The Global Economy and Business

Tencent – China’s biggest Internet company, creator of WeChat mobile application, wants it to become the leading instant messaging application for 2G customers in India where more and more users are moving to use smartphones.

The company is constantly upgrading WeChat so that it could work easily on 2G mobile internet connection which is used by more than 90% of India’s mobile users.

Second generation or 2G is considered to work with voice communication but it provides slow data speeds while third generation (3G) offers much higher data speeds and better experience in using internet on mobile devices.

wechat

As 2G is used more widely in India focusing on it may bring WeChat much more benefits than waiting for customers to move to 3G.

Smartphone users understood the profits of using instant messaging applications like WeChat instead of regular paid text messaging. In 2012 year almost 19 billion messages were sent per day with the help of chat applications compared with 17.6 billion SMS. And by 2014 year this amount is expected to reach 50 billion for applications and over 21 billion for SMS.

Research company Ovum claimed that due to growth of instant messaging applications mobile phone companies lost $780 million in 2012. The experts of the company predict the increase of the revenue loss to $3 billion by 2016.

Several mobile phone companies started partnering with application messaging platforms to increase data usage and therefore the revenue from data usage. So Reliance Communication has tied connection with WhatsApp and Facebook has partnered with Nimbuzz which accounts more than 150 million active users.

Though it is free WeChat mobile application has linked partnership with Café Coffee Day, Big Bazaar, Yahoo Cricket and some others and is evaluating the next set of partners.

As mobile messaging applications like WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber etc. become more and more popular and bring some huge benefits to their creators it is no longer a surprise that everybody wants to get a part of that pie and take a place in the market.

In 2011 the most popular social network Facebook bought group messaging application Beluga and gave a task to the founders to build a stand-alone messaging application for iOS and Android devices. In December Facebook launched its own version of a popular messenger Snapchat – Poke. The application allows users to send messages that disappear seconds later.

In April 2013 the giant social network made its biggest move – it launched Facebook Home. The application takes over the user’s Smartphone on Android operating system and puts the social network ahead of almost everything on the device’s home screen including mobile messaging applications.

Another participant of the mobile messaging wars – Google – seems to be ready to disclose its own weapon. The company is now working on a messenger service called Babel which is going to work on multiple smartphones and tablets so that the conversation could be synchronized across user’s devices. According to the reports any user with a smartphone or a tablet based on Android or Apple’s iOS operating system will be able to start a face to face chat.

Experts predict that soon mobile messaging applications will eventually move aside all other forms of electronic communication. The creators of such mobile applications want their products to become a replacement for everyday communication. Besides it is evident that this kind of messaging is quite more convenient for travelers and people who spend much time far from home for work. The mobile applications evidently save users’ money by sending messages via wi-fi. But on the other hand they kill mobile operators by taking their revenue from SMS messages.

Author’s bio:

Scarlett Jonson, the local newspaper editor writing about IT trends, mobile development companies, software conferences and other events. Fond of dogs and designer clothing. Believes that family is nothing else than one man and one woman.

Today I wanted to say some words about efficiency during the working day. I hate being pessimistic but the problem of ineffective working time has grown dramatically over the last years. Computers and Internet are among the best ways to hide that you are not focused on your tasks. The boss asks “What are you doing?”. And the possible answers may be “I’m investigating a new technology - Drupal site development“, “I’m searching the Net in order to find the open-source module (Magento shopping cart) and save our money for software development”, “I’m looking for the answer at the forums and Yahoo answers service” and so on. And this is a big problem because if a person doesn’t work but paid for that time the total cost of the project will grow. This is one of the reasons why small companies operate more efficient - they are more focused and don’t allow themselves to waste time because they understand that there is no so-called air cushion.

But there is one other method to lose the company or project efficiency - context-switches. Context-switch is a situation that happens when a person is interrupted during his or her worflow process. This may be a phone call or Skype message, incoming e-mail beep or meeting request received. This may be a meeting scheduled in the middle of a task. And there are many other things that may stop person from focusing on his or her tasks.

The problem is really big. The call may last for a minute but the person will be interrupted for 5 minutes or even more. Why? Because he or she loses the context, the process, the workflow. And it takes time to return. For example, I’m writing this article and someone calls me with a proposal about a cool timeshare. I hate the idea of timeshares, and even after the call ends in 20-30 seconds I will continue thinking about how much I hate timeshares. Then I need to get back to the article. But I don’t remember where I stopped. It means that I’ll have to read the article from the very beginning to remind the idea. It’s good if I remember the idea and may return to writing just after the reading of the previous text. But if I don’t remember it I’ll lose everything written and will have to think about the other idea and start writing from the very beginning. The same principle is right for everything especially for complex tasks like software development or IT project management.

I think you’ve got the idea. Context-switches are something really important to care about. Here are some of the possible advices:
1) Schedule all the meetings and calls for the beginning and the end of the working day
2) Choose special hours to read e-mails and instant messages. Inform everybody about this schedule.
3) Use getting-things-done tools that will help you and your team members to focus on tasks and don’t switch the context.

Remember: if you save time, you earn time!

No longer than several years ago Agile methodology was mostly used in software development, but today Agile tools are being widely implemented as a part of project management process in all kinds of companies, from small startups to organizations with a large capital. Agile approach to management allows bringing in more transparency and visibility into working processes, allows adapting to changes in priorities, helps reducing paperwork and creates more opportunities for efficient and productive cooperation among team members working on the same project.

Here we are going to discuss several Agile project management solutions and features they offer to the users.

AgileWrap

This solution is mostly for those who have nonexistent budget for purchasing and maintaining project management software. AgileWrap is a simple user-friendly web-based product that helps dealing with basic project management processes.

The solution enables establishing effective planning, provides real-time visibility and facilitates collaboration in distributed teams.

AgileWrap allows you to save money when you have just started your business, but it can also expend with you and adapt to the new needs of your growing company.

Agilefant

This software tool for Agile projects is also web-based, but unlike the previous product, it has much more features available. It allows users create workflows for products and projects, has time tracking features and burn down charts.

Among the features that Agilefant has to offer to its users are: story hierarchies, project portfolio management, personal workload management, and different access rights to certain documents or projects.

Overall, the tool is easy to use and it works really fast. And while it’s good for many project management tasks, it doesn’t have strong customization or reporting features, that’s why it’s an acceptable solution for projects with 20 people or less.

Comindware Tracker

Comindware workflow management system is the solution for the companies that are looking for a project management tool with strong customizing feature that would help managing and automating working processes within multiple departments.

The Tracker comes with a number of pre-designed solutions for different department and offers finance and administration software, solutions for marketing, software development, IT help desk, human resources software and more. These solutions allow using this system in multiple departments, which makes it a great investment into your company. It’s also quite easy to use and managers don’t need programmers’ help to start building or editing complex workflows. This system is perfect for Agile project since it provides perfect real-time visibility and allows adjusting to sudden changes very quickly.

The solution makes it easier for managers not only assign and track tasks, but also cooperate with the team members within the system thanks to advanced collaborative features.

Along with Cloud-based version there is a mobile version of the product that allows managers to keep the process under control at any place any time.

Overall, there is a great number of effective project management solutions on the market, and which one to choose depends first of all on the needs of your business at the moment.

AUTHOR BYLINE
Hi, my name’s Steward Copper and I am the owner of Project Management Insights. While working as a project coordinator and BA, I have tried almost all possible PM tools, BA instruments, collaboration programs, including tracker and task management software solutions. I also write for different blogs sharing my knowledge and observations.

The company “1C-Bitrix” has presented the novelties for developers and owners of web-sites. The company has launched a new version of “1C-Bitrix: site management 12.5” containing a huge update for e-commerce – particularly the mobile application to manage the internet market. The company has also claimed the creation of a new product – the platform for mobile application development for different platforms “1C-Bitrix: Mobile Application”.

In the new version of “1C-Bitrix: Site management 12.5” there is a mobile application “1C-Bitrix: Administration” dedicated to the internet-market owners.

The mobile section of management allows being aware of all necessary information about the shop, orders and customers, tracking movements of goods and manage the orders. All the orders will be shown on mobile device as a “News line” in real time. The owners will be able to receive the necessary reports on their mobile devices. The application is available for smartphones and tablets based on iOS and Android platforms.

The company has also presented the new product – “1C-Bitrix: Mobile Application”. With the help of this application all the owners of internet-markets and other sites developed on “1C-Bitrix: Site Management” platform will be able to create a mobile application for iOS and Android for their web-site without difficult and expensive development. And web-developers received the possibility to create and publish native applications using only HTML 5 and JS.

To create a mobile application it will be necessary to implement only three steps: create internet-market in “1C-Bitrix: Site Management”, buy a license for “1C-Bitrix: Mobile Application” and develop the application by own forces or with the help of partners of “1C-Bitrix”. Using of a new product “1C-Bitrix: Mobile Application” will turn the process of mobile application development for the owners of sites to the chain of standard actions. As a result the customer will be able to create a customized mobile application reflecting all the main sections of the site.

Guest author: Josh Hamilton, professional technology expert at one of the UK-based cell phone companies. Author of different posts on mobile market trends, technology analytics and forecasts. Professional advisor on how to choose a mobile repeater, decide on cell phone plan or improve Wi-Fi coverage.

In today’s economic downfall and crisis period the cost of any software solution is one of the most important factors that shape the choice of consumers due to the fact that it is important to “fit the bill”. Therefore, the solution has to do the job that it was intended to do, not more, because we do not have to pay too much for additional functionality and not less, meaning that you wasted the money for something that does not fully satisfy your needs.

Here are some things to consider:

Human resources management software can be used as an individual application suitable to the specific HR needs that will be aimed to effectively manage employee records, ranging from hiring to vacation or leave of absence requests.

The workflow software keeps track of employee time worked and may also be involved  in tracking various projects and  tasks and much  more. Such tracker may offer a variety of functions that include email integration, workflow sheets, automatic creation of workflow processes and others. Most of the existing workflow HR manager will also give you the opportunity to track the status of any given HR item or job in real time as well as view its complete history in just a few clicks.

Many HR software solutions will organize your employee personnel records automatically. These kinds of trackers do implement fast and accurate computer based monitoring of all the new and current employees that exist within the company and allow the user to work in real time. This real time function is supported by various reminders of new or incomplete tasks, meetings and events that may include but are not limited to license renewals, sick or vacation leaves and scheduled interviews. The most distinct features may also include online status reports and advanced analytics that help to measure and tune HR services. It is also important to mention graphical representation mechanisms that contribute to visual and interactive representation of the HR related workflow processes that help HR managers to have a better understanding of all the given and pending tasks.

In conclusion it is important to emphasize that your personal solution has to truly “Fit The Bill” and provide the necessary flexibility which will allow to use it individually in such a way, that you will only have to only take what is necessary for your business. The priority is to make the business organized in a better way as well as make it more efficient. These are some of the core tasks that have to be faced by a human resources workflow software system such as the ones that are currently present at the software market.

Hi, my name’s Steward Copper and I am the owner of Project Management Insights. While working as a project coordinator and BA, I have tried almost all possible PM tools, BA instruments, collaboration programs, including tracker and task management software solutions. I also write for different blogs sharing my knowledge and observations.

They say that to earn a lot of money you need to have a unique idea. This perfect idea creates the 90% of the success. As for me I believe that a good idea is a very important factor of success but project realization and maintenance also play very big role not to fail.

Let’s say you have your idea. It’s something modern and high-tech. So, when you think about the project realization (as for me I’m experiences in IT projects) you need to take into consideration the following factors:

1. Technological trends. Nowadays almost nobody develop software and applications from scratch. There are a lot of open-source systems that may be perfectly used for your purposes, or at least some of their modules. For example when your idea has some ecommerce part you may think about a Magento technology (it’s free) and find a professional Miami Magento website development company. It will take 3-5 times less time to install a Magento-based online store in comparison with its development from the very beginning.

2. The importance of professional design. Analysts say the design and usability plays more and more big role in the success of IT projects and products. Design should be different and address the target audience. SO, when you are creating a new online magazine or social network you need to find not just a web agency but the Miami Joomla web development company with a portfolio of cool professional designs. And even more you need to check the portfolio of the particular designer (not just search for the Miami Wordpress web development company in general) who will be responsible for your project. It’s very important that you like his or her style and design approach before the project starts.

3. Cultural differences. Some people say that globalization trends result in lowering the importance of cultural differences. There is a myth that the world is like one company with different departments. But it’s not really so. Certainly modern technological means of communication and cloud-computing make all the communications much easier. DHL and FedEx may ship your products worldwide. Amazon will serve the shipment transactions. AppStore and Android Market are also available worldwide. But your customers don’t live just on the Earth. They are either from France, or the USA, or Russia, or Australia. Every local market has certain peculiarities and they should be taken into consideration while you create the marketing strategy for your idea or your new product. So, our advice would be the following: if you know your target market you need to have a person in your team who knows this market from the inside. If you follow this rule, your marketing strategy will be much more effective. Or if you can’t hire such a person, you may think about a local partner.

As a conclusion I would like to say that your project starts with your brilliant idea but succeeds with a good plan, proper budgeting, deep project tracking, and a lot of luck!

Dropbox launches the updated tools Sync API for the developers of the applications for Android and iOS – now the popular service can be built in into the applications and the developer shouldn’t worry about the correctness of data synchronization. So the company is aiming to involve the mobile application developers to their cloud service.

As the representatives of the company explain the integration with Dropbox used to be too difficult – the older model of its API often failed during synchronization in the zones with poor coverage and took too much time. With the introduction of Sync API the company hopes to solve these problems.

Sync API supports caching, tracking of the changes in the file, synchronization, offline support and restart of the failed downloads. The developers are able to interact with the files in Dropbox the way if they were placed in the local file system right on the device itself. Third part of the applications can have their own private Dropbox client right inside.

The developers may get thrilled with such changes because the process of creating the mobile applications might become less painful. Though Dropbox is not eager to make it too easy otherwise its own products might not be very attractive to some users.

The reaction of the developers on Sync API will depend on how well it will behave in the conditions of mass market. If Sync API is used by most developers Dropbox will find its place in the number of new mobile applications. Such deep relations with the world of mobile applications will raise the prestige of the company and will work as a driver for it to be accepted by the end-user.

It is worth saying that Google Drive has already launched new possibilities for web-developers. Since now it is possible to share web-sites with the help of Google Drive.

Guest post by Josh Hamilton, technology consulter and author of analytical and how-to articles regarding IT, mobile trends, cell phones and plans. Specializes on explaining how to improve mobile signal with mobile signal booster, how to choose the technological networking solution for a home or office, and how to use IT in the most efficient way.

While mobile devices and different mobile applications turn into an everyday thing in the life of most of modern people personal data become more and more available and disclosed. There is a risk that users’ personal data may fall into the wrong hands. So how can users’ personal information be fully protected?

California Attorney General Kamala Harris published a manual for mobile application developers that is dedicated to the protection of the rights of consumers. It aims to improve the privacy policy which is required to be adhered by the mobile application distributors.

Harris pays attention to the technical opportunities as well as to the strategic ones that are provided to the developers to solve current problems of privacy.

“The inhabitants of California have a right to know which personal information is gathered by the applications they use, in what ways this information is used and who have the access to it”, - claimed Harris.
According to the attorney general the recommendations should set a balance between the protection of personal users’ information and a gradual development of innovations.

Harris notices that the mobile application developers should avoid using the unnecessary users’ data and simplify the privacy policy. She recommends to introduce the practice of preplanning the gathering of users’ information and to use the extra forces to inform the users about the introduced security policy.

It is worth saying that it was not the first time when Harris raised the question of privacy in mobile applications. Last year she demanded a hundred developers to update their privacy policies during 30 days. In February 2012 she also persuaded such companies as Google, Apple and Microsoft to improve their privacy policies as well.

Guest author: Josh Hamilton, professional technology expert at one of the UK-based cell phone companies. Author of different posts on mobile market trends, technology analytics and forecasts. Professional advisor on how to choose a mobile repeater, decide on cell phone plan or improve Wi-Fi coverage.

On Tuesday 18th of December 2012 Viber – one of the main competitors of Skype – launches  new features for iPhone and Android. Now it is possible to send the location of user together with messages.

Viber announces that there are now more than 140 million users of their product and an additional 400,000 users join this service every day.

Viber is a company dedicated to mobile application development which works on the only project – Viber. It allows to send free text messages and pictures and to make free calls through the Internet no matter how far the users are from each other.

This mobile application supports almost all platforms including Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and S40. And of course it supports iPhone and Android platforms.

The updated version of the application which is available now for downloading includes several new features like emoticons and sticker stamps. But the main change is a “Send Location” feature. It allows users to share a drop pin displaying their location. The Android users will also be able to personalize their Viber call and message tones.

Back in September 2012 Viber announced that they had reached the audience of 100 million users after hitting 70 million in May and 50 million in February. So it is possible to say that 2012 has been a great year for this mobile application development company.

As Viber and similar mobile applications become more and more popular with users the mobile operators start losing their revenue. It happens because the applications like Viber allow users to exchange text messages for free. For this reason Viber has become one of the main competitors of mobile service. And in case if mobile operators don’t provide users with new technologies and services a mobile application will displace them in the market in the nearest future.