While smart phones like iPhone and Blackberry get the popular headlines, most Americans still use a basic cell phone – but that is changing. There are several reasons many users have stayed with the basic phone; no reason to change, price (devices and plans), and no desire to learn a new device that looks a lot more complex. But, as competition for the next best phone increases at a feverish pace, the devices and the plans are also becoming more cost effective, which is great news for the customer. Together with growing apps markets that add fun and useful features to these smart devices, basic cell phones are fast becoming a memory.

Smart phones are basically an integration of a mobile phone and a handheld computer. When some of the first PDA (personal digital assistant) devices came out over a decade ago, some of them had applications which allowed them to be used as cell phones. These units have developed over time and have now morphed into the current day smart devices.

Apple currently leads the market with the iPhone and apps (iTunes) by a large margin. The number of apps available for download in iTunes is about 300,000, compared to somewhere around 7,000 for RIM’s BlackBerry. The most popular app downloads are games at 61%, followed by weather at 55%. Even if you don’t want to play a game, most smart phones come with standard software that provides instant access to maps, internet search engines, clocks, cameras, calculators, and email connection, hence more reasons to see why smart phones are eclipsing the basic phone.

If you want a phone that does more than make a call you are in luck. Scroll through the search button on your phone and you’ll get a long list of categories to fulfill your every app wish; Social, Business, News, Utilities, Entertainment, Music, Games, Family, Shopping and Travel, to name a few. Within each category are hundreds of apps available for free or for a very small fee. Keep in mind however, that many of these apps may not, or will not, be compatible with future smart phone models or operating systems. If it’s a free app, it isn’t a big deal, but for those apps that cost up to $25.00 it could add up fast.

So, do you really need a smart phone? Perhaps the question is better phrased as ‘Do you really want a smart phone?’ If the prices and the plans come down into line with your basic cell phone, the answer could well be clear, and by the looks of it, that is the way we are headed. Herald competition and watch out for all the extra costs. You could end up with a useful pocket tool and make calls at the same time!

With the smartphone industry growing larger every day, there is a growing concern for the security of data on said mobile devices. The power of these devices is always increasing, as is the amount of software that can be installed on them. With the advent of these different types of software, including financial software and personal identification software, the need for more security is a must. Most of these types of devices come with some type of security built-in, but is this really enough for today’s world?

For most people nowadays, their whole life is on their smartphone. It includes a plethora of personal information and data, such as:

• personal/work documents, notes, pictures, and emails that can contain sensitive information
• full access to Wi-Fi networks that you connect to at work or at home
• calendar appointments and contacts
• access to various sites/information through apps, such as social networking apps, bill paying apps, movie apps, shopping apps, and etcetera

With all this information on our smartphones, it makes it a goldmine for potential thieves. The risk of your phone being lost, stolen, or even being rummaged through by your IT guy is only the half of the security problem with them. Smartphones can also leak other kinds of data through sniffing of your internet traffic when connected to open Wi-Fi networks. Your passwords to unencrypted websites and services, such as Facebook, Twitter, web-based e-mail sites, POP3 e-mail services, etcetera could be easily be sniffed by someone else on the network. There is also the issue of viruses, malware, SMS/MMS exploits, and Bluetooth exploits; these exploits can manipulate your phone settings and prevent you from using certain features, send information to or call contacts in your phone, steal and/or destroy personal information on your phone, or render your phone completely unusable.

Though the biggest concerns for now should be more focused on protecting your phone from theft or loss or sniffing over Wi-Fi, the issues of malicious software and hacking are becoming more and more prevalent every day. These issues could become more of a concern in the not so distant future due to the lack of integrated active security systems, such as firewalls, anti-virus programs, and anti-malware programs into our phones.

To set a bit of background for the importance of securing your mobile phone, Juniper Networks conducted a study of more than 6,000 smartphone and tablet users in 16 countries about mobile security threats. They found the following:

• 250% increase in the amount of mobile malware over the past year
• a Fortune 15 company discovered that 1,250 of its 25,000 devices were infected with malware
• 44% of respondents to the survey use their devices for both business and personal use
• 80% admit to using their devices to access their work network without the employer’s knowledge or permission
• one out of every twenty apps in the Android marketplace requests permissions that could allow the app to place a call without the user knowing
• nine of ten mobile devices have little or no security protection
• more than 60% of reported smartphone infections are spyware and 17% are text message trojans that can rack up fees that are charged to the device owner’s account

As clearly evidenced by Juniper’s findings, there is an inherent need for more mobile phone security. Fortunately, there are several options to help secure your phone that are built-in to the operating system and several third-party programs as well. Even the most basic of security measures can help you protect your personal information. To begin, we will start with some of the simpler defense mechanisms.

While this first one may seem pretty obvious and straightforward, do not lose your phone! If you are in a public place, do not sit it down or put it in your pocket or an open bag, where it can be easily grabbed. This is actually the most common way that phones get lost or stolen.

You should also set your phone to lock or timeout after a certain period of time (recommend thirty second or less), especially if you happen to leave your phone out on your desk at work or in other public areas. All major smartphones come with this functionality built-in. You will want to make sure that you choose something that is not easy for anyone to guess, but easy for you to remember. It should not be something as simple as your address, name, phone number, etcetera. Here is how to easily set timeout settings and passwords on your phone:

Android:

Beginning with Android 2.2 (Froyo), users have the ability to set a pattern lock, PIN code, or password on their device. Users of earlier versions of Android can only set a pattern lock. How to set the screen timeout and locks mentioned above can vary depending upon the manufacturer of the phone you have. The option is generally found by pressing the Menu button from the home screen, going to Settings, Location & security,and Set up screen lock. From there, you should be able to easily setup the different types of screen locks. (Word of caution: Make sure that you have your Gmail account linked to your phone, so that you will be able to gain access to your phone in the event that you forget your password. I highly recommend this if you setup a pattern lock, as it can be very easy to forget your pattern). You may also want to be careful with setting a pattern lock, as unlocking your phone this way leaves oily residue on the screen that can remain even if you wipe it. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania on the Google Nexus One and HTC G1 showed that taking photos of the phone’s screen with a standard camera and doing simple manipulations of the images within photo-editing software revealed the pattern more than 90% of the time.

BlackBerry:

Press the BlackBerry button, go to Options andPassword. From there, select Enable Password. Set the number of password attempts to what you consider a suitable amount (recommend four minutes). After the specified amount of attempts has been exceeded, it will completely lock you out of your phone for the time interval specified in the Security Timeout field. You can also set it to where it will lock upon placing your BlackBerry in a holster. This will only work with a magnetized holster. To set the screen timeout, go back into the Options screen and select Screen/Keyboard. From there, select the specified timeout period by Backlight Timeout.

iPhone:

Beginning with iOS 4, Apple introduced the ability to setup a password in addition to the standard 4-digit PIN code. To set a passcode, go to Settings, General, and Passcode Lock. From there, set the password or PIN code that you would like, as well as adjust the screen timeout through the Auto-Lock option. You may also select the Erase Data option to erase all data on the phone after 10 failed passcode attempts.

While password protecting your phone can greatly decrease the risk of your information being stolen, it is always good to take even more precautions. There are several different types of security suites out there from different vendors, as well as built-in software that can perform a “remote wipe” on your phone in the event that it is lost or stolen. Remote wipe means that you can completely remove all of your data from the phone, including e-mails, texts, documents, contacts, etcetera over the internet. For those corporate users who have a Microsoft Exchange e-mail account, this can easily be accomplished without any third-party software. You can either do it yourself through the Options panel in Outlook Web Access or have someone in the IT department initiate the wipe. For those who are personal users, or for those that do not have an Exchange account, there are several other options from third-party vendors.

Android/BlackBerry:

There are several different third-party applications that allow for you to remotely wipe your device, as well as provide several other security features. The most popular application out now is the Lookout Mobile Security suite. It not only allows you to remotely wipe your device, but also incorporates additional features that allow you to track your device via GPS, back up your contacts over the internet, and scan for viruses. The features mentioned above (minus remote wipe) are available through their free version of the program. The premium version of the program incorporates all of the above features, plus backup support for call history and pictures, remote locking, and includes a privacy advisor. The privacy advisor gives you insight into which apps can access private data on your phone, as well as scan every app that you download to see what data it accesses. The premium version is $2.99/month or $30/year. Some competitors to Lookout Mobile Security also offer protection from web threats by scanning apps before they are installed, scanning links for phishing URLs and other malware, and blocking unwanted calls and text messages. AVG Anti-Virus, McAfee WaveSecure, and Webroot Mobile Security are some of the other big name competitors.

iPhone:

The iPhone does not have quite as many options as other platforms. The only option available is to track your phone using MobileMe. If your iPhone has iOS 4.2 or higher, you can simply download the Find My Phone app from the App Store and enable it online through MobileMe. If you lose your phone, you can login through the MobileMe website and track your phone. If you have an older version of iOS, you will need to have a paid MobileMe account, which costs $99/year.

As far as anti-virus protection on the iPhone, there are none currently available on the consumer level. Apple relies strictly on the App Store’s stringent review process to keep out any malicious software. While this sounds good in theory, it is not foolproof. With so many apps going through the approval process, there are bound to be some malicious ones that get through. The only other sort of protection available for the iPhone is Trend Smart Surfing, which blocks access to web pages with malicious content and helps circumvent phishing attacks.

However, Juniper Networks is currently working on the Juno Pulse Mobile Security suite that includes anti-virus, firewall, anti-spam, and remote monitoring/control services. It also remotely backs up and restores data and can locate lost devices. Juno Pulse is currently available to enterprise customers only, but they are looking to move into the consumer market.

Some other general security measures that you can take to protect yourself are to make sure that when installing third-party apps, you pay attention to the privileges that you are granting to them. Some of these privileges can include access to your GPS location, access to your contacts, access to your text messages, and other personal data. With BlackBerry App World and the Apple App Store, most of these problems are handled at the application store level before they are released to the masses. However, the Android Marketplace is a bit different, as Google does not screen all apps that come into it. It gives the end user more freedom, where the app asks you for specific permissions when installing and updating them. In short, it is best to use common sense and pay attention to what you are installing before you install it-read the reviews and make sure that it has a good number of users beforehand. Also, make sure that you only download apps from trusted sources. It is no different than the precautions you should use when installing programs on your computer.

Other aspects of securing your device that you should pay attention to are that when logging into a website, ensure that the connection is encrypted using SSL or HTTPS. You should also use secured Wi-Fi hotspots that will encrypt your traffic from others that utilize the hotspot. If you are unable to do this, you should opt into using the cellular data connection instead, as it is typically encrypted by the network provider. You could also use VPN to secure all your internet traffic, as there are several free providers out there, including Hotspot Shield or WiTopia.

Device encryption is also a must for any mobile users, as it will secure your personal information and data from being recovered by a hacker or any other advanced user. Entire device encryption is currently supported on BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android 3.0 tablets.

BlackBerry:

Most of the newer BlackBerry devices support encryption on the entire device and on removable storage (microSD cards)-this will protect your pictures, documents, and other files in case you lose your BlackBerry or have someone take your card out when you are not looking. When encrypting your device, you may want to leave your contacts unencrypted, as encrypting them will cause caller names to not display when your phone is locked. To setup encryption on the device and/or removable storage, press the BlackBerry button, go to Options, Security, andEncryption. From there you will able to specify what you would like to be encrypted.

iPhone:

Encryption on the iPhone is automatically turned on when you set a passcode on your device. However, it is only available on the iPhone 3GS and later-it is unavailable on earlier iPhone models. To ensure that encryption is enabled, verify that Data protection is enabled is displayed in the Passcode Lock screen in the Settings.

Android:

Unfortunately, Android does not currently support any device-level encryption for smartphones. If you would like to encrypt your emails, calendar, and contact info from your company’s Exchange account, you may do so using a third-party Exchange client called Touchdown. However, device-level encryption is currently available as part of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), which is targeted for tablet devices. It should make its way onto their smartphone operating systems sometime in the near future.

After taking a look at some of these common smartphone security issues, you should have some sort of idea on how to best protect yourself from loss or theft of your device and loss of any personal information from your device. With smartphones becoming more and more popular, more security issues will be sure to arise and smartphone operating system manufacturers will continue to adapt their operating systems to best combat these issues. At some point, these mobile security suites may even be integrated into the operating system or pre-installed by your network provider.

A process in which apps are developed for portable devices is mobile software development. During manufacture the applications may be pre-installed on devices, or may be downloaded from App Stores, Android Market or other mobile software platforms by users. Today mobile software outsourcing is becoming very popular.

There is great number of platforms that support devices through single as well as numerous manufacturers. Android, iOS (Apple), Java ME, Flash Lite, BlackBerry and Qt are platforms which support devices by single manufacturer. Each of these platforms has a development environment tools that allow a developer to build, test and spread out applications into the target platform environment.

There are many software outsourcing companies that deliver professional android application development as well as app development for other mobile platforms.

The idea of mobile technology in every offshore software development company has been modernized by the mobile application development features. Mobile applications involve a collection of powerful mobile apps that assist video and audio application, Internet browsing, gaming, video players, utilities etc. To put it differently, it is essential to claim data which many people have access to the world through mobile.

iPhone app development company delivers sophisticated apps on iOS platform. There are plenty of benefits of mobile applications, there are some of them:

• Interactive intermediate. Programmers of mobile application may develop, imagine and customize the application according to the customer’s requirements.

• A customer fully receives the mobile application which is brought out through the mobile program and that is essentially to involve any way a third party for marketing its products.

• Owing to the presence of manifold mobile platform development options for example Java, Android, Brew and others mobile application development is becoming very popular today.

• Thanks to compact size, mobile devices are very user-friendly and handy. Up-to-date’s mobile application development offer great number of features which allow not just communication but also offer improved features as for example Internet support by GPRS technology, music facilities, advanced satellite navigation and live video conferencing. Moreover mobile devices let you play games, watch TV and listen to the music anytime and anywhere.

In order to improve your business and receive cost-effective solution all you need is just choose software outsourcing company. It has a lot of benefits if to compare with in-house one. Additionally to cost savings offshore software development improves the productivity of the company. The company may deploy the saved costs in reaching core business expansion of a company. Due to the profit evolved and the savings gathered company may furrow all these back and develop higher quality products, create company brand and service more clients.

Android has completely taken over the mobile market and each and every company is looking ahead with products developed with new enhanced techniques. The operating system is based on Linux and is based on JAVA language codes. Java codes provide Google enabled Java libraries which help in access and control of various mobile devices. Android was built to be truly open, which means that it can be extended to get incorporated with new features and technologies to keep pace with the market.

A developer can easily access the core functionality of the device such as camera, calls etc to make rich and compelling applications. Android was built from the ground up with the explicit goal to be the first open, complete, and free platform created specifically for mobile devices. The Android Open Handset alliance along with Google collaborated on enhancement work along with maintenance and development of Android. The open handset alliance, also abbreviated as OHA is a business alliance of 80 firms which develops open standards for various mobile devices. Some of the member firms include Google, HTC, Sony, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung, LG, T-Mobile, Nvidia, and Wind River Systems.

Today, in every mobile software development firm, the operating system runs on wide range of devices such as smart phones, notebooks and tablets. The Android applications could be purchased or downloaded free from the Android marketplace. Android Market is the online software store developed by Google for Android devices. Also, Google allows independent application stores to operate for Android. The application ranges from games, widgets etc.

The first commercially available phone to run the Android operating system was the HTC Dream. The upcoming version of Android is Ice Cream Sandwich, which is said to be a combination of Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a cohesive whole. The applications for Android are mostly developed in Java language using Android Software Development Kit. Other tools are also available such as a Native Development Kit for applications or extensions in C or C++. Today, Android stands out as the market leader in smart phone. It has grabbed the market share of iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Phone.

Many companies today are providing customized software development services. These firms work on different mobile software development projects built using various mobile platforms in the market. With the help of Android, unique, diverse and customized set of applications are developed ranging from software used for gaming purpose, media related software and many more. Android development has brought a tremendous revolution in the smart phone industry. People are looking for companies that can provide cost-effective mobile application development services matching their business needs.

Some of the free software android applications can be listed as:

1. Android Privacy Guard (APG)
2. Exchange OWA
3. Linphone
4. Sipdroid
5. Twitli
6. Yaaic and many more

Android uses different applications for emulators like Twisty, Android Terminal Emulator and Scummvm. For entertainment, one can check out “Android’s Fortune” and “SwallowCatcher” applications.

Software requirements vary according to user needs. User trends change with the different technological advancements taking place each day. Business owners plan their goals and objectives according to the needs and requirements their consumers have. The latest device which is a favorite of almost all individuals is the mobile phone. The smart phones with cutting edge technology offer every provision for managing and organizing work and entertainment. Thus, users are now totally dependent on these portable devices. The most popular activity that is performed apart from its basic usage, involves browsing the web. Mobile subscribers now enjoy the facility of surfing the Internet using their mobile devices without any difficulty. Thus, they obviously prefer doing so on these gadgets instead of using the desktop. This is primarily because of the freedom of mobility. They can check the products and services of their interest anytime and anywhere. However, not all websites can be accessed until the service provider has a mobile platform for their websites. Thus, for service providers to reach their customers via their mobile devices as well, there is a need for mobile platform development for their websites.

To cater to this necessity of various companies, there are mobile application development organizations available. They have specialized experts working on the development of all the required and effective applications and software that help in building the mobile platform for different websites. With the best service providers, one can be assured of achieving an application that be easy to use as well as have proper security. Like all other technical tasks, there may be challenges which experts come across during an assignment. They have in depth knowledge of every aspect of the technicalities involved, which are required to resolve all such issues skillfully.

For instance, Java mobile development is a well known and most popularly used mobile platform. The Java platform, also called J2ME (Java2Platform Micro Edition) is an excellent programming language. The software used in this helps in making it appropriately functional on all major domains and operating systems. This application has an extensive range of programming solutions available yielding productive results.

Mobile platform development is about developing portable applications helping consumers with varied solutions. These applications are device dependent. Java is developed primarily for gaming and downloading games in the portable devices. Java successfully provides support to various applications due to its flexibility in serving as a platform for software development. A mobile which is Java enabled can have access to Google maps and similar applications. Similarly, various mobile platforms help in accessing so much via the mobile devices.

Mobile Platforms

Application development for mobile devices has grown beyond all expectations, with Gartner estimating worldwide mobile phone sales at 314.7 million for the first quarter of 2010. For the whole year, 1.39 billion smartphones were sold, up an incredible 18.5 percent over 2009.

There are two factors contributing to this incredible growth. One is the availability of multiple hardware platforms, including the Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry, each one constantly rolling out new features and better usability. The other is the fact that each vendor has created an easy to use and affordable software development kit and app store, making it easy to both create and sell mobile apps. That powerful combination of forces has set the mobile application development market on fire.

Need For Custom Mobile Applications

But application development for mobile devices isn’t just an entrepreneurial venture for people who want to create and sell an app. Mobile apps are custom designed for businesses, to offer more accessibility and more features to their best customers.

Customers are increasingly demanding mobile access to customer-facing applications such as product availability databases, CRM features and customer portals that provide information about their accounts. And beyond that, the company websites are increasingly being re-designed to specifically fit into the smaller form factor of the mobile device.

Multiplatform Mobile Applications

While a proprietary app designed to be used only by a limited audience may work well on a single platform, apps that have a wider audience, such as e-commerce users or the general public, are best developed for multiple hardware platforms. The Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry all have a significant amount of market share, with Windows Mobile coming up quickly. Developing for just one of those four major platforms would seriously limit a company’s target audience.

Mobile Interface Is Different From Desktop

The development itself requires several considerations. Besides considering the target device (and doing cross-platform development accordingly), the interface is of course a major consideration. A mobile interface needs to be very Spartan in nature. The small display will make icons that would be acceptable on a standard display, almost invisible on the smartphone.

Graphics-intensive sites with active code also won’t work well, and keep in mind that the connection is likely to be slower than on a standard laptop-and so a simple display will guarantee faster loading time for the end user. And lastly, application development for mobile devices must take security into account, especially if there is a back-end connection to sensitive client information. Authentication and authorization, incorporating encryption and other techniques such as a VPN connection, will help to avoid exposing that sensitive information.

Conclusion

App development for mobile platforms is made a bit more challenging, because of the sheer volume of mobile apps available. Design considerations call for simpler layouts and lightweight size, but at the same time, it is incumbent on the developer to come up with an app that has enough unique features to attract an audience.

Your expensive smartphone may be the best gadget you have, but some people say it does not come without glitches. Problems with the iPhone 4 or 4S are not uncommon. You can find an owner in the neighborhood who is experiencing problems with their handy gadget. For some, the outright solution is to have an iPhone 4 repair. For others, their solution is to return the item. What are the common iPhone 4/4S issues?

The battery discharges fast.

This is a problem of many electronic gadgets, like digital cameras and phones. But, a communication device that has a fast draining battery is not a good combination. Imagine talking to someone on the phone, or expecting an important call or text message, and then the battery suddenly runs out. It’s exasperating, isn’t it?

Battery issues are common with those gadgets that are loaded with too many apps. Check the applications you have installed on your device and turn off or delete those that you do not use anymore. Doing that should save your battery life.

The iPhone gets hot.

Have you experienced calling someone over the phone and feeling the heat building up right on your ears? This could be another battery or app issue. The first thing you need to check is whether you have too many apps. It seems as though your iPhone 4 shouldn’t contain too many applications. Remove those that you don’t use or need.

The screen has a yellowish tint.

This is common with this particular device. This is probably due to the adhesives that have not completely dried up. Should you take it to an iPhone 4S repair center? It seems unlikely that a repair is needed for this particular problem. You may return the item, or you can just wait for the problem to go away as it usually clears up on its own after a while.

3G fails.

There have been reports of slow 3G, which can be due to a problem with your gadget. However, the 3G signal varies from place to place. So, check whether the 3G signal in your location is good or not. There are also certain times of the day when the speed would become slow. Take note that the 3G speed also depends on the weather conditions.

Siri doesn’t work.

For many iPhone 4S users, Siri is an important feature. But what if you get trouble using it? This problem is partly due to the popularity of the software application. The volume of the traffic may be too overwhelming for servers to handle. That’s why users sometimes get the “sorry something’s gone wrong” message. Try turning off Siri, resetting it, and then turning it back on. That works most of the time.

Another thing about Siri is that it is susceptible to errors. It may not understand even common expressions, but this is due to the fact that Siri is still “learning.” The application is dependent on the information input from users. However, its database is increasing at an exponential rate as the iPhone is getting more popular in different parts of the world.

Other problems:

There were reports from users complaining that the earpiece would go mute during a call, which is a frustrating issue. This can be remedied by using earphones. Some users also report problems with the device’s camera. Problems can surface every now and then. A persisting problem should be reported to the iPhone or Apple customer support.

With so many people around the world using Smartphones, isn’t it obvious that Smartphone apps would get wide popularity as well? That’s right. Smartphone apps are extremely hot at the moment and with more and more developers concentrating on this market, it is the consumer who is the happiest. If you are someone interested in Smartphone app development, the following are 7 great tips to get you started on the right foot.

1. As you must know, there are various platforms for apps and it is up to you to decide which one to choose. Don’t choose an operating system or a platform just because you think it is ‘cool’. Choose one that will make your app known as good. For instance, a lot of people think that the Android devices are very cool and build apps centered on them when the truth is that they would have done better by choosing other more popular platforms such as the Nokia Symbian or even the Blackberry OS.

2. Before the coding starts, it is in your best interests to have an actual final structure of your app in mind. This will make your work easier as re- coding can be really tough.

3. Designing the software of your Smartphone app in a more flexible manner is as important as deciding where you will be storing your data and in what way. A lot of developers are finding storing of the data in a database a wonderful idea as then it can be easily accessible to clients on various Smartphone devices. What’s more, updating the database also becomes easier this way. You could do the same.

4. When developing apps for Smartphones, it makes sense to manage your images well. A lot of platforms will make it difficult for you to reuse the images in apps and as you must be aware of, no matter what kind of app you use, you are going to need a lot of images. For this, do make sure that you have enough images for each and every platform you may be targeting for your app.

5. A lot of developers find it easy to use HTML5 for their application development just because it is something that can be commonly used across all platforms and devices. It would be a good tip to consider it for yourself.

6. Different platforms have different user interfaces and it is important to ensure that your apps run smoothly on all the platforms you are targeting. The success of your app will depend on the ease of the user interface.

7. You may not be very good at creating apps for all kinds of platforms. As such it is important to have team building skills so that different people with different skills can come together and create something great.