Videos are an important part of any content marketing mix and although they take longer to put together than blog posts, images and infographics, their impact can be well worth the effort. In this post, we’ll look at five different types of video you can create to promote your website or online business.
1. How-to videos
If you are looking for highly successful content marketing, then ‘How to’ videos are one of the most effective methods you can use. As a business specialising in a niche, you’ll have in-house expertise that customers will be scouring the internet for. If you can show them how to do something successfully, this helps them to trust you as a business and makes them more likely to follow you, like and share your content and buy from you.
How to videos are useful because you can show the process of doing something as well as explaining what to do. This is particularly helpful when helping people do something physical, such as decorating a cake, repairing a car or installing a new a hard drive on a computer.
2. Vlogs
Creating a vlog to promote your website or business can be extremely beneficial. Some vlogs are so successful that they have international influence and millions of subscribers. This is because the nature of a vlog makes them entertaining and viewers come back to watch again and again.
A good vlog often gives inside information about the company and the people who work for it, helping customers to see the human side of the business. It is also short, so it’s not demanding to watch. The tone of presentation is usually informal and the presenters chat to the audience in a friendly, personable way. This is what helps them to be so engaging and get so many shares and likes. Vlogs are also easy to produce – most vloggers create them on smartphones or digital cameras and edit them with apps that let them add titles and sound clips.
If you do decide to start vlogging, you need to post quite regularly because your audience will want to see more. However, as they are short and easy to make, this shouldn’t be a problem. One of the best things about creating vlogs is that you often get comments from viewers which help you decide what content to cover.
3. Product videos
One of the hardest things about buying a product online is that, in many cases, all a customer sees is a few paragraphs of description and a couple of photographs. Often, it’s not enough to help us make a fully informed decision. It’s one of the reasons why we have distance selling regulations, so we can send things back if we don’t like them.
By creating a video which shows the product in detail, you can give consumers a far better understanding of what they will get. This increases their confidence in buying, boosts your conversion rates and slashes the number of returns you need to deal with. It also gives you the edge over competitors who do not provide videos.
You can also use videos to compare products to others, showing customers how yours is better. At the same time, you can mention the benefits of buying from you, such as free delivery, guarantees and customer benefits.
4. FAQ videos
Nearly every website now has an FAQ section which deals with commonly asked questions from customers about products and services. These may cover a wide range of topics, such as payment methods, service levels, delivery times, shipping charges, product installation and use, etc.
Whilst some potential customers will contact you to find the answer, the majority won’t. Instead, they’ll find a site that can quell their fears and last-minute concerns and buy from them. Creating an FAQ video is a great way to answer these questions and to reach out to those customers who would normally abandon your site.
Whilst it’s a good idea to put your FAQs in writing, too, a video can put across the answers in a more engaging and impactful way. A good example of a company working to answer customers’ questions about its products is Lidl.
5. Testimonials
Testimonials can have a huge impact in helping potential customers choose your company. Seeing other customers who have been satisfied with your services or happy with your products can be a deciding factor. However, one of the problems with written testimonials is that not everyone trusts them. Unlike independent reviews on third-party websites, it is conceivable that testimonials on your own site might just have been made up.
With a video testimonial, however, the viewer can see and hear the actual customer making their testimonial and you can even show them with the product or the outcome of the service you have provided. If you are a builder, for example, your testimonial could show a before and after view of your work followed by the homeowner talking about how happy they are with the work.
You can also use testimonials as part of your recruitment drive by getting your current employees to talk about what it is like to work at your company and the benefits they receive.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can use videos to promote your business. You can show off your expertise with ‘How to’ videos, create an ongoing and engaging vlog, promote your products in ways that increase their attraction, answer your customers’ questions and show them how well your current customers appreciate you. All these methods can help increase traffic to your website and improve your conversion rates.
Shared hosting is the most affordable way to get your website online. However, whilst it’s cheaper than VPS, dedicated server and cloud hosting, that doesn’t mean you should accept bargain basement resources and features. Unfortunately, many people do not fully understand what to look for when choosing a shared hosting package and can end up with very poor service. To help, we have put forward this straightforward guide to help you out.
1. Hosting Operating System: Linux or Windows
Many people often think that because they use Windows as an operating system for their home computers, that this is what they should use for their websites. In reality, the vast majority of websites are run on Linux servers. If you are going to use software like WordPress, Magenta, Joomla, etc, to build your site, Linux is the option you should really go for.
Check the software program you intend to use before picking Linux or Windows. You won’t really have a choice; in most cases, the software will dictate the operating system you need.
2 How many websites do you intend to have?
While most people only want to run one website, some people, such as online marketers, want to run several. If this is the case, be aware that some shared hosting packages set an upper limit on the number of websites you can host. This is often done by limiting the number of databases you can set up (you’ll need a separate database for each website). At Anteelo for example, our Basic Plan lets you create 10 websites, however, for a few pounds more a month, our Advanced Plan lets you have unlimited sites.
3. How much storage space do you need?
You’ll also need to have an idea of how much space you’ll need to store all your websites software, files and images. Most websites don’t actually need that much space. Compared to software running on your computer, the programs needed for running websites are quite small and the size of the web pages are usually very small too. Often the biggest files you’ll needs are images and videos.
If you want to run multiple websites or eCommerce sites with thousands of images, then you might need more storage space.
For small websites, 2GB of storage will be more than ample for your needs. However, packages offering up to 20GB are available, and these can easily cater for many websites and vast quantities of data.
Do be aware of companies that put restrictions on the number of files you can store. This can be a hidden way of limiting the space you use.
4. Always choose unmetered bandwidth
Bandwidth is the term used to describe the amount of data that your website sends and receives. If you are given a monthly bandwidth quota, remember that every time someone visits a page of your website some of your bandwidth will be used up. This is also true if someone clicks on an image to view it in full size, streams a video stored on your site fills in a form or carries out any other operation.
Although each of these actions will only use up a small amount of bandwidth (except video streaming), if you have a lot of visitors, those small amounts soon add up. This means, if you reach your bandwidth limit in any particular billing period, your website will go offline until the next billing period commences.
To avoid this, choose a hosting package that offers unmetered bandwidth. This means you can have as many visitors as you like without having to worry. At Anteelo, all our shared packages offer unmetered bandwidth.
5. Go for great performance
Whilst there are many factors that can determine the speed of your website (the number of plugins you use, the size of each page, etc.) one of the crucial factors is the type of web server your website is hosted on. Make sure your host uses the latest hardware that will give you all the computing resources your site will need to run its processes. This will help your site load quickly on your visitors’ computers and mobile devices.
A one-second delay in loading can force customers to leave and reduce sales by 7%. So, it is important that you look carefully at what technology your host uses. At Anteelo, all our shared hosting is run on the latest, high-performance Dell PowerEdge hardware – and we upgrade regularly.
6. Look for a user-friendly admin panel
Administering your website should be an easy and intuitive process and this is best done by having a control panel that has a user-friendly interface. When this occurs, things like installing a new website, updating software, adding extensions and taking care of your account, are simple and easy to do.
The most user-friendly control panel for shared hosting is cPanel which is used by many web hosts. However, you should also make sure that your web host is fully trained in using cPanel so that it can deal with any issues which may arise. At Anteelo, not only are we a certified cPanel provider, we are also the world’s leading company when it comes to cPanel expertise. We top the cPanel University leaderboard for the number of exams taken and the number passed.
7. Security features
The last thing you want is your website to get hacked or infected. When looking for a shared hosting provider, you should choose one which offers you a range of security features that will keep your site protected. You need a host that can provide intrusion detection, firewalls, SSL certificates (for encrypting your customers’ payment information), email scanning, spam filtering and, in case the worst happens, remote backups so your site can be quickly restored.
8. A host that stays online
Once your website is up and running, you don’t want a web host that keeps letting it go offline. It gives your site a bad reputation, loses visitors and can even cost you in lost sales. For that reason, look for a web host that can ensure your site will always be available. For shared hosting, you should make sure that a host offers an uptime of 99.9% or more.
9. Additional features
In addition to the features mentioned above, a good web host will provide you with the following services on your shared hosting account: unlimited email accounts, using your websites domain name (e.g. me@mywebsite.com); 24/7 technical support via phone, email and live chat, so that you get expert help whenever you require it in a way that is convenient for you; and an ‘no minimum’ contract length, so that you are not tied in should you decide to leave.
Conclusion
A website can stand or fall depending on the quality of the hosting you choose, so it is important to choose wisely and consider the benefits and features of each package. Hopefully, this article will have shown you the key features you should look for when choosing shared hosting.
Businesses that need to expand or upgrade their IT infrastructure have a range of possible choices. One of the most popular is managed hosting. In this post, we’ll explain what managed hosting is, the benefits it can bring and what to look for in a managed services provider.
What is managed hosting?
Managed hosting is a type of service in which a business hires IT hardware from a service provider, such as Anteelo. All managed hardware, i.e. servers, storage and network, has single tenant occupancy, in other words, no other customer will be using the same hardware. This provides the company with all the computing resources that the hardware provides: bandwidth, performance, RAM, storage, etc., and gives the customer complete control of the hardware, OS, software and system security.
With managed hosting, the hardware is securely housed in the service providers’ datacentre and the service provider takes care of its management, admin and technical support. The alternative is unmanaged hosting, where companies still hire hardware and datacentre space but choose to manage it themselves. Whilst some companies still opt for this, most find it easier and more economical to let the service provider undertake management on their behalf.
What is included in a managed hosting service?
The range of services included in a managed hosting package will depend on the individual service provider. Most hosts will provide and manage the datacentre (space, power, building maintenance, physical security, IT engineers, etc.), hardware, networking, operating system (Windows, Linux, etc.) and application infrastructure. It is also possible to extend services even more by adding application management, too. At Anteelo, we even offer bespoke IT solutions.
The list above covers a wide range of management and administrative tasks which are done on your behalf. These can include real-time server monitoring, performance optimisation, server patching, backups, intrusion prevention, application installation and so forth. Using these services means companies do not need to worry about hardware or other issues and can let their IT teams focus on more business-related projects.
Which IT uses are best suited to managed hosting?
Managed hosting is suitable for a wide range of IT uses. This includes hosting websites, as a means for extending in-house architecture and for running custom or legacy apps. Single tenancy hosting is also ideal for those who require exceptional computing performance, large-scale storage and Big Data analytics. It is also being increasingly used for backing up data and for disaster recovery.
With increasing regulation, such as the implementation of GDPR, managed hosting also offers compliance benefits for those companies that require tight data security. If you are an organisation that has a statutory requirement to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO), for example, if you process or store sensitive information or large amounts of personal data, single tenant hosting can offer increased security and help ensure compliance.
What to look for in a managed hosting service provider
It is not only the range of services mentioned above that you would need to consider if you were looking for a managed hosting service provider. Here are a range of other factors you would need to look at:
1. Technical support: Make sure your service provider offers 24/7, 365 days a year technical support. That way, if you have any issue, you’ll know there is an IT expert there to help.
2. Firewall security: All managed hosting should provide strong firewall protection. Look for technology, such as Fortinet’s Fortigate firewalls, which protect against a wide range of security risks.
3. Port speed: Network performance is crucial for today’s websites. Look for a 1Gbit port speed.
4. High–availability: If you are paying for a managed service, you want it to be available all the time. Make sure your service provider guarantees 100% uptime.
5. High–performance hardware: You should be provided with exceptional hardware such as Intel Xeon CPUs and SSD hard drives.
6. Full root access: If you are leasing a server, you should have full control over it. Ensure the provider you choose enables full root SSH / RDP access.
7. Control panel: the quality of the control panel you are provided with can make a huge difference in taking care of the tasks which are not part of the managed service. The best available is Plesk’s Web Pro.
Is managed hosting the right choice for you?
There is a number of important questions that companies will need to ask before making the decision to opt for a managed hosting package. These include:
1) In what ways will using managed services improve your IT capabilities?
2) What are the financial implications of using a managed service?
3) If you are migrating to a managed service, how can you best manage the move to have the least impact on your business? Will your service provider help you migrate?
4) If you were to opt for unmanaged services, does your company have the in-house expertise needed to manage its own infrastructure?
Conclusion
Managed hosting isn’t the cheapest hosting option available, however, it can bring enormous benefits. It can cut down significantly on the in-house IT resources you dedicate to server management, freeing up your staff for more profitable tasks. It can enhance your security and compliance and, with the right infrastructure, can improve your system’s performance and IT capabilities.
Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery has grown to become a software development practice which brings down not just the effort but also the app development cost that goes behind.
Through the CI/CD for mobile apps process, businesses can avail a plethora of benefits, straight from the one time setup: Automated builds, improved communication, automated shipping, and zero server maintenance.
In a sans CI/CD world, some mobile app development companies release their apps manually, by handing them off from one team to the next.
There is almost always a delay at every stage which leads to irritated teams and unhappy clients. And the app ultimately gets live via a tedious and error-full process which delays the entire revenue generation possibilities.
Now if you look at the continuous delivery pipeline illustration below, you will get a different picture.
It depicts how the developers write their code and commit them to a source code repository once/multiple times a day. Following which, testing, staging, and production happens inside the CI pipeline and is deployed to the customers directly.
What is CI and CD?
Let us first answer what is mobile continuous integration before moving on to filling in the details on what is continuous delivery and what is continuous deployment.
Now before we go on with defining what the approach stands for, let us put something out in the open.
Even though there are a whole lot of different mobile app development process sets operating in the market today, the answer to what is Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery in devops and what is CI and CD in agile would be exactly the same.
With that clear, let’s head out with the explanation.
Continuous Integration
Custom Integration or CI is the custom mobile app development practice where regular integration of code changes happen in a shared code repository. Usually, the practice happens at least once and maximum of multiple times in a day. This encourages committing of small changes often compared to committing of large changes less frequently.
Every commit then triggers a build in which tests are run which helps in identifying if something is broken.
Continuous Delivery
It is all about the capability to regularly deliver the integrated code to production. The end result of this stage is that you have green builds that are ready to be released in one click.
Continuous Deployment
This process goes one step ahead for it enables automatic deployment of every main branch change which passes the CI pipeline. However, it is better to avoid doing this, for you would need to perform testing which are not limited to automated.
Stages of CI/CD for Mobile Apps Development
The process of integrating CI/CD for mobile apps can be divided into seven sections or stages.
Code: Code is the backbone of any application. The process of writing them which starts with the development phase goes on to the maintenance phase. In the continuous integration and delivery approach, developers write code for CI components, which in turn, prepares it for automation in the next stages.
Build: This is the part where the app is built. Multiple developers work on the process happens every day. What is different in case of CI/CD for mobile apps is that once the developers have finished their work, they add them in the CI application.
The output of the stage is a URL.
Test: Once the code components are entered in the CI platform, the next step is to see how the app performs with inclusion of new updates. The CI software here gives developers reports on how the app is performing, in addition to some useful analytics.
Even though it is automated, it helps to involve someone from the mobile app quality assurance team in the stage to ensure that the changes are acceptable.
Package: Once the performance and quality tests are made, it is time to deploy the application. The stage is applicable both for the new apps and the existing apps whose new version is going to be released.
Release: The next stage of the incorporation of CI/CD for mobile apps is applying the new URL for the app on devices for release.
Configuration: The next stage is configuration of the infrastructure. You would need to format the entire coding and management tools, which would enable people to regularly access the CI platform.
Monitor: Once the app is running, you would still need to continue monitoring its performance. The developers, at this stage, ensure that any additional code written for improving the app has gone through the CI stages first. Doing this, lowers the chance of any bugs or problems emerging mid way.
Getting started with Continuous Integration and Delivery
It is not difficult to get up and running with Continuous Integration. Here are the steps that mobile app development companies generally follow to start using CI/CD for mobile apps smoothly.
How to Implement Continuous Delivery for Mobile App
Implementation of a version control of choice – SVN, Git, or Bitbucket
Writing test for critical elements in the code base
A suitable CI/CD service which would enable running the tests on every push to repository.
Let’s look deeper into what the implementation of continuous integration can offer to the everyday software development process. The realization of these advantages and the answer to how continuous integration and delivery helps translates into reduction of risks attached with building and paving the road to get the features out to the customers.
Business Benefits of Continuous Integration & Continuous Delivery
1. Faster feedback loop
In application development process, not knowing can really hurt. One of the primal things that slows down the software development process is the lack of feedback on the impact of changes and the quality of work. It is easy to get disillusioned that you are moving too fast if you are commiting codes frequently and moving to other tasks without running any tests. While the reality is that it’ll get extremely difficult to figure out what changed in the code and by whom, when there is an issue.
CI/CD for mobile apps solves these issues by giving you prompt answers on the question if something broke in a commit.
2. Increased visibility & transparency
When the CI/CD pipeline has been set up, the whole team would know what is going on with the builds in addition to getting the latest test results. This means, they would be able to plan their work in context and would get a clear idea of which changes tend to break the builds more often.
3. Avoidance of integration mess
If you look at software as legos where each of the pieces are created by developers individually, the whole software development picture becomes one where different legos meet to become one giant piece. What eases this process is the lack of friction.
Even if a lego piece is fine, you will still have to make sure that it fits well with the entire system – Continuous integration does exactly that by connecting the pieces of software together everyday.
4. Identification & solving of issues early on
An obvious phase of software development is bugs. Now, the more bugs pile on, the harder it then gets to identify and solve them. With different kinds of automated tests running in the continuous integration pipeline, you’d get to know what is to be fixed the moment a test fails.
5. Improve testability & quality
The easier it would be to test something, the more convenient it would become to test the quality. The simple rule is that the more your code is written in a way that it can’t accommodate writing tests, the more difficult it would be to make it bug free. The testability efforts ultimately depends on how easily the new builds are made available and the kind of tools you work with, plus the control you have on the test environments.
Top Mobile Continuous Integration CI/CD Tools
Jenkins
Founded in 2006, it is the top open-source continuous integration server. Developers have developed over 300 plugins for adapting Jenkins into different build, test, and automation based workloads.
CircleCI
The tool enables developers to release codes by automating the build, test and deployment process. It allows them to identify and fix bugs much before it reaches the customers.
Travis CI
It is another top mobile continuous integration tool operating in the market today. It is a distributed, hosted services used in the development and testing of projects which are hosted on GitHub. It also offers custom deployment of proprietary version on the client’s hardware.
Bitrise
It is a continuous integration & delivery Platform as a Service which focuses on mobile app development. The developers, through the tool, are easily able to automate the test and deploy phase of their apps within a few clicks.
Visual Studio App Center
The Microsoft backed tool brings different services, usually brought into use by developers in an individual, integrated product. It enables mobile app developers to build, test, and deliver, monitor their apps, while allowing them to create an installable app package with every push made to the repository.
While these are just five, there are a plethora of different continuous integration and delivery service providers available in the market. Here are a few things to consider when researching the choices:
How to select the best CI/CD tool for your app development needs?
1. Proprietary vs Open Source
On the basis of context, there can be instances where open source tools might be off the table for some clients. But at the same time, investing in proprietary tool can be a little costly side.
If going with open source tools fits in the context and budget, there are a number of options present in the market.
2. In the Cloud or Self-hosted
If you are willing to host the CI/CD service yourself and have the time and resources for setting it up, configuring, and maintaining it, you should go with Self-hosted services. But, if you are looking for crossing off build infrastructure maintenance off the work list, go with a Software as a Service solution.
3. Ease of setting up
A frictionless adoption of CI/CD is the secret to getting everybody on board. So, going with a tool that takes a lot of time in setting up can backfire your intention of choosing the approach.
Has it ever happened to you that you try to achieve something but the end result was totally unanticipated?
Sometimes good things are an accident – Electricity, Discovery of America, Gravity, and PHP.
Wait, what?
Actually, PHP was never intentionally designed. Rasmus Lerdorf, a Danish software engineer attempted to design an easy common gateway interface by using the C language that would help him track views on his CV. Little did he know what he had created for such a menial task is going to change the face of web applications.
As for Python, the language has its own fan following spread worldwide.
What is there to see is how these two fare when put under juxtaposition. Yes! We are talking about the popular battle of PHP vs Python.
So, why don’t we begin the first round by discussing what they are, individually?
What is Python?
Well, of course, it’s not a snake (pun intended).
For real, Python is one of the few best web programming languages for web development that is winning the hearts of many around the world. It is a non-complex object-oriented, high-level, interpreted language, possessing amazing built-in data structures connected with dynamic typing and binding. It is features such as these that make developers choose this language for efficient and effective app development.
What is more, it is a scripting language that is proficient in binding and combining numerous components together. To add another jewel to its crown, it favors cross-platform development, making it ideal for web and mobile app development.
In fact, Python had recently won second place as the most popular language on Github, beating Java to dust and is one of the most loved languages.
Features of Python programming language
Fast in nature
There is no compiling in Python, for the programs are added to the interpreter which runs them directly. This is something that happens for the rest of the programming languages. It is very easy and quick to get access to the feedback on your Python code like recognizing errors, etc. Due to reasons like this, Python has the ability to execute and finish the programs speedily in comparison to other languages.
Supports test-driven development
With Python app development, coding and testing go hand-in-hand, something that is a tried and tested way to the efficacious development process. Developers are able to develop prototypes of the applications as Python allows them to refactor the code.
Amazing standard library
Another probable feature of Python programming language that enabled it to beat Java on Github, is its collection of impeccable libraries. Python’s robust standard library supports the programmers in choosing modules as per the requirements demand. Here every module allows developers to add other multiple functionalities even when the process is about to complete and that too without any additional coding.
Support for Big Data
If you have been looking forward to working on the Big Data technology but aren’t sure what should be in your tool set, then trust me, Python will be all you need to start with. This programming language is being used extensively in Big Data development; simply because it is faster and has a lot of libraries in store, that are in harmony with Big Data.
Highly compatible
Python is the first choice of developers who want to do away with the recompilation process. It is because along with supporting numerous OS like iOS, Android, Windows, etc., it allows developers to use Python interpreters to run the same code on all platforms and even modify it without performing recompilation. And on top of it, it allows programmers to check the code almost instantly when the changes are made.
Advantages of Python
Object-oriented and cross-platform programming language
Portable in nature due to WORA functionality
Highly readable, making it easy for beginners
It is open-source, a feature which makes it easily accessible
It is a constantly evolving language
Disadvantages of Python
Slightly in-effective in mobile computing and browsers
Design restrictions: Duck-typing may cause run-time errors
Delayed testing of web applications
A little too simple for certain tasks
What is PHP?
Speaking of the name itself, it has a little kick to it. The acronym does not fully describes its full form which is Hypertext Preprocessor. It is also an open-source scripting language (means a script-based program) that is server-side in nature facilitating development for every web app development company.
Additionally, it is possible to embed PHP in HTML to create dynamic web pages for web applications, database apps, and E-Commerce apps. In fact, developers consider it to be a pretty friendly language as it can connect with databases like Oracle, MySQL, etc.
Features of PHP
Highly flexible and scalable
To be successful, a language should be flexible and scalable enough to give a wiggle room to programmers to have fun, something which PHP clearly offers. It can be easily integrated with other programming languages, namely, Java and others. The components built with this language are reusable.
There are many extensions available to enable different functionalities, that help in defining many kinds of project requirements.
Fast loading speed
Speed plays a crucial role in making any programming language a favorite of developers. PHP is considered to be a high-speed rendering language as it easily establishes a connection with the database to fetch the requested data in less time as compared to many languages out there in the market.
Supports Cross-platform development
PHP is no way behind Python in catering multiple platforms, i.e, it is also a cross-platform language that helps developers in creating web applications for operating systems such as UNIX, LINUX, Windows, and more. What is more, it also supports Apache and MySQL database.
Loosely typed language
PHP is denoted as a loosely typed language as it supports variable usage without even declaring its data type. It will be taken at the time of the execution based on the kind of data it has on its value.
Error Reporting
One of the amazing features of PHP is that it has a function that generates a warning notice when something is wrong, allowing the developers to address the issues in real-time.
Advantages of PHP
Has an enormous ecosystem
Object-oriented and open-source language with an active community
Interoperability- has numerous pluggable frameworks
Supports first-class debugging
Disadvantages of PHP
Threaded and slower execution
No Internet of Things community support
Limited visibility and control
Externally dependent
PHP vs Python: Battle begins
Now, let’s see how Python Compares to PHP and vice versa.
1. Performance and speed
Speed is often synonymous with great performance in web applications. And in the case of PHP vs Python performance for web applications, it is no different. It is crucial for web apps to perform error-free while processing millions of requests at a time. PHP is considered to be much more effective at speed. Though PHP 5.x was fast, PHP 7.x broke its own records, leaving average Python programs to dust. It completes the tasks almost 3 times faster.
2. Syntax and code readability
Syntax plays a prominent part as a point of difference between PHP and Python. To be brief, the syntax of PHP kind of resembles that of the C language. The programmers have to be careful and need to use curly brackets, operators, and additional characters. What is more, developers can also ignore the white spaces while the compilation is on-going, bringing the additional usability that will assist in structuring the code into logical components.
As of Python, the syntax is made on the separation of codes with spaces and tabs, expediting the process of coding to a great extent. Moreover, Python’s syntax is readable which makes it easy for beginners to learn it effectively.
3. Price
It is a good thing that both languages are open-source which means nothing but that they are free to use. In fact, developers have advocated that these even though free in nature, maybe better than some of the paid frameworks.
4. Library Support
What gives Python an edge in the battle of PHP vs Python 2020 is that it has exceptionally extensive and well-developed library support for all types of applications developed using Python. Some of the most preferred libraries that developers use in Machine learning development along with others are TensorFlow, Theano, Scikit, etc.
Though PHP is lagging behind, it also has packages repository “Packagist” that is pretty popular among the developers.
5. Web frameworks
Both PHP and Python have loads of responsive and incredible web frameworks to start with. For Python-based web frameworks, some that stand out the most are Django, Bottle, CherryPy, Pyramid, and more.
As for PHP-based web frameworks, we have Laravel, Codeigniter, Zend, Symphony, and so on. As both Python and PHP programming languages provide a pretty good variety of choices to the developers, beginners are still a little bit more inclined towards Python’s Django framework because it is mighty fast.
6. Debugging
To give you the verdict on this point of comparison of PHP and Python before even diving deep into it, we have to say that it is a draw.
You ask why? Well, if Python has “Python Debugger” (PDB), a well-documented and facile debugger, then PHP has its “XDebug” package; both offering the most basic debug features – stacks, path mapping, breakpoints, and more.
7. Front-end feasibility
Web programmers also look forward to developing the layout or the front-end of their websites and portals using numerous effective tools along with languages like Bootstrap, CS, Angular, etc. Python here provides numerous opportunities for the developers to adopt the same techniques and later combine it with Python code by employing frameworks.
This way, designers can easily design websites, whereas the backend developers find it easy to use via a much subtle and understandable language like Python. So, definitely, Python here wins over the PHP.
8. Usability
It is prominent to consider the architecture of the languages before we conjecture anything in favor of either language.
The fact that both Python and PHP are object-oriented translate into that they compress code modules containing some functions and data in objects. So, any developer who is even a little bit familiar with object-oriented programming can use either of the languages.
9. Maturity
On the grounds of maturity, Python is inevitably the winner since it was first introduced in 1989 by Guido van Rossum and released in 1991. Its latest update 3.8.0 was released recently on 14 October 2019. It is the most mature and secure among the technologies which make the fundamental building blocks of the intricate mosaic that is the IT industry.
As for PHP, it was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. Though not as mature as Python, it still has created a still in the market with its features. The very first manifestation of PHP was a simplistic set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries that were written in the C language. The latest version of PHP is 7.2.7.
10. Package Management
Speaking of Python, its package managers are effective in organizing the code and keeping the backups along with the version numbers. It helps the developers track their progress while helping businesses perform regular updates on the activities.
As of PHP, though is package management, however, it doesn’t match up to the PIP, a tool to manage and install Python packages. It allows developers to install, upgrade, and even uninstall while using a wide range of sources for external as well as internal libraries.
11. Market Popularity
If you want to judge or compare two things, market popularity tops the list of points of comparison, because it indicates why developers and programmers love something.
Looking at this graph above we can surmise that Python is the most searched on the web in the US as compared to PHP.
It has been observed that 7,212,664 websites have been developed using PHP, and as for Python, the number amounts to be 146,702. What is more, PHP is leading in countries like the US, Japan, Germany, and other 150+ countries. In a survey by w3techs.com, as you can see in the graph, it is evident that as of May 29, 2019, PHP was the most popular language based on traffic.
12. Versatility
Python in comparison to PHP is evidently versatile in nature as it is an ideal choice for developing websites integrated with Machine Learning and AI. It comes with an abundance of libraries that support these technologies and facilitate their integration into the web apps.
13. Well-thought-out design
While comparing PHP vs Python for backend, we found that Python, as compared to PHP, is fairly easy to grasp. Python has a well-thought-out-design (refers to the method used to insert code) than PHP. This means that developers find it easy to program for backend with Python than they do with PHP. It is simply because Python is a flexible yet robust programming language, something that PHP lacks.
14. Documentation
Well, it is a draw. Both languages have an abundance of documentation spread across the internet. Any beginner can easily find resources and documents related to any aspect of these languages and can get answers to even the most complicated queries- All thanks to their communities.
15. Environment Management
Speaking of environment managers, Python is extremely lucky in this regard. There are some terrific breed applications to manage the environment. One such example is Virtualenv – a system that is used to install and use numerous versions of Python simultaneously and switch them as often as needed with ease.
Though PHP also has an analog for Virtualenv known as VirtPHP. However, it is advised to use containers.
16. Learning Curve
Starting with PHP, being a straightforward language, it has a fairly low learning curve. It is ideal to learn PHP for short-term projects, but if you want to learn something that gives long-term benefits then Python is your match.
Though on its own PHP is easy to learn, however in comparison to Python, PHP has a steep learning curve for Python is the most readable and easily comprehensible language. It is because the language uses a much simpler syntax.
17. Community Support
Both languages enjoy the support of active communities. It is a crucial aspect for a beginner to consider before committing oneself to a particular language, simply because the learning process is full of doubts and queries and having strong support resolves half the issues.
However, we have to admit that community support of PHP is outstanding, given how actively they have been deprecating the language’s outdated aspects.
18. Salary and Job opportunities
While considering the payscale of both languages, we found that Python developers, on average, make somewhere around $120,024 every year in the United States. Whereas, PHP developers make an average of $86,017 per year.
In fact, you can see in the image above that Python developers, globally make nearly $63k, whereas PHP did not even make it to the list accumulated by Stack Flow.
Final Thoughts
To end this discussion, we would state the most obvious – both languages are differently capable in all aspects. One may surpass the other in one aspect and may lose in others. They both have their own set of features and functions to perform.
They are a paradox in themselves; there are many similarities between PHP and Python, and at the same time are dissimilar as well in many aspects.
Nevertheless, Python has emerged to be the winner in most of the comparison points such as documentation, job opportunities, salary, etc. So, it is up to an individual which one they choose based on their requirements.
If you had to make a list of top programming languages that appeared in the industry in the past decade, the two names that would emerge would be Go and Rust.
And, if you had to sit down and think of the programming languages which were best aligned with the motive to develop secure, microservice favoring frameworks and apps, you would again find yourself staring at the two languages.
Even after being similar in some prominent ways like maturity, being open source, and being designed for microservice oriented, modern, parallel computing environments, there is a lot of confusion around Go vs Rust and which of the two languages are good for the developer community to enter into.
The intent of this article today is to look into the difference between Go and Rust in much detail. The differences that go beyond Rust use cases and Golang use cases.
Let us answer Which is better: Rust or Go?
But before that, let us refresh the basics of both the programming languages.
Rust Programming Language
Rust language came into existence back in 2010. Deemed as one of the ML languages’ extensions, the aim that the language was expected to fulfill was better security, performance, improved parallelism, and greater modularity.
The feature set that Rust comes with has brought it to a stage where there are very few developers who haven’t heard of it or as showing an unwillingness to work in it.
Advantage of Rust language:
Amazing run speed
Enables fine grain features such as rich patterns, syntax extensions, and novel embeddings.
Interoperable with C, and FFI, amongst others.
Zero-cost abstraction
Predictable runtime behaviour
Saves crashing, debugging time.
Disadvantage of Rust language:
Learning Rust is steeper than Go
Between Go vs Rust, it is slow to compile
It is slower than the C and C++ language in the analogous conditions.
Go Programming Language
Go coding language was introduced back in 2007 by Google. It was looked at as a language that had emerged to solve the issues that organizations face when developing software infrastructure. The Go language specification was devised to introduce garbage collection, dependency management, built-in concurrency, robustness across multiple boundaries between the components, etc.
The result of the well thought of features of Go has gotten it a market position which is enough to bring it several points ahead in the Go vs Rust debate.
Advantage of Go Language:
The best feature of Go language is the incredible speed at which it compiles to machine code.
The simplicity of code
Concise, pragmatic, and efficient
Flexible and highly concurrency favoring
Strong interoperability with C language.
Disadvantage of Go Language:
Keeps simplicity over performance
Lacks the generics to an extent
Not enough immutability
Not a system language.
Now that we have looked into the basics of both the languages, let us get on to the part where we look into how they stack up against each other.
Rust vs Go: Performance
The one factor that weighs up Rust in the Rust vs Go debate is performance. The programs have been designed to run at similar or near similar speed of C++ and C.
Go, on the other hand, trade runtime speed for convenience, by making tasks automatic. But in terms of Rust vs Go Performance comparison, development speed of Go falls several steps behind the high performance that Rust offers.
Go vs Rust: Memory Management
Rust make use of compile time ownership strategy for memory management through zero cost abstractions. If a Rust program is not memory safe, it won’t be able to cross the compilation stage.
Like Rust, Go is also memory safe. But in the case of Go, it is handled automatically during the runtime. Meaning, developers won’t have to think of releasing or allocating memory when writing code.
Go vs Rust: Development Speed
At times, the development speed becomes more important than the program speed. A working example of this can be seen in the case of Python, which is not one of the fastest languages to run but fastest to write a software in.
Go comes with the same appeal. The simplicity and directness that it offers makes it faster than a number of languages in the market.
Rust, on the other hand, comes with more language features and thus takes longer to master. Its compile speed is also longer than Go’s. So, if the intent is of faster full cycle app development services, you would be better off with Go than Rust.
Rust vs Go: Concurrency
Modern day apps are distributed and networked. The languages that haven’t planned for these realities are far off behind the curve. The developers have to be able to run the tasks independently and share state between the tasks minus the risk of data corruption.
Now while concurrency was built into Golang’s syntax from beginning, Rust recently gained the native syntax in the form of async/.await. But even though the concurrency of Rust lacks the developer experience that went behind Go, it makes up for it through Rust’s memory safety.
Conclusion
We could keep digging into both the languages, dissecting both sides of Go vs Rust comparison, but the ultimate answer to the Rust and Go comparison would be the fact that it depends. There are instances where Rust is better than Go and vice versa.
When your developers need control on every detail of how the threads behave with the rest of the system, how the errors must be handled, it would be better to look into Rust use cases.
Google recently announced that they have acquired AppSheet, a Seattle-based no-code mobile app development platform. They have not disclosed the terms of the acquisition yet. However, as per the revelations, AppSheet will continue to serve its existing customers.
Praveen Seshadri and Brian Sabino founded the AppSheet back in 2014. Keeping in mind to help business people and others build their own mobile applications without having any coding experience. It received its seed funding from the New Enterprise Associates in 2015 and was recognized as one of the creative tech startups by TiE in 2018. Following by getting fame of leading a leader for low-code app development for business developers by Forrester Research in 2019.
First choice of various brands for making their presence
The platform became the first choice of many small and established brands, including Whirlpool, Pepsi, the Global Cancer Institute, Toyota, American Electric Power, and M&O Partners for making their space in the IT-powered business world. It is a result of the set of features it offers. It features the ability to capture, collaborate, and display data, and create an explanatory programming model.
Praveen Seshadri said, “As we and IT industry has grown, there is now a huge pent-up demand for enterprise automation,”. He further added, “There is the rise of low and no-code platforms. This will make citizen development come out as the planned way for modern organizations. It will help to invest, innovate, and compete.”
AppSheet has also been combining AI and NLP technology. This is to further quicken the mobile app development process. This also enables businesses to enter the mobile sphere at the earliest.
Till now, over 18,000 app creators have used AppSheet’s development suite to locate around 200,000 apps. And now, when Google acquires AppSheet, the numbers and results are much beyond everyone’s expectations.
AppSheet services to Google Cloud
The tech giant, which recently acquired a retail inventory management startup Pointy as well, is expecting to reimagine the app development space by bringing AppSheet services to Google Cloud.
“The acquisition will complement Google’s strategy to reimagine the application development space by helping businesses set up with workflow automation, app support, and API Management,” said Amit Zavery, vice president of Google Cloud. He further added, “Customers will now be able to build richer apps that use not only Google Sheets and Forms, but other top Google technologies like Google Analytics, Maps, and Android”.
[Note: As we mentioned above about API management, consider this blog to know in detail about the process and available tools: 15 Open-Source API Management Platforms to Add in Your Tech Stack]
The tech giant expects to employ AppSheet’s ability to power up workplace applications (include CRM, personalized reporting, field inspections, etc.) while keeping Google Cloud’s services focusing entirely on the financial, media, and retail domains.
The Google team also revealed that low-development app development platforms like AppSheet are not going to replace sophisticated development environments. Rather, they will be put into practice to empower mobile app developers to collect extensive, rich data like geographic data and indoor location data from any device and use the insights gained to build user-centric applications. Plus, they will be able to update and maintain the data set in real-time, without compromising on the security front.
The AppSheet team will soon join Google Cloud. But, they will continue to serve their existing new and existing clients and support iOS apps and web-based mobility solutions.
In a market fraught with stiff competition, a quick time-to-market app can make all the difference. An app that takes forever to build and deploy can crash and burn even before it goes off the shelf. Developing a mobile app is an expensive process. Creating a mobile application is a costly process, as bringing ideas into reality requires time and effort, and expenses. For instance, after the development you’ll have to pay for hosting or for marketing campaigns to spread the word. One approach to keep costs back from spiraling crazy is to decrease the application development time. In the realm of mobile apps, time is money, so the more you spend working on your app, the more it will cost. Although Android app development for business is a good choice, however, it is especially notorious for its sluggish speed. CEOs of businesses are constantly struggling to meet deadlines and take their app to the market before competitors pinch the app idea. In this tussle between speed and quality, often quality is sidelined and what results is a product that doesn’t meet your or your audience’s needs and expectations. We will be discussing in detail how to develop apps faster in the below article.
Since android application development speed is such a relevant issue, we have compiled a set of handy android tips and tricks 2021 that can help you create android apps speedily, without compromising on quality.
Android Development Tips
1. Use the latest tools
All android developers are faced with the same dilemma: too much to do and too little time to do it! Designing, prototyping, coding, testing, debugging, and the list of tasks goes on. While some of these vital steps have no short-cuts, there are valuable tools to help with others.
Here’s our countdown of developer must-have android development tools that can speed up android app development service process:
A. Genymotion
A sleek emulator that can simulate built-in sensors that a device model has. This emulator supports all existing versions of Android, cutting the need for re-configuring for different devices.
B. Hierarchy Viewer
A great tool to view your app’s tree and analyze its flaws for debugging and testing purposes. This tool, available in Android SDK, helps speed up app development by letting you merge and remove redundant elements in your app.
C. LeakCanary
Detecting memory leaks is a specialized function of this tool. These bugs are very hard to debug and the tool will ensure no leakage escapes your notice. Debugging becomes rapid and mobile.
D. Vysor
This tool helps android app maker in sharing screens between their workstations and Android devices, using just a Chrome plug-in. The tool is an answer to most developers’ prayers who find it complicated to root devices via USB. With this tool, you can share app features live with the client and receive instant feedback which is always great for the development process.
E. Butterknife
An awesome tool to improve the coding rate and readability of your boilerplate codes. This tool is a great time saver for all businesses looking to cut down app development time.
2. Low-fidelity wireframes are speedier
Wire framing is an essential step in the app development process. Using low-fidelity wireframes is better option than high-fidelity ones. These wireframes are less detailed and more fluid but they give a clear enough picture to developers and UI designers.
Going headfirst into coding is not advisable and most experienced Android app developers in New York, Florida, Texas, and other areas know this. The most crucial first step is to get designers, developers, coders and project managers on the same page. Low-fidelity wireframes do just that. They are quick to develop and are a good blueprint for the entire development team.
3. Go lean
A commonly-accepted best practice in the quick android app development process is to launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with just the basic features and no frills, instead of waiting to develop and launch a full-fledged app. The MVP will help you collect user data about what’s working and what’s not. Use the build-measure-learn feedback loop to get invaluable lessons about customer feedback. This approach diminishes the risk element of your app and makes for an app that is more likely to appeal and succeed.
Another facet is using short iterations or “sprints” to break up the entire app model into smaller, doable cycles. Each sprint is complete in itself-it has the entire gamut of development steps and results in an improvised version of the previous sprint product. Speed up android and go agile in your development process. Reduce redundancy of effort and resources. This not only helps reduce development time but also saves production costs. And of course, the ultimate benefits of android app development is a risk-free product that starts churning ROI from the moment it’s launched.
4. Hire experienced developers
Once you are settled with the development platform and the tools, now comes an ideal opportunity to hire the best android developers to accelerate android application development projects. While hiring android developers, one thing that should be considered is their experience and flexibility. Why? Because if android application developers are experienced, this means that they will have proper knowledge or information on every issue that may come during the app development process.
Also, if the android app maker is interested to learn and adjust to new technologies and platforms, then that will enhance and accelerate your app development process. Adaptability plays an important part in deciding the interest level of your development group. Thus, you should employ android developers that are prepared to learn and update their abilities according to the project.
5. Delegate off-core activities
One of the android tips is to always take a wise choice to offload additional activities such as enhancing app engagement, measuring app analytics and converting free subscribers to premium ones. These activities eat up a lot of time and are better off with pre-designed applets, available at mobile engagement platforms. These applets can be incorporated in your ready app with just a few lines of code. Applets enable activities such as sharing tools, offer notification, new features tools and feedback tools.
6. Use hybrid app development
Cross-platform apps allow you to code for one app and get multiple apps that can run on all covered platforms. Hybrid app development is speedier than native app development, though it has its own set of drawbacks. But for quick market penetration, cross-platform apps may be the best choice. Later, one can go in for native apps that are more inherent, fluid, robust, and focuses on android app performance optimization.
7. Opt for automated testing
Automated testing is a sure shot measure to get secure, fully-tested apps in a fraction of time than the ones deploying manual testing. Automated testing tests an app against a full suite of testing tools simultaneously, instead of one-by-one as in manual testing. This improves test coverage, reduces testing time, and guarantees a bug-free product that is market ready.
8. Outsource specialized development steps
In-house app development is not everybody’s cup of tea. The app market is fast evolving and new apps are entering the market every day. To remain competitive, timely, and relevant, one can outsource app development to a skilled, efficient Android app development company. Even if you possess the capabilities to code or design an Android app, use domain experts for putting the whole product together and maintaining it. Not only will you get better returns on development costs, but you will also offload the hassle of running tasks that will be better handled by experienced professionals.
A common misconception shared by businesses is their misplaced fear about the cost of outsourcing. Android software development company mostly have flexible engagement models that can match product development costs to your budget. Fixed cost; time and material; and build, operate and transfer models can be evaluated to arrive at a business solution that works in your favor.
9. Cross-platform development tools
Cross-platform is the most convenient way to decrease app development time. The cross-platform tools allow users to focus on numerous mobile platforms with a similar codebase, eliminating the time that one would normally spend deciphering, reworking, and re-compiling the same code to work across various platforms.
Developing separate native applications for every platform is costly, while a hybrid app utilizes a single sharable code, which assists you to save your pockets. Cross-platform applications have a native look and feel, which is great for user experience.
There are plenty of cross-platform development tools, but some of the most used tools include:
Xamarin
Ionic
Flutter SDK
React Native
Adobe Phonegap
10. Create build variants
Loading your app with unnecessary configurations can slow down your app’s incremental builds. Retain only those configurations in your app that are required in its development and release versions. Plus, don’t waste time and effort in compiling additional resources that hold little value. Such resources include screen density resources and additional language localizations.
Wrapping Up
Manage your app development time strategically to get ahead of competition and meet tight deadlines. A minute lost in android application development services can translate to huge monetary losses. A good mobile app development company will micro-manage tasks of developments in such a way that your app hits the markets at top speed!
Also taking the above mentioned points into consideration will on how to create an app for android.
Fill up the form through this link and hire android app developers in USA that will help you validate and convert your app idea into an efficient product and create android apps.
When we talk about the present, we don’t realize that we are actually talking about yesterday’s future. And one such futuristic technology to talk about is how to implement ML and how to add AI to your app. Your next seven minutes will be spent on learning what is the role of Machine learning and Artificial intelligence in the mobile app development industry and what you can do to take advantage of it.
The time of generic services and simpler technologies is long gone and today we’re living in a highly machine-driven world. Machines which are capable of learning our behaviors and making our daily lives easier than we ever imagined possible, all the way, making it necessary for us to understand the process of integrating Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence into apps.
Technological realm today is fast-paced enough to quickly switch between Brands and Apps and technologies if one happens to not justify their needs in the first five minutes of using it. This is also a reflection upon the competition this fast pace has led to. Mobile app development companies simply cannot afford to be left behind in the race of forever evolving technologies.
Today, if we see, there is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning incorporated in almost every mobile application we choose to use. Which makes it all the more important to know How to integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence in mobile apps.
For instance, our food delivery app will show us the restaurants which deliver the kind of food we like to order, our on-demand taxi applications show us the real-time location of our rides, time management applications tell us what is the most suitable time to complete a task and how to prioritize our work.
In fact, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that were once considered top complicated technology to work on or even comprehend is something that has become an everyday part of our lives without even use realizing of its presence. A proof of which is the following functionalities offered by the top brand apps.
The wide inclusion of the two related technologies has made the need for worrying over simple, even complicated things cease to exist because our mobile applications and our smartphone devices are doing that for us.
The below provided stats will show us that ML and AI powered mobile apps are a leading category among funded startups and businesses.
Allied Market Research has predicted that the market for ML will reach $5,537 million in 2023 further demonstrating its growing prevalence.
According to the 2019 CIO Survey by Gartner, the number of companies implementing AI technologies in some form has grown by 270% in the past years.
According to Microsoft, 44% of organisations fear they’ll lose out to startups if they’re too slow to implement AI.
Research by Fortune Business Insights predicts that $117.19 billion is the expected value of the global machine learning market by 2027 at a CAGR of 39.2% during the forecast period.
The Wall Street Journal, states that the advancements in AI and machine learning have the potential to increase global GDP by 14% from, now until 2030.
The idea behind any kind of business is to make profits and that can only be done when they gain new users and retain their old users. The difficult task can be made easy through AI as it comes as one of the benefits or advantages of integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence in apps.
Ways To Implement AI and ML
There are three primal ways through which the power of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence can be incorporated in mobile apps to make the application more efficient, sound, and intelligent. The ways which are also the answer to how to add AI and ML to your app.
Reasoning
AI and ML are two proficient technologies that imbibe the power of reasoning for solving problems. Applications like Uber or Google Maps that are used by individuals to travel to different areas, many times change the course or route based on the traffic conditions. This is where AI works – by harnessing its thinking capacities. This facility is what makes AI beat a human at chess and how Uber makes use of automated reasoning for optimizing routes to get the users to reach their destination faster.
Hence, real-time quick decisions are presently being controlled by AI to provide the best customer service.
Recommendation
As you are familiar with OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and others; the streaming features of these platforms acquire a large number of customers with high rates of user trust and retention. Both Netflix and Amazon have implemented AI and ML into their applications that examine the customer’s decision based on age, gender, location, and their preferences. The technology based on the customer’s choices then suggests the most popular alternatives in their watch playlist or that individuals with similar tastes have watched.
Giving the users insight into what they would require next has turned out to be the secret of success of some of the top brands in the world – Amazon, Flipkart, Netflix, amongst others have been using the Artificial Intelligence backed power for a very long time now. This is an amazingly popular technology for streaming services and is currently being executed into numerous other applications.
Behavioral
Learning how the user behaves in the app can help Artificial Intelligence set a new border in the world of security. Every time someone tries to take your data and try to impersonate any online transaction without your knowledge, the AI system can track the uncommon behavior and stop the transaction there and then.
These three primal bases that answer what are the best ways to incorporate machine learning and AI in application development can be used in multiple capacities to enable your app to offer a lot better customer experience.
And now that we have looked at how to integrate AI in android apps along with integration of ML, let us answer the why?
Why should you integrate machine learning and AI into your mobile app?
Why to Integrate Machine Learning and AI Into Your Mobile App?
Personalization
Any AI algorithm attached to your simpleton mobile application can analyze various sources of information from social media activities to credit ratings and provide recommendations to every user device. Machine learning application development can be used to learn:
Who are your customers?
What do they like?
What can they afford?
What words they’re using to talk about different products?
Based on all of this information, you can classify your customer behaviors and use that classification for target marketing. To put simply, ML will allow you to provide your customers and potential customers with more relevant and enticing content and put up an impression that your mobile app technologies with AI are customized especially for them.
To look at a few AI ML examples of big brands who are setting standards on how to implement Machine Learning in apps?
Taco Bell as a TacBot that takes orders, answers questions and recommends menu items based on your preferences.
Uber uses ML to provide an estimated time of arrival and cost to its users.
ImprompDo is a Time management app that employs ML to find a suitable time for you to complete your tasks and to prioritize your to-do list
Migraine Buddy is a great healthcare app which adopts ML to forecast the possibility of a headache and recommends ways to prevent it.
Optimize fitness is a sports app which incorporates an available sensor and genetic data to customize a highly individual workout program.
Advanced search
Through the AI and Machine learning based app development process, you will get an app that lets you optimize search options in your mobile applications. AI and Machine Learning makes the search results more intuitive and contextual for its users. The algorithms learn from the different queries put by customers and prioritize the results based on those queries.
In fact, not only search algorithms, modern mobile applications allow you to gather all the user data including search histories and typical actions. This data can be used along with the behavioral data and search requests to rank your products and services and show the best applicable outcomes.
Upgrades, such as voice search or gestural search can be incorporated for a better performing application.
Predicting user behavior
The biggest advantage of AI based machine learning app development for marketers is that they get an understanding of users’ preferences and behavior patterns by inspection of different kinds of data concerning the age, gender, location, search histories, app usage frequency, etc. This data is the key to improving the effectiveness of your application and marketing efforts.
Amazon’s suggestion mechanism and Netflix’s recommendation works on the same principle that ML aids in creating customized recommendations for each individual.
And not only Amazon and Netflix but mobile apps such as Youbox, JJ food service, and Qloo entertainment adopt ML to predict the user preferences and build the user profile according to that.
More relevant ads
Many industry experts have exerted on this point that the only way to move forward in this never-ending consumer market can be achieved by personalizing every experience for every customer.
According to a report by The Relevancy group, 38% of executives are already using machine learning for mobile apps as a part of their Data Management Platform (DMP) for advertising.
With the help of integrating machine learning in mobile apps, you can avoid debilitating your customers by approaching them with products and services that they have no interest in. Rather you can concentrate all your energy towards generating ads that cater to each user’s unique fancies and whims.
Machine Learning app development companies today can easily consolidate data intelligently that will in return save time and money went into inappropriate advertising and improve the brand reputation of any company.
For instance, Coca-Cola is known for customizing its ads as per the demographic. It does so by having information about what situations prompt customers to talk about the brand and has, hence, defined the best way to serve advertisements.
Improved security level
Besides making a very effective marketing tool, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning for mobile apps can also streamline and secure app authentication. Features such as Image recognition or Audio recognition makes it possible for users to set up their biometric data as a security authentication step in their mobile devices. ML also aids you in establishing access rights for your customers as well.
Apps such as ZoOm Login and BioID have invested in ML and AI application development to allow users to use their fingerprints and Face IDs to set up security locks to various websites and apps. In fact, BioID even offers a periocular eye recognition for partially visible faces.
Now that we have looked at the different areas in which application of AI and ML can be incorporated in the mobile app, it is now time to look at the platforms which will make it possible, which we in our capacity has experienced AI app development company have been relying on, before we head on to the strategy that a business should devise to ensure a smooth implementation.
User engagement
The AI development services and solutions engage organizations to offer balanced customer support and a span of features. Few apps provide small incentives to the customers so that they utilize the application consistently. Also just for entertainment purposes, chatty AI assistants are there to help the users and hold a discussion at any hour.
Data mining
Data mining, also known as data discovery, includes analyzing the vast set of data to gather helpful information and collect it in different areas, including data warehouses and others. ML offers data algorithms that will generally improve automatically through experience based on information. It follows the way of learning new algorithms that make it quite simple to find associations inside the data sets and gather the data effortlessly.
Fraud detection
The cases of fraud are a worry for every industry, particularly banking and finance. To solve this problem, ML utilizes data analysis to limit loan defaults, fraud checks, credit card fraud, and more.
It also assists you with determining an individual’s capability to take care of a loan and the danger related with giving the loan. E-commerce apps frequently exploit ML to discover promotional discounts and offers.
Object and facial recognition
Facial recognition is the most loved and latest feature for the mobile apps. Facial recognition can help improve the security of your application while additionally making it faster to login. It also helps in securing the data from unknown sources.
With the improved security, facial recognition can be utilized by medical professionals to evaluate the health of patients by examining a patient’s face.
Best Platforms to Develop a Mobile App with Machine Learning?
1. Azure
Azure is a Microsoft cloud solution. Azure has a very large support community, and high-quality multilingual documents, and a high number of accessible tutorials. The programming languages of this platform are R and Python. Because of an advanced analytical mechanism, the AI app developers can create mobile applications with accurate forecasting capabilities.
2. IBM Watson
The main characteristic of using IBM Watson, is that it allows the developers to process user requests comprehensively regardless of the format. Any kind of data. Including voice notes, images or printed formats is analyzed quickly with the help of multiple approaches. This search method is not provided by any other platform than IBM Watson. Other platforms involve complex logical chains of ANN for search properties. The multitasking in IBM Watson places an upper hand in the majority of the cases since it determines the factor of minimum risk.
3. Tensorflow
Google’s open-source library, Tensor, allows AI application development companies to create multiple solutions depending upon deep machine learning which is deemed necessary to solve nonlinear problems. Tensorflow applications work by using the communication experience with users in their environment and gradually finding correct answers as per the requests by users. Although, this open library is not the best choice for beginners.
4. Api.ai
It is a platform that is created by the Google development team which is known to use contextual dependencies. This platform can be very successfully used to create AI based virtual assistants for Android and iOS. The two fundamental concepts that Api.ai depends on are – Entities and Roles. Entities are the central objects and Roles are accompanying objects that determine the central object’s activity. Furthermore, the creators of Api.ai have created a highly powerful database that strengthened their algorithms.
5. Wit.ai
Api.ai and Wit.ai have largely similar platforms. Another prominent characteristic of Wit.ai is that it converts speech files into printed texts. Wit.ai also enables a “history” feature which can analyze context-sensitive data and therefore, can generate highly accurate answers to user requests and this is especially the case of chatbots for commercial websites. This is a good platform for the creation of Windows, iOS or Android mobile applications with machine learning.
6. Amazon AI
The famous AI based platform is used to identify human speech, visual objects with the help of deep machine learning processes. The solution is completely adapted for the purpose of cloud deployment and thus allowing you to develop low complexity AI-powered mobile apps.
7. Clarifai
The solution based on AI analyzes information with the help of complicated and capacitive algorithms. The apps made using the platform (which can be integrated in-app using REST API) – can adapt to individual user experience – which makes it the most preferred choice for the developers who wish to invest in Artificial intelligence for app development to enter the world of intelligent assistants.
With this, you now know that the ways your mobile app can become an AI app and the tools that will help with Machine learning and AI app development. The next and the last and the most important part that we are going to discuss now is how to get started.
How to Start Implementation of AI into Apps?
Implementation of Artificial or Machine Learning in an application calls in for a monumental shift in the operation of an application that works sans intelligence.
This shift that is asked for by AI is what demands to look at pointers that are very different from what is needed when investing in the usual mobile app development process.
Here are the things that you will have to keep into consideration when managing an AI project:
Identify the issue to solve through AI
What works in case of applying AI in a mobile app, as we saw in the first illustration of the article is applying the technology in one process instead of multiple. When the technology is applied in a single feature of the application, it is much easier to not just manage but also to exploit to the best extent. So, identify which is that part of your application that would benefit from intelligence – is it recommendation? Would the technology help in giving a better ETA? – And then collect data specifically from that field.
Know your data
Before you look forward to AI app development, it is important to first get an understanding of where the data would come from. At the stage of data fetching and refinement, it would help to identify the platforms where the information would come from in the first place. Next, you will have to look at the refinement of the data – ensuring that the data you are planning to feed in your AI module is clean, non-duplicated, and truly informative.
Understand that APIs are not enough
The next big thing, when it comes to implementing AI in a mobile app is understanding that the more extensively you use it, the more unsound Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) would prove to be. While the APIs that we mentioned above are enough to convert your app into an AI app, they are not enough to support a heavy, full-fledged AI solution. The point is, the more you want a model to be intelligent, the more you will have to work towards data modeling – something that APIs solely cannot solve.
Set metrics that would help gauge AI’s effectiveness
There is hardly a point of having an AI or Machine Learning feature implemented in your mobile app until you also have the mechanism to measure its effectiveness – something which can only be drawn after getting an understanding of what exactly do you want it to solve. So, before you head out to implement AI or even ML in your mobile app, understand what you would like it to achieve.
Employ data scientists
The last most important point to consider is employing data scientists on either your payroll or invest in a mobile app development agency that has data scientists in their team. Data scientists will help you with all your data refining and management needs, basically, everything that is needed on a must-have level to stand and excel your Artificial Intelligence game.
This is the stage where you are now ready to implement the intelligence in your mobile application. Since we talked about data a lot in the last segment and because data is an inherent part of Artificial Intelligence, let us look at the solution of problems that can arise out of data as the parting note.
Feasibility and practical changes to make
Now that you have known the which, why and how about the implementation of AI and Machine Learning apps, you might have an idea regarding a plan in mind like what steps should be taken as a top priority and how your application would work/appear, once the changes are made. Along these lines, it is an ideal opportunity to perform a couple of checks prior to moving ahead, for example, –
Perform a quick possibility test to know if your future execution will profit your business, improve user experience and increase engagement. A fruitful upgrade is the one which could make the existing users and customers happy and attract more individual towards your product. If an update is not expanding your efficiency, then there is no reason for putting in effort and money for it.
Analyze if your current group can deliver what is required. If there is less or no internal team capacity then you need to hire new employees or outsource the work to a reliable and expert artificial intelligence development company.
Data integration and security
While implementing Machine Learning projects for mobile applications, your app will require a better information configuration model. Old data, which is composed in a different way, may influence the effectiveness of your ML deployment.
When it is decided what abilities and features will be added in the application, it is important to focus on data sets. Efficient and well organized data along with careful integration will help in providing your app with high-quality performance in the long run.
Security is another basic issue, which can’t be overlooked. To keep your application strong and secure, you need to think of the correct arrangement to integrate security implications, clinging to standards and the needs of your product.
Use strong supporting technological aids
You need to pick the right technology and digital solutions to back your application. Your data storing space, security tools, backup software, optimizing services, and so on should be strong and secure, to keep your app consistent. Without this, the drastic decrease in performance may occur.
Solutions to the Most Common Challenges in AI Technology?
Like any other technology, there is always a series of challenges attached to AI as well. The basic working principle behind machine learning is the availability of enough resource data as a training sample. And as a benchmark of learning, the size of training sample data should be large enough so as to ensure a fundamental perfection in the AI algorithm.
In order to avoid the risks of misinterpretation of visual cues or any other digital information by the machine or mobile application, the following are the various methods which can be used:
1. Hard sample mining
When a subject consists of several objects similar to the main object, the machine is ought to confuse between those objects if the sample size provided for analysis as the example if not big enough. Differentiating between different objects with the help of multiple examples is how the machine learns to analyze which object is the central object.
2. Data augmentation
When there is an image in question in which the machine or mobile application is required to identify a central image, there should be modifications made to the entire image keeping the subject unchanged, thereby enabling the app to register the main object in a variety of environments.
3. Data addition imitation
In this method, some of the data is nullified keeping only the information about the central object. This is done so that the machine memory only contains the data regarding the main subject image and not about the surrounding objects.
Concluding Thoughts
Now that you know the reasons and how to implement mobile apps, it is time to apply the top-notch performance and quality for AI and ML together to bring out the best in the application. AI and ML together are the future of advancement of mobile app development.
If you are still confused and want to clear your doubts, you can contact us. If you are looking to develop an app that is advancing with the time and technology and want to update your existing app with all the latest technology features, then you should partner with ML and AI development company that is well-adapted with the changing market needs. You can also opt for professional development providers in your area like AI development services USA or other regions. But make sure you choose the best to get quality results.
Request For Proposal is a significant part of the starting of any mobile app development journey. The proposal written by businesses who wish to get an app built states all the important information, requirements and necessary details of the contract.Businesses write mobile app proposals when they are looking for long term, custom made solutions that will help them achieve their goals. Going through an RFP process means that the business is looking at the app development process for its long term benefits. Anteelo has seen many requests for proposal over the years and knows well how a perfect one is written. We respond to RFPs on a regular basis and also help our clients with the RFP process so that they are able to define their projects better.
To make the knowledge of drafting the best RFP a common language, it was only about time that we shared a template for everyone who wishes to start the process of their mobile app development journey on a sound note. And so, we have prepared an RFP template for entrepreneurs for you to pass your requirement to the app development agencies with utmost clarity.
But before we move on to the mobile app RFP 2019 best practices, let’s first go through some terminologies associated with the procedure.
What are RFP, RFQ, and RFI?
An RFP or request for proposal represents a company in front of its potential collaborators. Basically, RFP for mobile application development is a document that outlines all the necessary requirements for a specific project. This is a mobile app business plan doc that identifies the most qualified developer for the project.
There are certain terms that sound close to RFP and are often misunderstood. Terminologies like:
RFI – stands for Request for Information. RFI is used to gather information from various sources but there are no intentions of making any proposal. This is solely used to gather necessary information which may be used in the RFP process later on.
RFQ – stands for Request for Quote. This is used to get the pricing information, delivery and supply policies from the seller. Businesses send an RFQ to developers asking about the final pricing and other details of the deal.
These three are the terms that are often used during the proposal of a document for any project.
Now that we have attended to the Whats of RFP and what are the concept’s similar terminologies, it is only normal for one to wonder, why is the business plan for mobile app concept so important? The answer is in the next segment.
Before we move on to the mobile app RFP template, we need to see why is it so important to write a good RFP for your app development. For one, the proposal helps in conveying all the necessary requirements a business has. And two, finding the right app developer that meets those requirements and qualifies to carry out the project.
RFP process takes a lot of effort and time so only two reasons cannot be enough for its necessity. Following points will give you some more solid reasons why good RFP should be written for your mobile app.
Important requirements
An RFP helps your business in stating the requirements in an organized and detailed manner. The RFP template should be designed such that it holds space for all the information to be noted down. When these documents reach the app developers, they know exactly what the business wants. A better approach is made by the developer and the business when both know what the exact project is about.
Comparison
When an app development company responds to the RFP of any business then these responses can be used for comparison. The comparison then gives an idea of the right app developer. The pricing, skills, time of completion and other additional information are used for comparison. Choosing the right fit is important as mobile app development process is one that costs both money and time.
Return on Investments
When comparing different responses, businesses are also able to analyze the return on investment from various app developers. It also helps in comparing the advantages that a business will be getting from different developers. It’s always better to have options so that the fittest one can be chosen.
These were some compelling reasons to write a solid RFP for your mobile app development. Let’s now move on to the most awaited segment that answers the question ‘How to write mobile app RFP?’.
How to Write Mobile App RFP?
Following is the sample of mobile app RFP template for writing a proper Request For Proposal:
1. Purpose and strategy of the project
This is the section filled by the issuers or the business. Each business has a different purpose and therefore the templates may differ. The business should state the necessary information related to the purpose of building the project here. It should also contain details that would convince why an app development company or a single developer should respond to the RFP. Often the purpose and app strategy are not known to businesses so it’s important to learn those. Following pointers must be included in this section of the RFP:
Business problems: The problems that the mobile app will be able to solve for the business should be mentioned here. The reason why this problem arose and what brought in the idea of having a digital solution should be explained.
Leading body: The next thing that should be mentioned is the leaders of the project. The developers must know who is involved and in what level in the project. The decision makers, stakeholders, funders and project leaders are mentioned here.
The scope of the project: The scope of the project answers whether the project is part of a larger project, does it mean a new line of business or an extension of an existing one, etc.
End users: The information regarding the end users of the app must be disclosed to the app developers. Information like Personas, journey maps, and user research and methodologies should be mentioned here.
Features of the app: The features are the most important part of an app. Businesses should mention what features they want in the app in the beginning as well as in the future updates.
Competition: The ones building your app should know who is a threat to your business. Both the weakness and strengths of the competitors should be mentioned here. A proper competitive overview will help developers understand the business and find solutions that give you an edge over the competitors.
App design: The issuers should provide references for app designing to app developers. The importance of UI/UX in app development is just too huge to ignore, therefore detailed description must be included in this section. The latest designs are most recommended in today’s market.
Platforms and OS: The platform of development and supporting OS should be decided in the initial stages. This is one of the most important decisions in the app development process. The decision between native vs mobile web apps, Android vs iOS apps, etc are some important ones.
Integration: The app’s architecture and integration is another thing that must be mentioned in the document. The questions of API development and architecture should be answered for the developers.
Prototypes: If the app has any prototypes that have been built earlier then it must be mentioned. The prototypes should also be provided to the developers.
Marketing the app: The developers must know what will be driving engagement for the app and how it will be used to market the app. The promotion, distribution, and marketing of the app depend on how the app will be built. Also, many businesses start the marketing of the app way before the app is developed.
Launch date: The completion of the project on time is very important. Developers need to know the estimated date of launch to see if they can deliver it on time or not. There should also be time for any improvements in the app so the completion of app and launch date should have some gap in between.
Goals and outcomes: What any business is expecting from the app developers must be known to them. The goals, outcomes, and expectations after the app are launched should be mentioned in this section. Goals and outcomes will be measured in certain ways and those should also be mentioned here.
2. App developers background and capabilities
This section is designed by the business and has to be duly filled by the responding party. It consists of questions that analyze the capabilities of the agency. The main goal of the issuing business is to find out which companies match the requirements for app development. The questions are designed such that they help to issue businesses gather all information for comparison between different development agencies.
History: The background of the company and a short summary of the company will be mentioned here. This way the businesses will be more familiar with their work if chosen for the project.
Differentiators: The agency should mention some key points that differentiate them from other agencies. This should be answered very carefully as it may be one of the deciding factors for the project.
Portfolio: The summary of the top app projects and the problems faced during the project should be mentioned here. Also, mention the ways how the problem was dealt with.
Awards and Recognitions: Mention the awards and/or recognition that the agency has received or anything similar.
Designers: Details of the designing team members are mentioned here. The number of designers, their special skills and their mastered skills, types of designers (freelancers, full-time, overseas, etc.), the process of communication with the designers (direct or indirect, weekly or daily basis), a summary of how the team designs ADA compliant experiences, resume of the head of Designing team and resume of two more members of the team.
Developers: The agency should mention how many developers does the agency has, their skills and specialization, type of developers (freelancer, full-time, overseas), the way of communication with the developers and how often will the interaction take place, resume of the head of the development team and resume of two more members, the development process followed and measure taken to ensure proper development.
App Security Protocol: The security of the app is crucial, therefore, answer the security measures that will take place. Mention how will the app be protected from malicious codes, use open source libraries, security of third-party libraries and client materials.
Quality Assurance Process: Details about the QA team members and their qualification, type of QA members (freelance, full time), interference with QA team and communication facilities with them, resume of the head of QA team and two other members, a summary of the QA process they follow, etc. should be mentioned here.
Project Managers and Management Process: Information about the number of project managers, type of managers (full time or freelancing), any overseas work or in office team, etc. The agency must also answer the communication process with the project managers, capabilities of the PM team, resume of the head of PM team, a short resume of two PM members, communication with the two PM members and the automation strategies.
Reference Projects: The agency needs to provide at least three similar reference project for which interviews shall be conducted.
This was all about the practices to write RFP for mobile app development. Contact our app developers’ team at Anteelo for further details.
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