Tuesday 25 August 2015

Watch OS 2

With the launch of the latest Watch OS 2, Apple has introduced a whole new set of features for the developer community to design even better apps for the latest Apple Watch. You now have a lot more power to create Watch apps. Here’s is a quick summary of these new Watch OS 2 features and some of the new avenues that they have opened up for Watch OS developers.
 Displaying watch-os-2_01.jpg
Apps on the Apple Watch Itself
With this new feature, you can now develop native apps for the Apple Watch itself and not just rely on synchronizing/fetching data from apps residing on the connected iPhone. This opens up a whole range of possibilities for developers, since you can now design native apps for the Apple Watch that can show real time data like news and sports updates. This coupled with the other new features that Watch OS 2 brings (described below), means that you can now design watch apps that are much more responsive and can offer a lot of more functionality than was previously possible.

Watch Sensors
Since there’s a huge community of Apple Watch users who are using it primarily from a healthcare perspective, the need for direct access to the Apple Watch’s sensors has been a key demand of Watch developers. With the release of Watch OS 2, Apple has provided developers with direct access to the Watch’s heart rate sensor. So you can now design a Watch app that can track health metrics in real time using the heartrate sensor. Rather than relying on HealthKit for access to this data, you can now access it directly from your Watch apps, and utilize it for any custom health tracking features.

Digital Crown
The Watch OS 2 also opens up access to the Apple Watch’s digital crown, so you can use this component to access custom features in your Watch apps. For example, you could use the digital crown for certain functions like scrolling through music tracks or values in a Watch app, or increasing or decreasing the volume, etc. in certain apps.

Accelerometer
The Watch OS 2 also allows access to the Apple Watch’s accelerometer sensor, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities for Watch apps like for example, a cricket coaching app that uses the accelerometer to track the user’s movements, to determine how far they are deviating from the desired position while playing a shot.

Microphone
The Apple Watch’s microphone which was previously only available to a limited set of apps, is now fully accessible in Watch OS 2. So you can create communication apps that utilize the Watch’s microphone to enable two Watch users to communicate directly using just the Apple Watch. Or in productivity apps like one touch conference call dialers like MeetingMogul or Mobileday, which can be extended to the Apple Watch to enable users to dial into their conference calls with one tap and attend their meetings using just the Apple Watch (via the built in microphone).

Videos
Watch OS 2 also introduces the ability to play videos on the Apple Watch. So you can create an app that enables users to play streaming videos from YouTube or watch apps for news services like CNN or the BBC that allow users to view streaming live news directly on their Apple Watch.
 Displaying watchOS2-695x398.jpg 
Custom Complications
Apple now allows developers to create custom complications— which are basically small, app-specific widgets that appear within watch faces and display data right on the face of users' watch. A stocks app, for example, may display a small stock ticker, while an alarm app may show the time of your next alarm. Users will also be able to customize the look of their watch faces by selecting an image from the Photos app or one of Apple's time-lapse videos.

This feature will be especially useful for conference call dialing apps like Meeting Mogul and other event based apps, since it can be used to display reminders or details about upcoming events (meetings, conference calls, etc.) right on the face of the Apple Watch so the user is always up to date on what’s next on their day’s agenda, without even needing to take their iPhone out of their pocket.  

Wrap-Up
These new and cool features in the Watch OS 2 are going to enable developers to come up with many new and innovative Apple Watch apps in the coming weeks that will make the Apple Watch much more useful as a daily driver, possibly even making it just as indispensable as the iPhone itself.


ABOUT FOLIO3


As a leading mobile app development company (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, HTML5 app development), Folio3 specializes in native app development services and cross platform mobile app development services for the iPhone and iPad. We also offer extensive mobile app testing and QA services. If you have a mobile app idea that you’d like to discuss please or would like to know more about our iPhone app development services, please Contact Us. Learn more about our iPhone, Android and Windows Phone app development services

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Two Words: Facebook Management

Facebook Management is a two-word term with utmost importance for a person who deals with social media marketing or who is using social media in business through Facebook. Everyone knows that Facebook is the fastest growing social media and has spread its root as a social media in business. With this, a social media management service is now required to grow the business, which needs a great social media marketing strategy.

Fortunately, Facebook management is not rocket science, but is merely a simple social media management service. A marketer just needs to create quality content on a Facebook Page to improve and grow a business fast. Facebook is about to reach a $4 billion revenue, but is still far behind the ‘Search King’ Google. Maintaining a Facebook business page can be a knowledgeable, manageable and even enjoyable job.  Remember, a successful page means a successful business.

http://www.urgentcare2point0.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/facebook-management-banner2.png


What to do in Facebook management?

Assign roles
Assign different roles for different persons. Some sample designations include content creator, moderator, advertiser and insight analyst. Having specific people, with specific roles, helps in growing the business towards the right direction. Therefore, assign certain work to the appropriate personnel. Remember that a“Jack of all trades” is a master of none. Adding a new Admin for a Facebook page could help in managing the page. The person who works as an Admin must ‘Like’ the page by clicking on the ‘Likes’ box and selecting “See All”.


Post the right way
With regard to posts, not only the content matters –the time and frequency of posting should also be appropriate.  Be consistent and moderate. Do not overboard the fans with numerous and too frequent posts. Typically, one post per day is sufficient and is more effective. Also, give enough time to filter off the News Feed naturally before another post. Over posting could be a bad tool for social media management service. Post at the proper time, when most users are online and able to see it – this is usually when people have returned from the offices. Facebook’s insights also help determine where users and fans are located, making the scheduling of future posts easier.

Create effective content
The posts should be short, simple and easy to digest. People generally do not read a very lengthy post unless it is highly attractive. Make it interesting by using bold and italicized words. Make sure to add a call-to-action paragraph to magnify the impact. Asking questions is also a good idea because it attracts the curiosity of the fans. Ask business-related questions, which could also serve as promotion.

Enhance posts through images
Images add value to a post. Images should have links or belong to photo albums. The size of the images also matter. It should not affect the loading of a page; otherwise, it will have a negative impact.

Proper social media marketing involves maintaining the basic aspects first. Keep a sharp eye on the content, images, News Feed and page. Do not be afraid to experiment with new concepts because these may give better results; nevertheless, do not forget the basics.

Andy Thompson has been a freelance writer for a long while. Her passion in writing is her main drive in crafting articles that are engaging, informative, and meaningful. Her partnership with TroopSocial has given her a whole new opportunity to take writing to a whole new level.

Facebook Management Strategies For The Entrepreneurially Challenged

Before discussing some challenges an entrepreneur faces, the definition of an entrepreneur should be established. Being an entrepreneur entails activities other than those involved in being an employee. Most successful entrepreneurs enjoy being an entrepreneur more than being a salary-based personnel. Nevertheless, running a business is not easy for the less experienced, especially nowadays wherein social media have captured the greater part of the market.

Many people use Facebook to advertise and lots of them have greatly considered Facebook an entrepreneurial platform. Yes, it is true that everybody faces challenges in the start, but these entrepreneurial challenges are nothing compared to the worst case scenario of “selling one’s soul” for a paycheck by working as an employee. Therefore, to become competitive on entrepreneurial skills, a marketer must work hard on social media marketing, social media management service, and learn about social media in business.

The following are some Facebook strategies to help the entrepreneurially challenged overcome some common issues:

Strategy #1 Know the Audience

If a marketer doesn’t know who his audience or fan base is, along with some demographic details such as location, it will be difficult to establish a good connection with them and to know details that can help grow the business. If the business itself is facing challenges, it is up to the entrepreneur to have an understanding of the potential customer demographics such as age, gender, ethnicity, etc.This is an easy step that can be accomplished using Facebook.

Strategy #2   Provide the Real Value
With an increasing number of followers, the entrepreneurial reach also becomes wider. Therefore, providing the real value is a strategy to improve the entrepreneurially challenged. A marketer has to work hard on social media marketing, social media management service and getting experience in social media in business. This will provide real value on their products and services.
Strategy #3   Expand Conversation
A marketer must always be truthful to their audience in terms of content, products and services that his business provides. Nevertheless, an entrepreneurially challenged marketer should never involve their audience on personal issues. A conversation between a marketer and a customer could be expanded beyond the content posted to build better rapport.

Strategy #4 Always Look Beyond Facebook
Creating content doesn't automatically translate to customers who will start buying products or start engaging with the brand. Top quality content and a deeper understanding of the audience base matter for a business to grow.

Strategy #5   Measure Success Carefully
A marketer must have clear objectives to guide them in their social media marketing. Facebook is an awesome platform to convey information to the target audience, but this form of marketing gets tough if a marketer doesn’t properly measure business success. Therefore, the entrepreneurially challenged must learn proper social media marketing, social media management service, and use of social media in business.

It is true that everybody faces challenges when starting out on a business, but these issues are nothing when compared to working all day for a paycheck as an employee. To improve on being entrepreneurially challenged, a marketer must work hard and keep trying to achieve success.
Andy Thompson has been a freelance writer for a long while. Her passion in writing is her main drive in crafting articles that are engaging, informative, and meaningful. Her partnership with TroopSocial has given her a whole new opportunity to take writing to a whole new level.