Do children really need Smartphones?

School is back in Session! New school clothes…check, new pencils…check, new folders…check, new calculator…check, new smartphone….check.  Wait, smartphone?  Since when is that a staple for the back to school shopping?  With going back to school this week there are tons of parents that feel the need to get their child a new smartphone to keep constant communication.  It only makes sense that parents can know where and exactly when their child will be ready to be picked up, who they are going to be with and just the safety net of knowing their child will have that easy communication.  All of that makes sense for the parents to get their child a smartphone these days.

However; is a smartphone really the best thing for anybody between the age of 10 and 15?  If your child is in sports or cheerleading and you, as a parent are constantly trying to find out where he/she might be to pick up at the end of the day, then maybe a cell phone isn’t a bad thing.  What about the children who are just social butterflies and want to have a smartphone to be the “cool” kid on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, etc…? A recent study showed that 56% of children between 10-13yrs old have a smartphone.  Now, that might not all be a terrible thing but is that too early to have your child addicted to technology?  Are we teaching the future how to be wired to a smartphone, social media and little outside communication? Maybe they are just learning from the adults and watching the way that we communicate and how addicted we are to our phones?

The truth of the matter is, a smartphone is necessary when you want information and/or convenience to find anything you want at your fingertips, the problem is that with the younger generations becoming more prone to technology, what are we doing to these poor kids brains? Are we turning them more and more into adults at a younger age?

Elon Musk introduces the HyperLoop

Earlier this week, Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and Chairman of SolarCity, released information on the HyperLoop. He has been on quite the run this year.  He has seen his groundbreaking full electric luxury automobile, Tesla’s, stock rise an astounding 368.65% in the past 12 months. His solar panel company, Solar City’s stock has risen 108.55% since February 2013. He is the golden child of the NYSE and been compared to such names as Henry Ford and Steve Jobs. Elon Musk will not stop there! Last week he released the long awaited details behind the high speed mode of transportation known as the Hyperloop. The complete details of the Hyperloop are located on Tesla Motors website athttp://www.teslamotors.com/blog/hyperloop.

The plans for the Hyperloop, written by Elon Musk, located on the Tesla Motors website detail the physics, the costs, the mechanics, and safety features necessary to turn this dream of a genius into a reality for common day commuters. In its basic form, when the hyperloop opens for business (I’m sure Musk will make sure of it) the travel time between L.A. to San Francisco can be made in under 30 minutes. There are even designs of hyperloop vessels that will transport your automobile along with you to your destination. This could feasibly allow millions of Californians to live in Los Angeles while working in San Francisco and vice versa. Of course, there are those that are quick to be pessimistic and argue why the Hyperloop is not possible. Elon Musk, however, is a breath of fresh air in this era of standstill innovation. While others continue bickering amongst themselves on how to do the same things more efficiently, he is asking how can we improve our overall energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint. Elon Musk is a forward thinker that shares his thoughts with the world, from forming a new way to make payments without the need of using the major banks (PayPal), to making full electric vehicles appealing, luxurious, and safe for all (TESLA), to providing NASA with technology for reusable rocket ships (SpaceX), to providing residential and commercial homes Solar Energy at a fraction of the price (SolarCity). No matter what you think about Elon Musk, Tesla, the Hyperloop, and Space X; I’m sure you are glued to Twitter, Newsweek, Time, NY Times, Wall St Journal or whichever news source you prefer for what Elon Musk will come up with next.  And whether you want to admit it or not, we are in the presence of the modern day Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, and yes, Steve Jobs. Elon Musk take your place in line with the greatest innovators in history.

Yelp Reviews Made Easy with Updated Yelp Mobile App

Yelp is making business reviews easier for users to leave via mobile phone.

Yelp: Up until now, the only way to leave Yelp reviews for businesses was through a actual computer via their website. Their mobile device only allowed you to write a review and save it as a draft, but ultimately you had to sign into your account and submit. They have now gone more mobile by adding the function to their Mobile App and allowing users to leave reviews instantly without having a “cool off” period.

The “cool off” period is the logic that a customer may be very dissatisfied or pissed off about a service and would want to leave a terrible Yelp review because they are heated at the moment. Allowing them time to go home, cool off, and leave a review would eliminate horrific reviews based on impulse. This was the belief and probably the main reason they didn’t allow instant reviews up until now. Now that they are established, the leader in customer reviews for businesses is allowing them to expand their services without regards to the businesses that may be victims.

Incentives is the other reason; now business owners and employees can offer incentives, discounts, and in some cases some sort of complimentary item for an instant positive Yelp review of their establishment. This on site negotiation between businesses and customers can lead to generating mass Yelp reviews not because the customer is completely satisfied with your product or goods, but because everyone enjoys an incentive. Whether it’s an instant discount, or a tangible item, people are more inclined to leave the review than to actually be overly impressed with you and get home, jump on the computer and leave the review.

As a businesses owner, this is great, use it to your advantage and generate positive reviews for your establishment. As a consumer of Yelp who goes on to see what’s good, where are people recommending and why? Makes you more hesitant to accept customer’s reviews now. Now there are different motives to why a customer left that review. Before you could rest assure that it was a genuine review, a happy or upset customer without question. That will all change now, enjoy having to try new places with a blind eye once again like the ol days without Yelp.

Things you should know, to Design Apps for mobile devices.

Without having to go into detailed programming, we would like to share some insight from a Mobile App Development Company. Apps are the new craze and everyone has either heard of them, uses them, or has a great app idea. They have made our lives more convenient and/or more pleasant. These little blocks that we tap with our fingertips are only starting to reach their potential. We have nearly scratched the surface of how far they can go and the capabilities they will possess in the coming years.

Design Apps:

The intercut to design apps is more than a few hundred words can cover, but we will try to cover the main points. The single most important thing is to always stay user-friendly. Because lets admit it, bubbly buttons, easily tapped and selected and smoothly transitioning to the next pages are essential in any app. regardless if it’s a game, social media, or a business app promoting your company or brand. For your users to be able to navigate through your app is more important that the actual functions of your app. if they cant navigate through easily and smoothly, chances are they will miss your intent and simply delete the app. and the funny thing about mobile apps is, once a user deletes an app, they will NEVER go back and download it again. Simple and plain, don’t have your mobile app deleted.

Besides user-friendly, the other main thing to consider is the purpose of your app. what is the main function of this app and how are the users gaining from your app. gaining is very broad in different types of design apps. But there should be a overall purpose to the app and its function. Either the app being entertainment, educational, purposeful, or just making everyday tasks easier. Whatever it may be, make sure the purpose it useful and that it applies to a wide range of people (if you are going for that next big hit). With these thoughts, Happy Apping…

www.AllureApps.com

Can I get some privacy on my smartphone!?! Please…

Can I get some privacy on my smartphone!?! Please…

I’m talking to you Facebook, Google, Apple and Android.

Privacy is often overlooked until it has been invaded.. Where have the days gone that we used to be able to escape from the real world for hours or even days without people tracking us? If you’re older than 27, you probably remember a time when we used to get home and have messages waiting for us; either on our answering machines or by another member of our household. Don’t know if I feel like throwing out the cliché “the good ol days” but those were definitely different times. I feel much older than I am writing this, but times have truly changed. Technology! Is the only term I can think of responsible for all this!

Nowadays we carry our smartphones, tablets, and other Internet connecting devices constantly. A recent survey showed that there is a 91% chance your mobile device is within reach right this second. Most people would probably rather lose their wallets than their smartphones, of course depending on how much cash the individual carries in their wallet. Regardless to say, we are addicted to our mobile devices, as we should be. These gadgets are making many everyday tasks easier and more convenient leaving us more time in the day to spend on things we love; and even be more involved with people because it is much more convenient than the old methods of leaving messages on a houseline and waiting to hear back.

But with all this ease and convenience come a huge price, privacy! Privacy is usually not appreciated until it is too late, until our privacy has been invaded. That is precisely what some of the most recognized names in the last 15-20 years have done with the information. Internet moguls such as Facebook, Google, Apple and Android have done with the information we enter into their sites and phones. They have found a way to not only contract information with our government but also with 3^rd party firms for advertising and marketing purposes. Soon, Apple will release the iOS7, not a big deal except they have a new feature called iFollow, which latterly tracks everywhere you have been. It’s set “on” as default and unless you, the user turns it off, you are being documented on your every step. Talk about privacy being invaded to the full extent. So next time you think that your ex is stalking you, or your phone might be tapped, or just a person at the grocery store ease dropping on your text, remember that these major corporations are doing much more without you eve knowing it.

2013 year has been an exciting & eventful thus far

2013 year has been an exciting & eventful thus far.. Revisiting the half-year and with all the events that have taken place, we have to consider ourselves the “lucky ones”. We’re alive, healthy enough to be living, and fortunate enough to have access to a computer to read this blog. With these simple but essential items, we have zero excuse to not be enjoying the day and the tools to better ourselves moving forward in this technological world.

With the year more than halfway gone, It seems like just a few months ago we brought 2013 in; and now looking at all the progress, events, excitement, relationships and other elements that have made up this year. We can’t help realize how quickly time passes. We have to enjoy every day, every moment should be forced to be a great one and building beautiful memories should be our goal. As we are all probably sitting at work making a living, and hopefully reading this blog, we must always maintain our focus on the bigger picture, the picture that extends beyond your vision today.

Because, in a blink of an eye, the year will come to a close, the good times have become good memories, the money we earned has been spent, the complaints we had, are probably irrelevant now, relations have ended, and made room for new ones to grow. This is a time to take in what you have been through, accomplished, and excelled in while building towards the big picture, the “dream” and goals you have set forth.  It is the middle of the race and you are probably looking at how far you have already run.  Getting mentally worn down, feel the fatigue kicking in, or you set your sight on the finish line is all normal.  When you start realizing you have only come half way and just like any real track star will tell you; that the end stretch is the most important stretch of any race as well as in life.  Make sure you set your sights on the big picture and let’s finish out the year how it started, on a high note!