“Earlier this month Apple announced that downloads of "apps" had hit 25 billion.  It is proof of the massive reach of these small pieces of software for mobile devices.  The 25 billionth app downloaded was a game called "Where's my water" by Disney, featuring Swampy the Alligator” -- BBC Business

25 BILLION?!!  That’s an awful lot of apps.  And according to the BBC, this is the first time Disney have released a new character on an app rather than via film...kind of incredible how the tables have turned and that Disney are certain that ‘Swampy the Alligator’ will still reach their target audience of kids.  “Bart Decrem, general manager of Disney Mobile, said gaming - once traditionally the realm of "teenage boys" - is now reaching a much wider audience.” (BBC Business)

I recently saw this quote on one of my friends Facebook profiles:

“Kids these days have mobiles, laptops and tablets.  In my day, we had paper, crayons and an imagination”

Ok so whilst this is potentially true (also, in my opinion down to parents allowing too much emphasis on material possessions, but that’s a whole other story!) I also think that imagination can stem from technology.  I’m still inspired and enthused by articles I read on various blogs, as well as by reading books; and by a cool app I’ve been recommended as well as having a chat with a friend.  There is definitely a place for both - and I say ‘both’ in the hopes that people will understand that there is still very much a place for the written word (or the handwritten word!) and conversations with old friends.  Not to get all nostalgic or anything :)

I don’t think I have been this excited about an app since Angry Birds... #justkidding (except not really.)  Barclays’ new ‘Pingit’ app is creating a storm already; and it was only just released.  The basics of the app, are that you can transfer money instantly to your friends and family; for example - if you’re all out at a restaurant and it comes to paying the bill, one person can pay upfront and the others can use ‘Pingit’ to transfer the money straight to their account.  You can transfer up to £300 a day, and even though at the moment it’s only for Barclays account holders, within a few weeks it will be rolled out to all accounts.  Oh, and did I forget to mention...the app is free.

Of course I have shared this information around our offices and the immediate question arose; ‘how on earth is my money secure?!’  Good question.  I wish I knew the answer...but if I did, then I’d be some super IT powerhouse, and not a Marketing Manager.  I can however say that I’m fairly certain that with information as delicate as bank details, Barclays *must* have run all the necessary tests to ensure complete security.  There is a ‘failsafe’ in place, explained by Sean Gilchrist (head of Digital Banking at Barclays) who “claims the new app features “industry standard encryption”, and can automatically be wiped from a phone if a user tells the bank they have lost their device.  Users must also use a new, five-digit PIN code to access the app, which Barclays claims was developed with the help of its own and mobile banking security experts” -- Telegraph

Well I for one am willing to trust Barclays and jump on the Pingit bandwagon.  If for no other reason than I get to use the word ‘Pingit’ as a verb.

“Facebook, YouTube and even texting will be the salvation of many of the world's endangered languages, scientists believe.  Of the 7,000 or so languages spoken on Earth today, about half are expected to be extinct by the century's end.  Globalisation is usually blamed, but some elements of the "modern world", especially digital technology, are pushing back against the tide.  North American tribes use social media to re-engage their young, for example. Tuvan, an indigenous tongue spoken by nomadic peoples in Siberia and Mongolia, even has an iPhone app to teach the pronunciation of words to new students” -- BBC News

This is amazing (if a little sad - but for the purposes of this post, we’re going to ignore that!)  “It's what I like to call the flipside of globalisation” says David Harrison (Associate Professor of Linguistics at Swarthmore College) - how true!  The fact that a little known language, spoken by under 0.5% of the Earth’s population, can be kept alive due to the power of technology is pretty incredible.

The example given in the article is that of the Tuvan language, spoken by nomadic Siberians and Mongolians - there is now an iPhone app to help teach the pronunciation and keep the tongue alive.  It’s an interesting analogy by David Harrison, that this is the ‘flipside of globalisation’ - more often than not, there is so much negative press surrounding social media and the overuse of technology; so it’s really encouraging to see such a positive article by the BBC.  Right...well I’m off to learn some Tuvan...wish me luck :)

“Just-Eat, the online food ordering giant of Europe, is continuing its rapid expansion, working out a partnership / acquisition deal with Alloresto.fr, the online food delivery leader in France.  Just-Eat is now operational in 16 countries, and boasts 500-600 employees. In March 2011, the company raised $48 million to bankroll this type of deals and scale globally” -- TechCrunch EU

Congratulations to Just-Eat on the acquisition of French food delivery giant, Alloresto.  This will go a long way to securing their European market domination - already claiming sites in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy and Spain to name but a few; as well as Canada and India further afield, with just under 16,000 restaurants across it’s network.  Just-Eat makes takeout ever easier; not only online but through their handy App as well.  Très Bon, Just-Eat!