Google+ iOS app with fresh and beautiful UI

As noted earlier today (http://j.mp/LmvXdt) Google provided its iOS app (only made for smartphones) a really beautiful new UI with a lot of graphical elements that are completily revamped and differ completely from the old version.

In comparison to other social network applications (Facebook et al) this sets a great new standard and proves Google's capability to improve and develop software, especially for mobile.

Unfortunately social networks' UI is only one component of the complete experience and especially the lacking activity of Google+ users is significant low compared to users at Facebook or Twitter etc.

Driving activity to social network applications could be created by a better UI, but social interaction (sharing, messaging, gaming) needs to be pushed harder to get people switch from other networks.

The recent attempt by Facebook to integrate applications and especially mobile apps into theor offerings is exactly a step to keep users even tider to the framework of FB then the UI optimization of G+ for mobile could possibly bring to the table.

Google+: a mobile app with sense and soul

Facebook announced its own AppStore (for desktop & mobile)

This is going to be very interesting: Facebook moves into the territory of Apple & Google (and Amazon) and is offering its own AppStore. Given the amount of time the average online user is visiting Facebook the possibility of success for the Facebook Store (especially for mobile) is very high.

The assumed social component (what apps are my friends downloading etc.) has not been really successfully adopted by the others and might be the critical success factor for the upcoming store.

What will change? Well, basically Facebook will ensure that every app offered has some sort of facebook integration and the login and profile building might even increase. App usage and user interactions are tider linked to Facebook and world domination continues ;)

Introducing the App Center

Facebook offers - the end of Groupon?

I must have overlooked that, but I believe the introduced and now as well tested (with Hellofresh.de in Germany http://j.mp/INVpLX) "Facebook offers" will most likely be the new hub for digital coupons. Friends will easily "inform" you about a new offering and the higher trust to the social network and the brand facebook + the easiness to get the price advantage or offering is really convincing.

The question now is if it needs to have a Groupon to push offerings or is the biggest network of all the logical successor of the coupon game?

Usage of tablets at home - the core scenarios

Again a nice article @mobilezeitgeist (http://j.mp/Jwykqv) that discusses an infographic from Yahoo regarding the user scenarios of tablets at home. It is especially interesting because recents data analysis shows that above 90% of the data connections from tablets are established via stationary Wifi connections and not via mobile networks. The main scenarios are clearly at home!

The yahoo data shows some interesting stats, like that men tend to bring their tablet to the bathroom and that women would rather give up sex and that besides the second-screen scenario for TV, the tablet is the last (and obviously then also the first) device we have in our hands in bed.

Is NFC the new "DVB-H" (death by explanation)?

Reading the article on MobileZeitgeist (http://j.mp/Kz9kjV) today regarding the lacking awareness of people regarding NFC and the need of education, I was truly wondering if this indication is not already the prove that NFC will be "dead by explanation" - meaning that if it takes to explain a technology to make people use it, the technology is already the wrong one or at least has less potential then expected.

It also reminds to the failure of DVB-H, a technology that would allow a perfect TV stream for mobile devices. At this time it was simply wrong to believe the technology would drive the customer need. Without specific use cases and content "Mobile TV" had no chance from the beginning.

This is possibly happening to NFC as well. Why should a consumer "buy" a NFC-device if the use cases can also be done easily differently, e.g. with a PayPal app and location based authorization etc. or if there is actually no need of the user for NFC use cases ...

Summed up I don't jump on the "hype-waggon" that 2012 would be the year of NFC ... I more believe there will be nobody talking about NFC anymore in 2015.

Abschied Schmidts Teil des Untergangs des öffentlichen Qualitäts-TV's?

Auf DWDL erschien gerade ein super Artikel über den Untergang des öffentlichen TVs - bald haben wir auch eine klare Verbindung des Qualitäts-Fernsehens und der Kaufkraft des Zuschauers: geistloses für umsonst, anspruchsvolle Unterhaltung und Information gegen Extra-Geld ...
DWDL.de - Schmidts Abschied: Auf dem Weg zur Endstation

Great infographic by @sapientnitro - The Future of Money

Our great ideaengineers in the US have done a lovely job to prepare a infographic around Mobile Payment. Special Kudos to Emily Caufield & Perry Chan for the creation!

My most favorite part is the differentiation of mCommerce, mPayment and mWallet - simply because these expressions got mixed-up way too much in the past.

Second I believe the "trust in" part is very valuable to identify the players with the most success potential - VISA, Mastercard, AMEX and Paypal in the lead? I guess so!

More about is as well at Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/future-of-mobile-payments/

Mobile Payment for real - pay your fuel with your mobile at #cumberland

The US fuel service provider Cumberland Farms provides their customer and easy and convenient (time saving) way to pay for their fuel:
a) look up the closest station (vis GPS)
b) drive there
c) select the pump in your app
d) see additional offerings/coupons
e) pay with your app, receive the receipt via email
f) see you soon :)

The PayPal-supporting solution does not need new or fancy technology - it simply works as is and is widely available. Smart and best practice of mobile payment - chapeau!

http://www.cumberlandfarms.com/smartpay/

#BB10 is only a copy-cat?!

Sorry guys, but #bb10 looks like a mixture between iOS and Android. With a me2-product and only very little unique assets one will not get any customer back or recruit new ones - even Microsoft did a better job here ;)

I am also surprised how little impact the former TAT-team obviously had in creating the interface - too bad that really good capabilities were not re-used properly ...

Hafenspitze Duesseldorf - Photos

Some pictures from last weeks photo safari :)

Is TV really "social"?

Reading about #TunedIn (http://www.gettuned.in/), a german startup providing (another) TV social EPG app, I am again wondering if especially the german TV-habbit will allow success for social interaction. For sure we are using our mobile devices and tablets while watching TV, but for now we are less using them to talk about the TV-content, then doing "other" things.

The approach of "Social TV" would mean I would be interested to interact with the TV-content and in parallel connect with my social peers. Analyzing my own experience I am having two TV scenarios:

1. I am watching TV concentrated and
2. I am interacting with my devices and "be social"

(I skip the third one that I interact with my wife or friends while watching TV)

Social TV apps would need to brake my use cases:

• add value that would let me use the device while watching concentrated

or

• getting my attention during my distracted TV-watching

In the first scenario you would need to have a different content and a TV-machine that would allow to le me "really" interact with the programme ... this might be game shows or quiz shows and could be a nice thing to exchange with my social network (e.g. draw something app).

For the second scenario I would need to have a push notification that gets my attention back to the TV + an added value that would still keep me in the "social app" to keep on interacting with my social network + a special (value adding) content.

TunedIn tries the contextual approach as many others failed before and provide information with media content and social interaction. In summary it is the same offering as a print TV-magazin, IMDB and Facebook are already offering me but merged contextually in one app .... NOT enough folks, as long as you do not have the chance to adopt the TV content.

I believe only TV-programm owner like RTL and SKY would have the chance to provide a true integrated social TV experience - everything else is too isolated and does not change my TV use case.