Mobile posts

Solar power has long been perceived as the answer to many of our energy woes. It is relatively efficient, extremely renewable, and as clean as it comes. It’s also extremely expensive when compared to the “dirty fuels” of coal, oil, and even natural gas. If it were possible to put solar panels on every roof, what impact would it have? Is it even conceivable? According to Techvert, “It will be very easy for trolls and skeptics to take jabs at the concept. It’s impractical, expensive, inefficient, and extremely unlikely to ever happen in any of our lifetimes. Still, one should ask, ‘What if?’” The…

For most things, when we lose them, we lose them. Depending on the value, we either replace it or put in an effort to find it. There’s not much that goes into it. Cell phones are different. There’s a process that has to happen when you lose one. It can cause emotional distress and create challenges in day-to-day life. This graphic by our friends at MyLookout breaks down the process and shows us what happens when phones are lost. Click to enlarge. …

As if they didn’t do a great job already of marketing each individual product they put out, Apple has stepped up their push in the phone market by appealing to those who already have iPads and Macs, as well as those who have friends who have iPhones, iPads, or Macs. “If you don’t have an iPhone…” is the concept and centers around Facetime, the iOS app that allows users to video conference through their mobile devices or computers. With Android phones moving up quickly in the marketplace, Apple is feeling the heat to be more than just the “cool” smartphone. They want to take back any marketshare they’re…

The last few months has seen mobile device payments skyrocket. As consumers move in droves to smartphones and companies create more “wallets” that use mobile screens and other technologies to register payments, the history of money appears to have a new chapter. Barter, coins, paper, plastic, and now smartphones – what’s next? This graphic by our friends at Gplus breaks down the direction and evolution of smart phone mobile payments and gives us a clear understanding of where the industry appears to be going. Click to enlarge. …

Our mobile devices have many uses to us, well beyond the talk and text functionality of the past. Millions of mobile apps are downloaded to smartphones and tablets every day. The types of apps we download are an indication of what uses we see for mobile devices. According to a recent study by Nielson, we want to have fun, know when it’s going to rain, monitor Facebook, and get directions. Over half of mobile device users have used apps for gaming, weather, social networking, and/or navigation in the last 30 days. Music, news, and entertainment follow. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that 93%…

It’s the kind of experiment that seems like it was hatched for a satirical spoof video, but the results were anything but funny. Home Plus, the 2nd largest grocery chain in South Korea formerly known as Tesco, needed to increase their market share without building more stores. The idea they had was simple and elegant, albeit completely offbeat and somewhat insane. “Let the store come to the people.” They created virtual stores to make grocery shopping something that could be done without while performing other duties such as waiting in the subway. With lighted billboard visualizations of the…

With nearly 70% of the US adult population accessing the internet via their mobile devices, it has become a strong play for the devious phishermen in the world. Security is always a concern when getting online, but on devices where encryption and bouncing internet connections happen regularly, phishing is the biggest issue. This graphic by our friends at MyLookout puts it all into perspective. Are you taking the right precautions when it comes to mobile surfing? Click to enlarge. …

For the first time, we’re spending more time in mobile applications than surfing the web via desktop or mobile browsers, according to a new report. It’s worth noting that this report comes from Flurry, whose business model rests on ever-increasing mobile app use. (From the company’s site: “Flurry increases the size and value of mobile application audiences, helping more than 40,000 companies in over 75,000 applications on iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7 platforms.”) But even so, the news is likely either true or pretty close to it. Consider that the sales of smartphones and tablets…

If the insinuation of this leaked video can be believed, Skype will soon be launching its very own iPad app. According to HotHardware, “If this proves true, avid users of Skype will no longer have to ‘double’ the iPhone version on their iPad to actually use it.” The iPhone app works well on the iPad 2, but it’s not as sharp, nor are the features up to snuff for a tablet. With Facebook rumored to be working on their own iPad app, there may be somewhat of a race going on from the two high-profile omissions from the Apple App Store. …

Mobile devices have become an integral part of every day life for millions of people. Small businesses are following this trend and adopting the use of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices in ways that help manage, monitor, and promote themselves. As the digital world gets larger by making the devices smaller, it’s not wonder that the reliance on these devices increases. This graphic by our friends at Intuit puts it all into perspective, noting that an astounding 96% of small businesses use wireless devices and technology in their operations. Click to enlarge. …