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iBeacons at the Apple Store

12/6/2013

Apple has activated iBeacon technology at most of its retails stores. The technology is based on low power Bluetooth and can push information to your phone when you enter a particular radius of a given signal transmitter. In an Apple store, a transmitter can be a dedicated device or supposedly another computer or even an iOS device.

Well it works. Earlier in the day I updated my Apple Store app and permissioned it to use my location so that the iBeacons can locate me and push relevent and targeted message to me. I walked into the Grand Central store and I received my first "welcome to the Apple store" push notification and prompted me to open my Apple Store app. The next push notification I received was when I was in the accessory section and a push notifIcation said that I could read reviews of accessories before buying. It was pretty cool. I would have liked to see more but I guess I didn't activate any of the other beacons.

This is a very exciting technology and the possibilities are endless. I look forward to visiting CitiField during the next baseball season to see how MLB and the Mets are using iBeacons to enhance the ballpark experience.

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Apple Trounces Competition When it Comes to Touch Screen Responsiveness

9/22/2013

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I have said it for years every time I picked up an Android phone and used it for any length of time, the screens just aren't as responsive as the iPhone. According to a new benchmark devised by Agawai, a games and app streaming firm, what was evident by just using a device is now put to tangible performance metrics. The new benchmark is called TouchMarks and uses MART (Minimum App Response Time) as the measurement metric, which measures how immediately apps respond to touch on a given device. The iphone 4 and 5 where tested along with high-end and middle-tier Android phones and the results were pretty much lop-sided toward the iPhone family. Not only is the iPhone more responsive, but even the iPhone 4, released in April of 2011, is more responsive than the top-of-line Samsung Galaxy 4S.

The new benchmark is called TouchMarks, which measures measures a given devices touchscreen latency. The benchmark tests the lightest possible apps, measuring how immediately they respond on a given device.

Peter Relan, chairman of Agawi had this to say about the results of the testing:

“Apple trounced the competition,”

“Even a two-year old iPhone 4 beat out the other Android devices,” Relan said. “You expect this from Apple’s design team, while others may view their responsiveness as good enough. Now we know why the Android touch keyboard is not as snappy.”

“App responsiveness is judged by how quickly the app can respond to your inputs,” said Rohan Relan, cofounder and CEO of Agawi. “Smartphones with touchscreens that have lower MART scores feel snappier. This is probably why, to many users, the iPhone keyboard feels more responsive than an Android phone keyboard.”

So the next time you pick up Android device, pay attention to how the device responds to your touch. Then pick up the iPhone and see/feel the difference. Now the numbers back it up.

Read more about Agawi and the benchmark results at Venture Beat. Link

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iBeacons at the Apple Store

Apple Trounces Competition When it Comes to Touch Screen Responsiveness

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