Consumers Regain Right to Unlock Cell Phones

Consumer advocates have reason to celebrate as President Obama signed into law the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. This makes unlocking a phone legal once again so consumers have the ability to switch from one carrier to another with greater ease.  Over 110,000 consumers signed a petition to make it legal, hastening the legislative action. This reverses a recent review by the Library of Congress to allow it to expire.

Although it wasn't heavily prosecuted, many consumers who unlocked their cell phones could have theoretically been charged with violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Before January 2013, there was an exemption in place to allow users to unlock their cell phones, but the Library of Congress allowed this exemption to expire at the end of 2012, citing a greater number of options in the marketplace for unlocked phones.

There are several reasons why consumers advocated for this change. Although many enjoyed the discounted phone they received when signing a contract with a carrier, some didn't like the idea of making such a commitment to one carrier. In addition to that, those who travel might not want to have a phone that won't work for them overseas or one that requires insane roaming rates. The new law gives consumers greater freedom to use the carrier they see fit for their preferences and situation.

Additionally, consumer advocates have heavily criticized the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's enforcement, suggesting that many consumers who had no interest in infringing on someone's digital intellectual property were being affected.  These were people who were only looking for the best product at the best rate. Some even believe that the update to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that outlawed unlocking cellphones was more a product of wireless carrier lobbyists, rather than copyright enforcement.

While some tablets are still locked, the bill also directs the Librarian of Congress to make a ruling on whether other mobile devices, like tablets, should fall under the exemption. This could open the doors to greater customer freedom for other electronic devices as well.

Finally, in addition to greater freedom for the consumer, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act should hopefully create greater competition among carriers to deliver the best product and app offerings. Carriers will need to invest more in innovative products and less on lobbyists to increase their revenues. Only time will tell how much this affects the industry. 

Is Apple Making Some Big Changes with the Apple TV?

Is Apple finally willing to let go of some of the control it has on the Apple TV to allow third-party software developers to make apps for it? This finally might be the case with the introduction of Metal at the WWDC last month. Metal promises to be ten times more powerful than its current gaming engine, which means that Apple might be gearing it towards the Apple TV rather than the iPad or iPhone.  Could we be seeing a software development kit soon?

There's no question that Apple TV has been more of a hobby for Apple – Tim Cook actually said that himself in his COO days. This has been frustrating for the millions of people who own an Apple TV because they know that if Apple put the full iOS muscle behind it, it would have a greater impact in the smart TV market. 

As of right now, the Apple TV is well behind the Roku in sales this year, and it is currently behind the Chromecast as well. Customers have gone with the Roku because it has far more channels. With Amazon looking to have a bigger presence in the market as well with more content and channels, it's certainly possible that Apple could be left in the dust in a market that is expected to grow by 25 percent in the next three years. 

Micah Singleton raised the question in Gizmodo of whether or not Metal means that Apple is thinking about turning Apple TV into a proper gaming device. If it does allow for a SDK to be developed for Apple TV, which could potentially allow it to add a ton of channels and port games from Xbox and Playstation, the Apple TV could regain control of a lion's share of the market.  

With the announcement of continuity apps that sync Mac with iOS coming to Apple TV, it seems like Apple is making more of an effort to integrate its technology to its smart television device. It should be interesting to see if Apple opens up the gates a little bit to app development companies, so they can help create a superior experience for Apple TV users.

Is the Amazon Fire Revolutionary or Just Another Smartphone?

Given its status in e-commerce, when Amazon makes an announcement, it's met by excitement. So when Amazon had a press conference a few weeks ago in Seattle to announce the fact that it was getting into the smartphone market, everyone got really excited. That excitement waned, though, when people started looking at what the Amazon Fire Phone really was – just another smart phone. In a few weeks, the Fire Phone has fallen from number one all of the way down to number 77 on Amazon's Best Seller List.  Here are some reasons why this might be the case: 

Hardware: One of the biggest points Jeff Bezos made about the phone was that it had a longer battery life than other competitive smart phones. This might be true, but battery life isn't as big of a concern for users who have chargers, car chargers, and charging stations to keep their phone alive. Specs and app availability matter so much more, and the display, for example, is lower than iOS's retina display levels. Its 5.5 inch screen is about the same size as some Samsung and Nokia models.

Built-In Mayday Support: 24/7 customer support is certainly a perk, but how many Amazon customers actually use this feature to make it a sellable feature?

3D Effect: This is a gimmick for your home screen and little more. It will be incredibly difficult for mobile app development companies to make apps that are useful and take advantage of this effect. 

It's Not an Android: It will use Base Android, and Google will not port its suite of apps to the Amazon Marketplace. Therefore, Amazon will have to start from scratch on popular apps that use Google Services API. As of this this moment there are over 200,000 apps in the Amazon 

Marketplace, which is nowhere near the number of apps available to Android and iPhone users. 

Price: Everyone thought that Amazon would launch the Fire Phone at a lower price to become an immediate player (think Kindle Fire), but this is not the case. In fact, the Amazon Fire Phone's contract and non-contract prices rival the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S5. 

ATT Exclusivity:  There are far more options out there than when the iPhone debuted on ATT a few years ago. ATT exclusivity of the Fire Phone marginalizes the market and lowers the momentum of a possible greater market share. 

Firefly: Firefly is by the far the most interesting feature of the Fire Phone, but is it really that big of a sell? With it, users can connect directly to a product on Amazon by scanning a barcode or capturing a piece of audio or video. But Amazon already has an app for its marketplace, and it isn't that hard to reach a product page on its mobile browser, so Firefly might just be a luxury that's not necessarily a game-changer. 

While the Fire Phone is a decent phone, there doesn't really seem to be much here to say that Amazon will have Apple, Samsung, and Nexus quaking in their boots with its arrival. Only time will tell how the public will see Amazon's foray into the smart phone market.

How Are iBeacons Changing the Way We Watch Games?

As a millennial, I'll admit it: one of the toughest things about going to a sporting event is unplugging. And I'm not the only one. The next time you are at a baseball or football game or watch one on television, pay special attention to the fans in the crowd. What you'll probably notice is that many of them are not watching the game, but rather are texting, tagging themselves on Facebook, taking selfies, and doing other things with their smartphones. Attending a game is just another social experience, and vendors are beginning to use our mobile behavior to better market their offerings.

One case in point was the NBA All-Star Game. Knowing that many smartphone users allow push notifications to notify them of any new promotions (more than 67% polled have received a shopping notification in the last six months), organizers of a virtual bobble head doll booth in the area, used iBeacon technology to notify fans nearby of the booth. More than 700 people attended the booth because of the social promotion. The same vendor that did this also used iBeacon technology to promote a 20% off coupon at the team store at another sporting event. 

What does this mean for the future of sporting events? App development companies will continue to use this technology to enhance their apps for marketability. We have already seen this in malls and department stores as shoppers can receive product information and special promotions just for their proximity to a certain product. More and more users are willing to reveal their locations and lessen their privacy to enhance their shopping experience, and we should see stadiums and vendors use this technology more in the future. 

Image: Shutterstock

What Do Nike and Apple Have in Common?

With the excitement of Meb Keflezighi winning the Boston Marathon and becoming the first American to do it in my lifetime, I thought it would be a good idea to throw on my own running shoes for a run. It had been a while, but I thought it would be like riding a bike. Fast forward ten minutes and 1.2 miles later, and I was gasping for air as if I had run a marathon in Greenland. Still, I couldn't help but get excited by the prospect of running once again and getting all of that fancy running hardware, and I remembered that both Nike and Apple had rumored wearable hardware that would be perfect for the novice or professional runner: the Fuelband and iWatch respectively.

After doing a quick Google search, I found an article on Bite Interactive's blog on this very topic. Bite Interactive is responsible for some of the most innovative android and iPad app development. They have worked with a wide variety of clients, from HR Block to NASA, and they posted a link to an article by Ben Thompson on the interesting relationship Apple is developing with Nike. We all know that Apple is a vertically integrated hardware and software company obsessed with the delivery of a premium user experience with each and every product.

What I didn't consider was that Nike kind of does the same thing. Nike is not in the shoe business; it's in the experience business in a way. Between the Nike+ running app, the shoes and other gear to accompany you on your runs, and the running races it sponsors that you can compete in if you log enough miles on the app, it really does look like that Nike is trying to create something that transcends a brand; it's creating a lifestyle. This obsession with creating a multi-faceted user experience has created a certain sense of loyalty out of its customers, just like Apple customers. 

The main point of Thompson's blog post was to speculate about another partnership that might eventually turn into a Nike+iWatch collaboration, similar to the Nike+iPod a few years ago, now that the Fuelband is pretty much an extinct idea.  Only time will tell, but if anyone is ready to transform how we interact with our mobile devices, these two companies are in the driver's seat.

Does Your Business Need a Mobile App?

Any business owner has probably been tempted at some point to get an app. Wired Magazine announced the death of the web four years ago in response to more people using mobile apps to access the internet. In the digital world, four years is an eternity, so that must mean that nobody uses their PC anymore and you should run out and get a mobile app made immediately, right? In many cases, this might be true, but your need will be based on a number of different factors. Here are some that you should certainly consider in your decision-making process:

• What Kind of Content Would You Showcase on the App? A mobile app is far more than an extension of your website or storefront. It is an opportunity to engage and provide value to your prospects and customers in an entirely new, highly personalized manner with tools never before at your disposal. (GPS, push notification, Passbook, geofencing, etc). Therefore, you need to ask yourself whether or not you can use the app to showcase content and data or provide services that customers can use from their mobile devices. For example, if you're a restaurant, an app might be an easy way for customers to order right from their phones or tablets. 
• Who are your customers? It might be a good idea to know who your customers are. Are they millenials that use their smart phones or tablets all of the time to shop, or are they older shoppers who might own a smart phone for the very first time and might still be a little reluctant to shop or be adventurous with their mobile use?
• Will Your Customer Base Use the App? Does your industry lend itself to mobile apps? Does your business have a long-term relationship with your customers? Is the sales process complex and does it take time to complete? Does your product or service change seasonally or based on market changes? These are just questions you might want to ask yourself in order to make a determination about your customer base.
• What value will an app provide your users? Are there pain points in the use, investigation or purchase of your good or service that an app might help alleviate? (i.e. in-app check out to speed customers through purchase and reduce check out lines.
• Can You Find the Right Development Team? Mobile app-making is not an assembly-line process with interchangeable parts and a single template. It's an art. It's understanding what makes a brand unique and relevant. It's knowing what the customer wants and using IA expertise to provide an intuitive way of accessing it. You need a mobile app development team that can create a native customized app to fulfill your vision. I recommend that you check out this team in California. They seem to eat, drink, and sleep mobile app-making. In mobile app-making, you want the passion along with the skill.