Top 5 Must Have iPhone Blogger Apps

Blogging is a serious business today. It gives bloggers the liberty to express their opinions in a platform that is owned and managed by them. Businesses too have been using blogging as a platform to promote their ideas and express their opinions. If you are an avid blogger and want to continuously stay in touch, using an iPhone to do so is probably the best idea.

There are a few essential things that bloggers find missing in their iPhones or even iPads such as the ability to write long posts, embed videos and images etc. There are several dedicated blogging apps for iPhone which make blogging a pleasure. They even help you update while on the go. But it should be understood that no one app can take care of all blogging needs. You would have to use more than one app to get a fully-functional blog running from your iPhone. Let us take a look at five iPhone blogging apps that are a must-have on your phone. 

WordPress: When it comes to blogging WordPress is the most trusted name. It is easy to use, highly flexible and robust. It comes in an iPhone-friendly version that makes it easy for you to select categories for each post, upload images, videos and text all in simple steps.

Blogsy: Spend a small amount to give make blogging easier and fulfilling and get Blogsy that comes at a decent price of $4.99. Along with an intuitive interface, Blogsy has other user-friendly features. If you are managing more than one blog at a time, you can update all in one go. Blogsy is also integrated with Facebook allowing you to upload images directly from your Facebook account.

Hoot Suite: To make your blog successful, you will have to get more traffic to the site. Hoot Suite lets you connect to all social networking sites in one go and post your blog link at one go. Posting regularly on social networking sites help boost the popularity of the blog. Hoot Suite come free and saves a lot of your time too!

Instagram: Photo blogging has reached new heights thanks to Instagram and is very popular with bloggers the world over. Images attract more traffic to the site and to get all those interested people to your blog, using Instagram is a good idea. Instagram comes as an app for iPhone and is extremely helpful. 

Fast Analytics: To understand how well your blog is doing using an analytics app is essential. Among the many analytics apps for iPhones, Fast Analytics is one you can easily rely on. Fast Analytics informs you about the traffic density, from where the traffic is coming, the keywords being used etc.

 

Blogging apps for iPhones sell like hot cakes. It is a good idea for businesses to develop these specific apps and reach out to a niche market. There are many mobile apps development companies which specialize in blogging apps and you can hire their services to make an appealing app.

Android Becomes the Most Popular Mobile Platform in Australia

As Google’s Android was giving Apple iOS a run for its money around the world, Australia was one fort which Apple held strongly. Apple iPhone and iPads outnumbered the sale of Android powered devices in the land Down Under.

According to latest stats revealed by the Sydney Morning Herald the sale of Android-powered devices stood at 44% gaining a slight edge from Apple’s 43% sales in the last 12 weeks. Android has also broken the 10 million barriers in Australia according to the latest report. This has been quite a meteoric rise of Android which held only 6% of the market share in the year 2010.

Global Trends  

A lot of the credit is being given to the global market where Android has taken almost an unassailable lead over iOS with three fourth market share in the smartphone world. With the world going gaga over Android and the wide range of handsets and tables on offer the Australia customers are finally going with the stream.

Lack of Choice in Apple Stable  

One of the major reasons for Android’s growing popularity has been the wide range of smartphones and tablets that Android offers. Being an open source OS several leading manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, LG and even Nokia have launched Android devices into the market. In comparison Apple has only iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 in its stable and it is no match when it comes to entry end smartphones which cost a fraction of iPhone’s price tag.

iPhone 5 Came Late  

Another reason that many believe led to the growth of Android was the delayed launch of iPhone 5 compared to Samsung Galaxy series of phones. Samsung has been the biggest beneficiary of the Android revolution and the Galaxy series phones are selling like hot cakes. The phones being priced considerably lesser to the iPhone and have attracted the customers in Australia. The delayed launch has also prompted some of the iPhone 3G users to join the Android tribe as they come out of their two year contracts.

Tablets Following Suit  

The trend isn’t restricted to the smartphones alone and even tablet sales are showing similar trends. Apple iPad might be one of the most advanced tablets in the world but Apple offers no further choice. It finds itself logged in an unfair battle where it has to compete with dozens of tablets from different manufacturers and in different price ranges.

It’s The App Age    

Irrespective of the stiff competition between them Android and iOS remain two of the most powerful mobile operating systems in the world. Every day hundreds of apps are launched on these platforms to promote businesses.  If you want to promote your business and increase sales in the e-age you need to get your business app developed for both these platforms. This will help you establish at one-to-one bond with your target audience and add to your sales and revenue. So what are you thinking of there are many mobile application development companies which develop robust apps at affordable prices.

E-Stores- The future lies Ahead

With augment of technology, an e-Store has become one of the attractive and best methods to shop. When users and consumers experience smooth shopping while taking use of an online store, they tend to come back again along with more customers. It is important that you must take good care of your e-Store so that you can enhance your business productivity.

What will make your e-Store popular?

Below mentioned are some points that will make your online store popular in various aspects.

Make your site trustworthy: For enhancing the popularity of your online store, you must take care of the privacy. Customers like to visit online stores, with authority seals. This is the best way to build credibility in the online market world.

Convenient for customers: Make the site expedient for the users. Post multiple images of the products along with zoom in the facility so that consumers can select their products with ease. This will create an interest in them to buy your products.

Promote good deals: One, which meets the eye, is sold. Promoting good deals would prove profitable for you. If you are already having some good deals for the users, endorse them so that users get to know about them while visiting your eStore.

Make the customers happy: By giving fast loading pages and quick access to different categories in your online store, will help in making the customers happy which will result in profitability for your stores. With quick search option in your site, it is easy for users to search in your eStore.

Make your eStore socially active: Taking use of social networking sites will prove lucrative for you. Add buttons for various social networking sites so that users can have a quick access. This will even prove beneficial for you as an eStore promotion technique.

Taking use of e-commerce consultants: If you are willing to make your eStore more convenient for the users, make sure to get guidance from a genuine e-commerce consultant. An e-commerce consultant will help you in filling the loopholes that are creating havoc for your site.

Some Additional tips

Before you run an eStore, go for a proper planning. This will help you in understanding what is required by the customers. In addition, doing an intense research program would help you in knowing about your competitors in the market and what techniques they are adopting for attracting the customers. You can even adopt the same strategies or take use of some other counter methods to promote your business.

Taking use of professional help from the ecommerce portal development company would help you in having a web store as per your choice. Once your site is developed, keep it simple yet attractive so that more and more users visit your eStore. Do not put in additional plug-ins as it might result in slower performance of the web portal. Once the user finish shopping from your eStore, collect feedback from them, as it would help in enhancing your store.

30 Best Apps for iPhone & iPad

This post is for the people who keep exploring different apps on their iPhone or iPad. We have made a comprehensive list of 30 best apps for iPhone and iPad users. We would provide our readers with a brief outline of the apps, highlighting the main features and usability.
So, here it begins…

Acoustik

This is a free app by Find away World which offers a diverse range of audiobooks in different genre ranging from stories, classics, and best-sellers to self-help and business books. It is a simple and easy to use app which the users can install and use to listen to some of the best audiobooks. The awesome collection of books and convenience that it offers makes it a must-have app on your iPhone or iPad. Install and listen to the content of your choice anywhere and everywhere!

Atlas by Collins

An app that has been developed with a motto of revolutionizing the way people explore the world around themselves, Atlas by Collins is a window to a new world of information about our planet and the way we live. This app provides globes with different themes like political, energy, environment, population, etc. The users have access to 3D maps with information on hundreds of thousands of locations and landmarks. It’s a constantly evolving tool loaded with data and information.

Animal SnApp: Farm

An app for self-learning activities for kids, this one has six rhyming stories which are revealed after solving simple visual puzzles. Published by Nosy Crow, the app has six animal characters, Cuddly Cow, Higgly Hen, Diggedy Dog, Lucky Lamb, Portly Pig and Gobbly Goat. Crowned with nice animations, music and sound effects, it is one of the most useful apps for the young iPhone and iPad users.

Circa News

This one is a news snack app for the iPhone users. Redefining the way we read, the developers have released this app with a motive of providing useful information in just the right number of words. It’s a new way to publish news as precisely as possible using fewer words. This app would give you the news in lesser number of words so that you get more information in lesser time. For those, who still want to read the whole thing, there is a link to the complete article or news item.

CSN

An app for the super fans of the rock supergroup – Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN), it offers exclusive content by the folk rock group including their interviews, music reviews, unreleased videos and discounts on selected merchandise. This is an asset for the true fans who could always get something extra on CSN through this app.

Free Calls – Comm

An app that offers free calling and testing services based on Voice over IP model, Comm promises to provide high quality voice calls and chats without charging any fee. Along with free voice calls and personalized messaging, it offers photo sharing with other Comm members. The people who don’t have Comm would receive the messages as emails. 

Gathered by Mollie Makes

Gathered by Mollie Makes is an app for the people who are interested or working in contemporary crafts. This craft weekly by UK’s leading publisher, Future, lists craft projects, videos, photos and community activity. Every issue comes with list of favorite things of the last week including books, blogs and videos. This is currently available for iPad users only.

GQ Watch 2013

The British publisher, Condé Nast, has come up with a free digital guide to watches. It is a lifestyle magazine which covers latest news on anything related to time and comes with an annual GQ Watch Directory. It is now available for download for the iPad users.

Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

By StoryToys, this is a 3D pop-up story app that has a new story of Brothers Grimm fairytale Sleeping Beauty. The developers have converted this classic story into an interactive fun app. This one has more features than its previous editions and includes mini-games, puzzles and fairy dress-up section. This has been included on the sidelines of the main story which is dictated by 35 pages of text and 11 3D pop-ups.

#PAN

This app is a client for the micro blogging service App.net (ADN). ADN has been developed as a unified message bus which plans to integrate together multiple apps and services into a single information delivery system. #PAN would help the users to post their updates, view their stream and refer the hash tags. Although it is a paid service, it provides a few extras by allowing media hosting on the site – Haspan.com.

Hollywood Photobooth

Ever wanted to wear the dress your favorite star has worn? – This is the right app to install on your iOS device. This app enables its users to take their picture and superimposes the dress of user’s choice. Basically, you can virtually wear your dream celebrity dress and see how you would look in it. There is an option to choose from 16 original costumes from Hollywood movies. You could also flaunt it amongst your friends as this app helps you post the clicks on the popular social networking sites. Install and look great!

Inkly Cards

This is one of the best apps for the holiday season or otherwise. It is for those who want to send personalized handwritten cards to their near and dear ones. The only difference is, instead of sending the physical cards, this app would help you choose from the list of card designs prepared by selected designers and would allow you to include a personal handwritten message on the card. This app would print your message on the card and send it to whomsoever you want. All you need is – a pen, a paper, your iPhone and Inkly Cards installed on it! Just write your message on the paper, click a flick and import it into this app and it would print your message on the selected card.

Man on the Moon

The book app that features the complete story of Apollo 11 with the crew, spacecraft, Moon, video footage, interactive diagrams, photo galleries and much more. This is a complete multimedia experience which enables the user to play with 3D view of the spacecraft, crew members, videos and other interactive elements. This app would also give some insight into the specific and not-so-easily available information of what was the reason behind Apollo 11 mission, what did the crew members wear or eat, how the lunar module landed, etc. It’s a great app for space enthusiasts and anybody who is remotely interested in it.

Me Books

It is a digital equivalent of a picture book with voice narration by celebrities. This app gives an option to the users to pick digital books from a library with a collection of books from various publishers like Penguin, Ladybird, Bloomsbury and many more. It’s the next version of the predecessors Ladybird Classic Me Books and Peppa Pig Me Books apps. There is an option for your kids to record their own voice for the stories.

My CQs

It is a useful app for those who want to do a revision of their syllabus. This app allows the students and teachers to create Multiple Choice Questions and use the tests created by others to prepare for the exams. It is a handy app that would redefine the revision process and might also retain the interest of students with its interface. The best part is that it’s a mobile app and you can use it on-the-go. No need to sit at one place with your notebook and pen!

My First Orchestra App HD

With a music equivalent to a full album by popular composers like Mozart and John Williams, this app introduces kids (4 and above) to different instruments used in an orchestra. Another fun learning app for the toddlers!

Nigella Quick Collection for iPad

Nigella Lawson’s cookery app of iPhone is now available for iPad users as well. This comes with more than 100 recipes and has full-screen clicks, videos and voice control features. The cooks and make their own notes and add voice notes to the recipes for their reference. People who need something special for their parties can opt for a ‘Party Collection’ pack which is available through an in-app purchase. This one is for the cooks and the food lovers.

Pudsey’s Dream Wheels

The fundraiser app for BBC’s Children in Need telethon, Pudsey’s Dream Wheels works on the merchandise model. The users can design their own cars and order a print on different merchandise that is available including mugs, t-shirts, stickers, etc. The money that would be generated from the profit would be contributed to the charity. It is a fun way to do something good! Everyone gets something.

Rara.com

This is a dedicated app for the music streaming site – rara.com. This gives access to the vast playlists and channels available on the site. The music that you listen to would be synchronized to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The tracks are directly stored on the device so that you can enjoy the music even when you are offline. A wonderful app for the music lovers!

Rappel

Something for the project managers! This app allows the users to keep a tab on their projects. This would help the managers to create tasks, assign them to other resources and discuss any issues involved in the same. They can also upload and share files through their iPhone. This is an iPhone client for the PM service Basecamp.

Signed Stories

This complements the Signed Stories website and TV series and brings all the stories in,the British and American Sign Language, to deaf and hearing children. It would also be of great use to the children with special needs and who are suffering from Autism, Dyslexia, Down’s syndrome and Asperger syndrome.

Songbird.me

This is another music app which allows the users to follow their favorite artists and explore new ones. It also gives an option to upload your photos and get real time updates from your artists and other members. It gives a personalized music experience and it gives a place where music lovers can like, share and save whatever they like.

Spanish-English Dictionary 6th Edition

It is a complete app for people who are either learning or referencing one of these languages. It has been published by University of Chicago Press with around 34,000 words, options like creating bookmarks, notes and word lists. The people who are learning the languages can get help from flashcards and quizzes.

Snapjoy

A unique app, Snapjoy has been developed to ‘arrange’ or ‘organize’ your photographs. It not only organizes the photos but also makes it available anywhere. This app uses a timeline to sort the photos by the year and month.

Striiv Smart Pedometer

This is not just another app that helps people track the number of steps they take, but it’s a package that helps people lose weight, maintain BMI and keep a track of their fitness levels using activity based games. You can define your own targets and take them as challenges, beat them and set new targets. The main idea behind creating this app is to make running and walking more fun filled and including more activities to day-to-day routine, thereby helping individuals to reach their fitness goals.

Toca Tailor

This is another app for kids to hone their designing skills. It helps them design clothes for 4 characters by selecting patterns from the available lot or to create their own by taking pictures of different objects. It is one more product from Toca Boca and helps bring out the creativity in kids.

Tunigo Play

One more music app on the list, Tunigo Play has been built for streaming service – Spotify. The people who have a premium account on the site can listen to the playlists created by the experts and other users. You would also get regular alerts on what’s new in the music world.

The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee

It’s a combination of apps related to music and children. It is a wonderful app which merges the story telling with music. The stories are built around a girl called LeeLee and her grandmother Mama Mae. The app would be introducing new stories and songs as an in-app purchase in the months to come.

Wowmum

This is an app to assist parents to find places around UK related to their children in their vicinity. Focusing on three categories of Eat, Play and Pamper, this app is a location based guide to eat-outs, cafes, playgrounds, parks, pools, toy shops, cloth stores and many more places related to kids. This is a great app for parents who move around the city and who want a reference for their kids while they are roaming around.

Yoga Studio

It might sound weird to use iPhone while doing Yoga – something that needs focus and relaxation. But this app is a helps people rather than disturbing them while doing their daily Yoga exercises. It has around 30 yoga classes and gives an option to the user to form playlists and build a routine with a set of exercises. It also has photos of around 280 Yoga poses.

The Grand Slam - Windows Phone Versus iOS Versus Android

It is very difficult to compare mobile operating systems. Each of these have their own intrinsic features and functionalists which driver their craze. In a world which is becoming ‘smart’ newer mobile OSs are offering users some fascinating experiences. Phones are no longer mere communication devices they pack in entertainment and information in them. Among the popular mobile operating systems Windows Phone, Android and iOS have always been pitted against each other. Here in this write-up we shall compare between Window Phone 8, iOS 6 and Android 4.1 which are the latest in the offering from their respective developers.

 User Interface

This is perhaps the most important thing when it comes to a smartphone and the often becomes the deciding factor in a phone’s success. Windows Phone 8 is built around Flashy tiles which reminds us of the ‘windows’ in the famous operating system. These tiles can be easily customized based on one’s choice. Android 4.1 UI has jelly bean widgets which can be easily adjusted by the user. There isn’t any change in Apple iOS 6UI which continues with the grid system reminding us of the first generation of iPhone which makes it a bit boring to say the least!

Browsers

All the three have their own browsers where Android 4.1 comes with Google Chrome, Windows Phone 8 with IE 10 and iOS 6 comes with Safari. When we draw a comparison between these Safari and Chrome emerge more user-friendly where users can view the searched pages online. IE provides no such facility however enhances the security of the user and prevents them from falling victims to malicious websites through its phishing filter feature.

Mapping

This is another important feature in smartphones these days especially when it comes to travelling on roads and locating places. Windows Phone 8 makes use of Nokia mapping service which is a poorer cousin of Google Maps which is available on both Android 4.1 and iOS 6 which also brings 3D indoor mapping into the scene. In fact Apple goes a step further and provides live updates on traffic by sourcing information from its users.

Near Filed Communication

This is one of the hottest things in the technology world and finds usage in making online payments using the phone. Microsoft has developed its own wallet for Windows Phone which allows users to make payments and store payment instructions easily. Android also has something in similar likes known as the Google Wallet. Apple on the other hand uses something called a passbook which however isn’t based on the NFC technology.

The Verdict

It is difficult to choose one among these three operating systems on these counts. While Android continues to remain the most popular smartphone platform and iOS as the most admired one. Windows Phone is picking up and will give a tough competition to others in the coming years. One great advantage for Windows is the fact that the same operating system can be used over a host of devices such as the smartphones, PCs and laptops, tablets and PDAs.

One thing is for sure smartphones are soon going to take over from traditional mobile handsets and this opens a huge opportunity for mobile application development. If you are planning to develop apps to promote your business you need to develop apps for all these platforms to reach the mass market.