Apps for Industry
As the processing power being unleashed by the growth in the sales of Smartphones and tablets creates new opportunities for industry to create products and services which use them, Ziconix has positioned itself to be able to support companies who need to rapidly access this new technology. We have been working with smart phones from their inception and since then we have continued to develop the background technology needed to develop Apps for all platforms, with a focus on industry’s needs rather than consumer entertainment. These have included Apps which provide the user interface to sensor systems, e-marketing and on-line reservations.
The possibilities are endless when a Smartphone or tablet is used as a dedicated user interface and processing engine. It can for example replace many customized control boxes, surpassing them in both ergonomics and control power due to the multitude of components and systems which are built in as standard. The delivery of the required functionality requires only the development of a software App, eliminating the need for custom hardware development and tooling.
Additional opportunities are also possible using the built in wireless communications capability to eliminate cables and connectors. As Smartphone prices begin at around £100, companies who sell products with custom interfaces and control units need to look urgently at how this trend might affect their market. If the interface is not required continuously, for example, where a user might occasionally interact with a sensor or a piece of equipment to actuate it, then the savings can be even greater, as it might only be necessary to provide the customer with a software App to load onto their own Smartphone to complete the task.
Apps will not only impact product development, they can also be used in sales and marketing activities to allow staff to interact with enterprise systems in the cloud to demonstrate to customers the benefits of products. Once such equipment becomes routinely used in the sales process, capture of order details, customer geographical location and even application usage data will become routine. Tablet computers rather than Smartphones may become the norm for this type of activity, but there is really no difference between the two except for size and small variations in functionality.
If you plan to go down this route then careful consideration will need to be given as to which of the competing Smartphone platforms is chosen for each application. They have radically different characteristics and Ziconix can assist you in understanding these. We specialize in App Development services for business applications and have been working with smart phones since their inception. Call us or email us to find out how we can help your company take advantage of this disruptive technology.