Best tools for designing mobile apps:

App designers have worked continuously to refine design tool kits to speed up the workflow and execute right design decisions. These tools have helped enabled designers to clearly communicate ideas and solve any technical troubles. Evaluating various extensions, plug-ins, tools and other resources have become necessary for the design cycle. Here is a list of some of the most popular mobile app design tools:

Sketch: Sketch has become a popular alternative to photoshop for designing mobile apps among designers. Unlike photoshop, Sketch is more focused on UI/UX design that offers a powerful set of features. It helps designers to create wireframes, visual design and vector logos, thereby achieving overall productivity with no wastage of time. Sketch is easy to use and offers additional features such as multi-resolution exporting and shared styles and symbols.

MockPlus: Mockplus is a powerful prototyping tool that is code-free and easy to follow. A simple drag and drop option allows designers to make interactions and preview ways to test the prototypes. Mockplus’s simplicity and efficiency is an USP for this tool. The collaboration features makes team work as time efficient as possible.

Adobe Experience Design (XD): Being the main competitor of Sketch, Adobe XD offers all the basic features like wireframing, prototyping and much more. Although the easy to use XD is still in the preview state, many app designers who have started using it are providing positive feedback.

Marvel: The Marvel tool helps users to create designs, prototypes and collaborate with other team members as well. It allows designers to synchronize their designs with other tools like Sketch, photoshop and illustrator, and cloud storage services such as dropbox and google drive. It allows designers to add animations easily without the need of an after effects expert.

UXpin: It is a wireframing and prototyping web tool that has a simple interface and many built-in features. This tool organizes the workflow by keeping all the layers of the design intact. The usability testing feature helps perform tasks, count the users and their clicks and display results to the team. This dynamic toolkit consists of several design elements for creating great designs from scratch. Additionally, the drag and drop feature helps users to build wireframes or prototypes that are compatible with multiple devices with a range of display resolutions.

Justinmind: It is a great prototyping tool that can be downloaded and used to work offline as well. This dynamic tool comes equipped with an extensive widget library that enables users to enter HTML, videos, docs, interactive maps and online/offline content in the website or application.

The tools mentioned above speeds up the design process, giving users more time for refining their designs. For world class mobile app designs and all your app development needs, send your queries to contact@bmsils.com

Welcome to the world of PlanetAR:

Virtual reality and augmented reality are two new buzzwords in the world of e-learning. Augmented Reality could drastically change the way in which we inherent knowledge, especially online. The PlanetAR brand consists of several innovative products that offer an interactive experience that makes learning fun for toddlers. Our team of experts has designed the products based on the suggestions by early childhood experts and parents.

PlanetAR Animals:

Interact with animals in AR like never before. Buy the complete set of the interactive and informative Planet AR cards for kids. PlanetAR Animals cards are a collection of 9 animals.

“Planet AR – Animal” mobile app* is available for both android and iOS devices. It offers an enjoyable and educational experience for kids with captivating animations and sound effects.

Have an elephant on the palm of your hand or maybe you’d prefer a lion instead. Examine the animals up close in 3D mode. The 2D sketch will turn into a 3D moving animation which allows you to spin, turn and zoom in and out of each animal. PlanetAR Animals gives you both interesting and informative facts about animals.

PlanetAR Alphabets & Numbers:

Flashcards are no longer boring with the new Planet AR Flash Cards. Planet AR Alphabets and Numbers is an educational and interactive game for children. Pair the App with Planet AR Alphabets and numbers flashcards and watch as the numbers and alphabets spring to life. Planet AR app is available at Google Playstore and App store. It offers an easy way for little ones to learn and pronounce alphabets, numbers and fundamental vocabularies.

One set of flashcards consists of 36 Augmented Reality Flashcards. 26 Alphabets cards, 10 numbers cards, 1 instructions card, a discount coupon,

PlanetAR promotes imagination, self- learning, creativity and much more. You can get your set of PlanetAR Augmented Reality Flash Cards on Amazon. Use Promo Code: PARAND20 and get 20% discount.

Amazon Link: goo.gl/7geSYt

Must have tools for UI/UX designers:

There are a number of tools available for businesses to produce digital products. They range from design tools to development tools and web creation tools. Prototyping tools helps businesses to upgrade the workflow making product creation faster and effective. Nowadays, clients look for interactive prototypes that give an overview of the designs and interactions. Prototyping/wireframing is a key step in the web and app development process. There are a number of tools for UI/UX and finding the right one to create apps/websites with high productivity can be overwhelming. Here is a list of some of the most popular tools for UI/UX design and development:

Webflow: Launched in 2013, Webflow allows designers to create websites in quickly. Although this tool’s interface is similar to Photoshop, a bit of knowledge in coding is required to change the site’s html/css tags based on the client’s needs. Designers can find full integration with Google fonts, high-quality cms, access to code, storage options and complete export of the design code. Webflow is a great option to create simple static sites only. It is available for both Mac and Windows users.

Flinto: Flinto enables designers to create interactive prototypes for mobile, desktop and other web applications. With this tool, designers can create complex interactions on top of layers imported from Sketch. Flinto is available for both Mac and Windows users.

Framer: Framer requires knowledge of coding with coffeescript and offers an unlimited number of options for the user. Although Framer has its own design tool, it also integrates perfectly with Sketch. Using live data, users can do everything possible on the web. Framer is available for Mac users only and offers a free trial period.

RapidUI: This new tool allows users to transform Photoshop files into live sites without the need for coding. Users can easily drag and drop PSD files into the dashboard to perform this operation. There is full accessibility to the code that in synchronized with the design, enabling collaboration with programmers. Currently in Beta, this tool is free to use and available for both Mac and Windows users.

Hype 3: This tool enables users to create animations and is similar to working with Adobe’s After Effects. Hype 3 records animations and automatically exports them to HTML5. It does not require any coding knowledge and works on a number of devices like mobile, desktops and tablets. Hype 3 is currently available for Mac users only.

Invision: Invision seamlessly integrates with Sketch and allows designers to design, review, test and share the results with developers. This tool offers project collaboration features that allow users to give feedback, take notes and view the product changes in real time. It also enables users to build prototypes for mobile as well. It is free to use for one project and is available for both Mac and Windows users.

Axure RP: It is one of the most popular UX design tools among users. It can be used to make click-through wireframes, user flows and sitemaps as well as interactive prototypes. Users can also add interactions and use ready-made elements from widget libraries. Users with basic knowledge of programming can use this tool to build more sophisticated and interactive prototypes.

For all your UI/UX needs, send your queries to contact@bmsils.com

Mobile based vehicle tracking solution:

Why have a mobile based vehicle tracking?

The only other person who loves your bike more than you do is a thief. A determined thief is not deterred by common measures that you take such as using a U-lock, chain lock, or even parking in well-lit and crowded places.

The Bykehound device and mobile app is an innovative and unique security solution for your two wheeler. The Bykehound device is easy to install on your bike and is connected to your smartphone via the Bykehound mobile app. The app has a number of interesting and useful features to ensure your bike’s safety round the clock. The compact and handy device doesn’t require much effort to configure with your smartphone.

The operation of the Bykehound tracking device is so simple that even people without the technical know-how can access and use it with ease. With a robust back-end the user friendly Bykehound mobile application is available for both android and iOS devices.

List of features:

Arm/Disarm: The user friendly app allows users to activate/de-activate the bykehound device on their vehicle from anywhere.

Locate My Bike: Users can track and locate their stolen vehicle on the map on a real time basis.

Call Emergency: With a single click, users can call anyone in their primary contacts.

Follow Me: Users can allow loved ones to track their location on a real time basis.

Immobilize: Users can turn off their vehicle engines through the user friendly mobile app.

With the increase in the number of bike thefts in the country, now is the right time to invest in the Bykehound device.

The best free apps for your android smartphone:

From fantastic widgets to task automators, there are many mobile apps that showcase the power and flexibility of Google’s platform. Here are some of the most popular and useful free apps for android devices.

Blue Mail: This is one of the most popular and simple to use app for accessing emails. It supports a ton of email providers and comes with color coding for organization, app themes, Android Wear support, and widgets. Another interesting feature of this app is the option to block notifications during certain times to help users customize their experience.

AppLock: This simple but powerful app allows users to lock apps with passwords. It is free to use and contains ads. AppLock offers a number of features for users; however, the ad-free version of the app has a few features missing.

Credit Karma: This financial app allows users to check their credit score and notifies them when there are major changes to the score. This underrated app also suggests potential credit cards that the user is qualified for based on their credit score.

Feedly: It is one of the most popular news apps in the market. This RSS reader enables users to subscribe to tons of different websites and get news from all of them. Feedly app is easy to use and completely free, and supports podcasts, YouTube channels, and more.

Gboard: It is Google’s official keyboard app and offers a number of features like gesture typing (swiping), light theming, voice typing, emoji search, GIF support, and more. It also has a built-in Google search option that lets users search the web without leaving the keyboard or the app that they’re in. This free app also syncs between multiple devices.

Groupon: This app is simple to use and is one of the most popular apps among users. It allows them to browse for discount coupons that can be used for goods or services that they want. Users can also track coupons that they have used and take advantage of deals instantly. It is definitely an app worth trying.

KeePassDroid: This password manager is like a locker where users can save all kinds of sensitive information. This includes login details for websites, serial numbers and much more. Additionally, users can export their stuff to proprietary file types so they can transfer the data to other devices. This app is completely free and does not contain any in-app purchases.

Quik: It is a free video editor app that strings multiple videos taken by the user in a sort of video collage. Users can choose the duration of the clips, make cuts, add effects and more to add a little flair to the videos.

TickTick: It is among the most popular to do list apps in the market that enables users to make lists, share tasks with others, organize tasks in multiple ways, get reminders and set recurring tasks. There is a paid version of the app that offers other features like calendar support and more.

1Weather: It is one of the best weather apps in the play store and provides information such as current weather, forecast for up to 12 weeks, radar to see storms approaching, and other interesting stats for users. The app also provides severe weather notifications and offers customizable widgets. The free version of the app provides all the features but is not ad-free. There is an option for in-app purchase to remove these ads.

Digital Payments:

In early 2000s, internet-powered payment systems (RTGS, NEFT, etc.) were introduced. With smartphones witnessing a massive surge in popularity, the next step in the evolution of payments happened – mobile payment platforms and digital wallets. This new kind of financial infrastructure is one in which customers are far more involved and integral than they were in the bank-centric times. Software giants like google and consumer electronics manufacturers like samsung have started competing with the likes of traditional banking and financial organizations. As part of the ‘Digital India’ campaign, the government aims to create a ‘digitally empowered’ economy. There are various types and modes of digital payments. Some of these include the use of debit/credit cards, internet banking, mobile wallets, digital payment apps, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service and more. Digital payment methods are convenient and a good alternative to traditional payment methods and provide customers the flexibility to make payments from anywhere and at any time. There is no need for cash and cheques in this type of payment method and speeds up transaction cycles. There are ten types of digital payment methods in India:

• Banking cards
• USSD
• Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS)
• UPI
• Mobile Wallets
• Bank pre-paid cards
• Point of Sale (PoS)
• Internet Banking
• Mobile Banking
• Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app

Paytm, which is the largest Indian mobile payment wallet with more than 100 million users, saw app downloads going up by three times and payments for offline transactions by five times in the first two days following the government’s move on demonetization. Mobikwik with its 35 million customers saw a 100% increase in customer numbers as well. HDFC’s Chillr mobile payment app has seen a growth of 30% in app usage and a 50% increase in downloads. PayU digital wallet also experienced a rise in wallet loads. There has also been a surge in retail merchant enrolments to E-Wallet services. Digital wallet Freecharge has seen a 10 fold increase in the number of retail merchant signups during recent times.

Benefits of digital payments include:

• Access to digital records of transactions.
• It is faster easier and more convenient.
• Attractive offers such as waivers, discounts and cashbacks.
• It is more economical with lesser transactions fee.
• It provides a one stop solution for paying bills.
• It is a hassle-free and secure way to make payments.

Adoption of technologies like NFC is also making it easier for merchants and businesses to accept digital payments. Technology has played a vital role in creating a positive framework, and new bank regulations have paved the way for inclusive banking. With whatsapp integrating payments option, digital payments will witness further growth in the country.

Top Virtual Reality (VR) games:

Technology has grown leaps and bounds during the last couple of decades. Developers are pushing the boundaries to create tech solutions that are innovative and unique. One such technology that has gained popularity in recent times is Virtual Reality. It is an artificial environment created with software and presented to the user in a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. It includes three-dimensional images that appear to be life-sized from the user’s perspective. It also has the ability to track a user’s motions and eye movements, and correspondingly adjust images on the user’s display to reflect the change in perspective.

The virtual reality world must be large and detailed enough for users to explore and get immersed into. With PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift out alongside less expensive headsets like the Samsung Gear VR, Google’s Daydream View and Cardboard, users have a huge selection of Virtual Reality games to choose from.

Here are some of the most popular VR games among users.

Fallout 4 VR: With detailed environments and engaging gunplay, Fallout 4 VR was one of the biggest VR titles in 2017. There are several weapons that players can choose to blow away the inhabitants of the virtual world. This first person shooter game is currently exclusive to the HTC Vive headset but can be played on Oculus Rift with a bit of adjustment.

Arizona Sunshine: This first-person shooter immerses the player in a post-apocalyptic desert town. There is an arsenal of guns and other weapons that players can use to kill blood thirsty zombies. This game is available on PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.

Resident Evil 7: Based on the popular survival horror series Resident Evil 7 offers a completely different way for players to see everything in the realm of VR. With creatures lurking around every corner to attack players in the virtual world, this game manages to provide an incredibly intense experience for users. Resident Evil 7 is currently available on PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.

Lucky’s Tale: This VR game is available on Oculus Rift and translates the classic 3D platform into virtual reality. It makes use of the player’s ability to manipulate perspectives hiding secrets behind trees and under obstacles. The levels in this game are short to maintain the comfort level of the player in virtual reality.

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: It is a multiplayer game where the user wearing the VR headset acts as a bomb disposal agent. Each level has an explosive device with a series of batteries, widgets and nodes to work with. The person wearing the headset has to describe the bomb and work as a team to disarm it. This game offers the player an adrenaline rush that is not seen in many others. It is available on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PSVR headsets.

Stay tuned for information on other upcoming and popular VR games.

Best AR apps for your smartphone:

Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the categories of apps and games in Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store that has grown in popularity in recent times. Augmented reality refers to the enhancement of our real-world environment through computer-aided sensing. AR Apps use the phone’s camera or other sensors to give users more enhanced information about their environment. Companies using AR for a number of applications has become to driving force for augmented reality application development. AR is rapidly growing in popularity by merging elements of the virtual world, into our real world. Here is a list of the most popular AR apps and games.

Pokémon Go: This game combines Nintendo’s Pokémon with augmented reality technology. It sends players exploring their neighborhood on foot to discover, photograph and collect Pokémon. The user’s phone functions as a map and viewfinder, guiding them towards Poké Stops to collect various items.  Pokémon Go is a free game that is available for both android and iOS devices.

Ingress: It is a massive multiplayer augmented reality game available for both android and iOS users. This GPS based game has players joining rival secret societies to fight for control over “Exotic Matter” (XM). Players can use their devices to travel to real world locations to gather “XM” and gain control of portals around buildings and landmarks.

World Brush: This app allows users to draw and paint over real-world views using a variety of virtual brushes. The virtual painting is saved to its approximate GPS location, which allows other World Brush users nearby to view your creations. There is also an option to like, dislike and report offensive content. This app is currently available for iOS users only.

AR MeaseureKit: This app offers several handy utility functions for users. It is available for iOS users only and turns the user’s iPhone into a measuring tool. The ruler function in the free version of the app enables users to measure the length of surfaces. There is also a chaining tool for measuring more complex lengths. An in-app purchase unlocks full functionality of the app that offers tools for placing AR marker pins, measuring angles, trajectories, a person’s height, and checking whether a surface is level as well.

Fitness AR: This app allows users to visualize their running and biking routes in 3D, overlayed over the real world. They can sign in with their Strava account and select one of their recorded routes or explore the featured ones. The app also allows users to circle around and explore the map from multiple angles. This app is currently available for iOS users only.

Star Walk 2: This AR app uses the device’s sensors and location data to present an interactive view of the night sky. The app will display a matching view of constellations, planets and other celestial bodies in real time when the device is pointed skyward. While the Time Machine mode allows users to view starscapes at past or future dates, the night mode makes the app more comfortable to use in low light conditions.

Augmented Reality technology has changed the face of smartphone apps and gaming. AR adds digital images and data to amplify views of the real world, giving users more information about their environments.

Want to develop an Augmented Reality app? With 7 years of experience in developing mobile apps, we at BMS Innolabs are ready to take any challenge to make the best use of our expertise for your business.

Top free Graphic design software:

Whether you are creating and editing vector graphics, illustrations, infographics, 2D or 3D content, here are some of the most useful free software for designers.

Inkscape: It is an open source vector graphics editor widely known as the free counterpart to Adobe Illustrator. Inkscape is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, and is a great for budding graphic designers. It offers many complex features including complex path operations, node editing, bitmap tracing and path-based text. It is a powerful vector graphics tool with excellent format support and a comprehensive toolkit.

Krita: It has a set of carefully designed tools designed primarily for comic book artists. This includes halftones, pre-made templates and a set of drawing aids such as vanishing points, customizable brushes and other tools, smooth shapes, layer masks and advanced selection functions.

GIMP: It is a free photo editing and graphic design software packed with customizable tools for designers working with photos. GIMP is great for adjusting photos, creating a digital painting or compositing several different elements. It can easily be expanded using a huge archive of extensions or installing Photoshop plugins.

Blender: It is a great tool for graphic designers working on 3D content. Whether it’s modeling, rigging, rendering or animating, Blender has you covered. It is highly customizable and has excellent format support, and can be used to create short films, TV shows, and even feature films. Designers can even create their own tools and extensions that suit their needs.

Easel.ly: With a clear and easy-to-use interface, Easel.ly is a tool dedicated to creating infographics. It offers a good selection of templates and a wide selection of shapes and other tools for designers to work with. The completed infographics in PDF or JPG format, with quality settings optimized for web and print use.  Unlike many other free data visualization tools, Easel.ly will not watermark your work.

Gravit Designer: It is a full-featured vector design app suitable for a number of jobs that includes screen and icon designs, creating presentations, illustrations and animations as well. This software is packed with a host of tools for creating detailed and beautiful vector imagery. Other features include a knife tool and path graphs, multiple fills and blending modes, and a powerful text engine. Gravit also offers cloud service that enables designers to access their project on the go.

Vectr: It is available both as a stand-alone desktop app and as a browser-based web app. This free editor can be used for creating 2D vector graphics. It offers live collaboration and synchronization options to connect with other designers and work in tandem. Vectr is available for Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebook, and has a number of options for using filters, shadows and fonts.

The top iOS exclusive apps:

While Google’s android is the most used mobile operating system around the world, Apple’s iOS has a well-deserved reputation for interface design and aesthetics. With a limited number of devices and screen sizes, iOS is an easier environment for developers to work in compared to the endless list of android devices with multiple dimensions. From image editors to clever games and utility apps, her is a list of some of the most popular iOS exclusive apps.

iMovie: This free app is one of the most popular apps among iOS users. It allows users to record, edit and share creative home movies. The app offers a number of templates making it easy to add titles, captions and special effects. Although there are many video editing apps for android, none of them are as powerful as the iMovie app.

Euclidean Lands: This paid app is a geometry puzzle game where users guide a red-cloaked warrior through increasingly difficult puzzle stages. Users can move their piece either through board spaces, or manipulating the level itself by rotating entire segments.

GarageBand: It is a free app that enables users to compose anything from a symphony to a ring tone on their iPhone, iPad or Mac. Users can also plug in an electric guitar or a similar music instrument directly into their device and record into the app engine. GarageBand is a valuable free resource, especially for musicians.

Bear free: It is a flexible writing and note-taking app that is useful for jotting down quick notes, doodles, poetry and prose, and even snippets of code. A built-in markup editor supports 20 different programming languages. The Bear app also includes cross note links and tag support for easy searching. There is also a paid version of the app that includes note syncing, export options for multiple file types and additional editing tools.

Enlight: This app provides users with powerful photo-editing tools with simple controls. It also provides other editing tools like color and tone controls, and masking features for seamless effects blending. A photo mixing feature in the app allows users to overlay different images for a double exposure effect. This easy to use app is paid and well worth the premium price.

Opinion Podcasts: With a simple user interface, this free app is useful for users who want to create their own podcasts. Users can record, edit and publish to apps like Twitter, SoundCloud, G-drive, Facebook and to the iTunes podcast directory as well.