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Mobile users have long been faced with the choice of using either a browser or an app. This often comes down purely to personal preference. Some people simply prefer using apps, while others feel more comfortable on a browser.

Yet, is the continuing development of browsers putting the future of apps at risk? While the traditional view has been that apps may kill off browsers eventually, there is also a theory that it could work the other way round.

So, what lies at the heart of this debate? The fact is that the browser vs. apps issue is something that divides users as much as it divides brands and developers.

When Is Browser Best?

Using the browser on your mobile device is ideal when you want to visit a site that you don’t use often. After all, there is no need to have an app on your home screen for a brand that you rarely use. Companies tend to see a good, mobile optimised website as being ideal for reaching out to new users conveniently.

A good example of when browser is best is when contacting a business for the first time to ask for basic details, or when searching for information. Unless you already have a favourite store or brand to buy your equipment from, browsing will typically give a better selection to choose from.

In addition, mobile browsers offer a fast and simple way of trying something new. For instance, you can play video slots online in a browser and find more than a thousand games to choose from on all sorts of themes. Mobile apps tend to be more tightly focussed on certain areas, limiting what you can access.

When Is An App Best?

It is no surprise to see that the biggest brands perform better than smaller companies when it comes to apps. Amazon and Walmart are a couple of the giant companies that earn as well or better from their apps as from their websites.

One of the questions that consumers need to ask themselves is if they want to put a particular brand’s app and logo on their home screen. If they do, then it is likely to be a brand that they like, trust and deal with on a regular basis.

If you have several products at home from Samsung or Canon or Toshiba then the chances are that you will download an app from them at some point. An app lets you go further in depth with a brand and build up a stronger, lasting relationship.

What Does the Future Hold?

Ultimately, whether a person uses a browser or apps comes down to what they are planning to do. A report from Morgan Stanley in 2015 suggested that mobile browser traffic is twice the volume of app traffic, but this only tells us half the story.

Other reports suggest that mobile users spend 80% of the time on their devices using apps. It certainly seems as though there is still room in the mobile market for both of these ways of interacting with a brand.

Celebrating their lives

Different breeds of professionals influence the world of photography through their unique styles and skills. As technology continues to evolve, photography has changed dramatically, but the basics remain the same- capturing emotions, moments and actions in still pictures. 2016 and 2017 saw the loss of some photographers who have made significant contributions throughout their careers. The following is a celebration of a few of them and their achievements in the sector.

Lord Snowdon

Born Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon was renowned for his documentary work, celebrity and society photography. He died aged 86 and left behind a collection of some of the best works in the field of photography. For more than 50 years, Lord Snowdon grew a reputable career, which got a big boost when he became the establishment’s photographer in the 1960s. He earned the title of Lord Snowdon after marrying Princess Margaret. Experts in the industry describe Snowdon’s impact to be monumental in many ways. His list of subjects is a mile long and includes some notable names in society. He has portraits of Julie Christie, John Hunt and Barbara Hepworth, among others. The National Portrait Gallery has 130 original prints of these portraits, which were a donation from Snowdon in 2014. Throughout his career, Lord Snowdon insisted on keeping his techniques simple and wasn’t much for technology. He worked for British Vogue and Sunday Times.

Jeff Pitts

Pitts first started out at the Flintshire Chronicle, but his longest job was at the North West Daily Post where he worked for 20 years. Colleagues and people in his circles described him as a humorous, true professional. At the time of death, Pitts was running his own photography business, which he started after leaving the Daily Post in 2012. He was an all-rounder since he covered presswork, weddings and public relations.

Marc Riboud

Riboud, born in St-Genis-Laval is famous for the image of Jan Rose Kasmir, a Vietnam War protestor. The photograph, taken in 1967 in Washington D.C., was of Kasmir confronting the National Guard while holding a flower. This picture later became the icon for the flower power movement, and it is also credited as altering public perception vis a vis the Vietnam War. Riboud started out working for Magnus, going all over the world taking photographs in regions like China, Iran and Pakistan. He is also famous for his works during the 1960s Cultural Revolution in China. Riboud is hailed as one of the greatest for his creativity and unmatched skills, which enabled him to bring out each tumultuous emotion in a single print.

Bill Cunningham

You can’t talk about fashion photography without naming Cunningham. He was an icon in the field and his work at the New York Times is unparalleled. Bill Cunningham’s career spanned four decades, and in that time, he photographed the most beautiful and glamorous subjects for magazine covers, but he never let the allure of the business get to him. He was known to bike to and from work, which gave him a chance to take as many photos as he could of everything that he came across. He died in 2016 from health complications.

These are only some of the icons and legends who have inspired generations of photographers. Some of them passed away unexpectedly, which exaggerates the suddenness of death. Prior preparations for such eventualities save families a lot of trouble as they grieve. Making all the necessary arrangements in advance can also cost less compared to waiting for the last minute rush. Additionally, relatives have the chance to celebrate such fulfilled lives without worrying about the minutiae.

It might sound unlikely, but it’s true: a currency born on the internet in 2008 has become an increasingly popular payment method with the UK’s marketing agencies. Bitcoin -, a ‘cryptocurrency’ invented by a still-unidentified person or group of people going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto -, is accepted by around fifteen different advertising outlets around the country.

While that might not sound like a significant figure, it’s still a huge vote of confidence in Bitcoin, a currency that has made the transition from white papers and hobby projects to a viable way to buy goods in just eight years.

Fiat Currencies

2016 has been Bitcoin’s year. The currency reached a record high value to the pound in June, climbing to £619 per individual coin on the back of instability in China’s economy (and the subsequent exodus from fiat currencies it has caused). Bitcoin has also gained support from high-profile finance moguls and companies like Valve this year.

The currency has a captive audience in online casinos and iGaming websites like Vegas Casino, which favours Bitcoin over dollars and pounds. It’s a brave decision, but also one that comes with numerous perks for fans of bitcoin mobile roulette, including immediate, irreversible, and private transactions and a near immunity to fraud.

Access to Bitcoin ‘faucets’ that reward small amounts of the currency for the completion of small tasks, as well as money exchanges in easy reach are two ways in which companies such as Vegas Casino continue to support Bitcoin and its users on the internet.

Bitcoin ATM

The currency’s emergence from the cocoon of the internet to Britain’s high streets has been slow, however. The first Bitcoin ATM in a pub in Shoreditch, London, didn’t have quite the immediate reaction its owner had hoped for, judging by the small number of Bitcoin-accepting businesses in the area today.

Countrywide though, the influence of Bitcoin is undeniable. In the south, firms like Swat Marketing (Brighton), Print 2 Media (Cornwall), Robbed Design and Cable Studios (both in London) take Bitcoin, while Fris Design (Manchester) and Lobster Digital Marketing are some of the more notable firms to accept cryptocurrency elsewhere in the country.

One of the understated benefits of Bitcoin is in appealing to users in developing markets. The currency isn’t regulated so it can provide a way around the fees and charges levied by credit card companies on cross-border payments, meaning that business is cheaper for companies and their customers alike.

Explosive Growth

As a final point, Bitcoin is forecasted to see more growth in the future, with some pundits pinning their hopes on a $1,000 (£804) price per coin before January 2017, a £200 increase in just a month’s time. It’s an optimistic prediction but still one based in fact: the currency’s value has been climbing since August and is currently sitting at a five-month high.

The latest Bitcoin Price Index is 733.22 USD https://t.co/lzUu2wyPQN pic.twitter.com/vrEnyfSabt

— CoinDesk (@coindesk) 28 November 2016

A single Bitcoin was worth £979 in 2013, so the potential does exist for explosive growth, especially if there’s a game-changing development in the world, such as a new leader in a major market. Bitcoin surged following the announcement of Donald Trump’s election win on account of the fact that investors felt that Bitcoin was a safe alternative to bank accounts.

The US state of Delaware just this week passed a landmark law that gives the digital legacy’s rights of the deceased in the hands of their heirs. The issue found resonance in India too, because the country has an Internet user base up to nearly 250 million people that on a scale never witnessed before is sharing and creating content. Soon, in India there will be more Facebook users than anywhere else in the world. India is viewed as the next biggest and potential frontier by Twitter and the perfect digital storm is being created by the internet-enabled business models driving forward everything from booking a table at a restaurant to taxi rides.

So the question is after millions of users in India leave behind their digital remains what will happen to them? When it comes to plan the afterlife, like in most parts of the world, companies and users are still dealing with a blurred digital ignorance and regulatory framework.