Everyone's jumping on the mobile app development bandwagon, and that includes enterprise tech vendors.
The problem is, some of the apps they've released, despite being free, have been so glitch-ridden and poorly designed that they've actually done more harm than help.
It's clear that some vendors are just putting apps out there to show how mobile-savvy they are. They're probably thinking, Hey, people can't complain because they're free, right?
Wrong. Once apps are out there, they're out there — standing as monuments to a vendor's lack of mobile app development skills.
And then the negative feedback starts piling up. Or worse, apathy.
We looked around on the Apple, Microsoft and Google app stores and found a bunch of enterprise vendors that apparently didn't put enough effort into their apps.
Microsoft Outlook.com (Android)
What It Does: Lets Android smartphone and tablet users connect to Microsoft's Outlook.com email service (previously known as Hotmail).
What People Don't Like: On the Google Play app store, 60% of the 75,000 reviewers gave it one star out of five. Common complaints include keyboard usability problems, trouble opening attachments and slow performance.
Microsoft makes a lot of money from patent licensing agreements with Android device makers. They're a big reason why Microsoft's patents could become a multi-billion dollar business this year.
You'd think Microsoft would want to give Android users a good email app.
Oracle (iOS)
What It Does: It's supposed to give iPhone and iPad users a "high-level view of everything Oracle," according to the app's iTunes page. "Hear about developments, releases, mergers and acquisitions, and other important events," it reads.
What People Don't Like: So far, 55 of the 118 people who've rated the app on iTunes have given it one star out of five. But no one has taken the time to explain why they don't like it. Perhaps they're so dismayed they can't even put their frustration into words.
Dell Mobile Print (Android)
What It Does: This lets Android smartphone and tablet users print photos and documents by sending them over Wi-Fi to Dell printers.
What People Don't Like: More than half of the 275 reviewers have rated this app one star out of five. Many are upset that their Dell printer model doesn't work with the app, and there are tons of complaints about printing errors while using the app.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider