Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

When looking at the reports on this year's Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, seems like we have quite a few trends starting up.

Waterproof.

Lots of waterproof devices -- not just phones, but also tablets.

Who would ever thought there would be a flood of waterproof note PCs? (or at least something close to that. Now you can take your devices, even tablets, into the bathtub with you.


Accessories.

I had actually mentioned this earlier in another blog, but we are seeing more and more accessories pop up -- "add-ons" to your smart device. Moreover, we will not only see more accessories, but more focus on fitness/health related fields.

This is the Withings Smart Body Analyzer that analyzes body mass index, body fat percentage, heart rate, CO2 levels, etc. It can transfer data to the Withings app installed on your smart device for personalized, accurate tracking and help you with your fitness goals.

Among other Withings products, there is the Wireless Scale, Activity Tracker, and Smart Baby Monitor, which are all compatible with Android.

Another accessory which I had already mentioned would come up in a previous blog was 3D glasses. Well, here they are!

Larger Screens.

Doesn't come as a big surprise, but screens are getting larger, closing the gap between smart phones and tablets.

According to reports, large screens are gaining popularity among women as they carry their device in purses instead of sticking them in their pockets. Chinese manufacturer Huawei came out on top with the largest screen -- Ascend Mate at 6 inches. The next was ZTE Grand Memo with 5.7 and following third was Korea's LG Optimus Pro at 5.5.

Tablets, tablets, tablets.

Mentioned time and time again that tablet users are expected to rise in the next few years. A wave of tablets had been displayed at MWC including Sony Experia Tablet Z, which boasts of a new design and waterproof characteristics.

Samsung came out with Galaxy Note 8.0 to rival the Apple iPad mini -- an 8 inch tablet with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS. It includes functions to aid multi-tasking, high quality voice call functions, and the intelligent S Pen that allows users to not only write directly on the screen, but convert hand-written articles into text. 

Chipping away at the Google and Apple monopoly.

Many manufacturers have jumped on other platforms, such as LG, Samsung, Sony, ZTE, and Huawei. A total of 18 operators have announced their support for Firefox OS, which offers users a friendly interface and unique functions. Among these include Telefonica, Deutsche Telecom, Sprint, KDDI, KT, China Unicom, Telecom Italia, etc. Samsung also showed off a new Tizen OS.



With a variety of devices, screen sizes, arising OS, new functions and accessories, competition is getting fierce on all ends of the market.

Responsive Design Going Mainstream

About 10 years ago, Responsive Design was like a "plus alpha" to websites. It wasn't an absolutely necessary aspect of web design -- just something cool to add to your site.


However, with the growth of smartphone and tablet users, a variety of screen sizes has made Responsive Design go mainstream. Many reports claim that it will really take off this year, so keep your eyes peeled.


But what exactly is "Responsive Design"?


In simple terms, Responsive Design uses multiple fluid grids and layouts as well as CSS media queries to automatically adjust your site according to screen size, platform and orientation. In other words, layouts and image size/resolution, etc. automatically switch to accommodate the user's environment.

Some web designers use a mixed approach in which medium to large screens take on an Adaptive Design, which has multiple fixed screen layouts, and use Responsive Design for small screens.


Here is an example of the various screen sizes we have out there:

However, Responsive Design is actually more than just making your site "flexible" with adjusting layouts, resized images, and disappearing bars. It is rather a new concept for design, making web designers think differently and change their approach to the overall design of a website or web app. It is something designers consider from the start of creating a site, rather than simply adjusting and adding at the end.


To show you an example of Responsive Design concepts being applied, here is The Boston Globe's website.


Wide Screen:

Medium Screen:

Small Screen:

 With HTML5 slowly taking off and increasing rates of hybrid apps being released, it can only be expected that Responsive Design will become an essential element not only for websites, but also for mobile web/hybrid apps. If you're planning on using HTML5 to make an app run on web browsers in order to support all OS and devices, it is only natural that you have the app's layout and design "respond" to each user's environment. We are far past the point where designers assume that one layout works for all -- because it doesn't.

New Opportunities with Tablets

According to eMarketer, more than half of internet users in the US will use a tablet.
This growing number is opening doors for the digital ad platform.

The funny thing about tablets is that they show better results and are more engaging than smartphone ad campaigns.

Paid clicks are increasing at rapid rates --  the report claimed that 42% were more likely to click on ads on a tablet then they would on a desktop PC.

The chart above is based on results of 6 tablet and 240 mobile ad campaigns conducted between 2007 and 2012.

Users are more aware and have an increased purchase intent with tablet ads.

When it is predicted that half of internet users in the US will own a tablet, you could only try to image how digital advertisers are celebrating and jumping at the chance for this new gold mine.

This won't come as a surprise, but in order to make full use of this opportunity, ad creators must be able to present fun, interactive, and eye-catching ads. And HTML5 will allow you to do this without using Flash or other non-standard technologies. 

All the more reason to jump into HTML5 and get a hold of an authoring tool that will provide you with the best results possible -- interactive, rich media that can be used on any platform.

DaVinci Animator can do just the trick and we will be showing you samples in just a bit so stay tuned.


Have a nice weekend!