The Mobile Marketing Blog - TellMyCell

The 3 Best Smartwatch Apps of 2014

 

Awear smartwatches are helping people achieve more with less effort. And that, after all, is what everyone wants out of a new gadget. Even if you’ve not jumped on the smartwatch bandwagon yourself, you’re probably aware of the main functions like delivering alerts straight to the wearers wrist. 

What you might not have heard about is the proliferation of smartwatch-specific apps that are being developed at a rate of knots by the global tech community. You can order food, call a cab and keep an eye on your fitness levels, all straight from your watch. If that feels pretty futuristic, consider this: we’re only at the beginning. The wearable tech boom is in its infancy. Think about that as you check out some of these pioneering apps and you can only wonder at what we might achieve in a decade or two.  

Lyft

The rain is bucketing down and you’re stuck outside a restaurant that’s closed for the evening. All your friends have gone home and you don’t even want to get your phone wet to call a car. Simply tap your watch face, swipe up and hit ‘Start’; next, hit the Lyft app and wait for that familiar fuzzy pink mustache to pick you up. All updates on your driver’s progress are delivered directly to the smartwatch. It hasn’t been quite the runaway success of Uber, but Lyft is available in 64 U.S. cities and isn’t going anywhere. If you own a smartwatch, this app comes highly recommended.

Duolingo

Taking much of the stress out of learning a new language, Duolingo uses flashcards to keep you constantly supplied with unfamiliar words whilst balancing that against positive reinforcement for the words you do know. Images and audio work together to help people learn (to date) one of the following languages: Italian, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch. Ideal for honing your skills on the move or in a crowded public place where holding a phone isn’t always practical, this is one of our very favorite smartwatch apps.

The Coffee App

A simple title for a simple messaging app, it orders your contacts according to who you communicate with most frequently. When you want to send a message, tap on a picture of that person and the app will list some of the most common messages you send to that individual. If you’ve had a history of showing up late for meetings, it may say ‘I’m running late’ (or else it’ll list whatever excuses you’ve concocted in the past for said lateness - also very useful!). You can resend or adjust one of those messages, and it’ll even prompt you to choose how late you will be. 

Best of all, the app works on a wide variety of devices, including smartwatches by Samsung, Asus and Motorola. With a few swipes, you can quickly send generic messages that won’t keep you tied up, hunched over a phone for minutes at a time. Simply glance at your wrist and swipe a few times until you’ve got what you need; by using intelligent message hierarchy technology, the app predicts what kinds of message you want to send with an accuracy that can be alarming.

Hip-hopify Your Text Messages

 

Replying to a question with a song lyric is a practice as old as songs or questions, whichever came first. Our brains are associative, and if a particular line of conversation brings to mind an appropriate couplet, it’s hard to resist using it in place of something more prosaic. And why even try to resist? 

This reference-happy attitude is what makes RapKey so satisfying. Designed by Babson student Jonah Kaner, it turns your drab, functional SMS responses into something a little hip-hoppier. 

Kaner has form in the rap world. A former digital strategist for some big-name artists (who remain nameless), the developer was familiar enough with the hip-hop lexicon that he would often send rap lyrics to friends as a way of making his texts more interesting. Realizing how easy it would be to automate the process, he teamed up with Ativ Patel and developed the first incarnation of RapKey in a matter of days. 

The turnaround was so fast because the app is devastatingly simple. All you need do is install the RapKey keyboard as an optional interface (after the QWERTY and Emoji keyboards that come as standard), scroll through a list of pre-loaded lyrics and select the most apt response to whatever you’ve just been asked. The message field will automatically populate and you can simply hit ‘send’. 

All messages are divided into categories. One category contains a collection of words that are entertaining and - vaguely - sensible responses to the question ‘where are you?’; another contains suggested ripostes to ‘what are you doing?’. Other categories include talking to your bae and money-related lyrics. Users can even submit their own suggestions for future iterations of the app.

Text messages and rap already had a burgeoning relationship before RapKey came along. Artists are finding it to be the best way of staying in touch with fans, another way of bypassing the traditional business hierarchy and a logical continuation of hip-hop's tendency to transcend norms. The two dialects - rap and textspeak - even share many commonalities, each favoring speed, slang and phonetics over standard English. They are a match made in heaven - a fact clearly not lost on the developers of RapKey.

And yet, by their own admission, the designers of RapKey have bigga fish to fry, yo. Not content with hip-hop lyrics, Kaner sees the potential for other musical genres, and even TV shows and movies that have their own standalone keyboard.

How to Prevent Apple Devices Sharing Everything

 

So you’re running the new iOS 8 on your iPhone. You’ve also got an iPad and an iPod touch, plus a Mac installed with Yosemite. You like the fact that each device can communicate – especially the fact you can let your iPhone ring through to other devices. Or at least, you liked it. Until the various ringtones going off on each device started to drive you crazy.

Luckily there are ways to stop such incessant device shaking and bleeping. If you want to stop your Apple devices from forwarding calls entirely, simply tap ‘Settings’ on the phone, then ‘FaceTime’ and flick the iPhone Cellular Calls to ‘off’. Should you change your mind later you can always enable it again in the same way.

Just want to disable the capability on one specific device? Simple. In order to prevent a call being passed to another iOS device, pick the device up, tap ‘Settings’ > ‘FaceTime’ and disable the switch next to the iPhone Cellular Calls entry. This will prevent that device from receiving calls picked up by your iPhone (as well as stopping you from making calls from that device via your phone).

Stopping call sharing is just as straightforward on Apple’s desktop devices. On the Mac, launch FaceTime and open the preferences. In the ‘Settings’ tab, disable the iPhone Cellular Calls option. As with an iOS device, this will prevent your Mac from making and receiving calls.

So how about Text Message Forwarding? It’s annoying when SMS messages get shunted from phone to laptop too right? This is the feature on iOS 8.1 that lets text messages received on your iPhone be passed to another Apple device. This particular feature is more configurable than iPhone call forwarding. To configure it, tap ‘Settings’ on your iPhone and then hit ‘Messages’. Next, tap the Text Message Forwarding icon and you should be able to see a list of devices linked to your Apple ID. Every device capable of receiving forwarded messages will be listed here. Simply enable the switch next to each device that you want to share SMS messages with – and disable those you do not.

Majority of Cellphones Will Cost Less than $100 by 2020

 

Experts predict the majority of smartphones purchased in 2020 will cost less than $100. Analyst firm Gartner says about 78 percent of global smartphone sales will come from developing countries in 2018, therefore aiding the possibility of smartphones costing less than “one bill” in the next few years.

Vendors have starting latching on to this trend via initiatives such as Google’s Android One. The company has also formed a partnership with Indian handset brands, like Karbonn, in order to create sub-$100 devices using Android reference designs.

Microsoft is trying to get Windows Phone 8 devices closer to the $100 price, and is also offering free versions of Windows to device manufacturers in emerging markets. Mozilla is working on their “ultra-budget” Firefox OS smartphones, while Samsung is tinkering with the launch of Tizen, a line of low-cost smartphones. Cyanogen Inc. has jumped on the bandwagon as well, having distributed its Android ROM on Micromax's new Yu line of smartphones for Indian consumers. India has become the third-largest smartphone market behind China and the United States as of this year’s third quarter, and Strategy Analytics predicts the country’s economic growth will be due to lower-priced smartphones.

China has emerged as the leading LTE handset market in the world, eclipsing the U.S. for the first time in regards to “long-term evolution.”

Network equipment vendor Ericsson foresees considerable smartphone growth by 2020, predicting smartphone subscriptions will reach the 6.1 billion mark—this is compared to today’s 2.7 billion. Smartphone subscriptions are also expected to surpass basic phone subscriptions as of 2016.

As user base in developing markets that want a smartphone and data package continues to grow, Gartner believes high-end shipments to these markets will slow down, since users are likely seeing little value in features offered. 

Increases in subsidies and sponsorships are also predicted, including programs similar to those offered by Opera, a company that provides carriers the opportunity to sell targeted advertising to end-users in exchange for mobile data.

The combination of smartphone growth in developing countries and saturation in developed countries has Gartner estimating that the tablet or smartphone will be the go-to device for all online activities by 2018. 

"The use pattern that has emerged for nearly all consumers, based on device accessibility, is the smartphone first as a device that is carried when mobile, followed by the tablet that is used for longer sessions, with the PC increasingly reserved for more-complex tasks," Van Baker, Gartner research vice president, said in a statement. 

“This behavior will adapt to incorporate wearables as they become widely available for users,” he added. “As voice, gesture and other modalities grow in popularity with consumers, and as content consumption tasks outweigh content creation tasks, this will further move users away from the PC.”

Versatility, easy-of-use, and cost will all factor into the growing mobile market in the next 5 years.

 

The Lamborghini of Smartphones... by Lamborghini

 

Lamborghini has expanded its role in the world of tech with...a new smartphone? Believe it or not, the legendary luxury car company has created the Tonino Lamborghini Tauri 88, a smartphone with the premium materials, excellent specifications and Italian design synonymous with the Lamborghini brand. 

Steel and Leather

The Lamborghini smartphone is comprised of steel and leather, with choices including gold, black and plain, and blue, black, orange and brown, respectively. This mix of leather and steel is meant to pay homage to the luxury brand’s automobile origins. Designed in Italy (naturally), the leather includes beautiful stitching and the iconic raging bull logo, which was inspired by the Taurus constellation.

 

Tech Stuff

The phone’s technical specifications include a 5" screen with 1080p resolution, 64GB of built-in expandable storage, a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 3GB of RAM, and a 3,400mAh battery featuring some 35 hours of 3G talk time. The back of the Tauri features a 20MP camera, while the front includes an 8MP camera. In other words, the possibility for selfies is endless—there’s even the opportunity of posting on Instagram using the hashtag #TheLavishSelfie.

 

The Price

Lamborghini is planning to manufacture a mere 1,947 phones as a tribute to Antonio "Tonino" Lamborghini, the son of Lamborghini’s founder, who was born in 1947. Each phone costs $6,000, making it just a tad more expensive than other smartphone options.

 

Is It Worth It?

The Tauri is indeed a luxurious smartphone with a number of fantastic features in addition to the overall design. Yet as with most luxury brands, owning the phone is more about the name than anything else. Whether the phone will live up to its technological promises is yet to be seen, but at $6K a pop, it had better do all that and more. Indeed, Lamborghini is leading the way in terms of luxury smartphones, which used to be more about brand and appearance than what features the phone actually had. 

Sales begin late December 2014, just in time for last minute Christmas shopping. Gifting the Tonino Lamborghini Tauri 88 is one heck of a “last minute” gift, and one that many would be thrilled to take with them into the New Year.

Will the Tonino Lamborghini Tauri 88 appeal to consumers on both aesthetic and technological levels? Is it truly worth the hefty price tag? Time (and the holiday season) will tell.

Forwarding Text Messages from iPhone to iPad

 

OS X Yosemite isn’t a new-fangled name for Yosemite National Park, but rather the newest version of Mac’s operating system. Besides featuring a new look, the system offers a plethora of special features, including iCloud Drive file storage, streamlined design for Safari, an expanded notification system with widgets, mail and message enhancements, and more. Immediately available to all Mac users for no cost as of October 16, 2014, Apple is improving continuity between devices with this new system (although not, as a number of defectors have discovered, between Apple and Android devices...)

The new set of continuity features connect iOS devices to the Mac several ways, including allowing users to make and answer calls with Macs and iPads when such devices are forwarded through their iPhones. Macs and iPads are now able to receive SMS messages, including those sent from non-iOS devices. Before OS X Yosemite and iOS 8.1 launched, iPads and Macs could only receive iMessages, which are part of the company’s proprietary messaging system designed for the iPad, iPhone and Mac.

SMS messages, usually intended for mobile phone communications only, are getting their turn thanks to OS X Yosemite, as users can send texts to any device via Macs and iPads. Now known as “Text Message Forwarding” in the Settings app, it was originally called “SMS Relay” before the launch of iOS 8.1. Being able to answer SMS messages and calls on a Mac is highly convenient, especially when a phone is charging or otherwise unavailable. 

iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite is required to forward messages and phone calls from an iPhone to a Mac or iPad. The Mac and iPhone also must be logged into the same iCloud account, and the WiFi feature needs to be off to allow for call forwarding.

Separate steps are (obviously) required to enable text message and phone call forwarding. For text message forwarding, users must turn on their Mac and iPhone’s WiFi. Note that SMS forwarding works even if each device is logged into a different WiFi system. The next step is to open the Messages app on the Mac and scroll to Menu Bar -> Messages -> Preferences -> Accounts -> Click on iMessage account -> and then check the boxes next to phone and email. If the email is not already listed, the user needs to click Add Email and enter an address. 

The email address is subsequently added to iMessage on the iPhone via Settings -> Messages -> Send & Receive. Note a registered email is necessary for enabling text message forwarding. To turn on Text Message Forwarding on the iPhone, the user needs to go to  Settings -> Messages -> Text Message Forwarding -> Turn Text Message Forwarding On. This results in a prompt requesting an activation code, which will appear in the Mac’s Messages app. The code is entered into the iPhone, and is required for every device the user wants included in the messaging service.

Any incoming message can now be answered on the Mac, and iPhone will automatically appear as a push notification on the Mac in the upper-right corner. Click ‘reply’ to answer a text, with messages also appearing in the Mac’s Messages app.

 

How to Improve Sales with SMS Marketing this Christmas

 

Black Friday’s over, Cyber Monday’s done with, now all that’s left is the business of Christmas. For retailers, the holiday represents the year’s last commercial hurrah before practically giving their stock away in January and hunkering down for a cold financial winter.

The importance of a successful holiday shopping season can’t be understated. Most retailers rely on healthy Q4 profits to get them through the rest of the year. The spending public goes into a frenzy just before Thanksgiving, and it doesn’t stop until January 1. With such high levels of activity, you’re likely to benefit without doing much more than opening shop every day, but you’re also more susceptible to losing more potential customers to a rival who has their marketing strategy figured out.

To compete, try applying some of these SMS marketing ideas to your 2014 Christmas marketing plan. It’s late, but it’s not too late…

 

Limited Time Offers

Consumerism might be cranked up to eleven at this time of year, but people are still procrastinators, often waiting until the last minute for that unbeatable deal. To take advantage of this tendency, offer time limited coupons that expire within 48 hours of being issued. If the discount is attractive enough, the narrow timeframe will convince the hemmers and the haw-ers to grab it with both hands. 

Exclusive Deals for Existing Customers

It’s far easier to sell to people with whom you already have a business relationship. Often, your best strategy will be approaching current customers who trust your business already. Send a seasonal note or card to your existing clients thanking them for their business over the past year. As a postscript, include a special offer they can take advantage of by texting a shortcode. Be sure to inform them of the exclusivity of the offer – tell them it’s only open to your most valued customers.

SMS and Store-Only Discounts

Incentivizing foot traffic is one of the biggest challenges facing brick and mortar retailers in an increasingly web-oriented marketplace. In order to bring more people in to your store, promote special offers that only apply to foot customers. Once people come in, make them a separate offer that only applies if they sign up to receive mobile alerts. Tell them they will receive a text message within a week of opting in, and make it clear that only SMS recipients can take advantage of the deal.

Stay Relevant

Your SMS contact list should be subdivided according to as many variables as you can gather. Recipients are much likelier to respond to an offer or message that they feel is highly relevant to them. For most of the year it’s a case of collating and capitalizing on personal preferences; at Christmas, things gets a little trickier as most shoppers are focused on buying food and gifts for consumption by others. Run a customer survey early in December to find out what sorts of gifts people are planning to buy for friends and family this Christmas. Even if you don’t gain any useful information, it’s a great way to add more user to your SMS contact list.