Future of Smart Phone Apps

In this article I analyzed several other published research papers which discussed about Mobile Cloud Computing for the Big Data Management in Future Smart Phone Applications. Findings listed below,

·         Static mobile resources may not be able to support large-scale backend computational requirements. It creates key bottleneck in their computational capability and the computational power, in terms of processing and memory, is severely limited compared to traditional computers.

·         Most of mobile agents are based on expensive and inflexible communication methods that require the installation of software and hardware components. These issues are solved using the cloud computing concept, as there is no need for extra storage and computation medium. Public cloud, can provide elastic and “unlimited” computation and storage resources with adjust the amount of resources according to the service requests and provide large-scale deployment easily.

·         There are three components at the cloud end: the proxy, code repository and server. The proxy provides a gateway between the mobile device and the cloud backend. Code repository provide the logic to provide the service and server provide the high speed computational capability.

Subject areas which currently use big data management through mobile cloud computing via smart phones described below. Special algorithms process millions of real time data with the help of high tech backend servers.

·         Well reputed banks, financial institutes, insurance companies’ use mobile banking / financing facility for give basic banking / financing services to their customers specially through smart phone apps. 

·         Most of the social media sites, wiki sites, blogging sites and photography sites use smart phone apps to connect their users online.

·         Online shopping malls, restaurants use smart phone apps to do their business transactions, good and services purchases.

·         Email service providers, online database provides also use smart phone apps to expand their services to the clients.

 

In current scenario most of the organizations use this smart phone apps to give their limited services to their clients 24 X 7 and anywhere. Not only that most of the services based on the financial transactions along with collecting, storing, analyzing and sharing data. Another advantage of using this is increase mobility of the services that they can provide to the clients with high security, fast transaction and data transmission back end. 

But apart from current application areas this can be applicable in several other areas to serve the people.

·         Apple introduced its new Cloud Service Offering iCloud on June 2013 and Apple’s plan to launch a new streaming music service apart from the current I tunes service. Apple’s upcoming cloud music service will have the ability to scan your hard drive and then mirror the users’ music collection on its own servers. Which means in future cloud based app may get the responsibility of song repository of smart phones and give your favorite according to your listening pattern.

·         Governments can host a cloud based web service which can hold entire details about the citizens with high security. Then using mobile app citizens can get some of the government services. Authorized Officers can update the details with proper manner. (This has some complexities to solve)

·         Cloud and Web based Health management systems can be implement in the hospitals. Using patient’s smart phones, system can get the information from the patients and stored in cloud. The information that resides in the cloud is managed by the hospital management staff. Using that records doctors & staff can generate some Meta data about the patients and their issues patterns.

·         Cloud computing can be merge with TAP (Telco Application Platform) Systems, which just use SMS, USSD, Charging gateways to give mobile services to their user. Those information can be stored in cloud database and make them useful for reward the subscribers and use for the other calculations.

Evolution Of Web Development

 

It was a remarkable moment for the Information & Communication Technology world when WEB born. Now Web is 20 years old young, which face several major changes in it's life time. But strongly faced them and overcome them well. Web will surprise you in the future as same as what it did up to now.

Key Elements of an Effective Website

Appearance

A site must be visually appealing, polished and professional. Remember, it's reflecting your company, your products and your services. Your website may be the first, and only, impression a potential customer receives of your company.

An attractive site is far more likely to generate a positive impression and keep visitors on your site once they arrive. As businesses large and small continue to populate the web, your challenge is to attract and keep users' attention. Ideas like this are what PR professionals pay attention to keep their businesses successful.

• Good use of color: an appropriate color scheme will contain 2 or 3 primary colors that blend well and create a proper mood or tone for your business. Don't overdo the color, as it can distract from the written content.
  
• Text that is easily read: The most easily read combination is black text on a white background, but many other color combinations are acceptable if the contrast is within an appropriate range. Use fonts that are easy to read and are found on most of today's computer systems. depending on your audience. Keep font size for paragraph text between 10 and 12 pts.
  
• Meaningful graphics: Graphics are important, as they lend visual variety and appeal to an otherwise boring page of text. However, don't over-use them, and make sure that add meaning or context to your written content. Don’t overload any one page with more than 3 or 4 images.
  
• Quality photography: A simple way to increase visual appeal is to use high quality photography. High quality product images are especially important for online retailers.
  
• Simplicity: Keep it simple and allow for adequate white space. Uncluttered layouts allow viewers to focus on your message. Don't overload your site with overly complex design, animation, or other effects just to impress your viewers.

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Content

Along with style, your site must have substance. Remember that your audience is looking for information that will help them make a decision, so it should be informative and relevant. Use this opportunity to increase visitor confidence in your company's knowledge and competence.

• Short and organized copy: Clearly label topics and break your text up into small paragraphs. Don't bore your visitors with visually overwhelming text. You've got less than 10 seconds to hook your visitors, so grab their attention by being clear, concise and compelling.
• Update your content regularly: No one likes to read the same thing over and over again. Dead or static content will not bring visitors back to your site!
• Speak to your visitors: Use the word you as much as possible. Minimize the use of I, we and us.
• Consider a pro: Unless you’re an especially good writer, consider using a professional to write or edit your text content.

But What About the Glitz?

Flashy graphics and animation are tempting, and can have a very positive impact on user experience. Just use them appropriately and keep some simple guidelines in mind: 

Use multimedia to entertain and enlighten your prospects. An animated banner, snappy video or interactive content will add to your site's "interest quotient" and keep your visitors around longer. BUT -- don't force your visitors to endure something they're not interested in or don't have time for, and don't let the "rich media" overwhelm your other content.

Make it "to go". Provide downloadable podcasts, presentations and forms for users who can't stay long, but want to take some of your information with them. 

Don't neglect your HTML content for the sake of glitz. Search Engines don't have ears, and can't read Flash, JavaScript or even PDFs .

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Functionality

Every component of your site should work quickly and correctly. Broken or poorly constructed components will only leave your visitors frustrated and disillusioned with your company. Across the spectrum, everything should work as expected, including hyperlinks, contact forms, site search, event registration, and so on.

Error-free copy: Remember the exposure your website will get. Double-check your facts and figures, as you don't know who may be quoting you tomorrow. Nor do you want to be recognized or remembered for typos, incorrect grammar and punctuation, or misspellings. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar are as unforgivable on a website as they are in other company materials.

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Usability

A critical, but often overlooked component of a successful website is its degree of usability. Your site must be easy to read, navigate, and understand. Some key usability elements include:

• Simplicity: The best way to keep visitors glued to your site is through valuable content, good organization and attractive design. Keep your site simple and well organized.
  
• Fast-loading pages: A page should load in 20 seconds or less via dial-up; at more than that, you'll lose more than half of your potential visitors.
  
• Minimal scroll: This is particularly important on the first page. Create links from the main page to read more about a particular topic. Even the Search Engines will reward you for this behavior.
  
• Consistent layout: Site layout is extremely important for usability. Use a consistent layout and repeat certain elements throughout the site.
  
• Prominent, logical navigation: Place your menu items at the top of your site, or above the fold on either side. Limit your menu items to 10 or fewer. Remember, your visitors are in a hurry -- don't make them hunt for information.
  
• Descriptive link text: Usability testing shows that long link text makes it much easier for visitors to find their way around a site. Long, descriptive link text is favored by Search Engines, too. Back links are important to give users a sense of direction and to keep them from feeling lost. Use a site map, and breadcrumbs, if necessary.
  
• Cross-platform/browser compatibility: Different browsers often have different rules for displaying content. At a minimum, you should test your site in the latest versions of Internet Explorer (currently, versions 8 and 9), as well as Firefox and Safari.
  
• Screen Resolution: Screen resolution for the typical computer monitor continues to increase. Today, the average web surfer uses a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. However, you need to make sure that what looks good at this setting will also work nicely for other resolutions.

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Search Engine Optimized (SEO)

There are hundreds of rules and guidelines for effective search engine optimization, and this isn't the place to cover them all. For starters, follow these simple rules:

• Include plenty of written content in HTML format. Don't use Flash, JavaScript or image-only objects for your navigational items.
• Use your important keywords frequently and appropriately in your copy.
• Minimize the use of tables and use Cascading Style Sheets for layout and positioning; keep your HTML code clutter-free.
• Leverage your links -- make them descriptive and use your keywords in the link text

Characteristics of a Good Website

1. Original, Fresh Content

 

Content is most important in the web world. People visit websites for the primary purpose of finding content, so make sure you deliver the content that they expect from your website. Website content should be unique and up to date. Fresh content will keep visitors and search engines coming back for more. Don’t forget to proofread!

2. Target Audience

 

From a quick ride of your website, visitors should be able to find what you offer and how you can benefit them. A good website will have headlines and text that speaks to the target audience’s needs and wants. Many websites simply list what their company does without saying how they can benefit their target audience. Keep your audience in mind when designing your website to be sure that it will appeal to them and encourage them to take action (whether that is to submit a contact form, signup for a newsletter or buy a product).

3. User-Friendly Navigation

 

A good website has content that is easy to find. Pages should be organized and named in a way that the target audience will easily understand. For instance, different pages would be better labeled in simple page names. Keep your navigation consistent from page to page to avoid any possible confusion. Double check all your links to make sure they are working. Make sure that your most popular content is no more than a click away from your homepage. If your website has a lot of content, provide a search box so visitors can quickly find what they are looking for.

4. Simple and Professional Design

 

A good website will have an attractive layout that is easy on the eyes. Be sure your colors contrast well and your text doesn’t require a magnifying glass to read. Personally, I can’t stand reading large amounts of content written in white on a black background. It strains my eyes. Reducing the contrast a bit can help (light grey text on dark grey background).

Lots of text can overwhelm a user. Breaking up text into subheads and bullet points will improve the layout of the page and make the text more scannable. No one has time to read every word on a page.

Use design elements to draw attention to or to enhance the content of a page. With every design element added, take a step back and make sure it serves a purpose and does not detract from the usability of the site. Put things where users expect them to be. However, do try to make your website look unique. Just remember that simple, professional design will be much more effective than flashy, overcrowded design.

Use some stranded colors which can be readable by the color blind people. There should be a button for increase and decrease the font size of the web page which will help people who has some eye site issue.

5. Speed

 

How many seconds will you wait for a page to load before you give up and leave a website? Many factors can affect the loading time of a website including coding, number of graphics, the server speed, traffic volume on the website and the capabilities of a user’s computer.

Make sure your server has the proper amount of space/bandwidth for your website and that your website code is lightweight. Use large graphics sparingly. Use CSS styles in place of graphics where possible. Waiting for large graphics or a fancy flash animation to load on each page will surely turn away some visitors.

6. Search engine optimization (SEO) 

 

SEO is one of the most commonly neglected aspects of a website, but a website is useless if no one can find it. Think about the keywords that users may search for to find a product or service you offer. Do some research to see how often those keywords are searched for through a tool like Google’s Keyword Tool. Use keywords in titles, meta tags, headings, file names and in the content of your site. Search engine optimization can mean the difference between getting 500 visitors a month and 500+ visitors a day.

7. Link building

 

Links are an important factor in determining where your website appears in search engine results. Find as many legitimate sites as you can that will link you your website. Add your link to your business profile in directories like Google Local, Yahoo! Local, Merchant Circle, Insider Pages, Yellow Pages, LinkedIn and more. Submit articles and PR to sites that will include a link back to your website. The best way to get links to your site, however, is to provide unique and interesting content that people want to link to. You can make it easy for them to share your content by providing links or buttons such as the addthis.com button.

8. Tracking

 

A good website is a work in progress. A nice tool like Google Analytics will keep track of the number of people who come to your website, what pages they viewed, where they came from, what keywords they used in search engines, how many left after the first page and more. Unlike other media, websites can be easily tracked to see what is working and what isn’t. This data will help you to improve the quality and structure of your site.