September 2016 - Web and Mobile App Development | Custom Application Development Company

Google Allo – Can The New Kid On The Block Outsmart Others

Posted on September 29, 2016 by os_admin

Google’s latest app ‘Allo’ has created a ripple in the crammed Messaging App world. This isn’t the tech giant’s first messaging app, but Hangouts was different. Allo looks fresh, smart & offers some really new features.

This time Google has put its best foot forward by throwing in some of its own highly popular services together; Taking on already established giants like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Snapchat.

With Allo, Google’s strategy has been to reduce friction as much as possible. Simplicity with smartness is what defines the app. Perhaps the closest thing that comes to mind is China’s WeChat.

Here’s a comparison of the most popular Messaging Apps that we are so addicted to:

In terms of pure messaging capabilities, all the apps are pretty similar. But turn on the Google Assistant, & Allo really comes to life. Using Google’s unrivaled services like the maps, search and assistant… it amazes you with how much it can perform. From suggesting the route to a place you’re planning to explore, to your recent emails… it provides almost anything you can ask from an artificial intelligent engine, right inside the app itself. It’s like having a Google search engine inside the chat window.

However, the run will not be an easy one for Google. Adoption is going to be one of the biggest challenges. After all it’s a messaging app & one such platform is good enough for someone to have on his/her mobile phone.

WhatsApp, Snapchat and Messenger are in the market for years now & have gained more than a billion users each. It’ll be interesting to see if the smartness of Google Assistant is good enough a feature, for the world to jump its ships.

What do you think the future holds for Google Allo? Instant success or it’s gonna go down the G+ way? Share your thought below.

Virtual and Augmented Reality – the Future

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Jay

Studies say that a man remembers 10% of what he hears, 20% of what he sees and 90% of what he participates in. That’s exactly why Virtual Reality (VR) holds enormous potential for a number of fields like medical healthcare, communications, real estate etc.

Augmented Reality (AR) is all about blending virtual reality with real life and if recent advancements are a sign, it will take over the entire world sooner than we believe. From m

edical training’s in surgery to online travel bookings… it’s already making its mark.

Let’s discuss about some amazing uses of AR & VR.

Real Estate & Architecture

Architects have come a long way from big sheets of royal blue paper with dotted white lines to CAD software to computer-rendered mockups of a physical space. VR will enable the architects to work on project models like never before. Wouldn’t it be amazing to check out how your dream home will look like, even before the ground work has begun.

Brand Advertisements:

With AR, the advertising industry is poised for a huge boost.Imagine trying out clothing from your favorite brand sitting at home. Or check out the interiors of your dream car… It’s all possible.

Healthcare:

VR is already being used in psychological treatments for many behavioral disorders. VR therapy together with psycho-therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy has been used to treat disorders among the general population, as well as criminal behavior.With AR, the biggest beneficiaries will be our future doctors… who can get trained in surgeries from the best in business.

Education:

In coming years, AR/VR will teach us more thanany other existing medium. Using Immersive VR environments we can place students in any real world, show them life-size replicas of anything they want to learn. It’sgonna to be exciting!

Tourism

Planning for a special holiday? Imagine sitting on the couch of the suite you’re planning to book. Or to check out how the view is atop the BurjKhalifa. AR/VR is really going to revolutionize the tourism industry.

Entertainment:

If there’s one industry most excited by VR, it’s Entertainment. AR/VR games have already taken over many of our lives, latest being the hugely popular PokemonGo. Android & YouTube already have dedicated sections for VR contents, while Google & Facebook are so much into the 360* viewing. Don’t be surprised if you get to watch a movie in VR soon.

So what’s next? I think AR/VR will go a step ahead & give us the sensation of performing things like walking, running, driving, swimming or flying.Imagine what happens when scientists at NASA or surgeons & engineers get their hands on specially-crafted virtual reality technologies designed to help them do their jobs better. They’ll solve more problems. The world will literally be a smaller place.

Everything will change, for the better. Fast.

Check out our iOS App ‘AR Search‘, developed in Augmented Reality (AR).

Let me know about your thoughts on Virtual & Augmented Reality. Are you equally excited?

Top 10 Facebook Features that Go Under the Radar – Part 2

Posted on September 22, 2016 by os_admin

Facebook has indeed come a long way from the dorms of Harvard to almost every Smartphone that exists in this world. After our previous article on some of the useful features that usually go under the radar… we decided to do some more digging and discovered some more features worth a try.

1-Choose Your Account Inheritor:

Sounds weird, but its there. You can choose a family member or a close friend to look after your account, if something happens to you.

How to reach

Go to Settings > Security
Click on ‘Legacy Contact’
Add Facebook profile of your inheritor

2-Be Secured:

Worried about your account being compromised? Facebook provides a couple of options to make you feel more secured.

Here are two smart things you can do to:

Get an Alert to your phone or email id, whenever there’s a log-in.

How to Reach: Settings > Security > Login Alerts

Select your Trusted Contacts, who can securely help you regain access to your account;In case you forget your password.

How to Reach: Settings > Security >Your Trusted Contacts

3- Create Your Own Interest List

It’s basically Facebook’s version of Twitter feeds, where you can curate a collection of posts from websites, companies or individuals in one streamlined feed.

How to reach

Homepage > Look for ‘Interests‘ section on the left side menu
Click on more
Go for ‘Create List’

4-Organize Your News Feed, Just the Way You Like It

You have the complete right to prioritize the contents you wanna see on your news feed. And Facebook acknowledges it too.

How to reach

Homepage > Look for ‘News Feed‘ section on the left side menu
Click on settings button > Edit Preferences
Take control & customize your feed

5- Re-visit Your History with a Friend

What if you feel like revisiting your history with a special friend? Guess what… you surely can.

How to reach

Go to your friend’s profile
Click on the three dots, right beside message.
See Friendship

Conclusion

Like I said in the previous article, it’s the level of details that allow Facebook to get closer and closer in delivering the best in terms of social networking. With talks of bots being introduced to the Messenger (much in-line with China’s We Chat), it could well be another feather in the cap for Facebook.

Exciting times are ahead.

Any other useful facts or features you’ve come across on Facebook or any other social network? Share with us in the comments.

Top 10 Facebook Features that Go Under the Radar – Part 1 of 2

Posted on September 20, 2016 by os_admin

With more than 1.7 billion active monthly visitors, Facebook is the gold standard of social networking. For most of us, it’s the go-to app. We think we know the nooks and corners of our Facebook dashboards. On the contrary, what we know seems to be just the tip of the iceberg.

There are tons of features you never knew existed. Let’s take a look at a few of those… If you’re planning for any kind of social networking platform, you’re likely to get some inspiration.

1-Hidden Message Inbox:

You might be getting more messages than you see, thanks to ‘Message Requests’. A hidden inbox sits just beside our ‘Recent’ chats where Facebook sends all messages from unknown folks.

How to reach:

Click on ‘Messages’ icon at the top right side
The second tab will be ‘Message Requests’

2-Find where you’re logged in:

Wanna know who’s logged into your account right now? There’s a section to view all your active Facebook log-ins from all devices. Find anything fishy? You can ‘End the Activity’ there itself.

How to reach:

Go to Settings > Security
Look for ‘Where you’re logged in’

3-Speak like the Pirates of Caribbean:

If Jack Sparrow has been an inspiration to you,it’s like Jackpot! Facebook offers an option to use its social network in the pirates language. I couldn’t stop laughing after trying it for an hour.

How to reach:

Go to Settings > Language
Look for ‘What Language You Want to Use Facebook in’
Choose ‘English (Pirate)’

4-SavePostsfor Later

Found something interesting, but have your plate full? Facebook gives the option of saving posts, to be viewed later at ease.

How to reach:

Click on the down arrow at top right corner of any post.
Click ‘Save Post’
To view the saved posts later, go to your Homepage > Favorites > Saved

5-Geta Copy of Your Facebook Data:

Get your own personal copy of everything you’ve ever shared on Facebook, every message, video etc. Yes, it’s possible.

How to reach

Go to Settings > General
Click on ‘Download a Copy of Your Facebook Data’ at the bottom

Take Away…

It’s the level of details that allow Facebook to get closer and closer in delivering the best in terms of social networking. I hope the features discussed above, inspire you to look at things from a microscope. The 2nd installment on this will be published soon…

Any other helpful facts or features you’ve come across on Face book or any other social network? Share with us in the comments.