Apps, 'Appless And The Great Unwashed

If you think you are going to make your fortune by producing an app and selling it to the multitudes consider this: out of the thousands of apps available, the average mobile user tends to only use between 22 and 28 apps a month.

Research has shown that young users (18-24) spend more time using apps which comes as little surprise, but they use fewer on average than the 25-34 age group.

Earlier in 2014 comScore released statistics that showed social media apps as being the most popular -  Facebook, YouTube and Gmail.

2013 produced a similar result (see below).

Most popular smartphone apps in the United States in 2013

But if you are thinking of developing an App and want to know what type of app people are interested in, take a look at AppBrian Stats which lists the top Android searches.

Music, hacking and password breaking apps figured prominently when I last looked which speaks volumes (if you'll excuse the pun) for the use of apps in general.

Top  Android searches over the last two weeks

Perhaps the final word on Apps and the pervasive nature of their use in society are the recent findings from a Bank of America study.

Apparently mobile phone users would rather give up alcohol, television or chocolate than lose the use of their mobile devices. 47% of U.S. consumers are so wedded to their smartphones that they couldn't last a day without them.

Bank of America Study

The bank also found that there folk use their mobile banking apps to "perform more sophisticated transactions, such as mobile check deposit" while the younger set would rather forgo using deodorant or toothbrushes than lose the use of their smartphone.

Perhaps it would be wise never to mingle in a crowd of young smartphone users if you are fastidious about personal hygiene!

Related articles

• Apps to Improve Your Commute
• 12 Everyday Mobile Apps To Make Life Easier

This Week's Cartoon

Courtesy: Rob Cottingham

Bathroom Attack of the 'Apless Apps

We live in a time where NSA and PRISM, the Internet of Things and Mobile Apps dominate online and off-line chatter.

Sometimes convergence of these technologies can come together in the most unexpected of ways leaving the user wondering why more robust user testing wasn't in place before release.  And in the context of this article I use the term "release" advisedly!

Those of you who have ever stayed in a Japanese hotel will know that the toilets are high tech with a series of buttons designed for an internal car wash, post purge.

The Satis Smart Design boasts the most sophisticated of toilet innovation according to its manufacturers Laxil, one of Japan's biggest toilet companies.  It's mouth-like lid opens automatically to greet you as you draw nigh and when you step away the toilet flushes automatically.

There is now even a free Android app with a hard-wired Bluetooth code available which means you can operate the Satis remotely, all of which sounds fine in theory.  There is however one fatal flaw that the manufacturers have failed to realise in their rush for innovation - their high tech toilet can be hacked.

IT security firm Trustwave has issued a Bluetooth security vulnerability warning that the app could be hacked. Trustwave issued an advisory that a pin for the Bluetooth app is set at '0000' and can therefore be used by anyone - even remotely. In short, anyone with the 'My Satis' app can control any Satis toilet.

Trustwave advisory

While it remains to be see if bidet hacking will become as popular as gangam style dancing, the temptation for pranksters is obvious. Facing a cyber attack in the bathroom from an out of control two-nozzle bidet spray could have dire consequences.

Related articles

• Smart toilet vulnerable to Bluetooth flushing hack
• High-Tech Japanese Toilets Can Be Hacked via Bluetooth, Experts Warn
• The Hackable Japanese Toilet Comes With An App To Track Poop

First Past The Post - Facebook As A Newspaper

Tired of the same old user interface? Want a different look for your Facebook page for the New Year? 

PostPost is an interesting app. and realtime 'social newspaper' that works well with Google Chrome and Firefox.

The first version of PostPost was created as a weekend project by entrepreneur Peter Yared, VP of Apps at Webtrends and it has since been distributed by TigerLogic.

One of PostPost's main attractions is that it is interactive. The boxes realign themselves based on the size of your screen /browser.

PostPost's aim is to create a real-time dashboard which allows the user to quickly skim relevant passages of text from friends and clump similar content together so it's easier to read.

Watch videos inline, comment, like posts without having to leave the page you are viewing. There is also the ability to moderate what volume of content appears and to cut down noise.
 
All in all a nice change compared to the regular Facebook design options.

Related articles

• PostPost Turns Facebook Links into a Socially Curated Custom Newspaper (insidefacebook.com)
• Your Facebook Newspaper (labnol.org)
• TigerLogic launches personalised Facebook newspaper PostPost (blogs.journalism.co.uk)