Is Ransomware a Concern for IoT developers and Users?
Ransomware has emerged as a major threat in recent years, pitting security experts and hackers in an arms race to protect private data from “freezing” or deletion on both mobile and desktop hardware. Now app developers are concerned that ransomware could make the jump to Internet of Things devices as more household appliances and systems […]
Hult Prize Awards $1 Million To App For Bus Issues in Africa
This year’s Hult Prize has gone to a startup created by students from who originate in Africa, designed to solve a huge problem with African infrastructure: unpredictable bus schedules. The app is the latest in a series of innovative startups from app developers tackling transportation issues among the working poor, including success stories like India’s […]
Building Apps 101: The Core Resources Tech Startups Need
Marketing and growth strategy are the “software” of a startup. The “hardware” is the system of apps, products, and services that make running a tech business possible. Five years ago, developing an app was like riding off into the wild west. No rules, no guidelines, no support frameworks. The app development market has changed dramatically […]
Snapchat Wearable Hardware: Users Curious But Skeptical
Google Glass crashed and burned in their attempt to bring wearable augmented reality tech to the masses. Will SnapChat be able to succeed where Google failed? New media material leaked around the upcoming Spectacles launch has NYC iOS app developers and consumers cautious but hopeful that the “new media” company could bring the concept of […]
Getting Your App Idea off the Ground: Zero to Critical Mass
Getting your app idea off the ground is similar to getting a rocket into space. Both are risky. Both take an enormous amount of fuel to reach their goal. And unfortunately, both crash and burn without careful planning. When startup founders look up and see big brands like Instagram and Facebook floating effortlessly across the […]
Investors Vote with Their Wallets for Messaging App Startups
Messaging was a theme for the past three years of mobile app development, even before bots came into the picture. While SMS has long been scheduled to go the way of the dinosaurs, the ecosystem has gotten more complex rather than more streamlined. Between Slack, Messenger, Google Hangouts, and dozens more, group messaging is one […]
How Startups Can Succeed as “Mega-Apps” Dominate App Store
Apps are like people — they tend to congregate in the interest of convenience. User behavior has changed dramatically in recent years, and there’s no longer a feeling of excitement about seeking out, downloading, and learning to use smartphone apps. Instead, users expect things to “just work.” Between Google’s predictive information services and the prevalence […]
Studies Show Diverse Startup Teams Outperform Their Peers
Diversity is more than just a buzzword in Silicon Valley. A study in the last year by McKinsey found that ethnically diverse teams outperformed their peers by as much as 35 percent. MIT, Columbia University, and other leading research institutions have made similar findings. Overall, homogenous teams tend to make more predictable decisions — and […]
Apple Going All-in on IoT and Connected Home Devices
The smart home is here — it just isn’t evenly distributed yet. (Or, more specifically, properly organized.) The biggest critique against IoT startups among New York City mobile app development companies is that the field is simply scattered. Users have been slow to adopt IoT devices largely due to the friction of installing an individual […]
Facebook Messenger Opens Native Payments to Bot Developers
There’s been a lot of chatter about the “bot revolution” the past few months, but the spread of bot app usage among mainstream mobile app users has been slow at best. Part of the reason behind that, at least on go-to messaging platform Messenger, is the limitation on payments. Specifically, in order to make a […]