Native Apps Vs. Cross Platform Apps: Big Fight Continues

Mobile app development can be a treacherous path, requiring in-depth planning, precision and streamlining of processes to create a final app. It starts with an app idea and goes down to design, development, and deployment. However, one thing that needs to be decided even before you get down to the wireframe stage is which way you want to create or deploy your app.

It is important to decide whether you want to develop a native or cross-platform app. This is not as easy as it sounds. Remember, this is the most important part of the entire app development lifecycle and the final choice depends on several factors such as your budget, technical skills, and your end user base.

Native Apps

A native app is specifically developed for a particular device and installed directly on the device. Designed ground up, a native application is coded in a specific programming language and provides a high-degree of power, reliability and performance. A native app can be downloaded via app store such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store.

Native apps also have access to a device’s features such as camera or address book and in some cases work in offline mode also. However, the speed and functionality comes at a premium price. Since native apps are developed only for one particular operating system, very often company is forced to create multiple versions for different platforms.

Rise of Cross-platform Apps

Mobile strategy is not just about having apps rather the shift is towards supporting multiple mobile platforms. Some big companies have the luxury to focus on just one operating system and turn blind eye towards other operating systems. However, the fact remains that most businesses need to target different device types and platforms.

For a startup, developing for different platforms could be a daunting task in terms of budget and manpower resources. Thankfully, several development tools exist to overcome this barrier using cross-platform mobile framework.

Cross platform is basically a term used for the technique for developing apps with common code base. The cross platform app development tools use single code base to write your code, while the Cross Platform SDK produces apps that work on different platforms. Cross platform apps can be developed using cross platform tools which makes them run though different mobile devices.

The output of such platform does not necessarily be a Native Application and hence, native code.

Flexibility Comes at a Price

But the low cost of cross platform app development comes at a hefty cost. One of the major drawbacks of using Cross Platform app development tools is that in order to customize within the app, you always have to rely on the cross-platform tool itself. This restricts you from capitalizing on the security, performance, and upgrades of the platform. The code might not run fast compared to using other native tools. Furthermore, the Framework might not support each and every feature of an OS or Device.

Finally

Native apps might be an expensive proposition. However, they are faster and much more efficient. If you want to take strategic advantage of latest features in the underlying OS, a targeted user experience for the platform, robust performance and complete control over optimization, a native app will work out to be the best option. However, if you want to quickly launch a mobile app on several platforms with a fast time to market, you can consider cross platform tools.

How do you approach cross-platform development for mobile apps? Are you in favor of using a framework or in favor of native all the way? Let us know your thoughts.

Top 5 Mobile Application Development Platforms

Whether it is consumer or enterprise mobile apps that empower organizations, we have witnessed the explosion of apps. App stores are inundated with millions of mobile apps. There is an app for everything imaginable under the sun. If you have an app idea, but are bogged down by lack of budget or technical resources, you are not alone.

Over the last year, the demand for ready enterprise-class mobile cross platform development reached an unimaginable level. Many companies be it startups or mid-sized organizations are realizing the need to adapt to the mobile world to reach out to new users, streamline processes and minimize costs. The ability to rapidly develop and deploy apps means cross platform development tools will become important over the coming years and will trigger the next level of changes.

The mobile app development is no longer a treacherous path. You don’t need to be coding geek or have thousands of dollars to hire developers. With a small investment, you can entirely create your own mobile site or application using one of the platforms listed below. This will allow you to transform your app ideas into realities, such as providing seamless mobile experience, increasing revenue as well as user engagement.

Here are the top 5 mobile application development tools:

1. Xamarin

Xamarin is a cross-platform tool that helps build native iOS and Android apps, as well as Windows and Mac apps with a single shared C#codebase. Based in San Francisco with offices in Europe, Asia and South America, the company lets developers test apps on several hundreds of devices via Xamarin Cloud service, offers Xamarin Studio IDE, and runs live online classes with its Xamarin University program. Xamarin prides itself for being associated with big brand names such as Microsoft, Kellog’s, Bosch and Dow Jones.

2. Kony

For the third consecutive year, Kony has been named a “Gartner Mobile Application Development Platform Magic Quadrant Leader.” Kony offers a wide range of tools as part of its enterprise mobility platform. This helps businesses create apps from a single codebase. The Studio platform uses JavaScript and simple drag and drop reusable widgets with the ability to import existing or third party libraries.

3. PhoneGap

It is important to note that building applications for your device, such as iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile requires different frameworks and languages. PhoneGap is a free and open source framework that lets you create mobile apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. PhoneGap bridges the gap between web applications and mobile devices by using standard-based web technologies.

4. Appcelerator

Appcelerator is a mobile app development platform purpose-built for the mobile world that allows creating great mobile app experiences, with reduced time to market and scale according to needs. Appcelerator uses JavaScript for rich native mobile and cloud-connected mobile apps. This platform provides real-time mobile analytics which helps to power user engagement and measure results.

5. Sencha

Sencha Touch is the leading MVC-based JavaScript framework for building cross-platform mobile web applications and universal apps. Sencha Touch provides one of the most comprehensive collections of UI widgets built specifically for mobile platforms such as lists, menus, and toolbars.

The charting package lets visually represent data with a broad range of chart types such as line, bar, and pie charts. Sencha Touch charts utilizes HTML5 canvas to get a high-performance native feel.

Synopsis:

Before you take a plunge into mobile application development, it is important to take stock of your priorities. Since no single platform will ever be able to meet all your development needs, bottom-line is to select the platform that is most appropriate for your business goals, needs, and challenges and ultimately, the one most appealing for your end users.

Microsoft Hyperlapse: Smoothen and Stabilize First-person Videos

Nobody can slow down the time and the speed of any moving object. Microsoft has brought Hyperlapse for you, Microsoft Hyperlapse is new technology to produce stabilized and smooth lapses of videos.

It would be astonishing to show your friends what you have seen or done in your last trip, hike or any adventure, while they were watching your stupendous video with his technology, they would be feeling themselves there to have that fun. It would be speechless to them.

Microsoft Hyperlapse enables you to time lapse your past amazing experiences, distill them to more expressible and enjoyable experiences.

After 20 years of hardworking and extensive research, Microsoft invented Hyperlapse for you. This makes your hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering and such adventurous first-person videos to smooth and stabilized.

Microsoft provides you this software for PC and mobile devices.

• Download Microsoft Hyperlapse for your PC
• Download Microsoft Hyperlapse for your Android Devices
• Download Microsoft Hyperlapse for your Windows Devices

If you are a developer of Media Company, you can use this software suite on Microsoft Azure Cloud.

Image source and resource [Microsoft Research]

Apple iOS 9 Beta: Things You Need To Know

iOS 9 is one of the most awaited launch of this year, the developer version is already available and recently Beta version is also available to use. With this Beta OS update, your phone will be loaded with lots of amazing features and functionalities offered by Apple.

Currently, iOS9 Beta version is available to make it more better for all your compatible Apple devices. At WWDC 2015 Apple announced to release the official iOS9 at this fall.

Well, Beta versions of any software products are meant for testing the product and enhancing it accordingly to provide a better, fault-free product as a end release.

Compatible Apple devices for iOS9 Beta version:

• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 4s
• iPad Air
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Mini 3
• iPad Mini
• iPad 4
• iPad 3
• iPad 2
• iPod touch 5th Generation

What are the major flaws you will cater with this update:

• App Compatibility
• Support
• Device Performance

If you want to read more about these issues and other iOS9 related information then visit iOS 9 Beta, Bugs, and Compatibility: Everything You Wanted to Know

Top 9 Android Mobile Phone Browser Apps

Why to ask anyone for best browser for your android devices. There are so many browser available in Google Play Store. I have enlisted most downloaded and installed, best Android browser below:

1. Google Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the best, mostly used web and mobile browser. It have all the features to make your surfing secure and easy. You can surf many websites simultaneously and parallely.

2. Firefox Browser

Firefox browser is the second most used browser in PC now it is available for Android platforms. It makes you browsing faster and secure just like the PC version. It supports all HTML5 and CSS3 new features.

3. Opera Mini

Opera Mini is one of the oldest mobile web browser, people are using it since, the inception of Android devices. It is trustable, secure, faster and tiny in size.

4. UC Browser

UC Browser Mini is a tiny package with great user experience. UC Browser Mini is a lightweight browser especially useful to low specification Android mobile phone users. It utilizes less storage space and full features.

5. Yandex Browser

Yandex offers you voice search functionality apart from al those browser features that are basic to any browser. You can access your favorite website conveniently and quickly. Search your favorites sites with lesser clicks. It provides you push to call feature.

6. Dolphin Browser

Dolphin browser with lightning fast speed, provides you the best experience to surf and browse. It provides gesture control, flash support and add-ons for availing extra features.

7. ASUS Browser

ASUS browser is available to use with your Android devices. Earlier it was available with ZenUI.

8. APUS Browser

APUS browser is latest though it has lots of amazing features like, faster, lightweight, allows incognito, parallel browsing and it is easy to use. Its size is less then 1 MB.

9. CM Browser

CM browser secure you from malicious and fraudulent. You can surf website with ease and fast speed. And most importantly it reserves less size than other browsers.

Download your favorite mobile web browsers and enjoy fast, easy and secure browsing  with your Android devices anywhere anytime with ease.

Google Eddystone: Open Source and Cross Platform Beacon Technology

According to Google, Eddystone is a protocol specification that defines a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) message format for proximity beacon messages. It describes several different frame types that may be used individually or in combinations to create beacons that can be used for a variety of applications.

Give your users better location and proximity experiences by providing a strong context signal for their devices in the form of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons with Eddystone™, the open beacon format from Google.

The Eddystone specification includes a number of broadcast frame types, including Eddystone-URL, the backbone of the Physical Web.

Eddystone: Openness and Flexibility

Well, it is not just the open nature; Eddystone supports multiple frame types for different use cases, making it easy to introduce new functionality easily. Historically, Bluetooth beacons signify one-way communications with the primary goal of sending a notification capable of displaying or transferring information upon a tap. Due to support of multiple frameworks, vendors will be able to use Eddystone for different functionality or purpose.

It can broadcast three signal types: UUID (similar to the iBeacon standard), URL (a successor to the UriBeacon standard) and TLM (a new telemetry signal).

Universally Unique Identifier (UUID): This is a 128-bit value that can separately identify every specific beacon in the world, which an app can listen and perform actions for. For instance, you can walk in WalMart, your favorite retail store. WalMart could deploy beacons in its store. The Walmart app could be programmed to listen for specific beacons and send special coupons or such information. The downside to UUIDs is that you need the appropriate app do anything with the information. This brings us to the second frame type.

URLs: With this capability, users don’t need to download app. The store can send a URL to the user’s phone and the consumer can look up the coupon or relevant information on a web browser. URL instead of UUID looks like a feasible option with universal appeal. It works best for small businesses without a dedicated app.

Ephemeral Identifiers (EIDs): Privacy and security are the center point of this new technology. With Ephemeral Identifiers (EIDs), you can allow only authorized clients to decode them. While the technical specification of this feature will be released soon, we can be rest assured that this feature will allow users to do tasks in a secure manner.

Telemetry Data: This frame type would allow organization to manage their vast fleets of beacons. Beacons are battery driven and need batteries changed or fixed frequently. Telemetry frame type in sync with Proximity Beacon API can help deployers monitor beacons’ battery health and displacement.

Know more about Google's Eddystone

Get Your Microsoft Windows 7 or 8 Upgraded to Windows 10

With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft begins to deliver on the vision of personal computing. In the words of Microsoft this is the “new era of Windows” that extends across the broadest range of devices from the smallest to the largest screens.

Windows 10 is a perfect amalgamation of the winning qualities of Windows 7 and Windows 8. It brings the best of both desktop and the touch-screen worlds. This operating system is easy to use with mouse and keyboard and at the same time gets better touch-screen features. It is an operating system that has a fresh feel, yet looks amazingly familiar.

The legendary Start menu is back with a bang and Microsoft’s new virtual assistant Cortana and Edge browser infuse new life into Windows.

Microsoft has made sincere attempts to overcome the blunders of Windows 8 which was built for touch computing at a time when people were still using keyboards and track pads. Windows 8 turned out to be a disastrous experience for users without touchscreens. However, with the launch of Surface tablet and touch-enabled PCs, Windows 8 started making bit of more sense to its users. But the damage was done and Windows 8 had created ruckus among users. It was indeed a humbling experience for the tech giant.

Read more about Microsoft Windows 10

Augmented Reality: Revolutionary 3D Head & Neck Anatomy Book

Today I was checking my mail and I found an article written about a book Head & Neck Anatomy. This is the latest book for Anatomy of sculptors.

Why this book is so different from other books? Answer is Augmented Reality. Have you ever heard about this topic. This is the most popular and viral topic nowadays.

Well, the thing is this book is going to provide you the 3D images of head and neck, just imagine the revolution. Medical student will be be directly benefited for their studies.

This book's 3D model will help sculptors, painters and artist to develop more detailed sculptures easily and fastly.

Your body is kinda complex and it is very hard to learn about everything. Your brains is most complex and important part of your body. To know more about the activities and working of your brain need to develop such 3D techniques

With the use of Augmented Reality technology you will be able to access all those 3D images right through your app anytime, anywhere.

This book is fully focused on using CT Scan, 3D Scan, MRI, and 3D modelling of head and neck. This is going to be amazing, Kickstarter is funding this project.

Source[AugmentedRealityTrends]

See Also: Visionize

Google Polymer: Create and Reuse the Web Components

Polymer is to deliver speed and efficiency. Create your web component with new leaner core libraries. It is easy to create, fast and beautiful web component using Google Polymer.

According to Google Polymer website major new and updated features include:

• New, fast, and easy-to-use data binding system
• Custom CSS properties for element themes and style
• Fast and lightweight Shadow DOM shim for non-supporting browsers
• “Behaviors” mechanism for sharing behavior between elements
• Create production-ready elements using Polymer, to use in your app or share with other developers.
• Earlier we were using DOM for enabling shadow effect which was heavy to load, Polymer 1.0 replaces this with lightweight shim using new faster data-binding system.

Polymer is build for modern browsers. Read more about this awesome technology "Google Polymer" leverage web component, designed to create and provide reusable component for web.

Finally

Polymer: Transcends Beyond Web Development

Polymer is not just about web development but transcends to the design elements. Polymer’s paper elements collection involves material design for the web. The core elements provide several unthemed elements to achieve material design app layouts and scrolling among other effects. Polymer aims to create a consistent user experience (UX) across a Web property from several Polymer elements.

Developers will be able to use per-built Polymer designs elements and themes. Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate modifying complex source code of web to align with design goals and troubleshooting complex bugs. Google Polymer is a step in the right direction.

Core Organizer: Must Have Productivity Mobile App

Core Organizer, a mobile app for iOS and Android devices is one of the simplest and secure option to organize your day to day task easily.

The most important thing about this is app is that it was featured on Discovery channel.

What you can do with Core Organizer:

• Allows you to save vital information into different categories.
• Allows you to capture and organize personal information for day to day activities such as:
  • House
  • Finances
  • Sporting Events
  • Collections
  • Heath Documents and Information
  • Travel Itinerary
  • Books
  • Films
  • Music
  • Private thoughts
• You can use it as your personal diary to save about anything you wish.
• Security-fist approach
• Intuitive interface
• Multiplication device sync

Read more about Core Organizer.

Hybrid Apps vs. Web Apps: Big Fight Continues

Mobile apps have taken off in a big way. Whether it is reading emails, social networking, image sharing or shopping, there is an app for virtually anything imaginable under the sun. Mobile applications open up a whole new world of opportunities. But it is a very complex world. If you are planning to launch app, you’re bombarded with technical jargon. There is always an age old debate over different mobile application development methods such as native, hybrid and web apps.

We all know that the speed and efficiency of native apps is unmatched. However, web and hybrid app development is gaining more popularity in the enterprise world. The need to develop business-to-employee apps is expected to grow at an exponential rate in the future. Most companies do not want to maintain different codebases for app.

This phase could be very confusing.

In this blog post, we will provide quick comparison between hybrid and web app that will help you decide which option is the most feasible for you.

What are Hybrid Apps?

Hybrid mobile apps are built with web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and hosted inside a native application that utilizes a mobile platform’s webview. They can take advantage of device features.

Companies often develop hybrid apps as wrappers for an already existing web page. In this manner, they can make their presence in the app store, without spending too much time or resource for developing a different app.

Hybrid apps are hugely popular because they allow cross-platform development which significantly reduces development costs. After all, same HTML code components can be reused on mobile operating systems. Tools such as PhoneGap allow people to design and code for different platforms, using the power of HTML.

In some cases, native code is used to access the wider functionality of the device and create a better user experience.

However, it is not as picture perfect as it seems. Getting your hybrid app to function flawlessly on each platform might turn out to be a big ordeal. Very often the total cost might offset cost advantage of native apps. Speed and performance might be sluggish compared to native apps.

Biggest advantage of hybrid app is that you can add functionality and let multiple versions for different operating systems benefit from it.

What are Web Apps?

Web apps are not applications, rather websites with the look and feel of native application. Web apps typically run in HTML5. Web app is basically a web-page or series of web pages that are designed to flawlessly perform on the tiny screen. The content of your website is searchable because it is on the web. Users can first access the web page as they navigate to a URL and have the option of “installing” on their home screen.

With the rise of HTML5, web apps became really popular. Developers have discovered the potential of HTML5 in creating native apps-like functionality in the browser.

Quick Comparison between Hybrid and Web Apps

Discoverability:

Web apps are a lot more discoverable on the web. People are likely to look for information on a search engine and browse a page from the search results. Most users are not going to install and maintain apps on their device.

Installation:

Installing a hybrid app is a hassle for user. For web app, the user needs to save it as a bookmark. Upon bookmarking the app’s icon will appear on the home screen.

Platform:

If you are planning to target different platforms, the web offers an attractive solution. Your target is the mobile browser. Hybrid also comes across well because of its reliance upon the WebView.

Monetization:

If you are planning to distribute your application from an app store, you need a hybrid application.

The web app advocates consider web apps better compared to native apps. Flexibility, less cost, functionality and low dependence on hardware. But web apps will require an Internet connection to work. They are designed for every platform and therefore won’t behave like a real app for a single platform.

Finally…

What works for you?

There is no magic formula. It entirely depends on your needs and objectives. Before you take a plunge into app development, it is important to analyze and ask questions.

What are your audience needs?

Do you want to monetize?

What is your budget?

What is the technical strength of your development team?

Which platform do you wish to target?

Are you looking to leverage functionality of mobile device?

Both hybrid and web apps are not the be-all and end-all solutions. They come with their strengths and drawbacks. It is up to you to decide which option works well for you and which one you will use in your application.