Mobile App Development in Details

Abhishek Jaiswal
Jul 30, 2014
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This article explains mobile app development, related technologies, types of applications in the current scenario, from the past and the future along with their related operating systems. So buckle up and prpeare for this app journey.

Here we go!

Applications | Overview

We are in an era of applications that are continuously making our life easier, better and I can say extended. So just go through all these types and be a part of this app era.

Definition

An application is nothing but a set of programs or codes designed for performing some required or pre-defined operations.

There can be several types of applications. Based on their functionality their definition and working methodology, technologies also differ from each other.

Now I am taking you into an ocean of applications.

Current scenario | App Development

Here I am comparing the data of a few years of mobile based devices like tablets, smartphones, fablets and so on with the internet on machines so that you can have a feel of the current app development market.

Application | Types

When we talk about applications, our mind generally takes us to several types of utility apps, gaming apps and social networking apps, that's it, but that's neither the end nor the beginning. In the current scenario when we talk about applications, we need to be specific and more generic about what type of app we are talking about and what the scenario is for that.

So in this portion of this blog I will talk about several existing categories of applications and further I'll discuss about them in detail. (Here we will cover app categories from the past and future perceptions along with the present needs and usefulness.)

In spite of all these major categories, there can be some derived categories too that fits in every major category depending on their development procedure and various functionalities.

Generally, the most commonly used derived categories are:

Static Apps
Dynamic Apps
Single Page AppsEtc.

1. Native Applications

In simple words we can say that Native applications are developed for specific platforms and are installed on a computing device.

Native apps are generally developed using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). IDEs are used in this kind of app development because IDEs provide:

Built-in support
Built-in support of libraries
Debugging
Version control tools
Project management tools

And some other useful utility tools for providing full support in app development.

We need to use IDEs because native apps are difficult to build because there is no direct development options such as you just only need to copy and paste some code snippet and it's over.

Native App | Features

Some of the most common features of native apps are as follows.

Pros:

MultiTouch support
Fast graphics API
Fluid Animation
Ease of use
Build in Components
Documentation

Cons:

Expensive Development work
Single Platform

Native App | Technologies

Some of the most commonly used technologies are:

Native iOS
Native Android
PhoneGap
Accelerator Titanium

Native App | Example
Some popular apps are:

Walgreens
PIM Calendar
NFC MAC Address
Falling Blocks
Place Picker

2. Hybrid Applications

In very common words we can define hybrid apps as Applications that are a combination of both native and web applications.

As I explained, native apps are developed for specific platforms and are installed on a computing device and web applications are those that are built for multiple platforms and can work globally. These types of applications can be simply accessed or used by the browser via an active internet connection.

Thus hybrid apps are a combination of both of these categories, having more features than native and web applications individually.

Hybrid App | Features

Some of the most common features of hybrid apps are as follows.

Pros:

Can function whether or not device is connected.
Integration with device files system.
Integration with web based services.
An embedded browser to dynamically update online content.
Works on multiple platforms.

Cons:

Functionality distractions
Feature overlapping

Hybrid App | Technologies

The mostly used technologies are:

Blackberry native
HTML5
PhoneGap

Hybrid App | Example

Some of the popular apps are:

Banana Republic
Financial Times
App shot
Bucket List

Native VS Hybrid:

Here will compare and contrast between native app and hybrid apps, how they differ and scenarios depending on their functionality through this picture.

Just go through this image and feel the difference:

Native VS Hybrid

Native VS Hybrid VS Web Applications

In this portion I am showing a real scenario of these 3 major app categories:

3. Generic Apps

In simple words we can say A mobile website will work with all the mobile platforms and phones as well.

In the diagram shown below, represents an overview or model of how generic applications actually work and their processing from one step to another without any difference. So the generic application concept is not really new, it was in the market but not at its peak but in the current scenario its crossing several leaps and bounds and giving tough competition to the mobile application development market.

Generic App | Features

Some measured features of generic apps are:

Pros:

Doesn't require specific GUI
Content oriented
Compact and cozy view
Web API based app development
Works on multiple platforms

Cons:

Less user interaction
Functionally dependent on requirement
Generally static apps
Requires active internet connection

Generic App | Technologies

Some preferred technologies are:

C# (Microsoft)
Android
Objective C (iOS)
FI_WARE (open Tech)

Generic App | Examples

Some popular apps are:

NHL series
Tomb Raider
HTML5 Learner
Flipkart Applicaion
Ebay application

4. Dedicated Apps

In common words Dedicated apps are requirement-specific static apps that are directly dependent upon the few module requirements and limited functionality.

Dedicated apps are better than bookmarked apps because several well defined and designed functionality depend on the requirements.

Some people define dedicated apps as a website that is tailored to work on mobile devices.

Dedicated App | Features

Some features of dedicated apps are:

Pros:

Supports various platforms.
Functionality dependent app development
Can be static or dynamic
Based on client requirement architecture

Cons:

Less functionality
Out dated
Less user friendly

Dedicated App | Technologies

Some preferred technologies are:

HTML5/CSS3
Android
WIN 8 Environment

Dedicated App | Examples

Some popular apps are:

Swift key Keyboard
Food planer
Timely
Keep
Duolingo
Path talk
Minecraft

5. Bookmark Apps

In simple words bookmark apps are applications that let users save web resources that they wish to access later into organized lists that can be shared online or we can say bookmark apps are mobile websites. Bookmark apps make your website compatible for viewing in mobile or tablets or mobile versions of a website.

Bookmark App | Feature

Some specific features are:

Pros:

Works in organized way.
Have name different from link.
You just need to customize your website.
Can be organized into several folders.
Drag and drop functionality

Cons:

Generally static apps
Less user interaction
Out dated

Bookmark App | Technologies

Bookmarks applications don't use any specific technology, these applications are generally based on browser interaction, so these applications use:

HTML5/CSS3
Basic Scripting Languages
Graphics/API's

Bookmark App | Example

Reddit
How-To-Geek
InstaPaper
Blogmarks
Goolge Bookmarks
Pocket

6: Cross Platform Apps

In most simple words we can say In computing, cross-platform means applications/software that can work freely in various platforms or multiple platforms.

Cross-platform applications can be based on the following two types of functionalities:

Run time packages
Standard components

Cross-platform applications are widely used and accepted these days due to their performance and capability of supporting various platforms without serious causes. In spite of all these it also gives developers some additional support of libraries, utility tools and so on.

Cross platform Design | view

This view represents the support and design architecture.