Mubaloo's 2014 Mobile Predictions (interview)

If you're looking for even more outlook of what’s next for mobile and Android, Mubaloo’s recent 2014 Mobile Predictions report from the company can certainly provide strong forthcoming insights. We are familiar with Mubaloo as an award-winning team of mobile consultants and mobile app development experts that aim to deliver end-to-end enterprise and consumer solutions. Ben Reed is Head of Technology at Mubaloo overseeing R&D, platform evaluation and leading the technical partnerships with EE and SAP. Droid Report discussed with Reed and his team about the company’s latest report findings.

Mubaloo

Security is a major concern with mobile apps, how is Mubaloo working in 2014 to alleviate these concerns?

"Security is the primary concern many people have when it comes to apps. There’s still a lot of education to be done to raise awareness about taking care when downloading apps. With Android, there is still a large amount of fragmentation where some devices don’t have access to Google Play. They have to get access to apps from other stores that may have fewer checks in place for end user protection. Even on Google Play, there are constantly stories about apps trying to trick users to download them by imitating established apps. “

"There have recently been articles suggesting that 49% of users don’t download apps because of permission screens. Obviously, for many people they are concerned as to why an app would need to access their phone dialer or see who the last person they called was. If the app doesn’t explain why it might need to access these areas of a phone, users will be hesitant. As with anything in life, users should always only download from trusted sources; or if they aren’t sure, read reviews before installing."

Reed said, "We always encrypt any data and only recommend sending it via SSL for maximum security. The last thing that us or our clients would want is for data being sent to be intercepted or vulnerabilities to be found in the apps we create. " With the mass amount of personal information users have on their devices, he said it’s vital that pin codes are used. Beyond contacts, your home address or photos that you might not want to fall into the wrong hands, many people store their passwords to their online identities on their phones. As not everyone sets passwords, despite the dangers, we also work to establish which apps require passwords to access them. This is one way to make sure that even if a phone does get stolen or go missing, the user will still be protected.

“For the enterprise market, we always recommend using an MDM / MAM provider to ensure the device is secured when producing enterprise applications. At the very least with this approach you can ensure a device is passcode protected and dictate the criteria that the passcode has to meet.” “We always work alongside our clients to make sure that they follow best practice guidelines. We are also working with initiatives such as EurApp to help establish guidelines and provide thought leadership to developers across Europe” said Reed.

Mubaloo’s Report Highlights:

Mobile apps have opened up new possibilities for the use of APIs, first for the consumer and now for businesses. Connected devices look set to boost the next wave of API growth, where every device in your home, workplace and car is linked, and where data can be shared with businesses in real-time. We believe that APIs will become a primary channel for many organisations throughout 2014, with businesses really starting to realise how integral APIs are to their mobile strategy. We also think there will be a rise in the amount of data consumed via APIs in 2014, rather than web pages.

What type of evolutionary or revolutionary opportunities do you think APIs may make possible?

Reed said that good APIs are the foundation of good apps and without them, everything eventually crumbles or grinds to a halt. "As APIs aren’t tied to a specific UI, operating system or device, they provide developers with the chance to surface data in new and interesting ways with relative ease. One of the reasons that apps such as CityMapper are so good is that they tie into multiple APIs to surface data that makes it easy for users to find transport information." Mubaloo believes apps such as Google Now are one of the best current examples of what happens when APIs are utilised properly. This is because it can use data from the phone, with data from thousands of different sources, it provides the user with an almost seamless way to go through their day. Reed said that rather than opening different apps for flight times or delays, currency conversions, weather conditions and so on, everything is presented in front of the user.

“Apps In the future, APIs and cloud computing will help AI systems in the cloud to process more information from more sources much faster than a device can. Not everything needs to be stored in one place meaning that apps don’t have to take up a huge amount of space on a device. As long as they have data connectivity and apps are designed to talk to the right APIs, they can surface the information they need to, “ said Reed.

Apps have proven to evolve as even more intelligent, according to Mubaloo:

Google has shown developers and end users the value that can be extracted from making apps more intelligent through Google Now. In 2014, we predict that there will be a big push towards making apps truly intelligent. Rather than just collecting or receiving data, a new breed of apps will be able to analyse the data to make it relevant to individual users. In the enterprise and consumer space, this will be brought about by a mix of internal or personal data and third-party sources, a wider variety of sensors such as Bluetooth Beacons and the deployment of M2M technology. For evidence of this trend, just look at Tempo AI from SRI Labs, Windows Phone’s new personal assistant, the aforementioned Google Now and Apple’s Siri, all of which continue to grow in intelligence and contextual awareness.

How important are mobile apps to Mubaloo?

For Mubaloo, the company thrives on mobile apps. "Without apps, Mubaloo wouldn't exist. Like many companies that have been founded over the past few years, our business is a result of the fact that Apple and Google made mobile apps hugely popular. Apps have had a huge impact on the way business is done, people communicate and how they access information."

“One of the main reasons that people use apps is because they reduce the number of steps needed to complete a task. This is exactly what we see in the business world and why businesses are creating bespoke apps for employees and customers. If they can make it easier for people to do things, behaviour will change or cost savings will be achieved.”

Mubaloo believes that inclusion of support for Bluetooth Low Energy that Android in 2014 will be significant. Reed said, “There is a huge amount of excitement about this technology with some people already suggesting that NFC is going to die. They are only available on some of the top end Android phones with Bluetooth 4.0, support was included in Android 4.3.” .

Another point coming to Bayless is the entire connected car experience is also going to get a massive boost this year. “An increasing number of cars will be able to connect to Android devices which could lead to more innovations. In the same way that people have used health and fitness apps, there will be apps that help people to improve their driving by analysing the data collected. This could also apply to the enterprise market by automatically matching any meetings with direction information, and take into account traffic,” said Reed.

The full report of Mubaloo’s 2014 Mobile Predictions is available for viewing at the company website.