Friday 23 May 2014

Mobile Dominance

Apple and Google are fighting for mobile video game dominance, a new report has revealed.

Mobile Dominance Apple Vs Google Daniel Adel, New York Times
Image source: Daniel Adel, New York Times
The mobile giants are both persuading game developers to choose them to be the exclusive holders of their latest games. Both companies are in talks with top game developers to secure a deal. If a game developer chooses to give either brand an exclusivity deal, they will receive ideal placement on the first page of the app store.

This comes as no surprise, as app games are one of the most lucrative markets within the mobile app industry. In traditional gaming, games will often be exclusive to a certain console, and is common marketing practice with console games. However this is relatively new for app games.

Last August, the highly anticipated Plant Versus Zombies 2, struck a deal with apple to appear prominently in the app store. For this publicity, EA agreed to give Apple a 2 month exclusivity deal on the game, meaning Apple users came out on top.

Apple has been the front runner in mobile games for years, mainly due to the fact that IOS is easier to develop for, however, recently Android has leveled the playing field as tools for writing software have become much easier to use. However, an analyst at IDC has publicly stated that “"In terms of decision factors of why you buy the device you do, games are very low," Which has sparked debate on whether exclusive app store games will sway buyers when choosing a device.

Ryan Google+

Friday 16 May 2014

How mobiles help developing countries

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (or more commonly know as UNESCO) released a report last month highlighting the benefits of mobile handsets in underdeveloped countries. The report shed light on the fact that worldwide literacy is improving at an accelerated rate, which previously has been unheard of before the digital era.

Mobile phones in the developing world.
Although mobile handsets are most often used as a method of communication, underprivileged people around the world are using them to read, learn, and expand their current educational skills simply by using the devices. As technology is advancing, the parts required to create a handset are becoming cheaper - which is making it possible for people in poorer countries to purchase a mobile.

The UNESCO report stated ‘for centuries, limited access to text has been a barrier to literacy. Today, however, this barrier is receding thanks to the spread of inexpensive mobile technology. Basic mobiles offer a new, affordable and easy to use portal to reading material."

This is amazing news for the mobile phone industry, and goes to show they bring a lot more to our lives than checking your social media on the go. It’s amazing to see that the advances being made in modern technology, are affecting the quality of life many people in the world receive, and hopefully as time goes on, more advances will be made to break down barriers worldwide. Education and reading skills should be a basic right for everybody in the world, and we can only hope that technology continues to bring education and knowledge to more countries around the world.

Ryan Google+

Friday 9 May 2014

4G in the UK

4g speed mobile phone fonehub
It has recently been revealed that EE have reached a milestone! The much anticipated 4G rollout has finally reached its 200th town. Not content with bringing 4G mobile speed to the masses, the town they chose had some significant value, after a report announced that a Welsh street has the worst broadband speed in the while of the UK. EE announced that Rhyl, a quaint seaside town in Wales, would be the 200th to receive the signal.

Only 18 months after launching the service in the UK, EE is now covers a whopping 72% of the UK

The CEO made a statement stating "We now have over two million customers using super fast 4G. That's the fastest rollout and uptake of any technology in Britain, and means that the UK's mobile digital infrastructure is now ahead of many other nations. We're proud to have been the driving force that made that happen, but we won't stop there."

He also added

"Our continued drive to deliver 4G to more of the UK means that our customers have access to by far the biggest network in the country. Hitting this landmark highlights that 4G from EE is available wherever people need it - at home, at work, or enjoying the sunshine on the beach n Rhyl, our 200th town.”

It’s amazing to see how widespread 4G has become over the last year and a half, and it can only mean good things for the UK’s technology infrastructure. Are you using 4G? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Ryan Google+

Friday 2 May 2014

Have you ever lost a mobile phone?

For the majority of us, loosing a phone is often emotional, our mobiles aren’t just used for communication anymore. We use our phones as digital cameras, chocked full of pictures, videos, music and personal information. So what is the true cost of losing a phone?

phone thief missing mobile fonehub
A recent study on information on stolen phones, has revealed the cost of losing so much sensitive information. The information on our phones isn’t solely limited to nice memories anymore, now we have banking apps, Paypal, work emails and a whole barrage of information that could be used against us, if it fell into the wrong hands. In the study, only 50% of phones were encrypted, and 90% had a password lock, however, even though those phones had security - 90% of the time the owners email address was identified. 75% of the time it was possible to identify the owner itself, not just an email address.

In 40% of cases, a variety of passwords were recovered from the devices. Dermot Williams, the director of a security company stated that even those who think they have taken sufficient security measures, still aren’t fully covered. A determined attacker who has access to mobile forensic tools may be able to bypass security features such as password locks and encryption. He also added that even though the majority of mobile phone theft is petty crime often done for cash, our mobile security isn’t as secure as we think it is.

The best way of protecting yourself is to have a lock, encryption and also the ability to remotely wipe the device. That way you are protecting yourself, and your information, to the best of your ability.

Ryan Google+