience is known as contextual personalisation. Contextual personalisation maximises the potential of your data, allowing brands to meet a user's specific needs at that exact moment in time – giving the customer what they want, when they want it and where they want it.
Marketers can also marry the online world with the 'real' offline world through contextual personalisation. Imagine if you knew what your customers wanted before they even entered your store – everything from their shopping habits, likes, dislikes and previous purchases.
Understanding customers more deeply then ever
This information is powerful and can be used to provide a highly personalised, user-centric in-store experience, encouraging positive brand perception and ultimately driving sales. Combine this with new technologies such as Apple's iBeacon and you can use what you know about a consumers' online behaviour to market to them in-store and encourage offline sales.Let's have a look at how this could work with a customer example. Jen is a fashion fan and enjoys shopping for clothes, both online and in-store. When she is on her favourite designer's website she is looking for inspiration for her wardrobe and may even be ready to purchase if she likes what she sees, or gets an offer she can't refuse.
Modern technology allows you to understand what she has looked at previously and align it with her current online behaviour and external data such as geo-location and weather to provide a personal and relevant experience.
For example, you could show pages that reflect the great weather she's enjoying that day in Devon by recommending a collection of summer dresses. Likewise if she is visiting Edinburgh, where it's raining, you could highlight the latest range of colourful macs. Even if she does not put anything in her basket at that time, you can use the historical and real-time data you've collated to send her a retargeting email within minutes to offer a deal based on the products she has looked at, perhaps including a time-sensitive incentive to purchase.
Combining this with broadcast technologies like iBeacon, an 'offer' could be triggered when Jen is in the proximity of her selected retail store. This could be designed in such a way as to entice Jen to visit the store because the products in her recent browsing history are in stock.
Avoiding Big Brother
To some people, the idea of real-world targeting will sound intimidating and invasive. Isn't this Big Brother for the 21st century? As always, it's all about the implementation.If you blast a message to everyone who walks past your store about a sale on jeans, there's a high chance it will irritate, rather than stimulate recipients. Therefore it's important that brands communicate with consumers in a way that doesn't simply bombard them with annoying or unwanted messages, but instead proposes recommendations, offers and experiences tailored to their wants and likes.
Our research reveals that just 19 per cent of consumers say they don't respond more positively when they receive personalised content from brands, and almost half (44 per cent) find personalised recommendations useful.
A virtuous data sharing circle
Contextual personalisation hinges on a brand's ability to gather and analyse its user data. There is a common misconception that getting data from a potential customer to begin engagement is difficult and that consumers are extremely guarded with their data.However, in addition to showing that UK consumers are increasingly relaxed about data sharing, our research found that even reluctant consumers can be persuaded to share personal data in exchange for special offers or discounts. One in three say they could be persuaded to give up their personal data for a discount on clothes (36 per cent), free delivery (31 per cent) or a discount on a holiday or travel (28 per cent).
Big data allows you to tailor engagement to make it much more relevant to an individual customer. The positive experiences generated by the interactions between your business and your customers ultimately breeds trust.
This leads to a virtuous circle where consumers see you continue to enhance and personalise their experiences, their perception of your brand improves and they will be more willing to share their data with you, allowing you to personalise further. A win-win for you and your now loyal customers.
- John Fleming is Webtrends' Marketing Director EMEA & APAC.
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Forget 4K: Apple is apparently working on a 5K Retina iMac
Reports in July suggested that Apple might release a 4K iMac by the end of 2014, but the latest rumors trump that by a whole additional "K."
Apple's big secret for 2014's remaining few months is not a 4K iMac, Taiwan display research firm WitsView said in a press release, but a Retina iMac with a 27-inch 5K display.
The press release doesn't mention where this info comes from, but it's far from outlandish and may very well be true.
"That product is expected to spur a new wave of demand for ultra high-resolution monitors," the firm predicts.
Wave of resolution
Clues spotted months ago in OS X Yosemite suggest that Retina iMacs are on their way, and it's the next logical step for Apple (not that Apple always takes the logical step).And it may not be a coincidence that Dell literally just debuted its own 27-inch 5K monitors.
Hm. Wonder how that top-of-the-line display would look with a shiny new Apple iMac behind it?
These researchers believe that Apple's 5K Retina iMac will launch by the end of this year, so we only have a few months left to find out if they're right.
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Moto X may come in a Pure Edition spinoff with stock Android KitKat
Motorola might not be tied directly with Google anymore, but that isn't stopping the company from creating its own stock Android version of the new Moto X.
The Verge reports the smartphone maker will release a new version of the Moto X called the Pure Edition this September. This purported device will come unlocked with a version of Android KitKat devoid of Motorola's self made apps such as Moto Display's power saving features or Moto Assist, which dictates your text messages.
The device will supposedly even be unbranded making it one of the stealthiest Android devices. As with Google Play devices users also expect to get software updates more quickly without having to wait for approval from carriers or manufacturers to tweak their packaged apps.
Packaged deal
Other than the repackaged operating system, the Pure Edition Moto X will likely be very similar to the original.The new Moto X features a 5.2-inch, 1080p Full HD screen, which is a step up from the 4.7-inch, 720p display of the original Moto X. Motorola latest flagship device has also been updated with a new metal frame and leather back options for users customizing their handset through the Moto Maker.
Internally the smartphone packs a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor quad-core CPU with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The Moto X's cameras aren't much to write about, but users will be able to take good photos with the 13MP rear camera and 2MP front snapper.
Of course, the biggest selling point of the Moto X is its affordable $499 (£419.99, about AU$534), which makes the device a steal considering it uses the same processor as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8.
- Android L may be the first update coming to the Moto X
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Wi-Fi calling not a priority for AT&T, will roll out in 2015
Thanks to this week's Apple media event, all eyes are now on carriers around the globe to deliver Wi-Fi calling, one of the much-hyped features of iOS 8 that remains a T-Mobile exclusive in the US for now.
Light Reading today reported that second-placed US carrier AT&T is planning to follow T-Mobile's lead by offering Wi-Fi calling for smartphones, but plans to take its sweet old time actually getting around to it.
During a speech at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference on Friday, AT&T President and CEO of Mobile and Business Solutions Ralph de la Vega explained why the carrier is in no rush to deliver such an alternative to traditional cellular voice calls.
"We're very focused on making sure it's a great experience for customers, but we see it as a complement, not a replacement. We feel good about a great nationwide network with unlimited talk and text," de la Vega remarked.
Magenta leads the way
With the largest coast-to-coast Wi-Fi network among US wireless carriers, AT&T doesn't intend to roll out Wi-Fi calling until sometime next year, despite having just racked up a record number of iPhone 6 preorders today.Between the carrier's existing unlimited talk plans and an ongoing push towards voice-over-LTE (VoLTE), AT&T wants to make sure Wi-Fi calling will offer "a great customer experience with no dropped calls" before rolling out such a feature to its customers.
That gives rival T-Mobile US a leg up for now, with this week's plans to provide Wi-Fi calling to customers as a temporary stopgap in areas where indoor coverage is weak or nonexistent on the carrier's burgeoning LTE network.
In the US, T-Mobile is the only carrier to embrace Wi-Fi calling on the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models, a feature which has long been available on a variety of smartphones running Google's Android operating system.
- Get a peek at Apple Pay in our hands-on review!
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Apple claims a new record with overnight iPhone 6 sales
Thinking about getting an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 6 Plus? Well, you might not have an easy time of it if you haven't pre-ordered it already.
Apple said the two new iPhones broke the company's records for pre-orders in the first night they were available.
"Response to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been incredible with a record number of preorders overnight," an Apple spokesperson told Re/code.
The new iPhones may have sold so well that new orders appear to be backed up, particularly when it comes to the larger iPhone 6 Plus.
Return to sender
Demand in the US has been high from carriers' perspectives as well.An AT&T spokesperson told Re/code that iPhone 6 demand was higher than demand for the previous two iPhone releases.
And shipment expectations for the iPhone 6 Plus have been bumped back into October on Verizon, AT&T and through Apple's own website, indicating pre-orders have already burned through their initial allotments.
Meanwhile Sprint's website has literally been down all morning, and T-Mobile says it can't ship any iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus models out any time soon "due to high demand."
There's nothing unusual about any of this, but it does show that despite any hiccups Apple may have experienced lately the company's products are still the cream of the crop as far as many consumers are concerned.
- iPhone 6 vs iPhone 5S: how does the newcomer compare?
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iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders start today: here's how to get 'em
Apple blew its 4-inch screens goodbye September 9 by announcing two larger-than-ever-before iPhones, and now the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are making their way to customers ... sort of.
Pre-orders for the two iPhone 6s began at 12:01 a.m. PT/8:01 a.m GMT/5 p.m. AEST Friday. Apple's online store rolled out the pre-order red carpet for the new iPhones while a number of carriers took customer reservations as well.
Nabbing a new iPhone via pre-order saves you the hassle of queuing up at an Apple Store on September 19, the official iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus release date. There's nothing wrong with that of course, especially if you're game to pull an all-nighter.
But if waiting for a delivery from the comfort of your home or office sounds like a better option, TechRadar has pooled all the info you need to secure a new iPhone without needing to slog to an Apple or carrier store.
- Hands on: iPhone 6 review
If you live in the US, we gathered carrier and price stats for both phones right here.
And for those living in Australia, Telstra, Optus, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone are putting the new iPhones up for pre-order Friday, too.
- Hands on: iPhone 6 Plus review
Don't forget the prices
You may order your new iPhone early, but how much will it cost you?In the UK, the iPhone 6 price SIM-free is £539 for 16GB, £619 for 64GB and £699 for 128GB. The iPhone 6 Plus price runs £619, £699 and £789 for the same configurations.
On-contract customers in the US can snag the iPhone 6 for $199, $299 or $399 and the iPhone 6 Plus for $299, $399 or $499, depending on the config.
As for Australian customers, the iPhone 6 goes from AUD$869 to AUD$999 to AUD$1,129. The iPhone 6 Plus price hits AUD$999, AUD$1,120 and AUD$1,249 for its respective storage sizes.
- Just when will we see the Apple Watch? Not till 2015
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Can't wait for an Apple Watch? Just go download one instead
Prepare to amaze and astonish everyone you know with the Apple Watch - Android Wear edition! They simply won't believe their eyes!
Impress your friends with lies such as "Yeah my dad got it for me, he works at Apple", enrage any mugger when he/she later discovers those icons aren't even functional. "What a swizz!" they'll cry.
All you'll need is a smartwatch running Android Wear and an app called WearFaces. Then just head over to UhrArt's download page to download it.
We've put it on the LG G Watch but it looks a lot nicer on the Moto 360. Those circular icons look so better on a round screen.
- Ok, here's what we thought of the real Apple Watch
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Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Watch out, Apple's back and bigger than ever
What's black and white and gold and completely invisible? The iPhone 6, if you were trying to watch Apple's live stream as it unveiled the biggest phones it's ever built. Apple also unveiled the long-rumoured iWatch, now called the Apple Watch, and a new way to pay called - yes! - Apple Pay.
Elsewhere Microsoft mulled the end of Windows Phone and the acquisition of Minecraft while Tesco saw Amazon's Fire Phone disaster and promptly canned its own smartphone plans. It's a particularly fun-packed Week in Tech!
The joy of six
In news that surprised exactly nobody, Apple launched the iPhone 6 in two variants: a big one and a bigger one. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have similar internals but different screen sizes, batteries, cameras and prices - the Plus is £100 more expensive - and David Nield has put together a handy guide to the important differences between the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.Space this watch
If you've ever wanted a watch that showed you planet earth instead of the time, you're in luck: the new Apple Watch has more faces than a politician and comes in a dizzying range of options. There are two sizes, six models and a bajillion different straps, and there's even an 18-carat gold option for the important celebrity and sheikh sectors.We're still not convinced that smartwatches are anything more than an accessory rather than the future of computing, but as Gareth Beavis says, the Apple Watch is "probably one of the best smartwatches [almost] on the market."
Apple Pay pals
Pundits have been predicting NFC-enabled iPhones since 1832, and they're finally right: the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch have Apple Pay, an NFC-based payment system that enables you to buy things in the real world with a wave. It's currently US-only and while it's simple and effective, we can't help worrying that outside the US it'll be as useful, popular and widely supported as Apple's Passbook e-ticketing system.Microsoft: let's dump Nokia and kill Windows Phone
Don't worry, they only mean the names. A leaked internal document says that Microsoft is abandoning the much-loved Nokia brand and the considerably less loved Windows Phone brand in favour of new names. No, not "please buy our phone" and "please, please, please buy our phone". The favoured new brands will be Lumia and Windows respectively.(D)Rifting into view
Having taken the latest version of the Oculus Rift out for a spin ourselves, we can tell that the polished consumer version can't be too far away. This week we learned that it could be arriving as early as April 2015, though our sources tell us that date might be pushed back into the summer.They also revealed that Oculus VR is planning to pull a Google Glass by launching the Rift in a public beta. We suspect there will be some sort of registration system, with only a lucky few getting their hands on the consumer-ready head-mounted display in its first wave.
A Notch in Microsoft's belt
Remember those ads where Victor Kiam liked a shaver so much he bought the company? Microsoft appears to feel the same about Minecraft. Microsoft is reportedly close to sealing a $2 billion deal that will make creator Markus "Notch" Persson a very rich man indeed.The best of the best
It seems like the IFA gadget show was just a week ago, and that's because it was. Now the dust has settled and we've finally got some sleep, we've taken a look back at the very best tech IFA had to offer - and we've also picked out the unsung heroes, the tech that might not have hit the headlines but that may well find a place in your heart. It might even make the Bluetooth earpiece cool again.Not every Hudl helps
And finally, one for all you UK-based folk: Remember Tesco's plans to make a Hudl smartphone? You can forget them again: in a move that's in no way connected with Amazon's Fire phone being a complete disaster, it's decided not to make its own smartphone after all. Maybe it'll get round to making a Passbook-compatible Clubcard instead.- Which Apple handset is the one for you? Check out iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus
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Review: Vertu HP-1V
Better known for its exorbitantly priced Android smartphones, Vertu has launched itself into the lucrative headphone market.
As you might expect, the first attempt we have here, the Vertu V Headphones HP-1V, are expensive. Starting at £490, they're tuned in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen and aimed very much at a high end audience.
There's no Bluetooth or noise cancelling features here, these are passive hi-fi headphones that aim to deliver crystal clear audio, stylish looks and a comfortable fit.
They're constructed with 'aircraft grade' aluminium, with both calf and lamb leather deployed on the headband and ear cups for added plushness.
In your package you'll find a nicely designed box with all the contractual-obligation accessories – carry case, two cables – one with clicker, one without – airplane adapter and phono jack.
Design
Above all else with a Vertu product, you expect style and uncompromising design principles. But we found the Vertu HP-1V to be a bit lacking in this regard. They certainly don't have the appearance of a nigh-on £500 pair of headphones from a luxury brand like Vertu.That said, they're not exactly ugly either, and the materials used do all feel premium and robust.
However, the construction could certainly be better. The hinges on the earcups come together like two jigsaw puzzle pieces that don't quite fit together, and the exposed audio cable above each one is also of concern – damage that small wire and your headphones are mullered.
The clicker on the bundled cable – designed to help you control your music without touching your device – is one of the worst I've ever seen. It's plastic housing is really lightweight and flimsy. If it fell apart tomorrow I wouldn't be at all surprised.
I don't find the HP-1V's terribly comfortable either. The padding in both the headband and the detachable earcups is minimal and not to my personal preference, but they're not unlike many other similarly priced products in this regard.
They're nowhere near the comfort of an audiophile-grade pair of headphones like the Oppo PM-1 but nevertheless they're fairly similar in form factor to the B&W P series, particularly the P7. So hey, at least they're lightweight and don't get all hot and sticky.
Sound quality
Yeah, the Vertu HP-1V sound decent. It's immediately apparent that an effort has been made to create a nicely balanced sound, and the involvement of Bang & Olufsen will have helped here I'm sure.The closed-back design offers decent isolation and the soundscape is nicely balanced, with punchy but not over-the-top bass, crisp high tones and a robust midrange. I like them.
But I don't love them. Rather like the design, the sound quality is decent without ever threatening to blow anyone's mind. So I have to admit being a little disappointed. They are, after all, £160 more expensive than the truly lovely B&W P7, which has similar design downsides but utterly fantastic sound quality.
Verdict
The Vertu HP-1V is a good pair of headphones. The sound quality is adequately elevated from the realms of a £200 price range but is it worthy of £490? I don't think so. Even Vertu fans might be disappointed with the design, and when you can pick up something like the P7's for a lot less cash, the case for choosing Vertu is really rather flaky at best.
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Updated: GTA 5 PS4 and Xbox One release date is November 18, January 27 for PC
Rockstar has just announced that the PS4 and Xbox One versions of GTA 5 will be arriving on November 18, with the PC version to follow a little later on January 27 2015.
Featuring new vehicles, new weapons and new activities, the next-gen-flavoured game takes advantage of the new hardware with a higher resolution, increased draw distances, and denser traffic and foliage.
The radio stations will also be getting 100 new songs and DJ mixes thrown in, which will be music to the ears of everyone who has already completed the current-gen version.
Heist definition
Even better, Grand Theft Auto Online is upping its maximum capacity to 30 players at a time on both consoles. If you already own the PS3 or Xbox 360 version of the game, you'll be able to transfer your Grand Theft Auto Online characters to any of the new versions.And if you choose to pre-order any of the new versions, Rockstar will slip you a shady briefcase with a million dollars of in-game cash to spend between GTA 5 and GTA Online.
A brand new trailer for the next-gen version of the game has been released, and it's brilliant and bizarre in equal measure.
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Virgin Media's new TiVo overhaul will point you to the best shows
Virgin Media has announced that it's giving its TiVo services a significant overhaul, bringing some new features to the platform that will focus on recommendations and discovery.
The new design will make it easier to navigate through live and on-demand content, while a new app store will offer support for HTML5 apps. The benefit of this will be that apps like iPlayer will be able to roll out their updates more quickly to the service.
Meanwhile the new 'What to Watch Now' feature serves up a list of recommended shows based on your viewing habits., all of which will be categorised to make your life a bit easier.
There are a few other minor changes: the red colour scheme has been painted over with a shade of purple, and the search function has also been given an overhaul to offer suggestions as you type.
Oh, and handily, Virgin is now offering newcomers a 'TiVo in a box' option, which will let them install the DVR themselves without coughing up for installation charges.
Some features will start to be added next week, we're told, but the full update will start rolling out to Virgin Media TiVo customers from the end of October.
- Netflix is the boss of streaming, but should you subscribe?
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Industry voice: The seven critical factors that ensure a great mobile experience
Introduction and customer experience
As we explained in a previous article, offering your products and services through mobile is hugely important. With people expecting to interact with your organisation whenever and wherever they want to, mobile provides the front door. The experience therefore needs to exist, be available on a device of the customer's choice, be context-sensitive, and be of a high quality.Get it wrong, and it's never been easier for customers to take their money elsewhere (or for them to tell the world about their poor experience). But getting it right isn't just a question of going down to your nearest app development company and getting them to build you something pretty in a couple of weeks. However good the user interface is, this is merely part of a larger jigsaw, all of which needs to be in place for the experience to be a good one.
Mobile relies on a complex blend of capabilities and technologies to succeed. We'll now look at the main areas you'll need to address if you want to create a market-leading customer experience.
Every organisation is different
The first thing to remember is that there's no one-size-fits-all business case for mobile, nor can the same technology approach be used in all situations. Every organisation is different, and will want its mobile offering to focus on specific areas.By extension, the metrics used to measure success will need to be thought about carefully: simple statistics are unlikely to reveal the true value that mobile is bringing.
So what are the seven critical success factors when it comes to ensuring a quality mobile experience? They are as follows…
1. Customer experience
This is the most important area to get right. Shrinking down your website – however wonderful it may be – is unlikely to translate into a great mobile experience, because people have different goals when using a mobile device as opposed to a computer.A mobile banking customer is likely to want to check their balance or make a fast transfer between their accounts while they're out and about. The same person on the full website may want to search their statements to find a specific transaction. Different device, different context, different location, different goals. The mobile experience needs to be built from the ground up with this in mind.
Another factor that influences customer experience is how your mobile offering performs with a slow or indeed dead sluggish network connection. A high quality experience requires your mobile offering to handle such situations elegantly.
To get this right, you need to do your user research, by way of focus groups and persona profiling, to define user goals and user journeys. From this knowledge, you can design an experience, which will need to be tested and refined with real users, using techniques such as user testing and A/B testing, as well as heuristic evaluation. You'll typically need several rounds of testing to get the experience right, and remember that as platforms and expectations evolve, you should review your experience to make sure it still addresses users' needs.
2. Proliferation of device types
Delivering a high quality experience is particularly difficult when you're not sure what kind of device it will be consumed on. There's an almost infinite number of combinations of screen size, orientation, hardware spec, operating system (OS) and carrier network.It's a huge challenge to design an experience that will work well across the board, so you'll need to know the sorts of devices and platforms your target market, customers or employees are using, and build something that gives the majority a high quality experience.
When making the decision about which devices and operating systems to support, bear in mind that the more you try to do, the greater the cost of development, testing, support and maintenance will be. Mobile platforms are fast-evolving things, and you'll need to keep pace with new hardware and operating systems as they become available – it doesn't look good if your app stops working as soon as an update to iOS or Android is released.
Device-wise, you need to strike a balance between cost and putting mobile services in front of as many people as possible.
3. The context-rich experience
Mobile devices are packed full of sensors and connectivity tools that can enrich the customer experience: you've typically got a GPS, Wi-Fi triangulation, clock, accelerometer, camera and a gyroscope. Information from some or all of these needs to be brought together intelligently – and combined with information from other systems – to create a context-rich experience that enables the user to achieve what they need to do at a given moment in an intuitive way.For example, a phone can use its location sensors to know when a customer is in a shop, and then look up relevant information from a variety of services, such as special offers and price comparisons with other stores.
The flipside of this is to think about the implications of using data or services from third-parties. What if your mobile service is reliant on data from a partner, and that partner is unable to provide it? What if the data supplied by your partner is of low quality, or wrong? Could you face legal issues for providing incorrect information?
Analytics and security
4. The right analytics
Mobile provides an opportunity to capture and analyse many more user interactions. You can use these insights to segment your users more effectively, understand their behaviours and preferences, and then develop new products and services to cross-sell and upsell. You can also use the insights you gain to pinpoint sub-optimal processes, improve the overall customer experience and prove return on investment.Achieving these benefits relies on your mobile service incorporating rich analytics from the start. This is much easier and cheaper than adding this capability later.
5. Reliability and resilience
Part of a first-class customer experience is reliability. And because mobile doesn't live in isolation, it isn't just your app or mobile site that needs to be robust. Mobile services will require information from other systems, so these too must be resilient: they not only need to deliver the right information at the right time to mobile, but must continue to perform well in their primary duties as well.Mobile is likely to place enormous additional load on your infrastructure, because it makes your services available at new times and in new places. You must plan for this, and remember that the demand pattern for mobile will look very different from the ones your website sees. One option that can help you overcome these demand spikes is to use cloud hosting, which can be configured to link securely to your core systems.
6. Integrating with other systems
As touched on above, mobile services will need to link to other systems, many of which will not have been designed for the demands mobile will place on them. For example, you may want your mobile service to provide up-to-the-minute information about someone's account. This information may be stored in a system that is only updated once a day, meaning that you'll need to rethink and re-engineer the system if your mobile goals are to become a reality.You also want to avoid the situation where a user is left waiting for the service to load because the behind-the-scenes systems aren't able to deliver the required information in time. You'll need to make intelligent use of caching and set up an appropriate, multi-tier architecture that handles interactions between user-facing front-ends and the back-ends.
7. Security
The final area you need to give careful consideration to is security, which is an incredibly complex topic. To provide the high quality service your customers want, you'll be exposing more of your systems and services to potential miscreants. Furthermore, you have little or no control over the devices your services are being used on, which could be jailbroken/rooted, and be harbouring malware such as keyloggers or man-in-the-mobile apps.Think about what data is stored on the device and what the implications could be for the user and your organisation if it fell into the wrong hands. Consider what is sent between the device and your servers: what damage could someone harvesting this through a rogue Wi-Fi network or other man-in-the-middle attack do with the data?
Don't forget simpler forms of attack either: someone watching over your customer's shoulder while they type in their login details, for example. Then there's the tricky area of social engineering, as well as possible cross-channel methods of getting around security barriers.
These examples illustrate the importance of looking at security holistically: the processes and procedures you put in place need to be carefully planned and thought out across all channels that customers and employees interact through.
The tricky thing about security is that it can detract from the overall customer experience. Requiring several passwords and multi-factor authentication may give you rock-solid security, but have a negative impact on the customer experience. Paradoxically, too many hurdles can even reduce your security, because people may write down passwords if there are too many to remember. This highlights a real issue that will take time to get just right.
Remember that it may be possible to redesign your business processes to enable you to remove security hurdles in an acceptable way. The key to getting this right is to understand your organisation's overall attitude to risk, as well as your regulatory requirements around sensitive data, including the Data Protection Act.
Overcoming these challenges
These seven areas are complex and daunting to overcome, particularly when you start needing to combine them. To do so successfully, the entire delivery approach for mobile needs to change fundamentally from how it has worked for other delivery channels. We will look at this in greater depth in further articles.About the author
Richard Shreeve is Consultancy Director at IPL, and has helped numerous big-name firms develop successful delivery strategies.
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Damien Demolder: Fuji's popular 56mm lens has had a filter added - isn't that just cheating?
Canon has been going on for years about the wonderful irises it uses. Those in the best glass and L lenses feature eight or nine curved blades to create an almost perfectly circular aperture, and Canon says this is the magic answer to attractive out-of-focus highlights.
The quality of out-of-focus highlights has become a sort of photographic holy grail in recent times, with a great deal of emphasis and value placed, by manufacturers and pixel peepers alike, on the characteristics of the 'bokeh'* produced by any particular configuration of elements and apertures.
A critical component in the creation of good bokeh, as we all know by now, is the number of blades used in the aperture of the lens, so it would have been reasonably obvious to anyone that the seven blades of Fuji's original XF 56mm f/1.2 were not going to quite cut the mustard with those who like to look very closely at their pictures. In the '85mm f/1.2-alike' lens stakes, this model is up against Canon's eight blades, Panasonic's nine blades and the eight that even Samyang saw fit to use in its 85mm f/1.4 manual lens.
At f/4 the XF 56mm f/1.2 does produce some distinctly heptagonal highlights. Did Fuji's engineers not check this out before it launched the lens, or did they think it looked OK? Or perhaps this apodisation** filter version was planned all along.
We might wonder, and even be concerned, that Fuji is trying to paper over the cracks with this filter, to correct what it didn't quite manage in the first place. Or perhaps we should congratulate the ingenious idea and be pleased that now this lens will have probably the best looking bokeh in the whole school by far.
Firmware tricks
I suppose purists will be absolutely bothered that this lens has some intervention and internal manipulation to make it look good, but these days it is hard to get away from the fact that camera firmware and powerful processing engines are doing the same thing all the time to fix the short-comings of our equipment. Fuji is particularly proud of its Lens Modulation Optimiser technology that it uses in many of its X products –processing that exists to correct the flaws in its optical systems. All other camera brands do the same thing, but tend not to shout about it quite so much or give it a marketing name.In-camera firmware is commonly used to pump away a cesspit of optical shame; darkening at the edges of the picture caused by poor sensor coverage, bent lines that are supposed to be straight, the coloured fringing that is caused by different wavelengths of light not focusing in the same place, as well as image noise created by short-comings in the way camera sensors record and report light. If some of us could see the unaltered images our cameras produce we'd be asking for a refund and taking up knitting instead.
Pride and perfection
But does it really matter what trickery goes on, so long as the pictures look good? If you think you are paying out for a good lens you might feel cheated that half of what you are buying is done in software not through the optics. We have to decide what is most important to us – the absolute quality of what we own, or the quality of what it produces.Fuji's use of an apodisation filter is a clever, if not original (Minolta did it first in recent times) idea, and a neat way to solve a problem. Did the company really plan to have two versions of this lens – a £100-premium good one that shows up the short-comings of the other? I might be wrong, but I suspect not. If it was intended, it might have been more honest to announce them both at the same time. If not, this is certainly a cheaper fix than redesigning the lens to have nine aperture blades, though I think current XF56mm owners might feel less let down if they knew there was something more physically different about the new model than a circular graduated filter.
Is this cheating? Yes, it probably is. Does it matter? No, I don't think so, as in this case there is no loss of image quality: only improvement. There might be a reduction in AF functionality, a reduction in illumination and a reduction in your bank balance, but your pictures should look nicer. So that's a good thing, right? Unless of course you bought the original version last week, and now rather wish you hadn't.
A little extra explanation
* The word 'bokeh', for those who have managed to miss the on-line discussions and re-discussions, refers to the characteristics of out-of-focus highlights – their shape and the tonal transitions within those highlights. 'Good' bokeh describes fully circular highlights with smooth tones, and 'bad' bokeh shows highlights with jagged edges that reflect the number of blades in the aperture iris, highlights that are oval and which have sharp transitions from light to dark. Good bokeh creates a nice smooth background that doesn't distract from the subject, while bad bokeh fights with the subject for our attention. Good bokeh is a genuinely desirable characteristic to strive for.** The popular meaning of apodisation (or apodization) in optics is the management of light as is passes through an aperture. Here it describes the altering of the effect of the hard edge of an aperture blade, to reduce the contrast in sharpness transition especially in out-of-focus areas. In the case of this lens, and in that of Minolta's Smooth Trans Focus 135mm f/2.8 lens from 1999 (which is still on sale under the Sony brand), an apodisation filter is used to create attractive and smooth bokeh by softening the brightness and focus transitions in high contrast out-of-focus highlights.
The filter takes the form of a circular neutral density filter that is clear in the middle but which darkens towards the perimeter, with the darkening used to mask, or blur, the harsh edges of the iris blades. The heptagonal shape made by the seven bladed Fuji iris diagram when closed down a few stops is smoothed to a more circular appearance by the obstructive interference of the darkened areas of the filter, and hard-edged highlights have their edges blended to a smoother, less distracting, form.
Light intensity is reduced as it passes through the tinted area of the filter, so exposure times need to be extended to compensate, hence the inclusion of T stop markings as well as F stops on this lens.
An inaccurate, but perhaps helpful, comparison to understand the effect might be this: you are holding a large piece of black card parallel to the ground on a sunny day, and a hard edged spotlight is formed within the card's shadow by the sun shining through a hole cut in the middle of the card. You can alter the harshness of the edges of the spotlight by suspending a ring of net curtain, tissue paper, or bubble wrap above the card that just overlaps the edges of the hole. The semi shadow that this material creates softens the edges of the spotlight circle, making the bright area blend more smoothly with the shadow. That, in a crude form, is the principle of how this apodisation filter works.
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The LG G Flex 2 may drop screen size but up the resolution
According to an executive at LG India, the LG G Flex 2 will apparently come with a smaller screen than its predecessor.
Although companies like Apple have been following the trend of increasing the screen sizes of their smartphones, it looks like LG is heading the other way, with the LG G Flex 2 sporting a screen that's smaller than the LG G Flex's 6-inch display.
Whilst the original LG G Flex's 6-inch screen had a resolution of 720 x 1280, leading to a pixel density of just 245ppi, the LG G Flex 2 is expected to be capable of a higher resolution.
Cramming those pixels in
The benefits of having a smaller screen but a higher resolution include having a higher pixel density, which leads to a more detailed and sharp image.Whilst the LG G Flex's 6-inch and 720 x 1280 display lead to a 245ppi (pixels per inch) density, the new iPhone 6 crams 1334 x 750 pixels into a 4.7-inch screen, leading to a pixel density of 326ppi, resulting in a much better image quality on Apple's smartphone compared to LG's curved effort.
It's not clear what the size and resolution of the LG G Flex 2 will be at the moment, though a resolution of 1080 x 1920 seems more likely than the QHD, 1440 x 2560 offering on the LG G3.
There also isn't a release date for the LG G Flex 2 at the moment, though it is expected to launch in South Korea first before making its way to other territories.
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Exclusive: Meet the company that wants to sell you a sub-£200 3D printer in 2015
Remember when the first inkjet printers hit the market? They were expensive, slow, bulky, had a low resolution and could only print in black.
3D printing is currently at this stage now, and given how quickly prices have been falling over the past two years as the technology has matured, it won't be long before it goes mainstream.
TechRadar Pro met with XYZ Printing's senior manager for Market Development, Gary Shu, at IFA 2014 to discuss about the state of 3D printing and to witness one of the first affordable 3D all-in-one in action.
XYZ Printing is a brand that was launched by the Kinpo Group - not a household name by any measure. The Taiwanese industrial conglomerate is a powerhouse that delivers products, as an ODM, for the likes of Asus, Dell, Lenovo, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony, Seagate and Verbatim.
Shu estimates that 80% of calculators and half of the printers worldwide are manufactured by Kinpo and at any one time, a million printers (yes, a million) are awaiting shipment from Kinpo's factories (there are 60 across the world).
More than just rhetorics
The company generates more than $30 billion in revenue (around £19 billion, AU$34 billion) and has more than 8,500 engineers spread across four continents. It has 15 years' experience in printing and probably has one of the most comprehensive print-related knowledgebase globally.It is the 800-lbs Silverback gorilla of 3D printing and its products are, unsurprisingly, light years away from some DIY 3D printing kits available on the market in terms of finish and ease of use.
The Da VInci 1.0 retails for under £500 (below $500 in the US, about AU$ 600) while the all-in-one model sells for €799.
Cheaper alternatives like the MOD-t are coming but they are months away from shipping and do not offer the same industrial, sturdy finish as the Da Vinci line.
Shu reckons that the consumer 3D printing market is still an immature one. He reveals that even XYZ Printing will bringing even cheaper models, possibly down to $299, although nothing has been determined yet. As for most maturing production lines, more expensive models delivering additional features will also be added over time to cater for evolving user needs.
The evolution of 3D printing
Where will 3D printing progress? It is likely to follow the same path as inkjet printers; cheaper, faster, more precision and more colourful. Da Vinci's models are as good as it gets with out-of-the-box operation, simple maintenance and levelling.Shu however says it is not good enough and envisions a time when 3D printing will be as seamless as 2D printing. That will mean possibly moving away from the current fused filament fabrication technology towards more accurate but more expensive ones like SLA (Stereolithography). The day when printing an infinite number of colours however is still distant but change is coming for sure.
And unlike research analyst firm Gartner, Shu predicts that consumer 3D printing will become mainstream within two or three years rather than five. XYZ Printing is likely to play a big part in that drive as it seeks to emulate the likes of HTC and Lenovo and shifts from making printers for others, to making printers with their own names on it.
"We only have a couple of years before major brands take over", he candidly acknowledged. For now, Kimpo is committed to personal 3D printing desktop printers and will leverage its massive market presence to make it happen.
The Apple of 3D printing
Like Apple and the iPhone, XYZ Printing controls the entire end-to-end supply chain allowing it to tweak minute details like the finish and the time-to-market as well as squeeze. That allowed XYZ Printing to deliver a whole portfolio in less than a year with more to come.Its latest model, the Da Vinci 1.0 AIO, packs what it calls the "most precise consumer-grade 3D scanning system" in the market one that can capture an object in less than five minutes. At under £650 (about $1000, AU$1133), it paves the way for the first true autonomous, self-replicating 3D printer.
Shu also elaborated on the four business models on which the 3D printer ecosystem will thrive: service driven (service points generate half of the global revenues of the 3D market), content (e.g. selling 3D plans), the printer itself and the consumables.
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HTC might be about to launch a GoPro-rivalling camera
The GoPro might be facing some serious competition soon, as HTC is said to be developing its first camera, which will be waterproof and designed for extreme sports.
A new report from Bloomberg claims the Taiwanese company is to reveal a camera with a wide-angle lens and 16MP sensor. We're told it will connect to both Android and iOS devices, and that HTC might release its own apps to support the camera.
There aren't many other details to go on, but the source says the camera will connect to smartphones directly rather than act as a standalone device.
A challenger appears
The company recently fired out invitations to a mystery New York event on October 8, titled 'Double Exposure', where we expect this new camera might make its debut.Bloomberg's source also said that this may be the case, adding that a new selfie-focused smartphone may also be launched at the event.
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Google plays down Gmail 'hack', resets accounts
Google has played down reports that 5 million Gmail accounts were recently hacked following a breach of its security systems.
Earlier this week, a list purporting to contain users' email addresses and passwords, which have since been removed, was uploaded to a Russian forum.
In a post on Google's security blog, the search giant wrote that the supposedly leaked credentials were the result of "credential dumps" - rather than a breach of its systems.
Credential dumps contain usernames and passwords acquired from other compromised websites, or as the result of phishing attacks. Because people tend to use the same login details across multiple sites, there's a chance that hackers could log into other services using the same information.
Small number
According to Google, "less than 2% of the username and password combinations might have worked," adding that "our automated anti-hijacing systems would have blocked many of those login attempts."Google has reset compromised accounts and notified their owners, who will have to change their password when logging in. If you haven't been notified and still feel paranoid, now's as good time as ever to pick that new passphrase.
The company has advised users to review their security options, including using a strong, unique password, updating recovery options and considering 2-step verification to increase security strength.
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Twitter mines: at the digital coalface
Introduction
In 1849, in a desperate attempt to stop local miners rushing to California to join the new gold rush, Dr M.F Stephenson, head of the local Mint, is famously misquoted as saying "There's gold in them thar hills" as he pointed to the surrounding peaks in the town of Dahlonega, Georgia.In actual fact, he said "There's millions in it", and the real quote is as true today as it was over 150 years ago: if you find the right mine, there are millions, even billions to be made from it.
But in the 21st Century, the mines aren't dug in the ground, and the miners are more likely to have PhD's than a pickaxe and dirty fingernails. Today, we are mining data.
Big data, big mines
You would have to have been living in a literal hole in the ground not to have heard phrases like "big data" and "big analytics" being bandied around. It is a brave new frontier of technology where huge volumes of data are sifted to try to analyse every element of human behaviour, and if possible, to predict how people will react. And if you can predict the future, there is money to be made in it.In fact, this idea of data mining is not as new as the big data companies would have you believe. For years, retailers have been trying to draw parallels between how different people buy goods to attempt to transfer the knowledge they have gained from one consumer, and apply it to another.
How long have you had a supermarket loyalty card? I've had one for almost 20 years. And as Tesco's chairman said after the first trial of the Clubcard loyalty scheme: "What scares me about this is that you know more about my customers after three months than I know after 30 years."
Beer and nappies
There is a similar story told in the US regarding data mining done by Wal-Mart using Teradata back in the early 90s. The system spotted a trend that between 5pm and 7pm on a Friday night, people were more likely to buy beer and "diapers" in one transaction. The story is often retold suggesting that the system was able to spot that these purchases were made by young men on their way home from work, which is unlikely, as the system only had access to sales transactions, not the demographics of the purchaser. However, using that trend and moving the two products closer together produced more sales: or at least that's how the story goes.The point is, though, that sifting data for that elusive nugget of gold is not new. What is new, however, are two things. First, the volume of data has increased massively. Second, and in a sense the more exciting point, much is now publicly available.
Love or hate affair
Twitter evinces some pretty polarised opinions. Most users love it, being able to keep themselves up-to-date with trends in their own micro world, as well as in the real world. They can quickly communicate with others, which leads to rapid information sharing through retweeting. If you see a pall of smoke from your bedroom window, you have a lot more chance of finding out where it is coming from by looking on Twitter than you will have if you look on mainstream news sites.Others, though, cannot see the point. That is partly generational, but also partly to do with demographics. You might draw an arbitrary age line through people who have grown up with computers and video consoles, and those who have not. But that changes depending on the type of area you work in. Journalists, novelists, comedians, musicians and technologists of all ages take to Twitter to tell the world what they are up to.
Interestingly, research done by the Pew Research Centre in 2014 shows that 19% of all online adults in the US use Twitter, but that usage drops off a cliff in the 50+ age range, whereas for social media sites as whole (i.e. Facebook), that age range is much better represented as a proportion of the whole.
World view
What is perhaps indisputable, though, is that it is possible to get a snapshot of the world by looking at Twitter, even if that world might be a little skewed in terms of age and language (over 50% of Tweets are in English).That said, I'm not sure that just looking at the front page of Twitter to tell me what is trending is actually going to give me as much insight as I might want. Here's a selection of the trending topics worldwide as I write this:
- Watching into the Storm
- Carlos III
- Amber Alert
- Wild Life
- Jeremy Kyle
In fact, it is a bit of both.
Hosed with data
If you are a data analyst, and are looking for a stream of data to work with, Twitter is difficult to beat. Twitter provides a stream of its tweets to subscribers that can be tailored for various needs. You can, for example, get tweets that are made by particular people, or you can track particular words, or you can get the "firehose" – every tweet that is ever made by anyone.Actually, you used to be able to get the firehose, but it has been scaled back for most users to the "sample" stream, a random selection of tweets from the overall whole. But in volume terms, it is much more than the firehose was in, say 2007/8, and is plenty to be able to start to perform trend analysis.
At a basic level, what it means is that for the average business or user, it has never been easier to find out whether a marketing message is having any impact, and also whether your customers love you or hate you.
Try it. Go to http://www.twitter.com, and in the right-hand corner, type something meaningful into the search bar, your name, say, or the company you work for, or a brand that you are associated with.
Straight away, you will see a selection of tweets that relate to that search term (I now know more about people with my surname than I ever expected or wanted to know). These give a quick insight into what the world is saying and thinking. But wait for a few minutes longer. Assuming the search term is not incredibly esoteric, more tweets will start to appear quickly. (Try searching "Coca Cola" to get the immediate idea, which generates new results every five or so seconds).
That is a level of market research that even 10 years ago would have cost thousands, and you can do it for free. And of course, if you are really serious about it, a quick Google search for "Twitter Tracking Tools" will reveal dozens of companies who will help you assess your market impact on Twitter, and will advise you on how to use the medium to boost your business.
Deeper insights
However, let's go back to the question of how Twitter mines its data, and what deeper insights can be gained from that data. Back in 2008, I worked with one member of the Twitter development team and produced the first public trending tool, which went live as @secretbear on Twitter (and gained a total of exactly 15 followers!). It ran for a couple of years before I stopped updating it.The biggest challenge is sorting the wheat from the chaff.
Picking the same time range as I did when I was looking at Twitter's worldwide trends above, my newly reactivated Twitter trending tool shows (amongst a few others):
- Mompati Merafhe
- Scotland Yard
- Commonwealth Games
- Australian Ethical Investment
- Christina Perry
But the sheer volume of data is useful if you are looking for longer term trends.
Emotional analysis
One continuing area of research is around emotional analysis of the Twittersphere, i.e. can you draw conclusions about how the world is "feeling", and if so, can that be applied to other sets of data. And of course, can you make money from it?In 2010, researchers at Indiana University studied almost 10 months of tweets, and subjected them to mood and sentiment analysis using a number of different tools. They then looked to see whether this could be correlated against changes in the Dow Jones on a daily basis. And in 87% of cases, the changes in mood over the day could be used to predict whether the market rose or fell at the end of the day.
On paper, this looks like the ultimate path to riches. Track Twitter, see if people are happy or sad, and then bet on whether the market will end up or down at the end of the day. Except of course, all of this analysis is done after the event. The researchers were able to place themselves in the past and say that had they known at the beginning of the day how people would be feeling over the course of the day, they could have predicted how the day would end. What they were not suggesting is that how people felt yesterday would affect how the stock market would perform the next day.
But there is light at the end of this particular tunnel, and it comes from an unusual place: Gamers.
Parallel power
Usually associated with darkness and acne cream, gamers have demanded one thing from their computers: speed. They need ultra-realistic graphics rendered smoothly for a fully immersive gaming experience. Traditional CPU technology is not fast enough to cope with this, and has one other major drawback – it processes each instruction one at a time, (i.e. it is a serial process). When you need all 24 million+ pixels to appear on your screen at roughly the same time, plotting their movement one instruction at a time gives you lag. And lag gets you killed (virtually, at least).To get over this, manufacturers such as Nvidia produced graphics cards that could perform a reduced number of types of instructions (called RISC computing), but all at the same time, which is known as parallel processing. This type of power and parallel processing was previously the realm of supercomputers costing millions of pounds. Now for £700 (or dollars) you can get a supercomputer on your desktop.
This type of speed and power has led to the resurrection of one of the brave new technologies of the 80s, the neural network. A neural network is designed to emulate the learning patterns of the brain, by getting a computer to "learn" from data that is given to it. It fell out of fashion because while the mathematics was well understood, the processing power was just not available.
Stock answer
Today, by feeding millions of emotional scenarios into our neural network running on hardware that costs less than a second-hand car, the computer can learn the likely effects of different emotional states on the other patterns it is monitoring, such as the stock market. This way, rather than waiting until the end of the day to see if the stock market is going to go up or down, we can tell by the end of the next tweet that comes in. And this technology is available now (and the people in the know are keeping it to themselves, of course)Twitter has changed communication for a whole generation, but it has also provided an incredibly rich seam of data for analysts to work on. I have described some in this article, but prepare to be amazed at the insights into human behaviour that 140 characters can give in the next few years.
- Nigel Cannings is CTO at Intelligent Voice.
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