Tag: Mobile

What You Need To Know About Microsoft’s Build 2015 Event

Posted on by Lab Team

Yesterday, Microsoft kicked off its annual developer conference, Build 2015. Several big announcements were made that could have a ripple effect on the overall tech ecosystem:

Windows 10 Aiming High
Throughout the event, Microsoft expressed high hopes for its upcoming operating system Windows 10. The company reportedly wants to see Windows 10 on 1 billion devices within two or three years of its official release. Aiming to unify the Windows applications on PC, Windows Phone, Xbox One, as well as new product categories such as Surface Hub and HoloLens, with a common core, Windows 10 could be the first true universal OS.

Open Arms To iOS And Android Apps
As if uniting all Microsoft platforms under Windows 10 isn’t enough, Microsoft also unveiled two new software development kits (SDKs) that will enable iOS and Android developers to leverage their existing codes into building Windows apps, in some cases even porting their apps and games directly to Windows universal apps. By simplifying the process, Microsoft is clearly hoping to lure more app developers into Windows OS to enrich its ecosystem.

HoloLens Growing Fast
As mentioned above, the Windows 10 universal apps will also run on its hologram-generating HoloLens headset that just debuted back in January. At the demo event, Microsoft showcased some applications in a living-room environment—including apps floating on the walls, a hologram dog, and even a holographic Start Menu—all running smoothly as if in a sci-fi movie. Moreover, Microsoft announced a partnership with Unity Technologies to fully explore HoloLens’s incredible potential in becoming a platform for immersive AR gaming.

 

 

Audi Launches On-Demand Car Rental Program

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: The Verge

Audi has launched its “Audi on demand” service as a pilot program in San Francisco, which offers daily rentals of a variety of Audi models, ranging from Audi A5 for $200 per day up to an R8 Spyder for $1,285 per day. While the rate is significantly higher than other car rental services like Zipcar, Audi is clearly hoping leverage its brand prestige into capturing the upscale segment of the on-demand car market, much like what its direct competitor BMW is doing with its carsharing program DriveNow.

Moreover, Audi seems committed to building a mobile-first user experience, in which starting, locking, and unlocking the car all takes place through a designated app. It does, however, come with a digital key card as a backup just in case your phone dies.

The Google “Mobilegeddon” Starts Today

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Business Insider

Back in early March, Google announced its decision to prioritize mobile-friendly websites in its mobile search results soon with a tweaked algorithm. Now that day has come, and any website without a mobile-ready version, which includes 44% of the Fortune 500 companies according to a TechCrunch survey, can expect to see their rankings plummet in Google’s search results on smartphones. This change, however, is only for organic listings and does not impact AdWords ads. If your site relies on organic search and has yet to develop a mobile version, now would be the time to make one.

Event Recap: MobileWeek 2015 Conference

Posted on by Lab Team

Yesterday, the Lab trekked into the west end of Hell’s Kitchen to attend the first day of MobileWeek 2015. Great talks were given on new developments in the rapidly growing mobile world, and enthusiastic discussion on the future of mobile ensued. Here are the four key takeaways for brands seeking to conquer mobile.

Connectivity is Growing
The evolution of the connected car has long been on our radar and mobile is the current medium fueling it all. Vijay Doradla of Verizon predicted that “by 2025 every car shipped in the world will have some sort of connectivity”. He also believes that the underlying fabric of this revolution is due to low latency and the ability of the network to scale to consumers.

Make Data More Ubiquitous
“There’s too much data out there and too many secrets”. Kurt Collins of built.io explained that if we create a back-end that holds the data of all our mobile devices, we can have a more seamless experience; currently, bowered, data is stuck in silos. In order to have a fully unified experience, Collins believes that the implementation of “personal API’s” that can access all data on all devices will enable personal preferences to continue across all interfaces.

Mobile Security Matters
Gary Davis of Intel put the importance of mobile security in perspective: “the value of the data that sits on your phone is worth 10x that of a stolen or breached credit card”. With the progressive growth of IoT, our connected devices are producing prolific data and the weakest link in this ecosystem of connectivity is the smartphone. Davis states that “30% of people don’t have a pin or password on their smartphone”, which is alarming considering the hypergrowth of malware in mobile apps. Davis also predicts that the “adoption of NFC for digital payments from mobile devices will attract cyber thieves”. Similarly, Andrew Sugaya of APX Labs expressed his concern towards the security concerns of connected devices when discussing the future of wearables.

New Tech To Blend Into The Background
During his presentation on the endless potential of beacons, Kevin Hunter of Gimbal made it clear that the beacon is not only great at sending contextual value offers in retail environment, but can also power new discoveries and experiences at events or venues, seamlessly bridging reality with the digital world. Wearables could be a particularly effective medium for this, but for wearables to go mainstream, they have to seamlessly blend into the background with a natural, intuitive user experience.

 

Event Recap: PSFK Conference 2015

Posted on by Lab Team

Last Friday we attended the annual PSFK conference in New York City to observe new trends in digital design and user behavior. Here are the key takeaways:

Better Living Through Big Data
The theme for this year’s conference was “Live, Work, Play Better”, and various panels acknowledged the importance of utilizing big data to come up with more user-centric “human” designs. Dennis Mortensen, founder and CEO of x.ia, explained how his artificially intelligent personal assistant, Amy, emulates the ideal human-like experience by scheduling meetings through e-mail.  With the rise of mobile and IoT devices, data is creating connections not only to our own personal devices, but to one another. As Marcela Sapone, CEO at Alfred, noted, through the power of big data, there is an “overarching cultural acceptance of collaborating and sharing more”.

Digital Design Puts Mobile First
According to Manoush Zomorodi, on average people check their phones around 60 times a day, clocking in at over 2 hours a day. As mobile usage continues to rise, digital designers are starting to put mobile first when it comes to creating user experiences. For instance, boutique hotel CitizenM provides its “Mobile Citizens” with a “mood pad” tablet to control everything from lighting, to room temperature, and even infotainment system in each room. Also putting mobile front and center is Toca Boca, a design studio that makes digital apps for the “mobile-native” kids.

Shared Economy Impacts Design
Another ongoing trend reflected in the design community is the rapid expansion of the shared economy. NeueHouse, for example, is an ambitious startup that aims to become the “Airbnb for the creatives”  by creating shared office spaces designed to cultivate hospitality and design culture.  Similarly, Tactivate is working on creating shared workspace for veterans, furnished with innovative office furniture designed for mobility and collaboration. The aforementioned CitizenM is also pushing for shared office and living space in its hotel design.

Uniting Fashion And Tech With Design
We have long observed the ongoing convergence of fashion and technology, and the design community has seemed to realize its vital role in uniting the two forces as well. Manufacture NY, led by Amanda Parkes, is building a next-gen innovation center—a tech-forward fashion incubator that feels like a design studio— that aims to fuse the language and process of fashion and tech with design.

Image courtesy of PSFK

Hyperlocal Search Soars As Mobile Usage Grows

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: USA Today

On Wednesday, Google released new search data highlighting the surge of localized searches. The report shows that Google’s location-specific “near me” searches have increased 34 times since 2011, and have nearly doubled in the past year alone. The vast majority of these local searches—80% in the last quarter of 2014—come from mobile devices, cementing mobile’s dominant position in the hyperlocal market. 

Moreover, the “here and now” immediacy of hyperlocal searches is great at moving consumers down the sales funnel. Half the consumers who conduct a local search visit a store within that day, with 18% of them making a purchase. Among people who are looking for places to dine out, nearly half of them—and 60% of millennials—search for nearby restaurants within an hour of going.

 

Event Recap: Ad Age Digital Conference 2015, Day Two

Posted on by Lab Team

In case you missed it, check out our recap for day one here.

On Day 2 of the Ad Age Digital Conference, the panel discussions continued to dissect the impact of post-digital innovations on the advertising and media industry:

Mobile Leads Media Consumption Growth
Ezra Palmer, chief content officer for eMarketer, shared the newest research results on the future of media consumption and ad spending. As TV and desktop hit plateau in terms of media time, mobile has emerged as the only growing platform, whose average daily time spent skyrocketed from 48 minutes in 2011 to nearly 3 hours this year for U.S. users. As a result, ad spending in mobile media categories has been steadily catching up with the media consumption pattern, though major discrepancy in mobile video ads still exists.

Diversification Is The New Digital
Digital has evolved from “good enough” to being expected, and should be at the core of executions, aided by diversification to ramp up meaningful results. In a cross-platform era, its important to understand the power of multi-screen usage as we increasingly move towards one-to-one targeting. As Justin Smith, CEO of Bloomberg media put it, “niche is your friend,” and publishers should be fragmenting themselves to mesh with moments that matter in everyday lives.

Attention Metrics Emerge In Post-digital Transformation
As AT&T’s CMO David Christopher pointed out, “by definition, the social sphere is fractured and disjointed, so measurement is always challenging.” Therefore, the ideal common currency for digital ads should be attention-based metrics powered by unique IDs and unified views.

Technology Drives Co-Creation
Now more than ever, individuals have the opportunity to be a co-creator for every brand and product that they interact with, representing an important asset to digital agencies. As Tom Adamski, CEO of Razorfish Global, stated, “The advent of technology and its influence…is driving deeper levels of creativity”. More customer engagement encourages digital agencies to be more integrated, interactive, nimble, and innovation-oriented.

 Lead image taken from AdAge.com

 

ATMs Adapt To The Mobile Era

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Quartz

As mobile payment continues to gain momentum and impact card-based payment methods, innovation and adaptation are in store for the ATMs:

  • In the UK, people can top up their phone balance or contribute charity via cash points.
  • In Luxemburg, Diebold has installed a machine that delivers cash by reading a QR code rather than a card.
  • Some ATMs in Latin American boast roughly 50 to 75 features, which allow users to pay phone and electricity bills, or even order pay-per-view soccer matches.

 

Snapchat Grows Up And Asks For User’s Trust—And Ad Dollars

Posted on by Lab Team

Initially launched back in 2011, Snapchat has greatly matured along with its ever-expanding user base, transforming from a tool for sharing disappearing photos between friends into a content-sharing platform for consumers and brands.

Last October’s security breach, which resulted in over 90,000 leaked Snapchat photos, severely damaged users’ trust. So it’s about time that the company launched a number of initiatives to show that it takes its users data and privacy seriously. Last week, these included releasing a first-ever transparency report, shutting down third-party apps, and expanding its bug bounty program.

As Snapchat matures, it is also winning over advertisers and media partners with its massive amount of users in highly coveted young demographics. Since the introduction of its first official ad format, Brand Story, Snapchat’s advertising platform has become increasingly lucrative, reportedly asking brands for over $750,000 a day for its Discovery ads, which embeds video ads into choice-based viewing activities of brand’s target audience.

IPG Lab + Yahoo: Giving Consumers The Personalization They Want

Posted on by Lab Team

New research study details consumer expectations of and reactions to personalized ad experiences.

Consumers are immersed in digital content and ads across a range of devices on a daily basis, creating a challenging and cluttered environment within which brands must try to stand out. Increasingly, personalization is emerging as the tool to help advertisers break through the noise and forge consumer connections.  To help advertisers more effectively leverage personalization, we teamed with IPG Media Lab, the creative technology arm of IPG Mediabrands, to create “Going Deeper: What Consumers Really Want from Personalized Ads,” a study of how individuals react to and feel about ad experiences that are tailored to them.

For marketers looking to strike the right balances when serving consumers personalized ads, we identified four key areas of focus:

  1. Do mobile better – Consumers expectations for personalization are highest on mobile devices, particularly when it comes to delivering information quickly and geo-located.
  2. Understand consumer preferences – Consumers respond best to ads that are tailored to where they are and what they do online.
  3. Understand the dimensions that impact personalization – The younger the consumer, the stronger the desire for personalization, especially for big ticket purchases.
  4. Put personalization to work against KPIs – Advertisers that utilized personalization saw increases in overall favorability and purchase intent.

Interested in learning more? Be sure to read the full study. And if you’re ready to put personalization to work for your brand, contact your Yahoo Account Manager.

Download the Going Deeper Presentation Deck Here