A Technophile Investor Has a Huge Edge In The Apps Development Market

The overwhelming success of many developed apps, generating unimaginable returns on investments continues to divert the flow of capital to designing applications particularly for mobile phones. Unfortunately, not every investor gets his/her money’s worth of investments. Stories abound concerning frustrated risk takers who shelled out excessive amounts in exchange for overrated applications, such as one that simply requires sending a two-letter one-syllable message.

Image source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/

A considerable number of angel investors likewise have placed their limited resources to apps that have generated zero revenues, falling behind download frequencies. There are cases as well where full-blast monetary support is not justified by a finished product, not to mention incidences wherein the app faced obsolescence, did not qualify for upgrade, and ended up in the dustbin. Unrecovered investment charged to experience.

In the apps financial landscape, the investor certainly shoulders the greatest risk and bears the biggest loss. Most vulnerable are those not adept in the language of apps technology. Overtaken by excitement over prospective high returns, most venture capitalists who are bereft of apps knowhow set aside diligence in product evaluation granting the developer absolute confidence. Inevitably the latter takes the upper hand, a less than ideal situation for a risk taker.

Investors must treat apps development as a serious project requiring a plan, methods and provisions for sustainability, as well as an earnest assessment as to whether it serves a need in the market and target users are inclined to spend for it. There must be an established timeline, likewise, a regular monitoring of progress. Updating one’s proficiency in the prospective apps, or in the technology in general would greatly boost a financier’s chances in selecting a profitable apps venture.

Image source: http://www.thestreet.com

Taihwa Terry Ho is a a consummate technophile and lover of gadgets and computing, and spends resources on developers and startups whose products show promise of widespread regular use. For more information about his work, go to this Twitter page.

A World Full Of Smileys: How Emojis Changed The Way We Communicate

Image source: money.cnn.com

The way people communicate is continuously evolving, especially in our current generation as feelings and intentions can be portrayed by a single image, or in this case, an emoji. Last year, the Oxford dictionary has acknowledged the “laughing while crying” or LOL with tears emoji as its word of the year. There is no official name for it, but when you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Spoken, written, and even (physical) sign language are not enough sufficient to express feelings. The shift in digital communication is striking, and it looks like it’s here to stay. The use of emoji is not just appropriate for casual communication. In some office group settings, people no longer need to reply with words, going instead for the (y) or “thumbs up” emoji. Others use the “bow” emoji to acknowledge a senior’s presence in the group. This just shows that emojis can be used in some professional settings.

Image source: support.apple.com

Miscommunication is also common with emojis. Some people think that the “dancing lady” emoji refers to flirting, while for others, it is what it is—a dancing lady. These pictures may look complicated, but they display thoughts and intentions differently. It is also hard to judge if someone is just being sarcastic with just emojis. For many, it takes a strong relationship between parties to distinguish what the emojis are trying to portray—more of like an inside joke.

I can’t wait for the day that even those who think traditionally can see emojis as a vital communication tool. Welcome to the age of technology, folks.

Hi, I’m Taihwa Terry Ho. Let’s talk about apps and other tech stuff on Twitter.