Google Now and Siri. Friends or Enemies? Frenemies.

There can only be one!

Didja hear?

Google Now is now available on iOS!

Aren’t you glad?

No?

Are you saying you’re not up on Google Now?

Google’s version of the personal assistant.

Well let me disabuse you of your ignorance.

About a year ago, when Google introduced it’s intelligent personal assistant for Android , many prognosticated the end of Siri.

Although Google Now wasn’t available for iOS, it was compelling and differed starkly from Apple’s PA offering.

For one, there was no Q&A.

You didn’t have to ask Google Now anything in order to get information.

Simply dial up the app, and it presented you with multiple options, all gleaned from you.

No questions asked.

More importantly, Google Now was intelligent.

Siri is stupid.

No learning curve.

No matter how many times you ask Siri a question, she’ll never intuit that you may be asking her to repeat a function she’s performed in the past.

Dumb dumb. You make me sick.

On the flip side, Google Now takes all the information it already knows about you and serves it back to you before you’ve even thought to ask.

The more you do (within the Google suite), the smarter it becomes.

Sounds bananas right?

How the heck can it tell you something about something you haven’t even asked about?

Magic, duh!

No seriously.

Google Now is an ‘intelligent assistant’, because it learns about it’s user based on that user’s activity and their previous history in other Google applications and services.

Say you’re heading out and start searching for a restaurant, Google Now will show you theaters and night clubs around you to hit afterwards.

Are you a fan of sports? Google Now will automatically update you on the latest scores from all the NBA playoff games.

That was then.

This is now.

And the feared rivalry is no longer conjecture.

Google Now for iOS is here!

Don’t look for it in the App Store though.

It’s not a stand alone app.

It’s an update to another app, Google Search.

I’ve got the Google Search app on my iPhone.

And lo and behold! There’s an update for it.

Update the app and Google Now is front and center with a little informational video.

Click through the navigation buttons, and Google Now walks you through the various utilitarian ways that it can help you.

From traffic alerts on your commute to work.

To flight information when you travel.

Google Now places a bunch of ‘cards’ at the bottom of the search screen, which you simply swipe up from the bottom to access.

My initial foray into Google Now served up the weather and a bunch of restaurants around the office.

There was also a card with an upcoming conference call.

Snorelax!

I’m sure folks with more exciting lives – or who live in Google – have infinitely more exciting stuff popping off.

If you’re (justifiably) paranoid about the privacy implications of yet another Google service, rest easy.

You’ve got to authorize the app to use your personal information.

But once you do look out!

Not really.

There are a bunch of things you can do on an Android which you can’t on your iOS device.

So that clever little swipe up from the bottom of the phone to activate Google Now – deaded.

Things like Fandango, Boarding Pass, and Events are all off limits too.

Not much of a rivalry.

I doubt I’ll remember to use the search app to look for shit anyway, even though its on my device.

So I probably won’t get much out of Google Now.

But the rest of you blokes should use it and tell me what you think.

Is Google Now the right information at just the right time?

Or will this be just another unused app icon sitting on your phone?

Need to do dirt? Get you a Burner (app).

When Techcrunch, Engadget and Gizmodo all talk about the same thing on the same day, my Spidey-senses start tingling.

So you can imagine the buzzing in my head reading about the release of Burner for Android today.

Don’t want to call your ‘herbologist‘ mom from your regular phone?

Can’t remember if the girl you copped that number from last night was cute (or not)?

Girlfriend mad at you and not responding to your texts?

Take no chances.

Burner is the solution for all that (telephonically) ails you.

The Burner app let’s you spoof your mobile phone number.

Instead of seeing your real number in the caller ID or as the source of a text message, your callers/text recipients see your Burner number instead.

Genius!

I took Burner for a spin and hit up my herbologist mom.

Getting set up was a cinch.

I downloaded the app from the App Store, entered my phone number and got an SMS with a verification code.

Once I plugged in the code, accepted the Ts&Cs and waited a few seconds, I was in.

Burner works off credits, which dictate how long your Burner number lasts.

Hence ‘burner’.

On the low end, there’s the Mini burner, which lasts 7 days, or 20 minutes talk time or 60 texts.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Large or Long burner, which lasts 60 days, or 75 minutes talk time or 225 texts.

But you get a sample Burner right off the bat.

I’m not sure how much credits cost, but the next time I need to call my herbologist mom, I’ll let you know.

That’s my Burner number.

Feel free to give me a call or send me a text.

It’s a burner, so don’t sleep. The number will be gone tomorrow!

Need to do dirt? Get your Burner (app) on!

The difference between an app and a mobile site is…

The other day, I nearly smacked the sh*t out of my wife.

Or rather, I had the urge to smack the sh*t out of my wife.

Now, I’m not a violent person.

Nor do I support domestic violence of any kind.

But she asked me a question…

So vile…

So base….

That it took every sinew in my body to restrain myself.

What, pray tell, did she ask to create such an impassioned emotional response?

“What’s the difference (between an app and a mobile site)?”

Can you believe it?

The nerve of this heifer.

I’ve been married to this broad for almost 13 years.

I’ve been in the mobile app/technology space for over a decade.

Over this period, I regaled her with stories of my exploits in cyberspace.

I converted her from a cave dwelling savage to a member of civilized society.

Where once stood a technophobe, now exists a technophile.

I brought her from a clamshell to a smartphone.

Raised her from the ignorance of PCs to the enlightenment of Apple.

Brought her from the dark of online social isolation to the light of social media and networking.

But, I digress.

Why did I want to inflict bodily harm?

Well, she was “pinning” on her Droid II and remarked how fluid the Pinterest mobile website was.

I casually remarked that if the mobile site worked so well, that the app would probably work better.

Following my advice, she fumbled around trying to locate the link to the Google Play Store on her device before realizing that the app was already installed.

Apparently, months ago, when she became the Pinterest-junkie she is today, I had installed the app to feed her voracious pinning appetite.

She had been using the app for a hot minute, thinking she was on their mobile site.

It was then, that she uttered those three dreaded words: what’s the difference.

They cut me like a knife.

She was looking down at her phone and didn’t see the murderous rage in my eyes.

We were in a public place (Ruby Tuesday) with the kids, so I channeled my inner Shaolin monk to avoid lunging across the table and throttling her.

Could she really not know the difference?

Maybe all the times she feigned sleep as I recounted my days’ work, she was really dozing off and not paying attention.

I should have known, with all those Help Desk moments, assisting her to remotely recover a file she thought she had deleted or locate a download on her computer.

Perhaps she was…daft?

My rage was quickly replaced by pity for my poor ignorant spouse, who continually failed to avail herself of her husband’s brilliance.

And it dawned on me.

If my bottom bitch didn’t know the difference between an app and a mobile site, perhaps my thirteen readers didn’t either.

I must right this wrong.

First, let’s start with definitions.

An app is a software application that’s written in the language of the mobile platform upon which it operates.

A mobile site is a website that has been optimized for browsing on mobile devices.

Now lets look at the primary differences between them, in the areas of: access, connectivity, content and compatibility.

Access

Apps are usually accessed directly from the mobile device. Typically, there is an icon for the particular app you wish to utilize, which launches the app. Click it and you’re off!

Mobile sites, on the other hand are usually accessed from within the mobile web browser. In order to access a mobile site, you’ve got to open up your browser, plug in the URL and hit enter. On many smartphones, though, you can now create a shortcut, which allows you to save the location of the web page as an icon on your device, which then opens up like an app.

Connectivity

Apps are usually available whether you’re online or offline. While many apps require an Internet or wifi connection to update their content, most are built to be used regardless of whether a connection exists. Typically, if a user is offline they can continue to use their app, and it will update once they’re in range of a signal.

Mobile sites require a cellular or wifi connection to be used. If you’re not in range of a wifi signal or rocking a device with a robust 3G or 4G, then connecting to a mobile site will be slightly…problematic.

Content

When you’re on an app, the content in the app can be stored on the device, pulled from the web and downloaded to the device, or both. Most game apps usually have content stored on the device. They user isn’t required to be online in order to play. Many games in the Apple app store, however, are now adding Game Center capabilities, which allow you to play against other users remotely. Game center content requires an Internet or wifi connection.

If you’re on a mobile site, the content is only available online. If you can’t get online, you can’t get to the content of the mobile site you’re trying to reach. Period. If you’ve got cached web pages, they’ll appear when you open up your browser, but once you try to load/reload that page, you’re screwed.

Compatibility

Apps are designed specifically for the devices they operate upon. An iOS app will not work on an Android device. An Android app will not work on an IOS device. And nothing works on Blackberries. Compatibility is not really the forte of apps.

Mobile sites, on the other hand, are compatible across devices and browsers. With the exception of Flash (which still does not work on iOS devices) most features and functions on mobile sites work on virtually all mobile devices.

My sweet ignorant wife got the abridged version of this breakdown.

Hopefully it stuck.

In my pity, I no longer harbored the desire to smack the shit out of her.

While my pimp hand is strong, so is my compassion for the enfeebled.

Hopefully my explanation of the differences between apps and mobile sites are too.

Note to my wife: If you’re reading this blog, these are just jokes. I never want to smack the shit out of you…except when you’re talking to me while sports are on the tele…or when you prattle on endlessly about inane topics you know I could give a fuck about…or when you get on me for being on my phone. But aside from that, you know I loves you.

Google Wallet makes mobile payments a reality.

Years ago, when I was working in mobile marketing, mobile payments were all the rage.

Brands were just starting to experiment with SMS, and premium SMS messaging offered content creators an opportunity to monetize their mobile campaigns.

If someone with a text-messaging enabled mobile device saw your call to action, “Text WAYNE to 12345 to get Lil’ Wayne’s newest single!”), they could type in the keyword, send it to a short code and Voila! they were listening to Weezy right from their mobile phone.

Of course, it didn’t always work that smoothly or all the time.

If you had Verizon phone, for example, which restricted hyperlinks, good luck trying to click through to the URL provided on the link you received.

Or if you hit your monthly messaging limit, you wouldn’t be able to send or receive text messages at all.

And at the time, mobile payments were restricted to paying for premium mobile content on your wireless carrier bill.

In order to complete a purchase, there was a double opt-in process, where the user had to validate that they wanted the content and understood the costs and conditions associated with the offer.

Typically, taking advantage of these premium offers involved giving your wireless carrier AND the aggregator AND (in some instances) the content platform provider a portion of the fees associated with that purchase.

Subscription chat lines and information services, like KGBKGB, sprung up to tap into users’ voracious appetite for texting.

You couldn’t buy tangible things with your mobile device.

Outside of wallpapers, ringtones and music downloads, mobile content was the only thing you could really purchase.

Today, that’s no longer the case.

Smartphones, mobile web sites, and mobile apps let you use your mobile phone to purchase virtually anything.

You’re no longer tethered to your wireless carrier if you want buy something.

iTunes and the proliferation of copycat app stores mean that you can cop plenty of compelling content right to your device.

And not have AT&T or Verizon Wireless mucking about in the transaction.

But there’s a different mobile payments space growing and maturing.

We’ve seen early glimpses of that with PayPal.

Apps like Square that have turned your mobile phone into a payment processing center.

In Europe and Asia, paying using your mobile device is commonplace.

But here in the states, the growth of mobile payments has advanced at a snail’s pace.

Until now.

Google Wallet is a mobile payment system that allows its users to store their debit cards, credit cards, loyalty cards, and gift cards on their mobile phones.

Using near-field communication (NFC), Google Wallet lets users make secure payments by simply tapping their phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal at checkout.

Although Google Wallet launched in 2011, it was only this August, that they set up expanded support to all major credit and debit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

What does it all mean?

Well for one, you’re no longer reduced to making mobile payments solely with PayPal.

More importantly, the tedious process of entering your payment information, name, address, credit card number, expiration date, security code, etc., is as simple as providing your username and password.

This is a real boon for online retailers, who see the majority of their drop offs occurring at checkout.

The best thing about Google Wallet, unlike PayPal (the carriers) and virtually any other merchant processing system, is that they don’t charge processing fees.

No fees?

That’s awesome!

Mind you, I’m not a Google person myself.

Google Wallet doesn’t work on iOS devices.

So unless there’s an app in the works, hundreds of millions of Apple users will be in the dark.

But big up to all you Android users, who have the ability to truly experience what the mobile revolution is shaping up to be…

At least as it relates to mobile payments.

Ode to a lightning cord.

I’ve had my iPhone 5 for several weeks now, and I’m slowly getting used to it.

It’s become a staple in my gadget arsenal, stepping in smoothly for its predecessor, The 4.

I can genuinely say that I’m happy with it.

Except for one thing…

That damn lightning charger!!

On three occasions since I’ve owned The 5, I’ve been without my lightning charger.

And I’ve paid for my omission with a dead phone.

Unlike back in the day (aka three weeks ago) where I could approach anyone in the Apple iPhone tribe and borrow a charge cord, today I am constrained to seek out the rare iPhone 5 user, for on-the-street relief.

Gone are the days when any ole iOS compatible device would do.

Now, it’s lightning charger or nothing.

I’m a bit peeved about it, to be honest.

Instead of being able to just rock out with my new joint, I’ve got to be judicious about my energy consumption.

Now I find myself turning off notification services, dimming my screen, using apps sparingly, all in a misguided effort to extend my battery life – or rather, how long I can use my phone.

Oh the angst I feel whenever I belatedly discover I’ve left the crib without my lightning cord.

My anxiety grows as the percentage of battery indicator decreases.

I find myself desperately scanning the hands of strangers to see if they too, might be sporting The 5, and perhaps, the keys to my depleting battery salvation.

I curse Apple whenever that bloody 20% pop up pops up, alerting me that my phone is on its last leg.

I feel shame when other iPhone users ask me if I’ve got a charger on me, both for the fact that I don’t have a cord on me AND the fact that if I did, it’s not compatible with their’s.

What’s truly wack about my dilemma is that it’s not going to get better any time soon.

The tipping point, when every other Apple user you run into has a lightning charger on stash, is a long way off.

Even if I shelled out the extra 20 bones for the adapter, which would let me use current cords to power my device, I’d probably forget it like I do my cord now!

I knew, when I copped the 5, that it had this new cord.

I was fully aware that claims of 250 hours of standby and 80 hours of talk time were an absolute farce.

But I never thought it would go down like this.

I’m killing my battery every day.

Even though I don’t feel like I’m using my iPhone any more frequently now than I did before, the frequency with which my phone dies, says otherwise.

At the end of the day, I’m really just mad at myself.

If I wasn’t always forgetting my cord, I wouldn’t be complaining so vociferously now.

I suck.

Apple vs Google. Round 2

If you’ve been following the simmering battle between Apple and Google, you might have noticed Apple’s first volley.

Not too long ago, Apple announced that they were ditching Google Maps, which is called up by virtually every app on an iOS device that uses location, in favor of their own mapping program.

The much anticipated release of iOS 6 will include this little switcharoo.

And just like that, Google will be erased from several million devices.

More recently, though, Apple announced that it was eliminating YouTube from its devices as well.

And while the rationale for maps (Apple switching to its own map program) seemed like a logical business move, the removal of the YouTube app seems much more….calculated.

In fact, the move seems to support what many see as an active strategy to decouple Google from Apple entirely.

The debate between these titans smacks of the acrimonious relationship between Adobe and Apple, which resulted in Adobe’s permanent banishment from Apple’s coveted walled garden.

More importantly, it signals the drawing of the proverbial line in the sand, with Apple squaring off against Google in what is sure to be a heated battle.

If you’re a disciple of Apple, as I am, you already know that YouTube on Apple sucks.

I never, ever use it.

But that’s besides the point.

The real point is that removing YouTube begs the question: what’s Apple going to replace it with.

Apple has been buying up innovative little shops left and right.

And while I don’t recall a user-generated streaming video service being among them, it’s entirely possible that Apple has something up their secretive little sleeves.

Anyway, we’ll just have to stay tuned…

Perhaps iPhone 5 is really going to knock our socks off.

And Apple will change the game…

Again.

Round two goes to Apple.

Is Google Play the App Store Killer?

Will Google Play unseat the champion?

Google is trying to dethrone Apple for dominance in the app market.

Although Android’s smartphone marketshare far exceeds that of Apple (I think it’s currently approaching 50%), Google’s app store has not seen a commensurate level of success.

The iTunes App Store continues to dwarf the Android App store, and Google is looking to change that.

Yesterday, FierceMobileContent reported that Google is about to scrap the Android app store in favor of Google Play, which is being positioned to compete more effectively with Apple.

Google Play will be a combination of the Android App Market, Google Music and Google’s eBookstore, effectively mirroring Apple’s App Store, iTunes and iBook offerings.

Google Play will give users the ability to access all of their content in the cloud, from any of their connected devices.

Here’s a short video from Google’s blog (obtusely) promoting Google Play.

The video is a well-crafted pitch, but the absence of a real-life demonstration of their offering left me scratching my head.

With iCloud purportedly providing the same level of capability (seamless access to your content across multiple devices, etc.), Google Play is definitely designed to be a head-to-head competitor.

According to Google, current Android App Market customers will be upgraded to Google Play over the course of the next few days.

As an Applephile or Apple purist, I’m simply not convinced that Google Play (or anything Android-related for that matter) can hold a candle to Apple.

Having handled an Android device or two in my day, I can definitively say that the user experience leaves much to be desired.

Perhaps Google Play will create a more seamless experience for Android users –  at least as it relates to accessing and interacting with their content – but I doubt it.

Either way, I’m not sure that this move will really make Google any more competitive in the app market.

As they say, you can lead a horse to water…

…but can you make them download more apps?

Hey, what do I know?

If you’re an Android user, I’d love to hear if this announcement excites you (or not) and how Google Play will (or won’t) impact you.

iCloud? iDontthinkso!

I just got this email from MobileMe, informing me that my MobileMe subscription was about to end, and inviting me to move my account to iCloud.

iDon't want to move to iCloud! And iWon't!

I’ve been avoiding iCloud like the plague, because I, for one, am not really interested in having Big Brother be the keeper of all my information.

iCloud is Apple’s suite of wireless sync and backup services, whose function is to keep all your iOS devices synchronized, regardless of which one you happen to be using at any particular moment.

While most see iCloud as some savior and a panacea for all that ails us, when it comes to synchronizing and backing up your data, I am not among them.

Even while Apple claims that the cloud (and supposedly all of your private data) is ‘secure’, recent events have proven otherwise.

More importantly, I don’t really dig the fact that I don’t have a choice in the matter.

What if I don’t want to move my MobileMe account to the cloud?

What happens with my data?

Is my account locked?

Is my content irretrievably lost?

And what does moving to iCloud really mean?

Apple claims that I’ve got 5Gb of ‘free’ storage.

But my iTunes library alone is over 20Gb.

What happens with the rest of my music library?

And what about my pictures and video?

How will iCloud handle all that?

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

The reality is that there are (some) answers to all many of these questions.

MacWorld published a very comprehensive article on iCloud last summer, which addressed many of the questions I raised above, and then some.

But, if you’re like me, you’re really not trying to read an entire tome just to figure out the costs and benefits associated with trying something new.

Especially if you really don’t have a choice in the matter.

Come June 2012, MobileMe will be gone.

Period.

If you haven’t moved to iCloud before then, you’re screwed.

Period.

Sure, you’ll still have access to some of the functionality currently available on MobileMe.

But the majority of what (I’m sure) most of us use MobileMe for, will be gone – forever.

And what Apple doesn’t say, is that to access some of the advanced features that you’re probably going to want to use, you’re going to have to pay – dearly.

Being a technologist, I’ve already got data synch and back-up happening without iCloud.

Apple has had these features available within it’s ecosystem for years.

But now they’ve got everyone clamoring to get on the ‘cloud’ even though doing so may ultimately be to their detriment.

I’ve had a slew of calls from clients seeking help for the (to borrow a term from a fellow blogger) clusterfuck they’ve gotten themselves into, blindly accepting iCloud’s Ts&Cs only to find themselves incapable of finding their data later.

Luckily for them, they know that my crew and I are Apple guerrilla warriors and un-clusterfucking the clusterfucked is our speciality.

But if you’re a regular Joe, and don’t have a crew of Apple ninja assassins at your beck and call, proceed into the cloud with caution.

As many who have moved to iCloud have found out, all that glitters is not gold.

Mobile Engagement: SMS, Apps, Mobile Web, QR Codes, SnapTags

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

I’ve got a new (and far less catchy) one for ya: “There’s more than one way to engage your audience via mobile.”

I told you it was far less catchy.

But to my point, there are numerous ways for businesses and brands to create effective engagement using mobile.

These include SMS (short messaging system aka texting), mobile applications, mobile websites, QR codes and SnapTags.

There are definitely more than these five, but for the purposes of this exercise, we’re going to focus on these.

SMS

SMS isn't just for clamshells anymore!

What is SMS? If you’ve ever sent or received a text message to your mobile phone, you’ve used SMS. SMS stands for short messaging system, and it’s a protocol for communication between mobile devices or mobile devices and computers. The maximum length of an SMS or text message is 160 characters, hence, ‘short.’

How does texting work? Text messaging works by sending packets of data (information) over cellular networks. You send a message that is delivered to your wireless carrier’s message center. From there it’s processed through several switches until it’s received on the recipient’s device.

Along the way, it picks up and shares crucial information about the sender, the sender’s location, timestamp and other data, which can be utilized to track data sent over the network.

Pros

Targeted. The beauty of text messaging for brands, is that users opt-in, only when they actually want to receive messages, information and alerts. Thus, the mobile mailing lists your brand creates, consists of motivated users who have identified themselves as tuned-in members of your brand’s tribe.

Simple to Integrate. Adding a few lines of text, with a mobile call-to-action, to your current marketing tools is a simple way to expand the breadth and depth of your brand’s current marketing efforts.

Unobtrusive. If you’re like me, you look at your phone whenever it’s convenient. You don’t necessarily respond to every beep or buzz at the moment you’re notified. SMS allows you to collect messages, review and respond at your leisure.

Permission-based. Unlike email lists, which are freely shared, bought and sold, mobile is an extremely regulated industry. Mobile marketing companies can only send messages to users who have specifically opted-in to receive messages from the particular brand that acquired their number.

Cons

Frequency. Sometimes brands send out too many messages. At other times, too few. Without being able to ascertain the messaging appetite of a particular user, your message frequency may not match that of the intended recipient(s).

Delivery failure. No system is infallible. SMS is no different. Between users traveling in and out of locations with low/no signal strength, to mis-entered phone numbers, to users switching between providers (but maintaining the same number), there are any number of causes for failed delivery of messages.

Opt-in Requirements. Since you can’t communicate with your audience across their mobile devices unless they’ve opted in, getting users to opt in to your service in the first place can be challenging.

Mobile Apps

Apps, apps everywhere, and not a bite to eat!

What’s a mobile app? A mobile app is an internet application that runs on smartphones and other mobile devices. If you own an iPhone, Blackberry or Android, you’ve probably already used the App store, and have a few apps already on your device. Other device manufacturers, like Nokia, Samsung and Motorola, all have their own version of apps that run exclusively on their devices.

How do mobile apps work? Mobile applications work by connecting users to Internet services that are typically accessed from their desktop or notebook computers. Mobile applications also make it easier to use the Internet on user’s portable devices.

Pros

On-deck. Having an app directly on a phone’s dashboard or dock, is a convenient way for a user to access your brand. When an app is ‘on-deck,’ it provides both utility and convenience within a few clicks.

Targeted. An app is typically a scaled down version of a brand’s website, focused on the few interactions a brand is interested in driving through the use of mobile devices. Well-crafted apps provide baseline information and functionality, taking advantage of the native features and functions of the mobile device.

Cons

Too many apps. There are over 1 million apps in the iTunes App store. There are almost 400,000 Android apps. Making your brand stand out among all these apps can be daunting. Getting people to know that your brand has an app may also be challenging.

Spotty performance. Some apps work great. Others work well. Some work poorly, and a few make us want to throw our phones against the wall. Getting your app to perform right every time is also very difficult to accomplish.

Platform specific. If you’re thinking about a multi-platform app strategy, it’s going to cost you because the app you develop for one device, invariably will not work on another device. If you want to cover the widest range of devices, you’ve got to have a multi-platform approach.

Mobile Websites

What’s a mobile website? Simply put, a mobile website is a site capable of being accessed and rendered properly on a mobile device. As distinguished from a standard website, mobile sites are scaled or designed to take advantage of the features mobile devices and mobile browsers.

How do mobile websites work? Mobile websites work in much the same way as standard sites. Enter a URL into the mobile browser of your device, and you’re taken to the site you’ve requested. But rather than being presented with the typical layout you’d see on a standard web page, you’ll probably have a list of tabs, finger-sized buttons and navigation options formatted for your mobile phone.

Pros

Made for mobile. The beauty of mobile sites is the fact that they’ve been optimized for small screens, and enable users to access a wealth of content on-the-go.

User-interaction resembles an app. While there are architectural differences between mobile apps and mobile web applications, the user experiences on both interfaces are increasingly similar. Most apps utilize real-time web connectivity and mobile web apps provide offline modes which continue to be accessible in the absence of network connectivity.

Cons

Navigation. The mobile phone usually comes with a small screen and no mouse. This means that navigation on a mobile phone may get difficult for the user, even if it has a touchscreen.

Interoperability. Sometimes things just don’t work wel together. Interoperability issues stem from the multitude of competing mobile devices, mobile operating systems, and browsers, developed by the various handset manufacturers, chipset makers and software developers.

Usability. Usability relates to how easy it is to use a thing. Usability problems are presented by the small physical size of the mobile phone form factors (limits on display resolution and user input/operating).

QR Codes

This is an example of a branded QR code. Looks nice doesn't it?

What’s a QR Code? A QR Code is a two-dimensional barcode consisting of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds (“modes”) of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or by supported extensions virtually any kind of data.

How do QR Codes work? Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone’s browser.

Pros

Use of QR codes expanding. Initially, the adoption of QR codes was slow, especially in the United States, where various standards exist. But the technology is gaining traction in the smartphone market, and many Android, Nokia, Blackberry handsets, have QR code readers pre-installed.

Multiple applications. QR codes are used in a wide range of applications, including commercial tracking, entertainment and transport ticketing, product/loyalty marketing and promotions.

Free to use. There are any number of free QR code generators, which will create a unique QR code for your brand, pointing to any destination or location you chose. You QR code can open a URL, play a video, send a user a text message or deliver content. All for free!

QR Code Error Correction. Through error correction, it is possible to create artistic QR codes that still scan correctly, but contain intentional alterations to make them more readable or attractive to the human eye, as well as to incorporate colors, logos and other features into the QR code block.

Cons

Requires a QR Code Reader. While many smartphone now have QR code readers installed, many older generation phones, and none of the iOS devices have a native reader application. This may impact adoption of this mobile engagement method.

They’re ugly. One of the main complaints that folks lodge against the use of QR codes is the fact that they’re unattractive. Highly stylized brands feel that the black and white block isn’t aesthetically appealing enough to be used with their brands.

SnapTags

This diagram lays out SnapTags quite succinctly. It came from their site, so it better!

What’s a SnapTag? SnapTags are rings, with visual information aligned in a pattern of bars and breaks, that impacts what content is accessed by a compatible reader app. They have been popularized by Spyderlynk, a mobile activation and marketing platform company.

How do SnapTags work? You can either scan a SnapTag with a SnapTag reader or simply take a picture of the snap tag, text the picture to a short code, and receive a code message in return.

Pros

No reader required. What makes SnapTags unique is the fact that each tag also has a unique short code, enabling people without smart phones to send and receive text messages which will connect them with the associated campaign.

Use your logo. SnapTags are appealing because they use the logo of the brand, which enables companies using SnapTags to take advantage of their pre-existing brand recognition, and not get lost in the shuffle of indistinguishable QR codes.

Cons

No widespread adoption. While SnapTags are the proverbial “princess” to the QR code “beast,” they have yet to gain any real traction in the marketplace. It’s difficult to project whether brands will adopt yet another mobile platform to engage audiences.

Too many steps. For users without smartphones, taking a picture, composing a text message, sending it and waiting for a response, may be too much work to interact with a brand. The rule of thumb with mobile is “less is more.” The fewer steps to connect with your brand, the more likely the user is to take those steps.

Ultimately, the appropriate mobile engagement tool is the one that fits your brand’s overall marketing strategy.

You may find that some campaigns warrant the use of a mobile marketing built around a text messaging strategy and print calls-to-action.

Others may fare the best with an iOS app leading the way.

But whatever tool you use, adding a mobile engagement strategy to your brand’s bag o’ tricks is a smart strategy.