From next spring, US BMW owners will be able to purchase new apps and services for their cars straight from the dashboard. At the moment, if you've got a brand new BMW complete with ConnectedDrive, the company's integrated infotainment and communications platform, adding new features means a trip to the dealership or calling a dedicated helpline. However, the new service, which will be getting its first public demonstration at the 2015 International CES in Las Vegas this Janu

Mobile apps are easy to create and, through an ever widening network of app stores, easy to distribute. The public has an almost insatiable appetite for mobile apps that promise to save them time or money, and that is where some consumers - and brands - can begin to see trouble. What trends are you seeing in the mobile space? Greg Mancusi-Ungaro, CMO, BrandProtect: Mobile apps have rapidly become the "environment of choice" for Internet scammers. In just one year, McAfee Labs

Most people think of mobile in terms of SMS messaging or even mobile browsers, but some data suggests 2015 will become the year mobile turns to 'app first', especially on the retail front. Retail apps have been gaining popularity throughout 2014, one report shows most (73%) of shoppers are 'likely to shop' with retailers offering mobile apps. "Today, 17% of smartphone owners report shopping at a new store because of their mobile app, looking ahead--given how positively people

Capetonian Sam Laing sounds like a brand ambassador when she talks about her favourite local mobile payments application. But she isn't. Instead, she's one of a growing number of people in South Africa's Mother City who are leaving their wallets at home in favour of digital money apps. "I use SnapScan," she says. "I love it. If I find someone using SnapScan I will buy something even if I wasn't intending to. "I find myself telling small coffee shops and vendors at markets tha