iBeacon and iOS8: Adapt or Die. iOS8 is a monumental move towards devices that are more connected, more aware, and increasingly powered by iBeacon and Bluetooth LE technology. And yet in spite Apple shifting the emphasis from the screen to the world around the screen, iBeacon device makers are about to feel the squeeze. Google is expected to follow suit with announcements (such as a contextual awareness via its Nearby feature) at their I/O conference at the end of the month. These combined moves will result in an equally massive shift amongst beacon device makers. We expect to see rapid consolidation, some of the beacon “makers” fading from the scene, and others changing their business models. As an industry, proximity devices and software tools will explode. And yet the first generation of early innovators will face an intense pressure to grab market share, improve their products, and respond to an increasingly demanding marketplace. 4 Ways Apple Changed the Game iBeacon wasn’t on center stage at WDWC.
Game Changer 1. iOS8: The iBeacon Revolution | Guest Post. Indoor maps, increased privacy and instant discoverability: Why iOS 8 Will Again Revolutionise Retail Apps by Ildiko Hudson, Beacondo As the iBeacon ecosystem flourishes and the technology gathers momentum beyond early adopters, its limitations have become clearer: accuracy is sometimes poor, users have concerns that stores are spying on them, and even with the smartest beacon deployment imaginable it’s all for nought if users don’t even have your app installed.
With iOS 8, announced three weeks ago at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, Apple has addressed these problems head-on. In particular, the development of indoor mapping could well raise the quality bar for retail apps that take the time to get it right. Why isn’t iBeacon enough for indoor positioning? Apple has never shied away from iBeacon’s drawbacks. With iOS 8, Apple is introducing a new indoor mapping system that can track a user’s location more accurately than before. Location privacy goes to 11. Building an iBeacon App.
So you’ve decided you want to take the plunge into the pool of hyperlocality by adding iBeacons to your app. Here’s what you need to know: Not all beacons are iBeacons. iBeacons are better. Beacons broadcast (generally Bluetooth) unique identifier numbers. Apple provides support for iBeacons by recognizing them and knowing their range.
These are just some of the challenges in beacon-enabling an app, but we’re here to guide you through them. Challenge #1: Choosing Features Beacon technology allows your app to approximate its physical distance to the broadcasting beacon. Fig 1. Given access to all this context, you have to choose features that improve the app’s user experience, while still being realistic, protective of user trust, and if possible, still function without the beacons. From this list we had to narrow down our booth-based use cases because we weren’t able to source enough beacon devices to have one per booth. Challenge #2: The Permission Matrix Fig 2.
Fig 3. Fig 4. Fig 5. Apple Makes It Harder For In-Store Marketers To Track You In iOS 8. Apple has enabled MAC address randomization in iOS 8 (from Frederic Jacobs via HackerNews), which means it’s harder for marketers to keep track of your comings and goings in or around public Wi-Fi networks. In the updated software, while your iPhone is scanning for Wi-Fi networks, it assigns a “random, locally administered” MAC address, which is typically a constant, unique identifier attached to your phone’s wireless network interface.
Some other changes it has implemented have made it easier for those promoting commerce activity on the iPhone, as I discussed in a column this weekend, but this option helps curtail some of the more surreptitious marketing activity, as opposed to stuff where a customer has displayed a direct intent to want to fork over some cash. MAC addresses can help retailers and others track return visits and build a shopper profile, by linking in-store visits to purchases and other types of information. Networking utility and personalized, proximity-targeted messaging continue to make apps indispensable in event-based experiences CANNES, France, June 11, 2014 - Eventbase Technology Inc., creators of the world’s most trusted event app platform, is for the first time using iBeacon™ to let attendees connect with each other at the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications.
Attendees at the Cannes Lions® 2014 festival, which starts June 15, will be able to use the iBeacon-powered “Around Me” feature within the official iPhone app to detect nearby attendees and connect with them. Apple’s iBeacon technology, which utilizes the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, is a game-changing technology that lets smartphone and tablet users detect beacons and interact with people and items around them. Users must opt in to the service and turn on Bluetooth on their iOS7 device. About Eventbase Eventbase (formerly known as Xomo) is the world’s most trusted event app platform.
Foursquare’s Swarm And The Rise Of The Invisible App. Swarm is a new app from Foursquare out today that chisels off the check-in and proximity features of the main app and places them in a sparse, focus-driven new home. The app is nicely done, though it will be of most use to those in dense urban areas with lots of friends. The underlying mechanics of Swarm are what’s really interesting here — and more importantly what it says about the next generation of apps you’ll be using on your smartphone. There’s a fundamental shift in the way that we use apps underway, and the symptoms are all over the map. From a deeper, more thoughtful approach to push notifications to the breaking apart of large, unwieldy apps into smaller more focused components.
The shift we’re seeing will be the third strata of user interaction since the iPhone popularized the mobile app in a major way. The initial offerings for the iPhone and then Android devices adhered fairly closely to the ‘information appliance’ model. Swarm is available today for both iOS and Android. What's Up With Apple's iBeacon A Year After Introduction?
Since the introduction of iBeacons, first mentioned at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference almost a year ago, we’ve begun to get a peek at different use cases. The protocol for dedicated hardware devices is Apple’s way of getting data to users in ultra-specific locations without relying on GPS or other battery-draining technologies. When Apple announced the technology with the inclusion of iOS 7, it gave the company a way to sidestep a dedicated NFC (near field communication) chip while still being able to offer its benefits. In addition to wireless payments, iBeacons are also capable of everything from triggering reminders to indoor location routing. Looking back over the last year, where are iBeacons beginning to show up? Apple Stores Apple stepped up to the plate pretty quick to implement its own iBeacons across all its 250+ retail stores. InMarket inMarket has been moving fast with iBeacons and was the first third party to roll out the technology nationwide in the U.S.
Motorola. Hamleys, Armani and Hackett to use iBeacons for personalised marketing. Brands including Hamleys, Armani, Longchamp and Hackett have installed iBeacons in their Regent Street stores with the aim of pushing exclusive and personalised marketing messages to shoppers via a mobile phone app. Hamleys is one of the brands to install iBeacons in its Regent Street store. The Crown Estate, which owns Regent Street, is introducing an iPhone app that will be available to download from the end of the month. It will push communications to shoppers as they walk down the street, including discounts, in-store promotions and information on exclusive events and products. So far around 100 stores have been fitted with the technology, although every shop along the street is expected to install beacons. The initiative will be promoted via street signage, notifications on local buses and flyers at store events, as well as through online and social media campaigns.
Xloudia Beacon lets you call your client by her First Name. iBeacon Solutions - Sales deck. How Beacons and Mobile could rethink loyalty. SITA Developers :: Beacon Registry. SITA Beacon Registry What is it? The Beacon Registry is a registry of common use beacons for the Air Transport Industry (ATI). The registry is a SITA initiative and provides the following services: It allows beacon owners (airlines, airports or 3rd parties) to manage their beacon infrastructure and track where they are placed in an airport. It enables airports to monitor beacon deployment to prevent radio interference with existing Wi-Fi access points It provides beacons owners with a simple mechanism to set the 'meta-data' associated with beacons.
The aims of the registry are to promote the use of beacons in the Air Transport Industry and reduce the cost and complexity of deployment. Promote shared beacon infrastructure to reduce cost and complexity of deployment. Who is this service for? Airports Airlines Airlines will want to use beacons to improve passenger services, but will not, and realistically cannot, manage a deployment of beacons at all the airports they operate out of.
Map Data Map. Beacon.Store Infrastructure.
Main Findings. Apps and privacy: More than half of app users have uninstalled or decided to not install an app due to concerns about their personal information In this survey, we found that 88% of American adults use cell phones. Some 43% of these cell owners now download apps to their phones, which is a notable increase from the 31% of cell owners who said they downloaded apps in 2011. As mobile applications grow in popularity, a substantial share of consumers is taking into consideration the way apps deal with users’ personal information: 54% of app users have decided to not install a cell phone app once they discovered how much personal information they would need to share in order to use it30% of app users have uninstalled an app that was already on their cell phone because they learned it was collecting personal information that they didn’t wish to share In addition, iPhone and Android owners take nearly identical steps when it comes to sharing personal information in the context of apps.
Main Report. Overview The rise of smartphones has brought real-time location data into many aspects of Americans’ lives. Some mobile services use the smartphone’s location to offer directions, targeted recommendations, or other location-specific information to the user. Other services incorporate a location “layer” into other types of functions, while still others exist specifically to share the user’s location with friends or the general public. To date, our surveys have tracked two types of location-based services: those that use people’s whereabouts to provide location-targeted information such as directions or recommendations, and geosocial services that let users “check in” to certain locations or share their location with friends.
Foursquare, a geosocial service that originally focused on location-sharing and points earned through “checking in” to locations, is now beginning to de-emphasize its system of points, badges, and social location-sharing. As of May 2013: Geosocial services. Mobile Technology Fact Sheet. Highlights of the Pew Internet Project’s research related to mobile technology.
(Note: This page will be updated whenever new data is available.) As of October 2014: 64% of American adults own a smartphone. As of January 2014: 90% of American adults own a cell phone32% of American adults own an e-reader42% of American adults own a tablet computer For the data behind device ownership trends, please visit our device ownership key indicator page. Some smartphone owners — particularly younger adults, minorities and lower-income Americans — depend on their smartphone for internet access. For more information on U.S. smartphone ownership, visit this in-depth report. 67% of cell owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls — even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating. 44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed because they wanted to make sure they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night.
Location: Beacons And iBeacons Create A New Market. To state the obvious: Modern, smartphone-toting humans spend most of their time indoors. But indoor spaces often block cell signals and also make it nearly impossible to locate devices via GPS. Beacons are a solution. Beacons are a low-cost piece of hardware — small enough to attach to a wall or countertop— that utilize battery-friendly low-energy Bluetooth connections to transmit messages or prompts directly to a smartphone or tablet.
They are poised to transform how retailers, event organizers, transit systems, enterprises, and educational institutions communicate with people indoors. Consumers might even want to deploy them as part of home automation systems. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we explain what beacons are, how they work, and how Apple — with its iBeacon implementation — is championing this new paradigm for indoor mobile communication.
We also take a look at the barriers in the way of widespread adoption. Here are some of our findings: In full, the report: Hackers Win Trip to Dubai at MashHacks: Travel. BOSTON — Ten teams gathered March 22 with hopes of winning a trip to Dubai at MashHacks: Travel presented by Emirates. The hackathon challenged contestants to create innovative travel apps that would revolutionize travel by making it more easy, accessible and fun. Team Breeze (Max McClaskie, Praveen Aravamudham and Frank Malsbenden) was deemed the winner by our panel of judges. Their app allowed users to find quiet areas in airports by pulling data from Twitter's API.
It also allows users to find information on available power outlets in the airport. Lastly, Breeze texts flight status information to a traveler's designated contact based on data pulled from a flight tracker API. Breeze was inspired by the frustration of finding a quiet place to work at the airport. "We travel frequently as a part of our jobs, and sometimes we want to just find a quiet spot to relax and get some work done while waiting to board the aircraft," says McClaskie of Breeze. FlyBeacon | MashHacks: Travel Presented by Emirates Airline. FlyBeacon is a solution that harnesses the power of BLE beacon technology to create a smarter travel experience. At the airport, FlyBeacon provides the traveler with indoor wayfinding, and nearby promotional offers based on their proximity. This enhances the traveler’s overall experience by directing them to their gate (indoor GPS), informing them how much time they have (alleviating stress), security wait times, and also serving them promotional discounts and information based on their proximity to various areas, vendors, and products.
How is the mobile app and the beacon introduced to the traveler? Upon arrival at the check-in desk, the traveler is given an Airline-branded beacon. An additional beacon is attached to their luggage. Most airlines, such as Emirates, strong promotion offering in their flagship city. Their inflight travel magazines are littered with discounts and promotions which are quickly forgotten.
What is the extended value for the airline? The Best iBeacon Stories from March 2014 (with image, tweet) · jason_smith. iBeacon Solutions - Sales deck. iBeacon Ecosphere – April 2014 | OHO Interactive.