For senior citizens who were able to quarantine alone or live alone throughout the pandemic, technology has taken over many aspects of senior care so that nurses and family can safely ensure their patient and loved one is staying healthy and well. Internet of Things (IoT) applications like fall detection and alert devices, behavioral monitoring sensors, and malnutrition and dehydration trackers have worked tirelessly to support caregivers and elders alike during the pandemic. The hope is that these devices will identify signs of a larger issue so that it can be stopped before becoming serious enough to require hospitalization.

Fall Detection Devices

In elderly populations, falls are a major concern. Falls become more common with age and are the second leading cause of unintentional or accidental deaths worldwide. Thus, it is important to control as much as we can for falls both at home and in senior care facilities.

IoT technology can help caregivers prevent, predict, and detect falls by helping them record falls, pinpoint risk factors in the environment and the individual, and learn preventative and corrective measures. Conventionally, fall-detection technologies have used devices that the elderly person carries or wears. When the patient falls, they have to press the button on the device. This solution is great if your loved one is living across the country in Los Angeles while you’re in Atlanta.

But this method doesn’t account for patients that didn’t fall but don’t feel well enough to get up or for patients who haven’t been feeling normal recently. IoT can detect changes in the patient’s wellbeing by monitoring for discomfort and wellness. IoT sensors can help caregivers track their patients’ progress for days or weeks at a time and compare metrics to see if their patient’s health is declining, which is a risk factor for falling. This can support caregivers to act earlier and provide more care to make up for the senior’s deteriorating wellbeing.

Staying Home Longer

Research shows there may be a link between moving out of the home and into a senior care facility and dying earlier. For many elderly patients, it’s important for them to stay somewhere familiar and accessible to their families. IoT can help families remotely keep an eye on their senior family member by sending daily information about the patient’s health and wellbeing without any action necessary from the senior. When used with tele-assistance services, IoT technology really shines for seniors.

Companies like Vitalbase and SeniorAdom are working on remote assistance technology using IoT systems. Their tools include geolocation pendants, motion detection sensors, and wrist band devices. This hardware is supposed to automatically detect changes in behavior, motion, physical strength, and cognition.

By anticipating risks, sending early notifications to family and caregivers, and acting quickly in an emergency, these companies are making it possible to protect our seniors without expending more money, time, and effort. For example, SeniorAdom uses a self-learning algorithm and a smart box connected wirelessly to sensors in the senior’s home. With these devices and software, the company can detect abnormal situations or critical problems and send a warning to relatives and caregivers. SeniorAdom also uses motion sensors and door sensors to create a general daily schedule of the senior so that abnormalities are more obvious when they occur.

A Look at the Sensor Technology

These IoT-enabled sensors work on an 0G network which is used to send small amounts of data over a larger distance. They don’t pick up any personal or private information while they detect differences from the baseline conditions and movements. 0G devices also utilize low amounts of energy, making the overall cost a lot lower for the family.

For devices that run on other networks like cellular devices, it’s possible to utilize 0G as a backup network to ensure a stable connection for around-the-clock supervision and emergency communication. Vitalbases’s Vibby OAK is an automatic fall detection device worn on the senior’s neck or wrist. It connects to a cellular device (like a smartphone) but uses a 0G network when the cellular connection is unstable or unreachable. At healthcare and senior living facilities, devices operating on the 0G network can communicate with existing nursing call systems to keep medical staff updated in the event of an emergency.

More Autonomous Living

Many seniors want to continue an independent, autonomous, and healthy lifestyle. By outfitting their home and body with several devices and sensors in an IoT system, it’s possible for relatives and caregivers to remain vigilant, proactive, and connected without having to ask their seniors to leave home for good.

Cybersecurity affects every level of technology, from app developers and software architects to the end-user. That’s why we believe cybersecurity is one of the most important aspects of any project; without it, there is no peace of mind or guarantee to the user that their information is in safe hands.

When we joined the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, our Los Angeles-based innovation studio joined 99 other companies around the world. In case you don’t know about the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, it’s an organization focused on improving cybersecurity by bringing together a global group of committed companies like Microsoft, Oracle, Unisys, and Cisco to make cyberspace a safer place.

These companies must support their developers, users, and customers with transparency and education surrounding security protocols. They must also prioritize security in their products and services. Thirdly, by sharing information between companies about best practices, warning signs, and potential threats, we ultimately place the customer’s safety as the most important value.

Becoming a part of the Cybersecurity Tech Accord requires every company’s alignment with the accord’s objectives and goals. By giving everyone the same values to work towards, we believe that we will accelerate cybersecurity advancement, resiliency, stability, and quality over the years.

The Cybersecurity Tech Accord recently released an update about how they’re continuing their commitment. Here are some ways in which our partners in the Cybersecurity Tech Accord are doing so in their daily operations:

Tom Pendergast is the Chief Learning Officer at MediaPRO. He says, “We provide security and privacy awareness training for large employers, and our goal is to help employers reduce human risk in their employees’ lives, both at work and at home.”

Tenable’s VP of Global Government Affairs, James Hayes, says, “Tenable is a cyber exposure company. Our solutions help customers around the world manage, measure, and reduce their overall cybersecurity risk.”

And AnchorFree’s Strategy Operations Manager, Besart Copa, says his company is fighting for better cybersecurity globally. He says, “We are pro-security, pro-privacy, and pro-open Internet.”

To see more about what the Cybersecurity Tech Accord is doing to make cyberspace a safer place, check out the full video here.

At Dogtown Media, we specialize in mobile app development, grounded with expert knowledge in the internet of things, fintech, medical tech and user interface design. We are determined to take on your next project and create an app that will help your business grow.

Clutch, a company that publishes unbiased reviews of B2B companies, has featured us once again in a recent press release of top California mobile app development companies.  We’re excited to share that we have been featured highly in their directory list of the top mobile app developers in California. This honor adds to our previous recognition as a top California Mobile App Development Company on DesignRush.

Clutch’s ranking algorithm takes many pieces of information into account when displaying companies on their directory pages; the most important part of Clutch’s ranking algorithm is client reviews. To date, we have received over 20 positive reviews. Our clients aren’t shy to share their successes with Clutch:

“Dogtown Media developed a solution for a project considered impossible to do in the tech world.”

“They were extremely responsive and supportive and I never felt like I was working on anything on my own.”

“Their work has made my life easier by automating features in the app that I was doing manually.”

In addition to our feature on Clutch, we were also mentioned on their sister-site, The Manifest.  We are pleased to announce that we were listed as one of the top mobile app development companies in the world on The Manifest.

Here at Dogtown Media, we are ready to improve your business by creating vital apps that will allow your business to access your consumers at all times.  Our team will work directly with your business to assess how to stand apart from competitors as well. We look forward to taking on your next project!

Each year, Clutch publishes a press release naming the top service providers within certain industries. We’re proud to announce that Clutch has named Dogtown Media among the world’s leading mobile app developers this year.

We’ve also been listed on Clutch’s sister website, The Manifest, a B2B news website that helps buyers through the process of selecting a vendor. Manifest also ranked Dogtown as one of the top app development companies in the world.

Founded in 2011, Clutch is a Washington, D.C.-based research firm that leverages unparalleled market insight to determine the leaders across numerous industries. With unbiased case studies, industry trend analysis, and business market comparisons, Clutch’s data-driven platform allows clients to find and connect with top-tier companies who can solve difficult challenges.

Clutch’s directories adhere to this meticulous, data-centric approach; it’s organized to list the most credible firms first. Credibility is gained by attaining client testimonials and market presence. Essentially, the directories allow potential buyers and clients in need of partnerships to visualize their different options with a holistic perspective of each company.

Check out some of the reviews we’ve received so far below!

Webdam is a digital asset management software company. We re-developed their platform from the ground up. Here’s what they had to say:

“Dogtown Media’s work was a massive improvement from the previous app version and received high praise from customers… They were extremely responsive and supportive, and I never felt like I was working on anything on my own.”

We also got the opportunity to help the University of Oklahoma improve its app with more student-centric functionalities and geolocation capabilities. Here’s their feedback:

Another client required an app for the University of Oklahoma. Here’s what they had to say:

“Dogtown Media’s expert team inspires confidence throughout the project by communicating clearly from the start. They bring creative ideas to the table at a reasonable value… Their work has made my life easier by automating features in the app that I was doing manually.”

The past few weeks have been surreal for Dogtown Media. Recently, we made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies in the United States for the second year in a row. Not long after, we were honored again by being included on Clutch’s list!

Both are incredible awards we couldn’t have imagined attaining when we first started developing in L.A. in 2011. We’d like to give a big thanks to Clutch, Inc., our team, clients, and community — none of this would be possible without you.

From humble beginnings as a mobile app developer in Los Angeles, we’re extremely proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far and we’re also very excited to see where the future takes us. We can’t wait to create more amazing mobile experiences for the world to enjoy.

If you have an idea but don’t know where to begin, reach out anytime — if you can dream it, we can build it!

Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. In December 2017, the FCC voted in favor of repealing net neutrality rules. With the loss of federal protection for the Internet, it’s up to each state to keep the Internet open and free.

A new bill offers California the opportunity to do just this for its citizens. But it needs your support to make it happen. Take action by clicking this link. Tell California’s senators to stand up for net neutrality.

Now or Never

Before net neutrality’s repeal, many Internet users already felt like they were at the mercy of big Internet service providers (ISP) like Comcast and Verizon. And if you were among this crowd, then you definitely won’t like what’s coming next. With net neutrality being rolled back, these companies don’t have to treat everything online equally.

They can slow down your connection to certain sites, charge a premium fee for categories, and even outright restrict access to other parts of the Internet. If nothing is done to thwart this, the Internet will resemble cable television, along with all of its convoluted pricing structures, sooner than you think.

But while federal protections for the Internet have failed, states can still decide their own relationship with the Internet. ISPs that get state funding or have access to infrastructures funded by taxpayers should have to adhere to net neutrality standards, so let’s make them do just that.

Time to Take Action

State Senator Scott Wiener introduced S.B. 822 during the first meeting that California legislature had in 2018. And while this bill is for California, it influences much more than just San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego.

This bill would help make the most extensive provisions to protect net neutrality in the United States. It would set the standard for what other states should aspire to achieve for its citizens. And the truth is, it’s completely reasonable: if an ISP is using utility poles or receiving a state subsidy, they should have to listen to the citizens funding those initiatives with taxes.

If we stay silent on this matter, big ISPs would be more than happy to start charging us more for less than what we get today. It’s easy to take things for granted when you have them; however, it can be extremely difficult to get them back when they’re gone.

The Internet is part of all of our lives. Whether you’re a mobile app developer, lawyer, doctor, teacher, or any other profession, it has become a foundation of information that we all rely on. Let’s protect it. Click this link to tweet the senators right now.

Every year, the Washington, D.C.-based research firm Clutch releases their findings on the best mobile app developers in various major markets. The criteria include the company’s specific areas of focus, experience, client satisfaction, industry recognition, and market presence. Clutch’s analysts perform highly detailed client interviews to really get a feel for what each app development company brings to the table. To make the Clutch top ten is a big distinction, a sign that you’re doing the kind of work that clients love. This year, Dogtown Media is honored to make Clutch’s list as one of the top ten mobile app developers in Los Angeles.

There’s some stiff competition among L.A. mobile app developers, so everyone at Dogtown Media’s offices is really proud to rise above the rest of the pack. We take every element of app development seriously, from concept, UX and UI design, and coding to monetization, marketing, and distribution. That’s why it’s such a thrill to be recognized for our technical know-how, customer satisfaction, and dedication. With a nearly even split between projects for small business, midmarket, and enterprise clients, we have experience developing apps on a variety of scales. But no matter how big the project is, we always approach it with the same amount of attention and passion.

According to Clutch analyst Amber Dewey, “The leading companies in our research have proven their ability to handle projects of any size and complexity, and create impressive mobile apps and custom software solutions that help push each client’s business further, whether it be internally or in the marketplace.” That sounds about right. While Dogtown Media is glad to be hailed as one of the finest mobile app developers in the city, we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We’re going to keep up the hard work so that we make next year’s list too.

Twitter stock is up to over $23 at the time of this writing — but that doesn’t mean the road ahead looks bright for the beleaguered social media giant, even under leadership from celebrated founder Jack Dorsey over the past year. Los Angeles iPhone developers tend to see the rising price as more indication of potential buyouts from the likes of Salesforce or Microsoft than a sign of potential user and revenue growth.

That said, the turnaround as it stands is certainly surprising, and good news for tech investors who feared the worse as the price zoomed towards the single digits last year. The question is: will 2017 be the year that it rebounds, or the year that it finally hits the ground? Either way, the decline of Twitter represents opportunity for iPhone app developers looking to fill the void that is already felt by the decay of the biggest fish in the social media sea.

Datasets release for the last quarter show that Twitter is still losing money at a pretty worrying rate, to the tune of $107 million in Q2 of 2016. (Compared to $137 million in the same quarter of last year, maybe it’s not so bad though.)

In the meantime, UX and UI changes spearheaded by Dorsey have had minimal effect on growth. From changes in the visual presentation of Tweets to character limits tweaks to an algorithmic feed, changes seemed more notable for the ire they rose among diehard users than the benefits they offered new users so far as ease-of-use. Overall, the UX is still a mess, and the road out isn’t clear even for the talented app development team Twitter has maintained throughout the mishaps.

Apple and Android app developers have been watching Google go through a slow-motion metamorphosis the past few years. With the release of the Pixel phones and a new hardware line, the direction of that change is becoming clear: Google is becoming a lot more like Apple. In the process, they’re capturing more of the upscale tech market than developers and consumers might have expected.

To drive the point home, reports have surfaced that the company recently hired David Foster to run their hardware line. Given that Foster formerly ran hardware for Amazon and served as senior director at Apple earlier in his career, it’s no surprise that Google would want him on board to shepard their hardware ecosystem through the growing pains of infancy and into the hands of mainstream techies.

This is good new for Los Angeles mobile app developers, who have been increasingly looking outside the Apple-saturated US market for startup opportunities. When it comes to fast-growing markets in India, Africa, and South America, Android is still king. Startups that solve problems for audiences who’ve recently crossed the digital divide could find huge opportunities in coming years, and having a major US player like Google shepherding the Android OS into the future will be a major asset.

Active development of Android by Google also makes it a more serious contender as a first platform for small US startups, who have traditionally started with iOS and then branched out to Android once the concept is proven within the Apple ecosystem. App developers always benefit from choice and diversity, and having another Apple-scale player in the consumer smartphone hardware space will only benefit the tech community.

Google Glass crashed and burned in their attempt to bring wearable augmented reality tech to the masses. Will SnapChat be able to succeed where Google failed?

New media material leaked around the upcoming Spectacles launch has NYC iOS app developers and consumers cautious but hopeful that the “new media” company could bring the concept of Google Glass to the public — minus the creepy factor.

But before we look at the social implications any further, let’s take a look at the specs (pun intended).

For starters, SnapChat’s product will have an affordable entry-level price point, with retail prices set at $130 for the limited release this fall. SnapChat, which recently changed its name to Snap Inc in an attempt to broaden its association outside of the famous messaging platform, is seemingly using a scarcity tactic to drum up buzz and exclusive associations around the product. This could backfire, as consumers already largely associate Google Glass-type products with elitist techies. Chances are, though, that Snap’s brand association will be strong enough to at least dull the stigma.

The devices will have a battery life of approximately one day, and comes with a case that doubles as a charger. The design is similar to Ray Bans, with chunky plastic and built-in sunglasses as the default option. Video is recorded via two conspicuous “hornrim” lenses by tapping the glasses’ rim.

Some iOS app developers are counting on the glasses being a welcome addition to the photo-and-video-recording product landscape, allowing users to participate in life without stopping to pull out a phone and “curate” the experience. Beme, among other distraction-free mobile app interfaces, have attempted to solve this problem before with mixed results (and slow download rates.).

Will strapping a camera on your face be enough to get users onboard the “glass” revolution? App developers won’t have to wait long to find out.

Google just launched a new hardware initiative, Project Bloks, with the aim of expanding youth exposure to coding principles through “tangible coding.” Unlike the software-based coding systems mobile app developers who work with kids might be familiar with, tangible coding systems represent coding concepts — objects, binaries, if/then statements — as physical objects that can be connected and rearanged in creative ways to accomplish different tasks.

What’s most compelling about Project Bloks, however, is that it’s an open-source system. Google spokespeople say the inititiave is not an attempt to monetize or enter the toy industry, but rather a tool to encourage third-party developers to conduct research and build unique tech products for kids. Said Paulo Blikstein of the Transofmative Technologies Lab at Standford University, “Imagine what could happen if we had 10 times more people developing ways for children to learn coding and computational thinking: not just the traditional way, but kits that would teach programming in different ways such as making music or controlling the physical world.”

That, in a nutshell, is what this is about — lowering the barrier to entry for companies and individual developers looking to enter the EdTech space. As it is, costs for these companies tend to be quite high. Hardware isn’t cheap, and building the backbone system needed for “tangible coding” toys is identified as an unneccessary hurdle. Rather than reinvent the wheel, enterprising EdTech mobile app developers can now use the Project Bloks system as the base for their own products and research.

While Google’s promotional materials show switches and dials on top of the core “boards” that make up the system, there are endless ways a creative designer could make use of these versatile building blocks.

EdTech and computer science education is a hot topic among Los Angeles mobile app development companies, and it’s hoped that tools like these will continue to grow accessibility for kids in tech through the coming years.