Apple finally announced the new iPhones after much anticipation and plenty of rumours, from sane and sensible to absolutely weird. There was nothing really unexpected as almost all the developments were widely discussed all over the internet. However, the entire tech industry waits for this, for a hint on what direction to take next. Speaking of the new phones, now you won’t be able to use your favourite pair of noise cancellation headphones while travelling but on the flipside, the new devices will be waterproof. But that is not why we are talking about it. We are talking about it for photography, something almost all the travellers love.

Every year the manufacturer pushes the envelope of innovation when it comes to camera and they have done the same with the new iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 Plus packs in two separate 12 megapixel cameras, one of them a standard wide angle lens seen on most mobile cameras while other is a 56mm lens. This allows you to have 2X optical zoom. Along with this, the two cameras allow for the phone to shoot better bokeh photographs. The result? Soft background that you otherwise achieve on wide aperture camera lenses or by manually editing on phone. Some key features that make the highlight of this phone include:

• Twin camera setup allowing for the flexibility of both wide angle and telephoto lenses offering optical zoom.
• Wide aperture to shoot better low light photographs.
• Shallow depth of field would also be added soon, another feature that will make use of the wide aperture and dual lens setup for blurred background.
• Optical image stabilisation on both 7 and 7 Plus allowing for longer exposure.

And it is not just Apple. LG stepped ahead in the same direction recently. The relatively less known players from China have also worked towards making cameras obsolete to some extent. Both LG and Huawei made use of dual camera systems in different ways to achieve better photographs. Even the enthusiasts are giving low end DSLR and mirrorless cameras a pass. The differences are certainly there but portability and the support of useful apps mean that an increasing number of people are opting them.

Image sample from the phone

Budget DSLRs are starting low and smartphones cameras are doing amazing things. This is causing a huge problem for the market of typical point and shoots which are not seen much these days. You will find popular tourist spots with people shooting on their mobile devices and it is something camera makers should take a good hard look at. The camera market is hit and things will only worsen as more devices like iPhone 7 Plus or Huawei P9 roll out. The reason this particular launch is significant because now that Apple has done it, the whole world will stand up and take notice. It can magnify the impact on the camera industry.

Image sample from the phone

The standalone cameras are adding more features but this still need to be more mobile like. Light P16 is a good example of the same. Or they should probably look at working with mobile makers as well. The camera makers will have to do something and they will have to do something quickly because the likes of iPhone 7 are already eating into their share.

The post Here is why the iPhone 7 launch marks the beginning of disruption to come in the photography industry appeared first on TravHQ.

Almost every other e-tailing or travel commerce website is paying you to download their app these days. “2,000 off on your first app booking”, “Free app credits”, “Free first order” is pretty much the norm these days. Off course getting the app downloaded has significant advantages for businesses. Instead of one time buyers, they can have repeat customers through the app. They also save on the amount they spend in advertising on Google or Facebook to bring customers to their website.

But paying the customers to download the app doesn’t always make sense, especially if you aren’t able to prevent people from uninstalling the app after using your fancy offer. Here are five points you should keep in mind so that your app isn’t dragged into the uninstall bin.

#1. Make the sign up process frictionless

Unless you are a really out of the world travel startup, it is very likely that you are replaceable. It is important to make the sign up process as simple as possible to prevent users from uninstalling the app right away. Don’t ask too many details at the first launch. Users often prefer the option of a Google search over filling in 10 fields in an app. If I download an app for searching food spots at my destination, I would hate a sign up form before I am presented with any details.

Zomato is a very good example to look at. You can skip the login or sign up process and browse around as much as you want and once the app grows on you, you might consider signing up for some additional features.

#2. Track uninstalls

It is important to know when the users are uninstalling your app. Was it in the first few hours of downloading? Was it after you ended an offer? Was that after your latest UI update? There are tools available for app developers to track user behaviour and uninstall patterns. They can offer meaningful insights that you can use in effectively targeting your potential users and improving the experience of current users.

#3. Add utility

Travel booking apps are very useful for frequent travellers but they might not hold relevance for people who travel once or twice a year. What good is a hotel booking app for someone who will make one booking a year? Sure it is easier said than done but it is important to add features that people will use frequently. Serving content, adding community or hosting occasional contests could work to some extent but there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution here. That said, it is also important to target the perfect balance keeping in mind that you are still serving on a small screen and shouldn’t overload the interface with too many options.

#4. Tailor for the worst

While screen sizes and resolutions are limited on desktop, mobile devices come with all sort of display sizes and hardware specifications. The range is even wider for Android devices as compared to iOS devices. You should keep in mind the less powerful devices with low display resolution while developing your app.

As it is travel app, it is likely that many people will use your app on the go and we all are aware of the state of internet connectivity in our country. It is important that your app uses less data and works well on slow 2G networks as well. To give an example, I use Uber to book cabs whenever I travel but at times when my phone switches to slower network due to lack of 3G coverage, the app takes more than a minute to open. In that case I have to use the alternatives. You don’t want people to look for alternatives because your app is resource hungry, do you?

#5. Present the right details

While it is good to talk out loud about the amazing app you have and all the exciting things it can offer, make sure you aren’t overpromising. Often users will uninstall the app in a short duration because the app failed to live up to their expectations. That is why it is very important to have a proper app description on Google Play Store or Apple App Store. This will ensure that the right people download your app and thus engage with the app on a regular basis.

What else do you think can be done to reduce app uninstalls? Join the discussions on travel marketing and get inputs from the topic experts here.

The post Users abandoning your Travel app? Here is how you can retain them appeared first on TravHQ.

After the announcement of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus earlier, we were eagerly waiting for Google Nexus launch and they had a lot lined up for yesterday’s event. While industry observers already knew about everything from the Pixel C to Spotify partnership and all the things in between, we have confirmed details now. We were especially interested in the new Nexus devices & the features they bring to the table. Here is the latest on offer from the latest version of Nexus devices.

#1. Better images

Travellers love the cameras on iPhones and apparently Google has played a trump on the iPhone 6S with the new Nexus devices. Android devices have been fighting the megapixel war for ages with the exception of HTC One or first gen Moto X. The previous generations came with pretty ordinary cameras but with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, it is about to change. Google claims that the camera on Nexus 5X & 6P can out perform the new iPhones.

According to tests by Google, the camera on new Nexus devices performs much better than competition in low light

To put that in numbers, the pixel size on the Nexus 5X primary camera is 1.55µm pixel size against 1.22µm on the iPhone 6S. This means that the photos of your late night walk at a beach won’t be dark blurry mess. The cameras on both the devices come with laser auto focus making them very fast to focus so that you don’t end up clicking blurry images while moving.

#2. 30 fps burst and GIF animations

Adventure lovers will understand the importance of having good burst mode in camera. The Nexus 5X and 6P support 30 fps burst so that it is possible to capture your high speed run on a jet ski or the moment you took off the cliff while paragliding. Not only that but it is possible to create a GIF animation out the images you captured in the burst mode. I am sure social media savvy travellers how people love GIFs on twitter.

#3. Doze mode

So you come back to your hotel room tired, set an alarm to catch an early morning flight and doze off without putting your phone on charge. Chances are your phone has barely got any battery left after a long day of navigating routes & taking pictures and it will die in the middle of the night. With the new Doze mode they have added with the Android Marshmallow, the average battery life is expected to go up by 30 percent when the display is off. It is going to work not only on the Nexus 5X and 6P but also the older devices that will get the software update.

#4. Shared albums

While the Gallery has been long replaced by Google Photos, not many people were a fan of the change. On the new devices, they have made some additions to Google Photos to make it more useful to travellers.

Usually when we travel in groups, it is tough to share the photos with everyone. You either ask everyone to add their photos in a single physical drive or use a single Google Drive folder to add all the image. With the new Photos app, you can have a shared album where everyone can contribute. The feature will be available for iOS devices as well.

#5. Now on Tap

For some users, it is tough to leave the work at home even when they travel. They will surely enjoy a smarter Google Now. To call Google from any app, you can long press the home button. This will bring up multiple options and will automatically search for content from the open app. So if your friend has recommended a restaurant in WhatsApp chat, long pressing the home button will look up the restaurant and related options. Easier to navigate this way than typing in the name in Google Maps.

Among the other announcements, we also like the new Chromecast and Pixel C tablet. Will you pick the new Nexus over iPhone for your next Holiday? 

The post Waiting to grab the new iPhone 6s? Google’s Nexus 5x & 6P might just be travellers’ new favourites appeared first on TravHQ.

Apple recently started rolled out the much awaited iOS 9 update to its devices and social media is already flooded with posts of fan-boys expressing their opinions on the new update. We have been digging through all the additions they have made to this version of iOS. Of course features like improved browser and better mail client are good for everyone but we have been looking at them from a traveller’s perspective. We have listed down some features that the travellers will love in this new version of iOS.

#1. Smarter Siri

Sure Cortana is smart and Google Now has evolved a lot since it was introduced but Siri keeps us hooked with witty responses and ever increasing capabilities. Now the updated Siri can not only take care of trivial tasks but also make sense of commands like “Show me photos from New Delhi last July” or “Call mom when I get inside the car”. So essentially Siri is more aware of locations now, allowing you to do a lot more than you could do before, making it more useful to people who travel to a lot of places.

The Spotlight has seen many additions as well

You will also be able to call Siri from any screen now, similar to what we have seen with Google Now on Android devices. This will get you to use Siri more often and with the added capabilities of Siri, you might like the idea even more as long as it understands your accent.

#2. Easy access to iCloud

Okay so the access to iCloud was bit of an issue for almost all of us. It was never easy to get at iCloud but now they have improved the access and added the option to show it on home screen. It also displays a file system now which gives more power to the users. The improvements to iCloud would come as a utility to people who love to take a lot of photos using iPhone’s excellent camera but struggle due to the low storage capacity of their iPhones.

Now you can have iCloud on home and see your files

#3. Transit and Nearby suggestions

We tend to use public transport extensively when we travel, especially while travelling internationally. Apple users have been relying on third party options (Read: Google Maps) until now to find out the information about public transport to get from point A to B but this is going to change with the iOS 9. Apple has introduced public transport feature which includes buses and local trains. Sadly the feature is not available in India yet but we are expecting it won’t be long before we will be able to find information about bus routes and local trains in India.

Along with the transit feature, Maps also gets Nearby suggestions to help you explore the local food and shopping places. There is a long list of places available across multiple categories so it won’t be hard to discover places anymore.

#4. Low power mode

With every new update Apple rolls out, they try to make the whole system more efficient. It is the same story with iOS 9. They have tried to extract more battery life and claim that just switching to iOS 9 will add an hour of battery life to everyday usage.

The battery bar turns yellow in low power mode

There is another addition here which Android users might be familiar with. It is called as the Low Power Mode. When switched on, it will make power saving its top priority and kill background network connections, auto downloads and mail sync. The phone might feel a little slow but it gets a huge boost in battery life. While travelling, being able to extract few extra hours of usage when you don’t have access to power makes a big difference.

#5. More organised gallery

To help you save some time while searching through photos, the images captured using front camera get a separate “Selfies” folder now. All the screenshots also get their own folder. It is also to select multiple images now in the Photos app. Instead of tapping on each image separately, you can tap on select and swipe over the images you want to select.

Selfies take a separate folder now

While we continue to explore the new iOS, we are eagerly waiting for Google to release Android Marshmallow to see what it has to offer.

Have you updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 9 yet? Which is your favourite addition to the OS from a traveller’s perspective?

The post 5 features that travellers will love on the new iOS 9 appeared first on TravHQ.