Lenco Mobile Technology

The automotive vertical has been one of the strong performers all year in regards to mobile advertising. Auto manufactures and auto dealers have both leveraged mobile ads and developed specific mobile applications to increase brand awareness and to manage customer relationships. Here are a few of the Android and Auto Finance applications within this vertical.

Android Apps

Lenco Mobile Android App Example

The Android apps developed by auto manufacturers and dealers are similar to those found on the iPhone. However, brands are slower to develop apps for this device, with fewer present in the Android Markeplace store. Brands such as Audi and Rolls-Royce have created design oriented apps while Jeep’s app is very similar to its iPhone app with access to more vehicle information, parts, gear, etc. Volkswagen has developed an interesting app where you can scan your phone over magazine articles and find hidden content (video, website). Although there are also significantly less apps available, dealers have the same types of apps as on the iPhone which allow you to schedule maintenance, order parts, get towed, and more.

Auto Finance Related Apps

Lenco Mobile Auto Finance App Example

Both the iTunes store and the Android marketplace have numerous apps related to your auto payment. However, these are almost exclusively apps that assist in calculating your monthly payment i.e. nothing more than calculators. Some are bundled with mortgage and other loan calculators, and include things such as trade-ins, taxes, residuals, etc. In the iTunes store there is one app from 1^st Coast Auto that allows you to apply for financing and make payments from their app. Additionally, the iTunes store contains auto appraisal apps that assist in finding a fair market value for your vehicle. In contrast to say the insurance apps for example (ex. GEICO and State Farm), all of the finance related apps (in both stores) are non-branded and they range from free to $4.99. To learn more about Android apps for the automotive industry, visit Lenco Mobile.

Lenco Mobile Apps

Mobile blogging or Moblogging is en vogue in 2011.  Being able to blog on the go is an experience that has improved as mobile phone apps gain better development and more robust features.  Generally speaking, mobile blogs are often picture heavy.  You also have the added benefit of geotagging your posts with the built in GPS on many smartphone models.  A tourist without access to wifi via a laptop while traveling can still update their followers with content and even create a map of where they have visited in real time.

Some mobile blogging apps let you access and post to multiple platforms.  Others are geared more toward just photoblogging.  Some focus on micro-blogging sites like Twitter.  Many of these Apps are a really simple concept with a single functionality that simply makes a process more efficient on the go and are free in the iTunes App Store.  Not all moblog apps are created equal as many do not support editing on the go so you’ll have to take this into account when you choose the app that’s best for you. Below are a few examples. To learn more about moblogging apps visit Lenco Mobile.

WordPress: The classic WordPress environment is elegantly translated for mobile.  Over 1.4 million users blogged via mobile devices with this software app in 2010.  Mobloggers have the ability to write, save drafts for later and publish immediately to their blog with this App.  You can moderate comments and even post video on BlackBerry.  (Video support is coming soon to iPhone and Android Apps)  It’s nice that the App is supported by Apple, Android, BlackBerry and Windows 7.

TypePad: Supported on iPhone, Palm and Symbian this is an extension of the popular blogging service.  Customers of TypePad can get mobile blogging free.  It’s a nice user interface on the iPhone that competes squarely with WordPress.

Kyte: Mobile slide-show blogging.  Pretty original concept here!  It’s available in the iTunes store.

Bluepulse: Free in the iTunes App Store, this app let’s you message as many or few of your friends in your iPhone contact list as you like without having to deal with SMS or MMS.

Shozu: What’s cool about this app is versatility.  You can use it on a cornucopia of handsets and update multiple blogging platforms at once such as TypePad, MoBlog, Flickr, Live Journal, Picassa, Vox, WordPress and Ovi as well as Twitter and Facebook.

Tumble: This App for iPhone lets you interface with your Tumblr account by posting pics, links and quotes straight from your iPhone.

iBlogger: This App costs $9.99 but is totally worth it due to the rich feature set.  Ideal for blogging on the go because you can collect your thoughts and save these entries for later posting.  The App is compatible with blog engines like Drupal, Blojsom, MovableType, TypePad, WordPress, and ExpressionEngine.  The App also features optimized plug-ins for LifeType , My.Opera.com, SquareSpace, TypePad, WordPress, Xanga, LivingDot and Blogger (picture support for Blogger will come in a subsequent release)

Lifecast:  This is an iPhone App that lets you share your daily life through pics and voice notes.  It’s also available on Android.   You can manage your daily events and separate your work and play.

This could be the year that payments made by mobile phones explodes, driving a new channel for retailers and financial service companies alike. Mobile payments, or Near Field Communication (NFC), is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 10 centimeter (around 4 inches) distance (Wikipedia). The technology essentially allows consumers to replace their wallets with their mobile phones as they can pay for items at enabled retailers simply through a chip in their phones that executes the transaction when placed (waived) within this range. The technology has progress to where it’s simple, convenient and secure. As more phones are shipped with the specialized chip and more retailers install point-of-sale mobile payment capabilities, expect to see transactions rise sharply.

A number of big name companies have already, or are planning, to enter the space. In late 2010, Visa Inc. had already made contactless payments available commercially for various Smartphone (as reported by Mobile Commerce Daily), following trials with leading financial institutions in the US, Europe and Asia. As such, it’s officially listed in their portfolio of products offered to institutions in the US. Visa partnered with DeviceFidelity, a Texas based technology company, for the development of its technology.

And you know the space has sizeable potential when behemoth Google throws its hat into the ring. Mediapost reports (through BusinessWeek) that Google might build a mobile payment service based on NFC technology. It seems though, that there is enough opportunity to support several large players in the space. IE Market Research is cited as putting the global market for mobile based transactions (not just NFC) at over a trillion dollars in 2014. With that kind of volume projected, it’s no wonder that the wireless carriers are also getting into the act. Also late in 2010, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile formed a venture called Isis to offer NFC based services in 2012. And rounding out the list of big name participants, PayPal may start testing its version of the service in late 2011.

Visa’s technology will be available in certain models of Blackberry, iPhone and Droid devices. They also hope to add Nokia’s Symbian and Microsoft’s Windows phone 7 to the list soon. As already a leader in secure financial transactions, Visa spent a significant amount of time testing security and usability, which will go a long way in gaining consumer trust. Financial institutions can integrate Visa’s mobile payment platform into their existing mobile apps or go with a stand-alone version. Visa is already working with Bank of America, Wells Fargo, US Bank and JP Morgan Chase and almost 20 wireless companies worldwide. For more information on mobile platforms and what they can do, visit Lenco Mobile.

Consumers searching for goods and services on their mobile phones are leveraging the convenience of the portable devices, but they are also looking for value. As such coupons and special offers will become more mainstream as retailers develop mobile coupons to meet this demand. MobileSquared recently conducted a survey of wireless carriers and found that mobile coupons and SMS marketing will be the most prevalent form of mobile marketing by 2015. The two work hand in hand, since coupons can be delivered efficiently via SMS. And since 94% of mobile phone owners have text included in their phone plans, delivering through this media makes sense. Many mobile retail promotions already incorporate on-site or offline SMS shortcodes to text and receive special mobile offers.

Research by the IHL Group shows even wider adoption, with eight out of 10 US mobile phone users either using or will use mobile text coupons within the next 24 months. The adoption rate by US retailers is growing as well, with many businesses integrating regular mobile bar codes and 2D mobile bar codes directly into their POS systems. Target consumers, for example, can redeem multiple coupons with a single mobile bar code. The Apple iPhone leads the pack as far as integration with 85% of participating retailers, followed by Android and Blackberry at 50% and 40% respectively.

Lenco Mobile’s ticketing and coupon delivery system is integrated with its Mobi site platform

With a focus on the consumer experience, Lenco Mobile assists clients in integrating mobile tickets and coupons with their mobi sites in an easy to use platform for both advertisers and consumers. Users can browse for information as well as download tickets, discount coupons, airtime vouchers, gift certificates and access mobile catalogues. The process is designed to provide a consistent experience across different wireless carrier and handset types, making it easy for users to access and redeem tickets, coupons, etc.

Scannable barcodes can be delivered to a subscriber’s mobile phone. These vouchers can be used to track a multitude of consumer transaction processes and manage the delivery of benefits for loyalty programs. The delivery of confidential messages can be secured by including a mobile PIN number. Additionally, subscription based services can be offered by delivering regularly scheduled content such as daily news, scores, product updates and more.

Mobile phones and now the smartphone have given a new dimension to how business is executed in the present day world. Right from staying connected to your consumer base to managing the business when you are on the move, to promoting your business worldwide; it is just impossible to imagine the world without a mobile network.

Take the instance of advertising in the recent times when life seems non-functional without this little ‘monster’ device – the mobile phone. Earlier when companies stacked away a huge chunk of investment for billboard advertisements and other media ads, while bearing an inconclusive prediction on what the ROI would be; mobile advertising has changed the entire concept of how you promote your business nowadays.

Lenco Mobile, the pioneering mobile platform offering revolutionary mobile services worldwide, takes you on an endearing journey into the world of mobile advertising. The mobile marketing strategies devised by Lenco mobile platform explores the easy connectivity factor of the mobile phone, which helps you stay connected to your contacts irrespective of time or location; into a business perspective.

Lenco Mobile platform – leading the way to an endearing business partnership

Lenco Mobile platform offers your business the much required competitive edge by developing well-crafted mobile advertising campaigns for your business. These advertisements are designed in the form of video ads or text based ad, and is disbursed through MMS/SMS messaging to a wider network and global customer base in no time. This means of business promotion has been a success considering the fact that mobile messaging has been found to secure 95 percent readership and thereby has a fair chance of generating more business than the conventional advertising techniques.

The right choice of a mobile platform is also instrumental in bridging the great SMS vs. MMS divide and simultaneously debate on which is better off – text based ads or video ads. Well, a proficient mobile platform with extensive experience in mobile advertising like Lenco Mobile can churn out the most spectacular video ads for your business and create a greater impact than SMS propelled text based ads.

The right mobile platform will also ensure that their MMS/SMS messaging campaigns are visually appealing and enthralling enough to propel viral marketing. Yes, viral marketing is an indispensable mobile marketing strategy imbibed by professional mobile platforms like Lenco Mobile, because that is how you can create a new customer base, expand your business and boost your revenues – with actually no cost to your pocket.

Are you ready to make a decision?  What’s on your mind? Share your thoughts with Lenco Mobile.

Do you want to regularly attract lots and lots of visitors to your website? Invest in a customized media player. These are great for keeping visitors entertained and with the right kinds of modifications can become attraction magnets within a very short time. However, before you invest in any customized media player, make sure that it can be modified to make it suited for your website. Without the scope for the proper kind of customization the player will be of no use to you.

Besides, many customizable media players available nowadays are compatible with not just only websites, but also with other media like iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, Android and various other smartphones. This compatibility allows you to reach more customers than ever before. And if you can embed a couple ads in the media player, you can certainly imagine the reach of those ads.

The following features should be present in your media player not only to enhance the user’s experience but also to help you utilize the potential of the player to the fullest extent:

1. Module area: Do you wish to have multiple media types like movies, pictures, music, and radio stations embedded within the same player interface? Then having separate modules for each media type will make the interface appear less cluttered. Besides, if you add scroll buttons to the player interface then you can embed multiple entries of each media type, all within one common interface. This will help you to save space on your web page and also help users make use of any media from within a common, easy to use interface.
2. Social networking buttons: This will benefit you more than it will help the user and that is exactly the reason why you should have this feature in the media player at all costs. Social networking buttons allow users to post their favorite videos, music and other media on major social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This not only improves the popularity rating of your media but also attracts more visitors to your website at no extra cost.
3. Feedback button: This simple addition will allow users to suggest content that they wish to see on your media player. This will help you understand which types of media are getting the most attention from visitors. At the same time, visitors who see their suggestions being implemented will also wish to visit your website more often.

These three features should always be there in your customizable media player. Apart from keeping visitors entertained, these players can also be a good source of revenue, especially if you embed multiple ads within the player window. However, make sure that the players are properly coded and designed so that they are bug free. Licensing these players only from reputable organizations like Lenco Mobile is one of the best ways of ensuring this.

Do you own a business where you have to deal with huge quantities of data on a regular basis? Then ensuring safety of all that data from both natural disasters (earthquake, hurricane, or tornado) and man-made ones (fire, hacking from remote locations, worm/virus infections) has to be one of your major concerns. One of the best solutions in your hands here is collocation of your sensitive business data to a third party data center. However, not just any data center will get the work done here. The one you opt for has to satisfy a number of criteria. Here are a few:

The company providing the data center must be reputable

The data center will be storing a lot of sensitive data, including your customers’ contact details. That is why you need to make sure that the company providing the services is reliable. Make sure that they have an excellent reputation in the market. Preferably, visit their offices for a meeting with key people before you opt for the services.

Their storage services should be adequately secure

Sensitive information regarding the clients need to be protected from virus/worm infections and hacking attempts from remote locations. For this reason, you need to make sure that the company handling all your data storage tasks has state of the art security systems to protect the stored data. Make sure that they have excellent firewall and antivirus software installed in their data stores. The data storage center should also be physically secure and include air-conditioning, fire protection systems and low-impedance electrical grounding, in order to protect the machines where data is stored from static discharges, fire and high levels of humidity.

They should have customer support available round the clock

Make sure that the company taking care of data storage for you has a 24/7 customer support available. That way, if you ever find that you are not able to access your data stores, you can call them up straightway, inform them about the incident, and get it fixed before it causes any major harm to your business.

Any data center that satisfies these criteria should be good enough for all your data storage tasks. Always opt for reputable organizations like Lenco Mobile to get all your data storage done safely and at affordable services rates. That should give you enough peace of mind, as well as keep your budget within acceptable levels.

Mobile commerce is simply any transaction which takes place through a mobile device. With so many mobile devices, networks and applications, mobile commerce is the simplest transaction we have today with more and more customers seeking to conduct their business through mobile devices. New applications have made it easy for mobile commerce to take place. People can connect to their banks and receive updates for transactions, when items post, when items are deposited or withdrawn, what their balance is, as well as when they make purchases or are near a zero balance.

People can use online financial third parties such as PayPal for mobile commerce so that their credit card or bank information is not viewed or compromised in any way. Mobile commerce allows people to view websites and purchase items ranging from food orders, cutlery, furniture, toys, clothes, appliances, sporting items, videos, music, electronics, fabrics, wines, gift baskets, gift cards, drinks, shoes, office supplies, home supplies, bedroom décor, artwork, craft products, pottery, plants, clocks, mirrors or anything else imaginable.

Services can also be purchased or viewed through mobile commerce. People can search directories or general internet search engines for a list of, for example, landscapers, interior designers, attorneys, doctors, dentists and specialists. Mobile commerce can take place via a mobile phone, a laptop, notebook or any other electronic item which can connect to the internet and conduct transactions of purchase. Phones now have the capability to make transactions to other phones or machines. In South Africa, one must buy credit for their phones in terms of minutes. It costs a certain number of minutes to send SMS messages; however, one can transfer minute credit to another phone through an SMS. Also, people can make purchases from vending machines in countries such as Finland through an SMS. Mobile commerce is the newest and most convenient form of commerce today. Lenco Mobile can help you create a mobile website with fully functioning mobile commerce solutions.

Mobile Technology continues to advance as new technological developments are being made. Mobile devices which integrate mobile technology include  laptops, netbook computer, palmtop computers, personal digital assistants, mobile phones, smart phones, global positioning systems, wireless debit card payment terminals, and wireless credit card payment terminals.

Each mobile device uses mobile technology in order to communicate. These methods of communication include wireless fidelity, commonly known as WiFi, which functions as a wireless local area network. Bluetooth integrates mobile technology wirelessly. Third Generation., commonly known as 3G is a data networking service. Global system for mobile communication—or GMS—is another general data networking service using mobile technology. The last data networking service includes general packet radio service, or GPRS, as another form of data services.

The benefits of this constant connection thanks to mobile technology are present for the consumer and the provider. The ability to send texts, or for the customer to check account details and coverage details with a simple phone call or button, is mobile technology that improves customer relationships. Being able to manage and access management systems and update any detail on the go also improves customer relations. Customers no longer have to come into a store or make a long phone call full of pressing buttons and access codes to pay for bills or add new services. With mobile technology they can access accounts through their phones. Likewise, paying for purchases can be done wirelessly without the hassle of finding banks or ATMs.

Other benefits of mobile technology include the ability to work on anything without being on site. Through networking and mobile technology, one can easily access any linked accounts or databases or emails and continually check accounts, prices, locations, or place orders.

Overall, the benefits of mobile technology lie in the freedom and flexibility they provide people who travel, or have deadlines, work from home, or need additional flexibility in their lives. Lenco Mobile is a champion in mobile technology and boasts of an impressive product portfolio with solutions catering to various business segments and verticals.

Mobile applications are no longer mere sources of amusement for cellphone users. Today’s mobile applications are far more diversified in nature, and able to simplify everyday tasks for users to a great extent. From one touch currency converters to full-fledged reminder tools, all kinds of mobile applications exist to allow users perform their tasks faster and in a hassle-free manner. Thus it is not difficult to see how business organizations can make use of mobile applications, aka, apps, to improve employee productivity. Indeed, more than one-third of the applications that exist in any decent store of mobile applications can have at least some effect on how fast and efficiently employees can churn through their daily tasks at office.

Which types of apps can boost employee productivity?

There are several kinds of apps that can have a positive effect on employee productivity. However, the following types of apps certainly stand out of the crowd:

1. E-mail applications: This one is perhaps the most obvious choice. Any kind of mobile application that allows employees to access their work-related e-mails from their home or while on the move can help them stay in touch with office and be informed about any new developments with the projects that they were working on.
2. Remote desktop access tools: With these applications an employee will be able to operate his workstation via his mobile phone, no matter where he is. The benefits of such tools are not hard to imagine. An employee working in the network and systems department, for instance, would be able to provide technical support to someone in need even when away from office. The possibilities here are endless.
3. Note taking tools: Carrying a notepad and pen into every meeting is no longer necessary, if the employees have a smartphone with a note taking app installed. Most smartphones these days are equipped with touchscreens, which make note taking an absolutely hassle-free task.
4. Mobile conference tools: Any application that allows users of different mobile phones to interact with one another in real time is a sure blessing for any business organization. Whether it supports video streaming, or simply audio conferencing, these applications can allow employees from different departments to interact whenever required, be they at office or away.

However, instead of purchasing individual apps for a variety of tasks can prove to be quite expensive in the long run. A more logical option here would be to have an integrated mobile solution developed for the entire office, which would include the above applications. There are many companies out there who specialize in developing these kinds of solutions, such as Lenco Mobile, which can boost employee productivity, while not putting a hefty overhead on the office budget.