AR’s ability to combine real-world images with the vast amounts of online data in real time promises to change the way work is done across many industries. Fighter pilots, for example, have long used AR in heads-up displays and, more recently, in their helmets. Doctors increasingly use AR as a visual aid during minimally invasive surgical procedures. Many challenges, of course, still stand between the technology itself and mainstream adoption over the next two to three years, but AR clearly holds promise in the enterprise.

Key findings from this report include:

• Law enforcement, health care, and the military are among the first industries to embrace augmented reality solutions. AR is also making headway in industries such as education and auto-manufacturing.
• Growth in most other enterprise segments will come more slowly.
• Dedicated device cost, an absence of standards, and the lack of an app ecosystem are significant inhibitors to short-term adoption, though all those issues should be substantially addressed in the next several years.
• Deployments won’t be easy: In addition to the cost of hardware and software, businesses must consider the cost of integrating AR solutions with legacy infrastructures to determine efficacy and measure ROI.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Wavebreak/iStock.

The post Augmented Reality in the Enterprise: Opportunities and Challenges appeared first on Gigaom.

Other important trends to consider as we enter 2015 include:

• Apple has begun to make headway in a mobile payments market that Google, PayPal and others have failed to crack. The company will continue to make progress next year, likely blazing a trail for at least one of its competitors.
• Apple and IBM took aim at the enterprise with a collaboration to develop apps and sell iPhones and iPads to businesses and other organizations. Apple’s iOS threatens to become the platform of choice in the mobile enterprise, and Google will continue to move aggressively to keep pace.
• Retailers are rushing to deploy beacons in an effort to engage their customers via smartphones as those users walk through the store. While beacon-based systems are a promising mobile-marketing tool, they may initially see better adoption in venues such as museums, amusement parks, and mass-transit hubs.

Thumbnail image courtesy of audioundwerbung/iStock.

The post Outlook: Mobile in 2015 appeared first on Gigaom.

While various flavors of small cells meet a number of increasing needs, growth inhibitors could derail mass adoption if left unaddressed.

Key findings from this report include:

• Small cells clearly fill a need in mobile telecommunications. Data consumption and user mobility continue to grow, but the traditional model of macrocell-based systems is not a viable solution for delivering data indoors, in high-density areas, and in some rural regions.
• The term “small cells” refers to a variety of devices and technologies, and enterprises looking to leverage these new technologies must understand its unique problems and needs before considering which devices and technologies are best suited for them.
• While the market for small cells is enormous, some substantial hurdles — both technological and operational — must be overcome. The market won’t explode overnight, but will grow steadily over the next few years.

Thumbnail image courtesy: flickr user Michael Dorusch

The post Small cells: hurdles and potential appeared first on Gigaom.

Other highlights from the quarter include:

• BlackBerry revamped its strategy and launched the Passport in an effort to appeal to hardcore business users rather than mainstream consumers.
• The tablet market slowed, due partly to the increasingly popularity of phablets and a longer replacement cycle than handsets. Growth opportunities still exist, however, for manufacturers and developers that focus on larger devices aimed squarely at entertainment or productivity.
• Developers of consumer mobile applications are struggling to bring attention to their wares in the massive warehouses of the App Store and Google Play. Marketing is more important than ever for developers, but the enterprise market remains relatively untapped and presents an opportunity for developers looking for growth.

Thumbnail image courtesy: Purestock/Thinkstock

The post Mobile third quarter 2014: analysis and outlook appeared first on Gigaom.

Key findings from this report include:

• Retailers are scrambling to deploy beacons to communicate with customers as they stroll through stores, but the market will endure some growing pains over the next two years as consumers decide what kind of messages they’ll accept as they shop.
• Cross-device marketing holds enormous promise for companies that can easily track their users as they move between PCs, smartphones and tablets. Companies that don’t have that luxury must depend on less-certain methods to identify users across platforms.
• Real-time bidding and native ad formats have gained substantial traction over the last year, but both should be considered components of a comprehensive advertising strategy rather than stand-alone “solutions.”
• Native ads are particularly well-suited to mobile form factors and should be considered an important complement to traditional mobile ad strategies.

The post Mobile marketing: four emerging trends appeared first on Gigaom.

Meanwhile a substantial portion of the enterprise is already embracing the early wave of connected devices beyond PCs and smartphones, and an even larger portion plans to support such devices in the near future. In many cases, those new devices will be deployed as IT departments are still playing catch-up when it comes to managing employees’ iOS and Android gadgets. So while businesses continue to struggle to leverage mobile to increase productivity and lower costs, they’re facing growing challenges in managing an ever-broadening range of devices and the data those devices generate.

This report analyzes data from Gigaom Research’s “2014 enterprise mobility IT buyers survey” to illustrate both the current state of the mobile enterprise as well as its direction over the next several years. It will evaluate important trends and discuss a variety of strategies including which operating systems are being supported, how (or whether) businesses are paying for BYOD devices, and how they’re dealing with management and security concerns on employee-owned gadgets.

Key findings in this report include:

• The long-term market is promising for tasks such as conferencing, file sharing, productivity, and collaboration, and it will grow as new connected devices such as hybrid tablets gain traction and as enterprise apps become more optimized for touchscreens. But in the short term, those adoptions will struggle.
• Businesses will continue to struggle with mobile security and management strategies and policies over the next several years as the internet of things evolves and mobile app usage continues to soar on multiple platforms.
• The market for managed-mobility-services vendors is already ripe, and demand for such services will grow as the enterprise increasingly supports a variety of connected mobile devices beyond smartphones and tablets.
• Android and iOS are the most supported mobile app platforms in the enterprise, and iOS is likely to build a modest lead in the short term. The market remains relatively untapped, however, and Android could emerge as the dominant OS in the enterprise if its fragmentation and security concerns can be addressed.

Thumbnail image courtesy of: iStock/Thinkstock.

The post Survey: 2014 state of enterprise mobility appeared first on Gigaom.

The second quarter was eventful on other fronts during the second quarter, too. Apple acquired Beats Electronics for $3 billion in a surprising move that may have centered more on the importance of streaming music than on the headphones for which Beats is most well-known. And Amazon finally introduced a smartphone that has been the subject of rumors for more than two years.

Other highlights from the quarter include:

• Device manufacturers and operating system providers increasingly focused on emerging markets such as India and China, where smartphone penetration lags far behind more mature markets and pricing is crucial.
• T-Mobile continued to steal customers away from the three other major U.S. carriers thanks largely to its “uncarrier” strategy, while Sprint maintained its push for a merger with T-Mobile in an effort to regain its shaky footing. A merger would reshape the industry landscape, shrinking the field to three major carriers. However, approval by federal regulators still appears unlikely.
• Speculation ramped up regarding separate plans by Comcast and Google to launch mobile services primarily through networks of Wi-Fi hotspots, using cellular networks only as a fallback. Several MVNOs have launched “Wi-Fi-first” offerings in the U.S, but thus far have seen limited success. A well-funded offering from a major player might have a substantial disruptive impact on incumbent mobile operators

This report examines these and other events that unfolded during the second quarter of 2014, and breaks down what they could mean to the mobile industry through the rest of the year and beyond.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Dinic/Thinkstock.

The post Mobile second-quarter 2014: analysis and outlook appeared first on Gigaom.

This report examines early deployments of WebRTC-based services and discusses how this technology can be leveraged by mobile carriers and other consumer-facing businesses.

Key highlights from this report include:

• Early WebRTC deployments have focused on smartphones, PCs, and tablets, but opportunities to leverage the technology will increase rapidly as connectivity comes to a much broader range of devices including ATMs and security cameras.
• Quality of service (QoS) concerns will continue to be a drag on adoption for the foreseeable future, but those concerns will create opportunities for telecoms and others that can deliver a high-quality WebRTC experience.
• Several consumer-facing businesses are already experimenting with WebRTC for customer service interactions, but the technology is also well positioned to play an important role in collaborative work within the enterprise.

Thumbnail image courtesy of LDProd/Thinkstock.

The post The promise and challenge of WebRTC appeared first on Gigaom.

These factors apply not just to business-to-consumer (B2C) companies built entirely on the internet — Facebook or eBay, for instance — but also banks, retailers, restaurants, and many others from industries that use apps as extensions of their core businesses. This report will examine how businesses can drive downloads and maintain B2C apps to maximize value for as long as possible. It will also discuss strategies and techniques to get the highest possible return on investment. And it will explore some emerging technologies and trends that are sure to affect how app ecosystems evolve over the next several years.

Key findings include:

• Businesses should never create an app simply for the sake of having an app. They should always be mindful of their goals in mobile, and should design their app from the ground up to meet those goals.
• While mobile apps are often viewed as products to be created and shipped out the door, most of them should be seen as an ever-evolving entity to be developed , tested, measured, and maintained over the long haul.
• A mobile app should be a conduit for a dialogue between the end user and the business or publisher rather than a one-way street. B2C apps should often have a customer-service component that allows users to communicate with the business in a variety of ways, including a simple voice call. And developers should constantly monitor feedback to address any shortcomings.
• Analytics are crucial. Massive amounts of data mean nothing if the business behind the app doesn’t take the time to identify patterns and figure out what they mean and how to leverage them. The better a business understands its customers the better it can help serve them. And nothing can generate valuable, granular, actionable data as well as a mobile app can.

The post How businesses can provide mobile application discovery and promotion appeared first on Gigaom.

Meanwhile, Dish Network pocketed a substantial bundle of airwaves in the Federal Communications Auction after all the major U.S. carriers declined to participate, ramping up speculation about the satellite-TV provider’s plans to enter the mobile market.

A few other highlights from the quarter include:

• Facebook continued to gain momentum in the mobile-advertising market thanks largely to app install ads that use deep links to lead users directly to pages where they can download apps with just a click or two. Google and Yahoo have taken notice and are now experimenting with their own app install ads.
• Microsoft finally released Office for the iPad, a suite of three free apps that enable users to read documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Those wishing to actually create and edit documents must pay the $99 annual subscription fee for Office 365, however.
• Google quietly made strong moves to minimize the fragmentation of Android by prohibiting manufacturers who fork the platform from accessing some important cloud-based features. The strategy appears to have enticed Samsung to ease up on some of its Android-based initiatives, but manufacturers such as Amazon and Microsoft’s Nokia division may be able to overcome the new policies.

This report discusses these developments as well as other events that unfolded during the quarter, and examines what they will mean to the mobile industry through 2014 and beyond.

Thumbnail image courtesy of ponsulak/Thinkstock.

The post Mobile first-quarter 2014: analysis and outlook appeared first on Gigaom.