This week Mark Kingston, Rangle’s Vice President of Operations, set up shop in the centre of mobile innovation: Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Truly the launching ground for the coolest high-profile gadgets, MWC also gathers industry heavyweights eager to talk about the future of mobile. Smart cities was the prevailing theme at this year's conference. Mark shares some of the key takeaways from #MWC17.
Smart Streets
When polled, very few of the attendees at MWC feel they live in a smart city, with procurement among the key challenges facing this urban development vision. Is there a way to better connect citizens to their cities while maintaining privacy and user control? Two of the most prominent issues among cities are traffic flow and public safety. AT&T and GE have teamed up to tackle both with a new partnership focused on building smart streetlights. In addition to providing lighting, it will also monitor traffic circulation, parking spots, air quality and weather emergencies. And for the privacy component: “It’s anonymous with no personal identifiers,” said GE Current chief executive officer to Reuters. “Anyone can access this data,” said John Gordon, chief digital officer of Current, in a recent interview.
Get Rewarded
How can organizations use rewarding experiences to attract and engage customers? Pokémon GO is arguably the most popular smartphone game of all time. According to Quora, the free location-based augmented reality mobile game attracted just under 21 million daily active users in the the US alone. Even Starbucks jumped on this trend, offering The Pokémon GO Frappuccino. “For a limited time, snap up our Pokémon™ GO Frappuccino® Blended Beverage.” Pokémon GO successfully solved the “too much screen time” conundrum by marrying physical exploration and exercise with mobile engagement.
Videos That Move
It’s not news that video is becoming a basic service. Now a trillion-dollar industry, video is no longer an option for clients, it’s a must. Vivendi, a French company focused primarily on digital entertainment, is responding to a rapidly-rising demand for short-form content among smartphone users. With mobile being the most commonly used screens for video consumption, Vivendi launched Studio+. 10 episodes in 10 minutes, Studio+ is a completely new series experience. “Discover a new world of original, short and premium series, specifically produced for mobile, to watch anywhere, anytime even without a connection.”
With 27 billion devices connected globally by 2025, connected living is here to stay. From MWC to our clients’ hands, we take the big ideas and turn them into reality.
Did you Know?
- Smartphone adoption has doubled in the last four years
- The average usability score of websites by industry: Travel 72, Retail 68, Finance 52