I have no idea how I missed the Samsung's Galaxy Awesome Unpacked announcement (ugh, sorry about that). Not to worry, you can rewatch it here. Awesome camera updates, awesome One UI 3.1, and awesome emphasis on the total product ecosystem. Awesome is for everyone!

With the mobile wallet industry expected to reach $3.5T by 2023, there's no questioning the positive effects that mobile has had on the financial sector. Spurred on by Covid-19, it's interesting to see how much of the delayed adoption is due just as much to consumer behavior as it is infrastructure. And, based on my own in-store experiences, it has been primarily small businesses that were among the first in the US to provide mobile-payment options at the register. You're welcome.

Speaking of small businesses, Google, in response to Apple's Small Business Program, is also doing its part to reduce developer fees. Lowering the barrier to entry for app monetization not only benefits indie devs and small shops, but also the app users and platforms as well. A win-win-win!

And Apple, in keeping with updates for Google Maps, has also updated their Maps app with vaccination location data. This includes integration with Siri to more easily surface vaccine info via voice. One of those solutions that seems so obvious (now) that it's a shame it didn't roll out sooner.

And this Oppo X 2021 prototype is like a physical meme for testing responsive designs by resizing the browser window. It's also one of the first implementations of a rollable screen that I've seen that addresses a viable use case.

Articles

• Galaxy Awesome Unpacked via Samsung
• Mobile wallet industry to reach $3.5 trillion by 2023 via Retail Dive
• Google will reduce Play Store cut to 15 percent for a developer’s first $1M in annual revenue via The Verge
• Apple Maps updated with COVID-19 vaccination locations in the US via TechCrunch
• Oppo's X 2021 prototype shows that rollable phones have potential via Engadget

Events

• [Mar 23 @ 10am CST] Retail App Strategies That Boost Engagement, Loyalty & Sales via Airship
• [Mar 23 @ 11am CST] Remote Product Team Collaboration with Ford Credit via InVision
• [Mar 24 @ 12pm CST] Remote Work One Year Into Quarantine via IDEO U
• [Mar 25 @ 1pm CST] Celebrating Women And How Mobile Is Extending the Use of Voice via VOICE Talks

Resources

• [Video] Samsung Galaxy Awesome Unpacked March 2021: Official Replay via Samsung
• [Research] Asset Mapping for Experience Consistency via NNg
• [Spotlight] 12 Black App Developers You Need To Know via BET