A Guide to Mobile App
Development Platforms
Choosing a Mobile
Development Framework
Often a developer has a great idea they can visualize but a gauntlet to run through before they see it climb up the bestseller list on Google Play or the App Store. Here’s your bold statement of the day: History will judge this time period as the golden age of app development.
Now, you’re either scoffing at the audacity of that statement or thinking, “Yeah, it just might be the golden age.” Think about it. It’s a maturing market where the possibilities are seemingly endless–there’s money, opportunity and mainstream appeal. What is great about this field is also what is daunting. The possibilities aren’t literally endless but they can be overwhelming in their scope.
Let’s start at square one. Which framework do you use to build the darn thing? The following six programs aren’t the only dev tools on the market, but they should give you a basic starting point for your great idea. Just remember us when you’re making your millions, mmkay?
PhoneGap/Apache Cordova
One of the most popular mobile development frameworks is PhoneGap. This free, open-source framework utilizes many easy and common
coding languages, such as HTML, Javascript, and CSS. There are also a lot of choices for plug-ins. Because of the nature of open-source platforms, some plug-ins are out-of-date and buggy.
You can, of course, create your own plug-ins, but if you’re using PhoneGap, you might not have the most experienced programmers in the first place. And if those programmers don’t have knowledge of mobile-friendly UI frameworks, the app may run slowly.
Pros
: One of the easiest design frameworks.
Appcelerator Titanium
When using Appcelerator Titanium, your developers will program in Titanium API using Javascript syntax. UI can only be done through hard coding, which can often turn into a time-consuming process. Appcelerator Titanium does, however, use native UI components and generally has excellent performance overall.
Titanium is free to all, though there are “value-adds” such as Backend-as-a-Service, code analysis and the like.
Pros
: Relatively easy language, UI abstraction, fairly popular.
Adobe Air
Adobe Air’s strength rests in its ability to create incredible graphics for your app. It has a GUI editor in the IDE. One of the biggest drawbacks is that the only language Adobe Air utilizes is ActionScript.
Unlike other frameworks Adobe Air allows you to program for Black-Berry and OSX.
Pros
: Powerful tool for graphically pleasing apps on many different platforms.
Possible limitations
: Uses proprietary language and may not be a good
Qt
If you plan on bringing your app to many different countries, Qt might be one of the better options. Qt Linguist enables translation and internationalization in apps.In Addition, Qt offers solid development
tools and code profiling. It also features a large set of libraries containing intuitive APIs.
Like many of the other tools on the list, Qt is free.
Pros
: Strong development tools, internationalization, provides native look.
Telerik
Telerik is all about the cloud: you store everything in the cloud, you write the code in the cloud, you host it in the cloud. The GUI editor also has drag and drop widgets, and the framework supports KendoUI and jQuery. Telerik’s biggest issue is that the interface can be buggy. In addition, interface options are relatively limited compared to other frameworks on the list.
Telerik costs $40/month/user.
Pros
: Easy languages, cloud storage.
Xamarin
Xamarin features a true, native UI for iOS, Android, and Windows. Xamarin 3 also has some of the easiest iOS coding. If you are developing only for iOS, this framework is a strong choice. However, if you plan on developing for Android and Windows, the process might turn into a time sink since you will have to build individually on each platform (even though your app might have many similar non-native features). Xamarin creates apps using C#, so it is a great choice for companies that exclusively use Microsoft products.
Xamarin is also one of the more expensive frameworks on our list. The limited version is free, but additional features will run you between $300-$1,900 per platform, per developer, per year.
Pros
: Powerful, stable, creates true native apps.
LANGUAGE GUI UI CONTROLS PLATFORM PRICING API DOCUMENTATION BOTTOM LINE
HTML, Javascript, CSS Titanium API using Javascript syntax
ActionScript QML (CSS/Javascript- like), C++
HTML, Javascript, CSS, Native
C#
No GUI editor provided, but can easily be done using web development tools.
No GUI editor provided. UI editing is through coding only (relatively uneasy)
Has GUI editor in the IDE. Has GUI Editor that emulates look of each platform
Has GUI editor to drag/drop widgets
GUI Editor with native UI
Not native (jQuery UI & jQuery mobile are alternatives)
Native Flash UI Native Native and Web Native
Free Developer version is free. Enterprise and Add-ons available for a fee
Free Free $40/user/month Free for limited, Costs range from $300/ platform/dev/yr to $1900
Cordova Documentation Titanium Documentation Flash Builder Documentation Qt Documentation Telerik Icenium Documentation Xamarin Documentation
• Very popular • Relatively easy language • Powerful tool for graphically • Strong development tools • Easy languages • Powerful
AS HTML CSS JS
CSS
HTML JS JS QML C
0 0 $ 0 0 $ 0 $
About Logic Solutions
Logic Solutions builds mobile apps.
We come to work every day with a passion to help clients solve problems with intelligent and innovative web and mobile solutions. Our experts will work with you to get a solid understanding of what is needed so that you have peace of mind knowing that your project will be delivered to your satisfaction on time, on budget, and on target.
Logic is a full-service custom web and mobile application development firm, specializing in content management, eCommerce and mobile app
technology. Our services include web and mobile programming, business analysis, consulting, user interface design, UI/UX analysis, solution
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