Mobile application development - is this correct?

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MisterBigglesworth

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I have been looking into mobile app development and found the website link below. Now it identifies basically the 5 major OS's for mobile devices / smartphones. So my question is, If I want to develop a mobile application, do I have to create 5 different versions - basically 1 for each OS?

http://www.thebestmobilephone.com/top-operating-systems-for-smartphones

Top operating systems for mobile devices:

  • Symbian OS - Nokia
  • RIM Blackberry OS
  • Android OS - Samsung
  • iOS - iPhone / iPad
  • Windows Phone Operating System
 
You can look at HTML 5 + Javascript to target all (newish) devices.

Also there's the Mono project which should allow you to target iOS, Android + Windows Phone with a similar codebase.
 
The best quality apps are optimized for their platform - so yes you need to make one for each platform if you want a good one.

There are so many differences between the platforms anyway that trying to write one app will prove impossible.
 
dequadin said:
You can look at HTML 5 + Javascript to target all (newish) devices.

Also there's the Mono project which should allow you to target iOS, Android + Windows Phone with a similar codebase.
Click to expand...
Link
 Who owns the source code? If they are starting from scratch surely their will be a lawsuit coming?
 
I will repost this again.

Dude, one word...PhoneGap.

You code your app in html, css and javascript (jQuery). With PhoneGap you can port your app to Android, iOS, BB, WebOS and Symbian. It works so well that Adobe Dreamweaver has even incorporated it into their CS5.5 release.
You pretty much code a "little website" and that runs native as a standalone on your phone. Or it can be run remotely also if you want :)
 
Thanks for the replies! Regarding HTML5 and Javascript...this route would mean users need to open their browser and navigate to a URL for the app. Its not essentially a mobile application that you download and install. Better to have the app installed than having to go each time to the mobile device's browser and search for it, or get it from your bookmarks if saved there.

PhoneGap sounds interesting...will check it out.

Many thanks again! ;)
 
CrazyFig said:
Regarding HTML5 and Javascript...this route would mean users need to open their browser and navigate to a URL for the app. Its not essentially a mobile application that you download and install.
Click to expand...
Although I am TOTALLY against the idea of using web technologies instead of making a real native app: They would not necessarily need to go to the web browser. From a WP7 perspective you can just have a webbrowser control in the app that goes to the url. Then it is totally transparent to the user that it is actually a site.
I imagine it is the same on the other platforms.
 
Check out PhoneGap. Even though you are using web coding to create your app it doesn't have to run in the mobile devices browser.

PhoneGap serves as the "gap" between the web code and mobile device. It is not running your app in a browser environment.

Just go check it out :)
 
IMHO there are only 2 operating systems now to keep your eye on. Android (Google BTW, not Samsung) and iOS.

Android is open source Linux distro adapted to cell phones.. Google is the owner and developer of Android. The amount of Google integration with Gingerbread (the latest version) is also quite extension (any google product is also available as an android app, google talk, gmail, calendar, etc.). It is also seamless (new chats are perfectly displayed like you would an SMS, getting a GTalk call is like receiving a call, etc.)

iOS isn't as accessible (Apple only, proprietary, expensive, etc). but because it is a fashion accessory and "cool" many people are willing to pay the price. Comparing both, I don't really feel iOS is better than Android but iPhone owners tell me otherwise...

I guarantee in about 2 years you are going to see Android phones on the bottom of the range models as well as top end models. Red Bull Mobile are already offering a low and high end Android at ~R150 and ~R300.

Black Berry is popular because of the free internet thing but that is a situation created by SA telecoms, if we had cheap internet here, I highly doubt the Black Berry would remain as popular.

As for Nokia, are they still making phones? Haven't ever used a single product of theirs that was good. It was better than the rest, because the rest sucked, but it is complete piece of garbage.

Lastly there is Windows, don't see that getting a good market share, not with the likes of Android and iPhone around.
 
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