Workshop on PhoneGap and HTML5 at Aitrich

What does the proliferation of different mobile and tablet platforms and devices mean for developers entering the industry ? Are they offering opportunities or more problems ?

Whatever it is for developers, the companies find it more challenging to be reached to all their customers regardless of the mobile platforms they choose. They are always in the lookout for a way of developing single app and run it anywhere as if they are native to the host platform. Many technologies are springing up following this idea and PhoneGap is a real promise.
PhoneGap is an HTML5 app platform that allows you to author native applications with web technologies and get access to APIs and app stores. PhoneGap leverages web technologies developers already know best... HTML and JavaScript. Without having to deep dive into the complexities of native platforms, which makes mastering the mobile development tougher, PhoneGap allows the developers to leverage their web skills into mobile app development easily.

PhoneGap currently supports the following platforms..

PhoneGap developers are increasingly in demand and getting paid handsomely, competing to iPhone and Android developers. The trends say that companies will eventually prefer PhoneGap developers over native mobile developers as the platform is getting matured in every release, and now it is under the safe umbrella of Adobe Systems Inc.
Being a relatively new technology, there is not enough training providers for PhoneGap. Aitrich Technologies, the pioneers of cross-platform mobile development company located at the South Indian state of Kerala, recently conducted an introductory workshop on PhoneGap and related technologies including HTML 5, as part of promoting awareness on Cross-platform Mobile App Development. Their training division provides inhouse as well as corporate training for major web and mobile technologies including PhoneGap. AppsGala, representing their Mobile Development Division showcasing their works and skillset in the area.

Students from number of colleges across Kerala and Tamil Nadu gathered at Aitrich Technologies office at Thrissur with the hope and eagerness to learn about the latest of the latest technology in Mobile Application Development. And the workshop did not disappoint them.

The Aitrich Mobile Web team shared their wealth of experience in this specialized technology area to the audience, guided them through a tour on Mobile Development, different mobile and tablet platforms, HTML 5, the new super star in the Mobile Web, and finally the art of building cross-platform applications using PhoneGap, in a very simple and easy-to-understand manner.

The program got kicked off at 10:30 with the introduction by Anish Narayanan Kutty followed up by Ullas Mohan providing the audience an idea about Mobile development and the years leading to the current trend in application development.






The next session was about HTML5 and how it is redefining the way we design our websites and applications. The session handled by Shafi was a crowd favourite as it gave an insight into the designing aspects with number of games shown as examples. They were also given a lot of information about the designing aspects and how HTML5 is ready to conquer the world with its light weight tools and easy to use tags.






The final session was handled by the Mobile Web team leader Shafi, who gave the audience an idea about PhoneGap and how it works. The fact that PhoneGap allows you to “Build Once and Deploy Many times” was a clincher. The students were really motivated to learn more about PhoneGap and through the interactive sessions it was evident that the students were serious with PhoneGap as a career. Mobile Web is definitely a thing for the future. With the ever growing density of smartphones across the globe the next hottest job market is definitely mobile application development and mobile website development.

Cross-platform mobile develeopment is definitely the way forward. Aitrich Technologies, being the pioneers in PhoneGap application development and PhoneGap training in India is showing the way forward to the young IT aspirants.

Aitrich provides customised training packages on mobile and web technologies including PhoneGap, in house and onsite locations. The students are often placed or acquired on completion of the program. As part of the Aitrich Professional Network[APN], the graduates are exposed to various career development opportunities including project experience, apps-development opportunities, contract and permanent employment opportunities. Aitrich Trained Professionals had always been in demand, as a result of the high quality of training and exposure provided at their development environment.

Visit Aitrich Corporate Web site - http://www.aitrich.com

AppsGala - Celebration of Apps

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HTML5 blossoms @aitrich

 

About HTML5:-
 It is the fifth revision of the HTML standard, created in 1990 and standardized as HTML4 as of 1997 and as of September 2011 is still under development. Its core aims have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices (Web browsers, parsers , etc.). HTML 5 is device independent with respect to a mobile and a personal computer. 
HTML 5 is a great combination of HTML, CSS and JavaScript which is a dream combination for any software and mobile developer. It is extremely user friendly, a result of being customer friendly. 
We at aitrich Technologies understand the scope and opportunities available with the use and knowledge of HTML5. The updations which are being done on a daily basis and which is to be completed by 2022 provides a challenge of huge proportions. aitrich as an organizations fueled by the young guns are taking up this challenge and so far we have come out with flying colors as the poster may suggest. Our soon to be published aitrich mobile application had an heavy influence of HTML5, an application which has being appreciated by one and all. Our junior team comprising of Shafi PS, Jinas and Manaf who where ably led by Ullas and Shafi had a great learning experience on the project. 
Shafi PS quotes " As students we were initially overwhelmed by the challenge, our seniors maintained a great positive team atmosphere, enabling us to learn from our challenges and completing our project in time. HTML5 provides a challenging experience completed by an urge to learn, a fun and creative tool allowing us great future opportunities" 
Manaf adds " HTML5 is a challenge which we overcame through learning the basics and other relevant aspects of HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, jQuery mobile and applying the stuff we learned into practice. Overall a great learning experience"

Mobile War - "Apple Vs Android"

iphone v/s android..
Its an all out war out here. On one side we have a rage and on the other we have a competitor who is as strong if not stronger. Its high time we analyze the strength of android which is powered by the ever growing and highly innovative brand of Samsung ( leader among the pack ). The article quotes that Samsung could use Android in every sector in which it is involved. Go through the article and analyze it for yourself.
Should Apple be worried about Samsung?

http://www.androidauthority.com/why-apple-is-very-afraid-of-samsung-26459/

InfoQ: SlideShare migrates from Flash to HTML5

Posted by Alex Blewitt on Sep 27, 2011

Today, Slideshare, the popular on-line presentation hosting site, completed its transition to using HTML5 instead of Flash for its eponymous slide sharing utlity.

Previously, browsers had to have Adobe Flash installed in order to view presentations on their site. However, with the advance of HTML5, and an increasing amount of traffic from (mobile) browsers without Flash support, the transition to HTML5 meant that SlideShare could be ahead of the competitors in terms of the delivery of components for other browsers.

Not only that, but the slides load 30% faster ...

Read more at - InfoQ: SlideShare migrates from Flash to HTML5

Mobile Web Vs Native Mobile App Vs Hybrid

Source: Global Intellgence Alliance[visit]

 

What is the best choice between a mobile web application and a native mobile app, say, iphone app, android app, win mobile app... when planning a new mobile application ?

Or is a hybrid solution the right choice ? 

What are the concerns and considerations ?

Which platform (mobile web/ a native app/ hybrid) is more suitable for my business needs ?

What are the future directions ? Guidelines... ?

Both mobile web as well as native apps have their own merits and demerits. I found myself curious to see what the industry think about it, surfing through different community resources. An interesting debate is going on around this topic in the community.

Developers consider various factors before choosing the right platform for their new app. It was interesting to see what various camps think and advocate about.

• There are few factors that make this debate really interesting
• Mobile development is at its very early stage.
• Its is growing and changing very fast, you cannot predict what is going to be there two years ahead from now.
• Lots of new players and concepts are coming in.

Here is a brief compilation of the findings from my few hours of surfing and reading on the topic. Most of them are extracts from online resources, for the purpose of the readers to read and make their assumptions.


Native or Web Application ? [Global Intelligence Alliance]How Best to Deliver Content and Services to Your Audiences over the Mobile Phone.

The choice overa web or native (i.e. device specific) application holds important implications on, or is dictated by, a number of launch considerations for any mobile publisher or service provider:

• User Experience design
• Billing
• Reach
• ROI
• Go-to-market
• Discoverability
• User analytics

Despite conventional beliefs, by 2013 the majority of native device attributes are set to reach mobile/HTML5 web applications (as estimated below) while enabling user experiences that rival those of native applications:

Web apps offer an architectural advantage when targeting a cross-device launch, where significantly less platform migration is required as compared to native applications enabling substantial savings in porting and QA costs.

 Read more here >>

Web vs. Native Mobile App? Forrester Says Do Both

What is the future of the mobile Internet? Are native applications going to be the dominant form of digital interaction? Will new and developing browser technologies like HTML5 make the mobile Web preferable to apps? Developers, engineers, product strategists and brands large and small want to know what the future will look like in order to make spending decisions.

 Read more here >>

Insights on Web vs Native Mobile App: Forrester Says Do Both

"More than half of European (and 60% of US) consumers who download apps at least monthly also access the Internet via their mobile phones at least daily. In short, heavy app users are also heavy mobile Web users," Forrester said.

While this list of pros and cons, technical and business merits of each serve as a useful starting point for determining a sound app strategy for business apps, at the end, for product strategist, the question will be: what is your objective?

 Read more here >>

Native App vs. Web App: Which Is Better for Mobile Commerce? [Mashable]

One of the resounding themes for mobile software developers in 2011 is the debate between building a native app or building a mobile web app. While some developers are looking at ways to build hybrid solutions, this is a topic that continues to become more complex.
This is especially true for mobile commerce sites, where the conversion rates between browsers and purchasers can vary dramatically based on the platform and the method of presentation.
David Eads, the vice president of product marketing at Kony Solutions recently wrote an article for Mobile Commerce assessing the mobile channels brands need to support.

 Read more here >>

Designing for Mobile: Mobile Web Vs Native Apps [Sachendra Yadav]

There’s a big debate out there on this topic but there’s no silver bullet. Mobile web and native apps offer different benefits and serve different audiences. You need to look at what experience your app needs to deliver? What you are trying to achieve? What is your business model? What is your budget? Who is your target? etc; weigh the pros and cons of both the mediums and decide what works best for you.

 Read more here >>

A few thoughts on mobile web vs. rich app [Tech Republic] 

Takeaway: One of the very first questions we face when we begin planning to build an application is whether to do mobile web or rich app development.

As a mobile developer, I get asked my opinion on mobile web vs. rich app development quite often, and understandably so. For most mobile developers, this is one of the very first questions we face when we begin planning to build an application. And to be honest, there’s really no “correct” answer to the question. If I absolutely had to break it down to a couple distinct criteria, the decision would likely be based on the following:

• OS/Hardware-specific feature requirements
• Development budget
• Development timeline
• Target audience

 Read more here >>

An excellent slide on this topic..
Native vs Mobile Web vs Hybrid Apps for Mobile Development

The years ahead seems to be very exciting with lots of new trends and players in this field. Only those who constantly adapt to change is going to survive, as change is the only constant that can be seen in the Mobile technology spectrum.

This wide variety of technology choices is in fact giving many opportunities for the developer community. Developers can specialize on natvie platforms of either of the big camps or become a generalist by focusing on mobile web. However the challenge is to keep themselves up to date with the frequently changing trends, features and versions.

Either you enjoy this challenge by upgrading yourself constantly, or let yourself go out-dated. Choice is yours!

Microsoft is serious about mobile: The race begins !

Black Berry, Apple Now Mango?

Microsoft previewed the next major release of Windows Phone, code-named “Mango,” through a series of media events around the world.  Microsoft  claim that, “Mango” will deliver more than 500 new features to push the boundaries of the smartphone experience around communications, apps and the Internet.

“When we looked ahead to the next release, we wanted to stay true to the principles of Windows Phone 7 – that software should get out of your way and quickly connect you to the things that matter most,” said Greg Sullivan, senior product manager of mobile communications at Microsoft. “Mango builds on the work that we did in Windows Phone 7 and extends a lot of key scenarios around communications, apps, and Internet experiences – with even more capability and a deeper level of integration.”

Watch the video..

Here are the list of features coming from Microsoft itself:

• Third-party Multi-tasking
• Twitter integration in People Hub
• Office 365 and SkyDrive support in Office Hub
• Internet Explorer 9 Mobile
• Improved application discovery
• Custom ringtones support
• Over-the-air Podcasts Download
• Better marketplace navigation
• Bing Search “Extras”
• Multiple Live Tiles per app
• Revamped Games Hub
• Expanded language support
• Configurable background services
• Pinnable email folders and conversation view
• Microsoft Lync Mobile app
• 1500+ New APIs (Motion Sensor, Gyro, Sockets, Database and more)
• Private and Beta Marketplace and Parental Controls
• Exchange Server email search, enhanced security and information rights management, and support for hidden WiFi network

Communications: Easier to Connect and Share

The smartphone experience can be complicated by a sea of disconnected apps and accounts as people attempt to keep pace with all the ways they communicate — from calls, texts, email and instant messages (IM) to status updates, Tweets, check-ins, photo posting and tagging. To help people stay on top of that growing complexity, the “Mango” release organizes information around the person or group people want to interact with, not the app they have to use.

•	Threads. Switch between text, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation.
•	Groups. Group contacts into personalized Live Tiles to see the latest status updates right from the Start Screen and quickly send a text, email or IM to the whole group.
•	Deeper social network integration. Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are now integrated into contact cards, and “Mango” includes built-in Facebook check-ins and new face detection software that makes it easier to quickly tag photos and post to the Web.
•	Linked inbox. See multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Conversations are organized to make it easy to stay on top of the latest mail.
•	Hands-free messaging. Built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support enables hands-free texting or chatting.

A Smarter Approach to Apps

Windows Phone will challenge the way people think about apps. Today their usefulness is measured by what can be done within the app, but Microsoft sees the promise of apps in how they can be integrated directly into the core experiences of the phone. In addition to making it easy to get timely notifications and updates from apps right from the Start Screen, the “Mango” release also will surface apps as part of search results and within Windows Phone Hubs. As a result, a useful app is more likely to be right there when needed.

•	App Connect. By connecting apps to search results and deepening their integration with Windows Phone Hubs, including Music and Video and Pictures, “Mango” allows apps to be surfaced when and where they make sense.
•	Improved Live Tiles. Get real-time information from apps without having to open them. Live Tiles can be more dynamic and hold more information.
•	Multitasking. Quickly switch between apps in use and allow apps to run in the background, helping to preserve battery life and performance.

Taking the Internet Beyond the Browser

In addition to including Internet Explorer, the “Mango” release will connect the power of the Web to the unique capabilities of Windows Phones, such as location awareness, camera and access to apps, to present a way of viewing the Web that is more localized, actionable and relevant.

•	Internet Explorer 9. A browser based on the powerful Internet Explorer 9 and including support for HTML5 and full hardware acceleration.
•	Local Scout. Provides hyperlocal search results and recommends nearby restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy-to-use guide.
•	Bing on Windows Phone. More ways to search the Web, including Bing Vision, Music Search and Voice so it’s easy to discover and decide.
•	Quick Cards. When searching for a product, movie, event or place, see a quick summary of relevant information, including related apps.

One more video ..

Find information on the Beta Mango Tools here.

Read the announcement of Window Phone Marketplace of the Web for Mango here.

Explosion of Apps Market

I was going through some articles related to the Mobile Apps Development and their market place recently, and found very interesting statistics in one blog with the heading, Apps to Explode to $38 Billion Market by 2015 (click here).

While iPhone leads the market with an astonishing 82.7% as of the start of this year, the race has begun for the market share from the giants, Android, Black Berry, HP, Samsung, Nokia, Microsoft, LG etc. The interesting trend is that, the parameters change in such a big pace, we cannot predict the situation after 2-3 years of time now. Who will dominate the market ? Which all new players will be there ? We should wait and see.

iPhone has just triggerred this explosion, but if you look at the competitors, Android is penetrating the market in a bigger pace, Black Berry is targeting business class customers, even Acer has emerged as a strong player in the field.

The collaboration of Microsoft and Nokia over the Windows Phone 7 for Nokia smart phones is a clear indicator on what is Microsoft's aim on this market. The exciting new features released with Windows Phone 7 Mango clearly tells us how fast they want to capture the market.

All indicators predict that what we see now is just the tip of the big iceberg yet to emerge in the coming days.

An interesting discussion going on over this link on topic, Does Windows Phone 7 stand a chance versus iOS, Android and BlackBerry?. Take a look.

Few interesting reads on the topic.

• Mobile App Internet: Making Sense Of The 2011 Mobile Hysteria (Forrester Blog)
• Can Anyone Compete With the iTunes App Store ?
• Major mobile app store revenue will grow 77.7% in 2011

Just wondering, what will be our share in this big figures .... :)