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First, some definitions…

Hardware fragmentation is a term used to describe the fact that, at any given point in time, devices based on the same software platform are running on different types of hardware (processors, graphics chips, screen size, etc.) Now, this should be less of a worry for any developer as it is inevitable if you want to target the majority of the market.

Apple’s ecosystem has minimal hardware fragmentation (although it has increased with the Retina and non-Retina display devices, however, every other software platform, from Windows to Android, faces a level of hardware fragmentation, as vendors target the market at large.

Software fragmentation is usually the main focus, it is used to describe the fact that, at any given point in time, devices running on a software platform are running on different versions of the operating system.

Just 2.9% of Android users are on the latest version 4

There have been six smartphone distribution updates since Android was released: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread and most recently, Ice Cream Sandwich. Three versions have significant installed bases at present: Eclair (15 million), Froyo (54 million) and Gingerbread (114 million).

A large majority of active Android devices run Android 2.3 or Gingerbread, while the latest version of Android, 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich, is still used on a relatively small number of devices.

As illustrated in the table below, 7 of the 18 smartphones Android smartphone launched in the United States before July 2010 never ran a current version of Android.

12 of the devices only ran a current version of Android for a “matter of weeks or less” before a new distribution was released.
11 of 18 stopped getting any support updates less than a year after release.

As illustrated in the table below, 7 of the 18 smartphones Android smartphone launched in the United States before July 2010 never ran a current version of Android.

12 of the devices only ran a current version of Android for a “matter of weeks or less” before a new distribution was released.
11 of 18 stopped getting any support updates less than a year after release.

All of Apple’s smartphones released in the past three years support the latest version of iOS

iOS 5 captured approximately 75% of all iOS users in the same amount of time it took Gingerbread to get 4% of all Android users.

15 weeks after launch iOS 4 was at 70% and iOS 5 was at 60% while Ice Cream Sandwich got to just 1% share at the same age.

iOS devices have, on average, reached 10% version share 300 times faster than Android versions, 30% share 19 times faster, and 50% share 7 times faster.

Why is it a big deal?

There are at least three major reasons.

Consumers not happy…

Ever since the iPhone turned every smartphone into a blank slate, the value of a phone is largely derived from the software it can run and how well the phone can run it. When you’re making a 2 year commitment to a device, it’d be nice to have some way to tell if the software was going to be remotely current in a year or, heck, even a month.

Tough choice for developers.

Besides the obvious platform fragmentation problems, some iOS developers, like Instapaper’s Marco Arment, waited patiently until just this month to raise their apps’ minimum requirement to the 11 month old iOS 4.2.1. They can do so knowing that it’s been well over 3 years since anyone bought an iPhone that couldn’t run that OS.

If developers apply that same standard to Android, it will be at least 2015 before they can start requiring 2010’s Gingerbread OS. That’s because every US carrier is still selling smartphones that will almost certainly never run Gingerbread and beyond.

Security can be an issue

If a security or privacy problem popped up in old versions of Android or its associated apps (i.e. the browser), it’s hard to imagine that all no-longer-supported phones would be updated. This is only less likely as the number of phones that manufacturers would have to go back and deal with increases: Motorola, Samsung, and HTC all have at least 20 models each in the field already, each with a range of carriers that seemingly have to be dealt with individually.

Conclusion

Android has plenty of virtues, and it’s turned out to be an awesome competitor to the iPhone. Even with fragmentation, we regularly recommend Android phones because of so many other reasons. But fragmentation remains an issue with each new OS revision—regardless of what Google executives say.

Earlier this month, game developer Mika Mobile said it would no longer support Android since the platform was not lucrative enough to justify the development and support costs it requires. Some have even said that Android fragmentation is contributing to platform erosion; hopefully Google will prove them wrong.

Here some of the sources that were used when writing this article:
Chris Sauve: http://pxldot.com/post/18754186750/ios-ebb-and-flow
Michael Degusta: http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support
Android platform: http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.ht
Luke Wroblewski: http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1545
Chloe Albanesius: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401813,00.asp http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401813,00.asp http://ceklog.kindel.com/2012/01/14/fragmentation-is-not-the-end-of-android/

I recently came across a tumblr dedicated entirely to people’s animosity towards QR codes. The blog is filled with reader’s submissions of particularly ridiculous QR codes they have come across. A few notable examples include a code adorning a sky banner and one on a motorway billboard. As these readers have pointed out, surely the utter lack of readability in some contexts makes their existence an entirely pointless exercise? The sometimes overzealous incorporation of these chequered squares within promotional messaging highlights how the interest in QR codes has swept like an epidemic across the marketing industry, often with little thought into the consumer benefit. The question is whether this technology actually offers anything valuable, or is it just another fad?

What are the benefits?

QR, NFC, and augmented reality are all based on the fantastic premise of being able to integrate the physical and digital environments via a mobile device. The idea that consumers are able to wave their phone over a piece of paper or product packaging and be taken directly to a brand page, filled with further information and engaging content is an appealing one. One tiny little square can be a portal to a brand’s whole world, which can reduce media spend and make the brand experience far more holistic and consistent.

Many platforms are emerging which demonstrate and begin to realise the potential of augmented reality, image recognition and QR codes. These platforms blur the line between the physical and digital worlds in a genuinely workable and engaging way. Some apps like Layar and Blippar  use image-recognition specifically designed to bring newspapers, magazines, products and posters to life with augmented reality experiences and readily available content. Whilst it may currently still be in its infancy, if expanded it could become an incredibly useful tool. Zappitt and others are focused on the here and now usefulness of QR codes, and in a more limited fashion, NFC. They are focused on the end-to-end consumer experience.

What are the limitations?

As much as advancements in technology have allowed the popularity of QR codes, NFC and such technology to flourish, further advancements could be the downfall of these kind of augmented reality formats. As technology develops, device requirements will change and not all consumers may be able to keep up to speed. Brands could consequently risk alienating large proportions of consumers. There is a debate about whether these advancements could be similar to the introduction of something like WAP technology. When first introduced it was revolutionary, but a few years down the line it has entirely disappeared. As soon as HTML became easily available on phones, WAP became entirely defunct. Similar to WAP though, in its early days the technology was still in its infancy and only slowly filtered through to the mass market. If one considers what is happening in some markets like Japan, It could well be that NFC eventually becomes ubiquitous in the Mobile phone hardware thus rendering QR codes obsolete but this could be a long way off as phone manufactures decide on Smartphone specifications for the next generation models.

The key is not to over promise on the customer experience. The first introduction of internet access via the mobile phone fell way short of the marketing promise. Often the enthusiasm for the technological possibilities overshadows any real in-depth consideration of the consumer’s end-to-end experience. One particular issue is that it’s no good having a great idea using a QR code along with an inspired call to action, but then a terrible mobile landing page. Or indeed to have a QR code on a tube poster underground without internet access.

Why is it exciting?

With a little imagination, the technology could provide a wealth of exciting possibilities and there are already plenty of interesting examples. One such being the promotion activity surrounding the launch of the new film Citadel. To generate buzz around the release a company called Realise Digital has partnered with Blinder Films to provide consumers with an innovative AR experience. Using Aurasma AR technology, they have developed an initiative that means you can point a Smartphone device at any poster advertising the film and the static content will suddenly come to life and reveal unique versions of scenes from the film. This differs from earlier similar concepts by rather than simply having augmented trailer footage within the marketing, the Citadel poster generates a bespoke edit designed specifically for festival audiences. Viewers are then invited to continue interacting via Facebook.  Also throughout physical retail environments there are plenty of examples of retailers and brands enabling consumers to view important product information/demos, customer reviews and other content on their mobile phones, triggered by connecting physical in-store collateral with the customers mobile phone.

What does the future hold?

We only have to look at the history of technology to realise that frequently these trends can fade into obscurity as quickly as they were initially hyped up. A few years ago 3D was one of the most talked about technologies on the circuit, with industry-folk and consumers all desperate to get in on the action. The answer may lay somewhere in between. The particular technology enablers of QR, NFC and AR will all find their place in the journey to connecting smart mobile devices with the physical world and there will most probably be other new technologies and experiences along the way. We are in the very early stages of a natural evolution but the key is not to accelerate faster than consumer needs and/or what the technology can deliver in terms of a consumer experience. Brands and marketers just need to ensure they think practically, based on consumer insight and need.

Source

How your creations can be added to the reality?

There are three types of Augmented Reality:

Marker based  AR

Marker looks a little like a QR code, but today’s Augmented Reality Marker doesn’t really need to carry as much information as the QR code. Their primary purpose is to:

• Provide a location for the source file;
• Provide visual feedback to the camera attached to the computer to position the card and the markings in 3D space;

While QR codes became popular because of their ability to pack data densely, the augmented reality marker’s primary purpose is more about providing the visual feedback to the camera.

Image-based AR also called Markerless AR

It’s essentially the same as the previous one, the only real difference from a consumer’s perspective is that the surface the object is superimposed on doesn’t have to have that high contrast QR-like code to identify the surface’s position in 3d space. This can be more attractive and help to focus the consumer’s eyes on the object rather than the marker. It’s also worth noticing that it allows to implement AR on existing images without having to modify them.  Still, the free-form nature of the marker offers options for customization that might be exploited by a clever marketing team.

Location based AR

Based on detailed GPS or triangulation location & position/view of the camera/device the AR system can overlay information precisely over buildings or people as you move through real space.

Let’s explore together two common Augmented Reality implementations.

How is AR used in advertising?

Augmented reality, or AR, has become one of the hottest new advertising trends. From Toyota to Nivea to Disney, a diverse array of brands has hopped on the AR bandwagon in the hope of creating hype and increasing consumer engagement.

Since one in two Americans owns a smartphone, the advertising tool has a large potential audience. Augmented reality, by definition, gives brands the opportunity to unexpectedly integrate the digital world with the real world, which appeals to younger tech-lovers who are usually skeptical of traditional advertising methods.

Find below some amazing AR Ad implementations:

• Net-A-Porter’s use of augmented reality brings a whole new meaning to window shopping;
• Starbucks dabbled in augmented reality for the first time this holiday season by letting customers animate their red coffee cups with their smartphones;
• As if Times Square weren’t visually stimulating enough, Disney Parks decided that they needed to install an augmented reality billboard in the middle of it all!

How can your annual report be enhanced?

Annual report can be very boring sometime; AR is a great way to make them more interactive and increase your audience attention. This year Audi showed us the path, as an added treat for attending journalists, they were handed an Augmented Reality enhanced photo booklet.

The booklet contained information on the company and its products. For smartphone users the images presented inside triggered additional digital information when viewed through the smartphone camera. Instructions for downloading the app were provided. After getting the app users could enjoy videos of Audi’s great car models and other digital information about manufacture and ergonomics.

Amudo has the expertise to help you build similar experience and improve the way you manage presentation of your year end results.

What’s next?

To end this post and as a conclusion I would like to share with you the conclusions of a recent report from Juniper Research:

• The increasing focus on incorporating augmented reality elements within mobile applications will lead to nearly 1.4 billion annual downloads of such apps worldwide by 2015, up from just over 11 million last year;
• Annual revenues generated by mobile AR applications and services are expected to approach $1.5 billion by 2015, up from less than $2 million in 2010;

In addition, the report noted that brand interest in, and awareness of, AR rose dramatically lately, with a number of leading brands either creating apps with AR content or else utilizing existing mobile AR apps to enable end users to access the AR elements of advertising campaigns.

Don’t miss the train and contact us to evaluate how Augmented Reality can help you improve your business!

Gamification can be applied across a broad spectrum of situations where individuals need to be motivated or incentivized to pursue specific actions or activities. People learn better if an education process has game elements in it, they spend money more willingly on a service if it requires them to interact with a brand to get additional bonuses, they are more diligent in their daily routine if it includes elements of competition.

Get up in the morning, brush your teeth and earn points for it. Then eat cornflakes of a certain brand and get more points thanks to the company producing the cornflakes. Then take a bus to work instead of a car and get points from the City transportation department or walk instead and get points from your insurances company (which is genuinely interested in the well-being of its clients). This is a picture drawn from a recent presentation made by Jesse Schell which we believe anticipate the future of gamification.

Another trend that Schell mentions is the fact that electronics are becoming cheaper everyday. Chips will be so cheap that it will possible to embed them in any object, even if they are not meant for long-term use (for example, cornflake box). This concept has been pushed further already by the founders of Green Goose project who are suggesting to put stickers on any object to get statistics of their usage and then allow users to make every day events more playful.

Foursquare geosocial service allows to “check-in” at different places on goes out to and is another great example of gamefication. This services allows to easily let your friends know where you are and became popular because it has a game as a basis. Users get medals, designed to stimulate most active users, for certain actions they take. Hunt for medals reminds users about Foursquare in their busy life.

There are a lot of great examples of successful use of gamification outside computer games and social services.  For instance,  last Ford hybrid car dashboard has growing trees on it. The more fuel the driver saves, the higher they grow. Don’t you agree it is an elegant, easy and effective use of gamification? If you were the owner of such a car – would you share how high is your tree?

Users, equipped with mobile devices can be drawn into much more exotic games. For example, one can offer discounts to users who visit all stores of a chain or, checks-in with friends – there are thousands of variants. Some of them are in the process of being implemented. For example, Foursquare allows its advertisers to offer discounts to users who have earned a certain status at a particular store.  How many times have you become a mayor at a place? What about your friends?

Isn’t this interesting? Recent studies showed that it works. What about giving mobile game players a chance to win real prizes (provided by advertisers)? For example, if you pass several levels of angry birds, get a dozen of eggs :). In essence, it does not differ from a standard promotion plan but has the interesting feature of bringing virtual and real elements together.

Tell us about your business and together we will come up with a unique variant of gamification that will ideally match your business goals.