Are We Addicted To Our Smartphones?

Hello again everyone! I realize that the last few posts have been about mobile devices, but this trend isn’t going away; in fact, it is steadily growing. It is becoming ever more imperative that businesses understand consumer behavior and how this behavior influences the economy.

More and more, consumers are using their smartphones for everyday, menial tasks. Things that all used to be separated by different technologies are all coming together in that small device we carry everywhere. I started to think, how often do I use my smartphone, and what for? The list is increasingly long, and has grown immensely just over the past year.

I must admit, it took me a while to climb aboard the smartphone train. My first “smartphone” was a Sprint LG Optimus, and I thought that was wonderful. And at the time it was, for a few months. But then I started to hear all my friends talk about their amazing iPhones and how they have an app for this and an app for that. I must admit I was jealous! Games that I could only play if I deleted all other apps from my phone my friends could play continuously while still keeping all their other apps.  

When I finally got my brand new iPhone 5, I was hooked! The first day I think I downloaded over 20 apps just because I could. Now, I can’t imagine not using at least half of those apps on a daily basis. I know I would not be able to make it on time to work every morning without my alarm clock app. I am constantly logging in to MyFitnessPal to monitor my exercise and calorie intake. And then there’s social media, which is a whole other beast.

The more I begin to think of my smartphone usage, the more I realize that in today’s society, consumers are addicted to their smartphones. I have found that even when I am hanging out with friends, there is always some point in the night were we are all on our smartphones. With all this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that yes, we are addicted to our smartphones.

Recently, Apigee, an API Company, performed a Mobile App Behavior Survey. This survey measured users’ mobile behavior in the U.S., Germany, UK, France, and Spain.  Spain turned out to be the most addicted, and 82% of those surveyed stated they couldn’t go without certain apps for even a day, ranking email, Facebook, and Alarm & Clock as the most critical.

So what does this data tell us? No matter if you are in the B2B market, or B2C, the rapid growth of the mobile industry is something every business owner should monitor and understand. Consumers are using their phones to purchase items, look up information, and in essence, find your business. As a business owner, you need to keep this in mind when marketing and promoting your business. The age-old methods are showing to be ineffective, and in this generation, you can either jump on the bandwagon or get left in the dust.

Are you addicted to your smartphone? What are some of the apps you can’t go a day without? Let us know in the comments below! Thanks and I hope you all have a great week!

Until next time,

Julie

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2013/02/26/smartphone-users-giving-up-mobile-apps/

 

Mobile Website Development: Why the World is Going Mobile

As the world becomes further driven by technology, the ongoing trend seems to be that everything is going mobile.  Every day there are new apps being developed to help you exercise, organize, or cook, and they are all at your fingertips in that small handheld device most users couldn’t go a day without. Cell phones are not just for communicating anymore, they serve a much bigger need than that. Just think about how much you use your phone on a daily basis. Here’s an example scenario:

You invite your friend over to your house so you can both decide on where to go for dinner and take one car. She gets there, and you both are drawing a blank. You are doing the whole, “look up to the ceiling to try to figure out where there is to eat and go down every street in town in your head.” You then both decide to just look it up on Urbanspoon.com. Odds are, you have used your mobile phone to perform this task.

I am guilty of this too. I could even have my laptop sitting right beside me, and I will still look up information on my phone. This is because my phone is always attached at my hip, it’s smaller, and it’s portable. I can drive while my friend looks up directions, numbers, etc. on her mobile phone. And think about the Urbanspoon website for a minute.  If you look this up on your phone (or even have the app), it is easy to navigate, simple to understand, and you can get all the information you need with just a tap of your finger on the screen. The reason for this is Urbanspoon has made sure their website is mobile-compatible.

Mobile-compatibility means having a website that can be viewed on mobile devices and not take away from the overall message.  Continuing with the Urbanspoon example, on the left you can see Urbanspoon.com pulled up on a regular PC. On the right is the mobile version. While not as visually appealing, the mobile version still has all the necessary information the user could want, and the screen is clear and legible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 As a business owner, it is crucial to have your website compatible with mobile devices. Users are constantly on-the-go. If they need to find your contact information, but your site is difficult to navigate on a mobile device, the user will most likely give up. In general, you have a 3 second window to capture your audience’s attention, and for mobile users this is extremely true. Consumers expect websites to perform as well or even better on their mobile devices.

Not all mobile websites have to look like the Urbanspoon example, but what is important to note is that mobile users aren’t looking for bright colors or eye-catching images. They want information as fast as they can get it, so keep it simple and clean. Whether you have been in business for a while or are just starting out, it is imperative your website is mobile-compatible, or you could get lost in the shuffle.

Over the past few months CTSI has been working to help clients develop their mobile websites, and feel free to download our brochure here for more information.

That’s all for this week everyone, and let me know any comments or questions you guys have in the comments below!

 

Thanks for listening!

Julie

 

Toll Fraud: What You Need to Know About This Latest Scam

As the world becomes more technologically advanced, so do the hackers who monitor the industry. There is always a new threat to consider, and toll fraud is no different.  This is a growing threat, one that could go unnoticed by consumers if they are not made aware of the warning signs and precautions.

So, what is toll fraud? In a nutshell, toll fraud is an increasingly common form of malware aimed at mobile devices.  What exactly is the threat? The cyber criminals who use this method are stealing small amounts of money from users, and that money is coming directly out of your pocket by showing up on your phone bill in the form of a charge fee. This charge can go unnoticed if you aren’t inspecting your phone bill each month so you can understand where each charge came from.

I will explain how this whole process works, but first I want to explain specifically what malware is and how it works. Malware is short for malicious software, and Wikipedia defines it as, “software used or created by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems.” Malware can be anything from a small computer virus to a Trojan horse. Hackers use this software to find personal information, generally in order to make a profit. The toll fraud scam is no different.

So how do hackers end up getting your money, and disguising it as a charge on your cell phone bill? Meghan Kelly from VentureBeat describes the process like this: "You know those commercials that say, "Text 555555 to get a new ringtone every day!"? When you text to that number, a trusted chain of about five steps happens:

1.       A customer texts the number, alerting an aggregator — working for the ringtone provider — that he wants to order daily ringtones.

2.       Through the aggregator, the ringtone provider sends a confirmation text message to the customer (or sometimes two depending on that country’s regulations) to the customer.

3.       That customer approves the charges and starts getting ringtones.

4.       The customer is billed through his wireless carrier.

5.       The wireless carrier receives payment and sends out the ringtone payment to the provider.

 

Make sense? Here’s how the malware, notably the most popular form called FakeInst, works:

1.       A customer downloads an app that sends out an SMS message to that same ringtone provider.

2.       The ringtone provider sends the confirmation message, but instead of reaching the smartphone owner, the malware blocks and confirms the text message before the user ever knows.

3.       The malware writers further jump in between the wireless carrier and the ringtone provider, pretending to be an aggregator, and collect the money you just paid through your bill.”

Nervous? I wouldn’t blame you. Once I started learning about this, I began to wonder if I had fallen victim to this scam. I fully intend to look over my next phone bill with a magnifying glass to ensure I don’t pay any unnecessary charges.

This scam primarily attacks Android devices because these devices can download apps from anywhere, whereas iOS devices can only use the Apple App Store to purchase apps. This is not to say that iPhones are not vulnerable, but Androids are the far more likely candidate.

This problem only seems to be getting worse, and Lookout Mobile, a security company, quotes some alarming statistics. Lookout estimates that, “From the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2013, a total of 18 million users of Android devices might encounter malware, and about 72% of the malware found in 2012 was toll fraud.”

This is definitely something to keep in mind and be watchful of. You should always check any bill you get to make sure the proper charges are in place, but with this new scam it is even more imperative that you fully inspect your phone bill. It also wouldn’t hurt to be mindful of apps that say, “Text this number to get a talking kitty to send to your friends.” There are some legitimate ones out there, but do some research on the service provider before you commit. These are just some of the ways you can protect yourself from malware attackers.

That is all I have for this week, and as always I am open to any questions or discussions you guys want to have. Thanks for listening!

Until next time,

Julie

 

Sources:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/lookout-toll-fraud/

http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/06/toll-fraud-lookout-mobile/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware

The New Facebook: What You Need To Know About Graph Search

Today I want to talk about the Facebook Graph Search Tool. I have officially been taken off the waiting list, and have been able to test it out. For the past few days, I have merely been using it look for friends or events; pretty much the normal everyday things I use the search tool for. This week though, I have decided to see what the new Graph Search Tool is all about. I decided to do a test run, and type in the search bar, “My friends who work in Dallas, Texas.”  Sure enough, up comes a list of all my friends on Facebook who work, or have worked in Dallas (I figured I would try Dallas since I don’t live there).

As I continued to explore this new tool, something I found interesting is you can find what restaurants are near to you from your current location. You can even refine this search to just say Lubbock, TX.  I started wondering however, how does Facebook know what restaurants are close to me? After some digging (and believe me it wasn’t a real obvious find), I realized that Facebook, like so many other sites, mark what device you accessed the site from and where. I have attached a screen-shot here, and circled in red is where you can find information about your active sessions.

 

Now, before you become alarmed, note that you can end the activity, although that doesn’t necessarily mean Facebook will stop seeing where you accessed the site from. This is a normal procedure used by almost every company around the world with a website, and since Facebook is a social platform, it’s only natural they would track this information. That is not my focus in this article today however. I mostly wanted to explore the new Facebook search tool to see if it’s something that can be useful. But, if you are interested in protecting your online privacy, and only want your friends to search for information concerning you, here is a link to a great article that shows what you can do: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/technology/personaltech/protecting-your-privacy-on-the-new-facebook.html?ref=technology.

I think for now, the tool is a good start. One of the main things Facebook will have to worry about is users concerned about their privacy. However, if Facebook wants to be the primary source of information rather than Google, the tool will have to be improved. For instance, when typing into the search bar, “2013 Lubbock, TX events,” it sent me to a web search. While that is a lot like Google, what I would like to see, and I think many consumers would as well, would be results that specifically tie into Facebook. For instance, if Lubbock is having a 5K in support of a great cause, I want to know, especially because this should be public information. Now yes, if you get invited to the event, then of course you can see it. But what about those public events that sometimes get lost in the maze of the news feed? That awesome 5k that is supposed to be public could get lost, and unless there is a personal invite or one of your friends is going, it’s hard to find.

I think ultimately, this tool has a way to go before it is used as a primary search engine, but I think it is definitely a good start. You can even see music your friends like and games they like to play, which further builds upon the community feel Facebook provides consumers. From a business standpoint, this tool can be very beneficial. For instance, you could look up, “Friends attending Chamber Events,” and connect with them at the event.  I think this tool has some potential, and feedback is going to be Facebook’s best friend. That is why there is a waiting list, so the few brave guinea pigs can test it out and give feedback, which is certainly what I will be doing.

I will keep you all updated on this process, and if any of you have had the chance to try it out, let me know what you think!  If you want to sign up for the waiting list, click this link: https://www.facebook.com/ctsinet?ref=hl#!/about/graphsearch and scroll to the very bottom of the page. I am available for any questions you guys have, and until next time!

Julie