Why Not Order a Victim Online?
January 22, 2012
Well, here’s a new spin on predictive search. CNet News reports, “Chicago Restaurants Stop Taking Cell Phone Orders.” In parts of Chicago, so many delivery drivers have been robbed by cell phone users that businesses are now limiting their orders to landline customers. Writer Chris Matyszczyk reports:
“Chinatown and Hyde Park are the two areas where cell phone miscreants appear to have had their pizza and eaten it.
It seems to have become such a problem that the local police had to issue a warning to all business owners, complete with certain cell phone numbers that have already been involved in such incidents.
What a racket; the criminals don’t have to search for a victim. Victims come to them. But since when is this specific to mobile orders? There are whole zip codes in my area that businesses refuse to deliver to, and this began long before cell phones became common.
The write up points out that the landline-only policy is impractical, anyway. Almost everyone has a cell phone, and landline subscriptions are in a free-fall. A cell-phone order ban could put a delivery establishment out of business. Purveyors of that famous Chicago pizza may want to look into the forbidden zip code option instead.
Cynthia Murrell, January 22, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Gartner Predicts a Volatile Year for the IT Industry
January 21, 2012
Technological innovation and the creation of media tablets and advances in mobile is having a disruptive impact on many industries. Taume recently reported on a predictive Gartner study for the IT industry in the article “Gartner Identifies Top Vertical Industry Predictions for IT Organizations 2012 and Beyond”
According to the article, Gartner’s annual Predicts research on industry trends features 15 strategic planning assumptions that CIOs, senior business executives and IT leaders should factor into their enterprise planning and strategy-setting initiatives.
Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner said:
“Many industry business models will be challenged through 2015 as customers continue to adopt an always-connected digital lifestyle and market competitors exploit emerging technologies to achieve business growth and success. Cloud computing and social media will continue to provide industries with new avenues for effective customer communication and engagement, facilitating increased revenue and sustainable interaction with key customers.”
It looks like 2012 is going to be a volatile year unless IT companies use the Gartner study predictions to effectively align their business practices with the needs of customer base and partner organizations.
Jasmine Ashton, January 21, 2012
Inforbix: A New Mobile Search Service for CAD and Product Data
January 16, 2012
Beyond Search recognizes that mobile applications are on the rise and people are moving their business to devices that are as flexible as they are. However, our team notices that this trend leaves a lot of people confused about how to deal with the excess of data that is available in the world of mobile applications. Search systems that navigate the chaos are often difficult to use or are simply nonexistent.
Boston-based Inforbix is responding to the rising issue. The company develops intelligent apps for CAD and product data access and is rolling out an iPad mobile application that allows customers to search engineering data anywhere, anytime.
Inforbix is a software company founded in 2012 that addresses the excess of product data within manufacturing companies. The company strives to develop software solutions and apps to address specific data trends and improve productivity. Inforbix is currently a cloud service accessed by web browser and assists customers in finding and sharing product data companywide.
Inforbix products work together with Product Data Management systems that may already be in place at organizations and connect companywide product data. Smaller companies without PDM systems can find an affordable alternative with Inforbix.
The new iPad app is the first mobile application release by Inforbix. The app is powered by InforBix’s semantic technology, which connects structured and unstructured related product data. This link allows users to find and access product data quickly on-the-go, while still providing correct and thorough information that is crucial to efficiency and productivity.
The service is cloud-based and requires no data migration or maintenance. The app can also access multiple file types and addresses searching and accessing product data, as well as other product data tasks such as organizing and presenting data patterns. The app is easy to use and requires no training or prior experience to use.
Chief Executive Officer Oleg Shilovistsky speaks on the topic of the mobile app release in the PR News Release:
“There’s lots of data everywhere. Customers are asking ‘How can I access it all with a single solution?’ Enter Inforbix, and the new iPad app will take Inforbix, a fresh new approach to find, engage with, and administer product data in manufacturing companies, a giant step forward in accessibility.”
The software is simple for companies to employ and is an intelligent solution to sorting through the endless product data that is available. The app can be demoed by pointing to http://www.inforbix.com/demo. Current Inforbix customers can already begin using the iPad app, which is available for free on the Apple App Store. New users can register with Inforbix to enable the app and begin accessing company product data.
At Beyond Search, we applaud companies that are focusing on creatively solving the issue of excess data and are impressed with Inforbix’s move to mobile. The future of technology is going fluid and companies need to remain accessible in the transition.
Andrea Hayden, January 16, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Engineers Skeptical of Mobile Apps
January 13, 2012
The public is sold on mobile technology. They gobble up the latest tablets and download the greatest apps. But “Do Engineers Have an Appetite for Mobile Apps?” It might surprise you that CAD users are still a quite hesitant about going mobile.
Engineers are not convinced “that their day-to-day design tools can translate well to a tablet or smartphone platform.” It is up to vendors like Autodesk to change their minds. Engineers will likely use mobile apps differently than they do their traditional CAD software.
Rather than serving as a direct replacement for desktops or laptops for doing traditional CAD and modeling work, the mobile platforms are far better suited for specific tasks and workflows, and design tool apps have to follow suit.
Change is almost always met with some type of resistance. CAD users will eventually integrate mobile apps into their everyday professional life. But apps have to win their trust by becoming more reliable. Inforbix is doing just that. Their product data apps help users, like engineers and product managers, quickly and easily find, re-use, and share product data from disparate sources and file types. Inforbix’s revolutionary product data apps will quickly change the mind of any skeptical engineer.
Jennifer Wensink, January 13, 2012
Mobile Users May Say No
January 13, 2012
In such a heavy mobile based technology world, businesses understand the need to be in tune with what customers are doing on these devices and readily jump on their ability to collect data from those who are willing to share. However, according to the Ontrack Data Recovery News article “Business Data Collection “May Face Backlash From Mobile Users,” users may no longer be so eager to share. “Businesses’ ability to collect data from those using mobile and pad devices may be short lived, as individuals become more cagey about what they are willing to share.” According to the article business data collection is going to gain even more popularity in 2012 but the importance of privacy and data security is also going to grow. Psychologist Graham Jones makes a bold prediction “Business which focus on tapping into geolocation and so on will probably only have a relatively short life, as human beings batten down the hatches and increase their privacy.” From phone tapping in Congress to sharing on Facebook, privacy is becoming an issue. Seems more and more people have adopted the philosophy “just keep it to yourself.”
April Holmes, January 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google Gets Dinged Again
January 11, 2012
There have been some interesting statistics released recently in regards to Google+ growth and Android growth. According to the numbers Google stands to take over the world. That is precisely why the article, Digitas’ Bitterman On Owned, Earned And Hype — And Why Google+ Has Been A Negative, on MediaPost, caught our attention. According to the social marketing guru Google+ isn’t all it is hyped up to be.
The latest reports on Google+ numbers show that over 600,000 new members are signed on every day. Currently having over 60,000 million members Paul Allen of Ancestry.com predicts that by the end of 2012 400,000 million members could be a reality.
Google didn’t leave good enough alone with their market dominating efforts. Another report about the Google owned, Android, informed that 700,000 new Android activations happened each day – staggering numbers for a staggering company.
So why the loss of love from Bitterman? According to the article (quoting Bitterman),
We were surprised by the lack of true adoption of Google+ after an initial burst. With all of the resources at their disposal, we don’t count them out by a long shot, but integrating G+ into other parts of the Google ecosystem — as they intend to do –– would be wise. 2012 feels ripe for a breakout in this area. We are pleased with the speed in which brands are embracing marketing as service. (Digitas defines this as developing experiences with utility built-in.)
So all said and done the numbers of Google’s 2011 achievements are impressive and Bitterman doesn’t discount them, but Google needs to stop gloating and focus on the race if they want a chance at winning.
Catherine Lamsfuss, January 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Android: Beyond Amazon and Samsung
January 10, 2012
I bought a phone from an outfit in China. I have been in some interesting cities in that vast, time immune nation state. The phone cost about $40 US. It runs a version of Android, supports two SIMMS, and worked with over the counter SIMMs from Europe and the US. I am not sure the phone is available in the US, but when I head to the damp, hot flood plains of Cambodia, I will tote my trust no name mobile gizmo. The BlackBerry is a technical clunker compared to this $40, two-SIMM device.
I thought about my gizmo when I read Samsung vs Google by the respected manager and investor Jean-Louis Gassée. I agree with most of his points, but I have worked with French wizards long enough to know that life is easier if one looks at the French as having outstanding technical capabilities, not just a nice country in which to purchase cheese. So no push back from me about the main point of the write up:
But even if we “de-propagandize” the numbers, Samsung is clearly the number one Android handset maker, and, just as clearly, it’s taking large chunks of market share from the other two leading players: Motorola and HTC both announced lower than expected Q4CY11 numbers. HTC’s unit volume was 10 million units, down from 13.2 million in Q3; Motorola got 10.5 million units in Q4, down from 11.6 million in Q3. This leaves us with the potential for an interesting face-off. Not Samsung vs Motorola/HTC, but…Samsung vs. Google. As Erik Sherman observes in his CBS MoneyWatch post, since Samsung ships close to 55% of all Android phones, the company could be in a position to twist Google’s arm. If last quarter’s trend continues — if Motorola and HTC lose even more ground — Samsung’s bargaining position will become even stronger. But what is Samsung’s ‘‘bargaining position’’? What could they want? Perhaps more search referral money (the $$ flowing when Google’s search engine is used on a smartphone), earlier access to Android releases, a share of advertising revenue… Will Google let Samsung gain the upper hand? Not likely, or at least not for long.There’s Motorola, about to become a fully-owned but “independent” Google subsidiary. A Googorola vertically-integrated smartphone line could counterbalance Samsung’s influence.
What caught my attention is the interesting role of Amazon in the Android avalanche. Amazon has used Android in its apparently successful Kindle Fire. The Amazon approach reminded me of the Chinese dual SIMM mobile phone. Android was like the lift a dude ranch rider gets from the trail ride boss. Android gets the dudes on the horses. Once on the horses, both dudes and animals can behave in unpredictable ways.
What is not in the write up is the possibility that the Amazons, Chinese mobile makers, and Samsung may use that open source Android in idiosyncratic ways. Even a dude ranch guest can make a horse behave, and in some cases turn the “head to the barn” mindset into a wild gallop. Can Google manage one or more run away horses? Will the clueless dude ranch rider develop some new affinity with the horse and make it do new tricks? Will the horse come back to the barn?
Google’s risk lies beyond Amazon and Samsung. Android in the hands of the clever engineers who developed my two SIMM phone may not behave as desired. Once out of the barn, life can be even more interesting. Is Google prepared for that type of “interesting”? I think that Google has to demonstrate that the freedom which created the Android herd can keep the nags under control. Does Jeff Bezos don a saddle and bridle each morning? Does the maker of my mobile with two SIMMs respond to Google’s trail boss and his whistle? Will Samsung trot back to the barn in a docile, predictable way? I think not.
Stephen E Arnold, January 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
QR Code Metadata Explained
January 9, 2012
We’ve found insight into mobile metatags: what they are and what can be searched in “Top 14 Things Marketers Need to Know About QR Codes” at Search Engine Watch. First on writer Angie Schottmuller’s list is the difference between the familiar UPC barcode, a one-dimensional code that can only be scanned in one direction, and 2-D barcodes like the QR, which store data in both directions.
Other highlights of the list include the fact that 2D codes can store many different types of data, from text to contacts, since they can accommodate so much more of it. Also, if a QR code is too small or complex, phones with low-grade cameras will have trouble reading it. My favorite entry: tools to create and read 2D barcodes are free—the write up gives us sources. There are also management tools available at reasonable prices.
One important point that could get lost in the excitement of adopting a new technology is this: the content must be worth the customer’s effort to do any good. The article notes:
It’s work to scan a barcode, so users have higher expectations as to what content they will find. Reward the user with discounts, exclusive content, or useful tips relevant to the code’s context. Consider scenarios that leverage smartphone features (email, SMS, phone call, video, map, apps, etc.) to save the user time.
One more cool thing. Because these codes allow for a high error tolerance so that damaged codes can be scanned, designers can get artsy with the shapes and colors. Good for marketing in our hyperactive world.
Cynthia Murrell, January 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Search Engines Just for Mobile Apps
January 9, 2012
We’ve found a couple of new app search engines to check out. The Next Web concluded that “Appgravity is Like a Better Google Search for Android Apps.” Appgravity lets users search the Android Market by name or keywords, with category and list-order features. A convenient button takes the decisive straight to the Market’s Download or Purchase page. Reviewer Martin Bryant found the interface and filtering options to be better than the Market’s built in search. More improvements are planned.
The article observes:
It certainly sounds like the team has had an uphill struggle to build a third-party service that works with the Android Market. ‘We, along with a few other companies and developers, have effectively reverse engineered the Android Market’s public API,’ says [Appgravity’s] Dickens. ‘There is a very tight-knit but open community hosted by Google centered around this “API” which really exists more for Android and its close partners’ use.’
Interesting development. Another contender is Quixey, which does not restrict itself to Android’s store. “You can find apps on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Facebook, web and more!” it promises. The service is still in beta, but the start-up has high hopes for its Functional Search, which it developed specifically for apps. See their About page for more on how that works.
Can we expect more entries in this new specialization?
Cynthia Murrell, January 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Two Big Outfits Knee Jerk Forward in Mobile Apps
January 5, 2012
We track the enterprise applications market on a daily basis. I keep the content separate, but I noticed two unrelated stories this morning and both of them triggered thoughts about information access. In my opinion, one cannot easily do “work” today unless it is possible to access, find, tap into, or otherwise get one’s mental paws around digital information. Those struggling with information overload are desperate for solutions; hence, the Big Data boomlet. There are companies which are increasingly isolated from where the information action is, and increasingly these companies are taking actions that would have made little sense just three years ago. Today crazy acquisitions do not raise a pundit’s blood pressure.
Example 1: Point your browser to “FT Buys Its Web App Maker; CEO Ridding’s Memo.” The Financial Times publishes the orange business newspaper and has a juicy chunk of the Economist, the touchstone of the MBA subculture. A couple of years ago, the FT dumped the wax museum, and I thought the outfit was going to focus on its brand and content. After an exciting brush with digital craziness in the now offline Newssift service, the FT is embracing mobile applications or apps.
I found this passage notable:
Assanka launched the HTML5 Web app with the paper’s in-house product team in June 2011, declaring “the craze for native apps is a short one and we are already seeing it on the wane”.
Wow. Never mind that Thomson Reuters has mobile apps which enjoy a modest audience. Ignore the fact that the Bloomberg app for the iPad is a case example of interface excitement. The FT purchased a mobile app development company. After my spin through a recent mobile app conference in London, I can report that the cultural blend of the FT and its interesting view of online information will interact in some interesting ways with the good folks at Assanka. Yes, interesting.
Example 2: Now navigate to “Confirmed: Deloitte Buys Ubermind, Looking to Play a Bigger Role in Mobile Apps.” This article asserts:
Joining Deloitte gives us a chance to be part of something big—something bigger than we could ever accomplish on our own. By combining our creative and technical chops with Deloitte’s global reach, industry insight, and deep talent, we have the ability to make an unmistakable impact in the industry.
We are also focused on maintaining what was working. The key elements of our business that make us unique will remain the same: our people and culture. We look forward to continued success as part of Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Blue chip consulting and services firms are facing a tough challenge.
First, the best and brightest don’t automatically flock to these companies any longer. Google and Facebook, for example, have more magnetism. Second, the emergence of outfits like Gerson Lehman Group have sucked money from the Blue Chips. GLG offers blue chip expertise at a much more attractive price point. Third, clients are pinching pennies and sometimes are quite happy to hire people who have been terminated with extreme prejudice and will work for less money than a full time equivalent. Fourth, it is tough to market the old fashioned way. Some of the traditional big spenders are retiring and the 20 and 30 somethings prefer to get their business advice without a detour through carpet land. How will a professional services firm leverage Ubermind? My view is that it will not because the culture of what is left of the Big Eight is going to find few protein snack bars in a professional services firm. Accounting is one thing; coding apps is another. Bean counters and coders can be a challenge to blend.
What is the relationship to information retrieval? I see three points which we shall attempt to follow:
First, big outfits are buying companies with core competencies not shared by the purchaser. Management is not exactly the trump card for publishing or accounting firms. You recall News Corp. and its alleged misdeeds. You also my recall the accounting firm which muffed the job at Enron. Now the management skills of these types of professionals will tackle digital information via apps. Long shot I think.
Second, keeping coders on the is difficult. Google goes to great lengths to retain its programmers. How is that working out? About 20 percent of Facebook is former Xooglers. Coders play musical chairs and often end up competing with their former employers. How will publishing and consulting companies cope with these employment behaviors. Maybe sue a programmer?
Third, apps are an interesting development in information access. More importantly, coding an app is an invitation to keep writing checks. The work is never really done. Most apps don’t generate much traction. In the enterprise, apps are making headway, but the consumerization of information access is moving quickly, and I think it is unlikely that outfits like the FT and Deloitte can react quickly enough or sustain the appetite to invest in app cultivation for very long. Yep, I am skeptical.
Why, then, are these firms buying app development companies and not signing a deal for the company to solve a problem? The answer is, in my view, that large companies do not know what to do. Buying a company gives MBAs and clueless managers something to occupy their time. Once the acquisitions have been completed, the real work begins. For the FT and Deloitte, it will be trying to sell enough work to pay for the purchases, sustain technical investment, and manage the technical professionals.
Will information access be affected? Nope.
Stephen E Arnold, February 5, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
