Introduction to Mobile Application Development
Mobile Operating Systems
- Android
- Created by Google
- It is one of the most commonly installed mobile OS for mobile devices, with support from various device manufacturers.
- It is an open source OS, which means developers are given access to unlocked hardware to develop new programs.
- iOS
- iOS (originally known as iPhone OS) is developed by Apple and is distributed exclusively for Apple hardware (iPhone, iPad, etc.).
- One of its well-known features is its multi-touch gestures.
- . Windows Phone
- Developed by Microsoft Corporation.
- Some of its features include apps that update real-time, and full support for Microsoft products such as MS Office.
- Blackberry
- Exclusive for Blackberry phones.
- Symbian
- A discontinued OS last used by Nokia for their smartphones.
Benefits of Mobile Application
- Convenience
- Interactivity
- Personalization
- Speed
- Productivity
Development Environments
- Android Studio
- The official IDE for Android application development, based on IntelliJ IDEA (a Java IDE).
- It includes code templates to help build common app features and rich layout editor with support for drag-and-drop theme editing.
- It also has built-in support for Google Cloud Platform, making it easy to integrate Google Cloud Messaging and App Engine.
- Xcode
- It includes everything that can be used to create amazing apps for iPhone and iPad.
- It allows users to build apps and run them directly on their Apple devices.
- The programming language used is Swift (created by Apple for iOS, OS X, and watchOS development).
- Visual Studio
- It is a fully-featured extensible IDE for creating modern applications for Windows, Android, and iOS, as well as web applications and cloud services.
Factors to Consider
- Platforms and Device Compatibility
- Screen Size
- User Interaction
- Screen Density
- Phone Function Integration
- Resource Management