Category: Mobile

Windows Mobile 7.5 App Development – An Introduction

February 28, 2012

Much talk related to mobile OS is still limited to iOS and Android, and occasionally, RIM’s BlackBerry OS pops in. However, one needs to remember that Microsoft’s Windows Phone is a serious contender that might give the other three operating systems a run for their money. A note of caution: Windows Phone is the successor to Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform and the devices that run on Windows Mobile are not compatible with apps designed for Windows Phone. App developers would stand to gain if they concentrated more on the current version of Windows Phone. Developing Applications for Windows Mobile Devices In order to develop applications for Windows Phone devices, one would need to be familiar with Visual Studio. The tools that developers need in order to develop applications are Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Phone Emulator Resources, XNA Game Studio and Expression Blend. Developers would also gain if they had access to previous samples, documentation, guides and the ever-supportive Windows community. Windows Phone 7.5 makes use of the cloud similar to Apple. Microsoft understands that people tend to use several devices including but not limited to computers, smartphones and tablets. Thus, the latest Windows Mobile OS aims to make use of the cloud and much of the data would be available on all the devices connected to a person’s account. What Windows Mobile Offers to Consumers The first version of Windows Phone 7 was released in 2010 and a year later, Windows Phone 7.5, codenamed Mango appeared as well. Windows Mobile is equipped with the latest features but has very few devices that run on it. Nokia Lumia is one of the models that run on Windows Mobile 7.5. Windows Mobile is radically different from its predecessor and has an impressive speed. Mobile devices that run Windows Phone come with the Metro interface, which is offered by Microsoft. Metro integrates the OS with third party services and also controls the phone’s hardware. Windows Mobile 7.5 offers live tiles on the homescreen, unlike apps on iOS or widgets on a device running Android. Devices that run on Windows Mobile 7.5 visualize the homescreen as a large canvas, where one can have their favourite contacts or apps as singular tiles. The tiles would then be updated real time. This is a fresh approach to interface design. The latest update integrates multi-tasking in a nifty manner and social integration is quite intuitive as well. For instance, pictures can be tweeted right from the gallery. Productivity and Functionality of Windows Mobile OS Of course, being a Windows phone, the Windows Mobile 7.5 device would offer more productivity than any other OS, and it syncs contacts, emails and calendars from one’s Google or Live account. The very fact that Microsoft Office can be used in its native ecosystem makes it particularly attractive to enterprise users. As developers, there are a number of ways in which one could utilize the tools offered by Microsoft. For instance, developers can look forward to being part of a growing ecosystem, which received rave reviews at the CES 2012. However, developers need to remember that though Windows Mobile 7.5 is attractive and is a top-notch OS, consumers have been slow to adapt. While it may not be advisable to look away from Windows Mobile ecosystem, but it definitely demands patience. Therefore, in our opinion, this should be prioritized after Android, iOS and Blackberry. However, it may move the third position very soon if Blackberry continue to decline in popularity. The Future of Windows Mobile While iOS and Android clearly dominate the market, and RIM’s BlackBerry devices are struggling to save their North American market, Windows Mobile 7.5 is not usually spoken about in the media. However, that does not mean developers must ignore or forget this unique but promising operating system. At the moment, Windows Mobile 7.5 is top-notch and everything in the bundle works just fine. However, the OS is lacking in the application realm. A reason for this can be the entry level cost of buying Visual Studio by prospective developers. The development tools of competing products are far cheaper, if not free. This somehow causes a negative impact on the developer ecosystem. Therefore, we are back to the “War of Operating Systems” again. The difference being – Microsoft is the challenger to Apple and Google instead the other way around! This is the beauty of technology business – you skip a beat and the game is reversed. BTW, If you have an app in iOS or Android and you wish to port the same to Windoes Mobile 7.5, feel free to drop us a line and we will be happy to connect you with our mobile consulting team.

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Introduction to Android OS

February 27, 2012

Until Android gained the wide spectrum of mobile consumers it has today, Apple’s iOS and BlackBerry OS were the major operating systems used to run Smartphones. In early 2012, one could safely conclude that Android has not only moved ahead of BlackBerry, but is also more widely used than iOS devices. Thus, app developers have a lot to gain if they learned how to develop applications for Android devices. Introducing Android Environment to App Developers Android is based on Linux V2.6 kernel and is a complete OS ecosystem. While initially it was meant to be a low-cost OS for smartphones and flip-phone devices, it has grown into a mobile OS juggernaut that has practically gobbled a huge market share. Android offers rich functional support and a full range of computing services which allow devices that run on Android to do much more than stripped down-versions of mobile operating systems. Android Can Play Both Ways: Consumer and Enterprise-centric Devices Android has the capacity to please both consumers who like to play and enterprise users who need a lot of work done efficiently and securely. The first smartphone to run on Android was G1, manufactured by HTC with T-Mobile serving as the carrier. The Android platform is much more complicated than iOS and features layered environment built upon Linux kernel. Android’s UI subsystem features windows, views and widgets for displaying drop-down lists, edit boxes etc. Faster Connectivity and Rich Graphics Android phones offer excellent connectivity options and there already are many Android-running smartphones that support LTE-4G networks. Thanks to the built in 2D and 3D graphics, playing video games and running media-rich applications are easier, when compared to other platforms which rely on text more than graphics. What One Needs to Know Before Development Developing Android applications requires knowledge of Java along with other software skills. Android applications run within the Dalvik Virtual Machine. Activities are begun when a user launches an application from the home screen or app launcher, thanks to the visible UI. Android also checks for updates and monitors your network as part of its services. Android can handle multi-tasking and switch between applications with relative ease. In order to develop Android applications one would need to download the Android SDK and the Eclipse IDE. One can use Linux, Windows or Mac computers to develop applications. Android Is Versatile Some of the advantages of the Android platforms are room for customization, rich features, security and ability to debug easily, and a complex and layered environment that allows innovation in development of applications. Android also runs on non-mobile household devices like ovens, Air-conditioners and even refrigerators for which applications can be developed. These Android apps can be used to control a device and the way it functions with the help of touchscreens. Android is increasingly being used on such household devices and when these devices connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi, they offer increased interaction and customizability. What Is Unique about Android OS While Android is Google’s flagship OS and is well received by enterprises and consumers, it lacks the simplicity, minimalist and intuitiveness offered by iOS 5. Nevertheless, being an open source OS, it is easier for developers to design applications for the Android ecosystem than for BlackBerry OS or for iOS. The very fact that an Android application which has just been developed cannot be reviewed by specialists leaves room for errors. Nevertheless, by sticking to well-accepted protocols and by adapting stringent quality controls, Android applications can prove to be more interactive and feature-rich than apps that run on other OS. Developing for Android Smartphones and Tablets As more people begun to replace their tablets, laptops and even desktops with smartphones, it becomes increasingly important for developers to have a presence on all the important mobile operating systems. Moreover, the tablet market is growing too, and applications designed for smartphones should be able to run on tablets as well. Android tablets have begun to carve out a niche for themselves, and many enterprise users have begun to use them too. Thus, app developers must keep both smartphones and tablets in mind. Thus, the future looks bright for Android developers as the market share of Android devices will only increase. Note: Indus Net Technologies Mobile Development team works on Android. If you want to develop an app from scratch or port an existing iOS or BlackBerry app to Android platform to take advantage of its explosive growth, drop us an email to info@indusnet.co.in or visit http://www.indusnet.co.in/mobile/

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10 Tips for Optimizing Your Website For SmartPhones

February 7, 2012

A new research by Canalys revealed that global smartphone shipments overtook client PC sales. More people bought smartphones that ran on iOS, Android, BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile OS than they bought personal computers in the form of desktops, laptops, netbooks and tablets. This leads one to believe that Internet traffic will be driven by smartphone users and websites need to be mobile device optimized now, more than ever in the past. Until now, web designers concentrated on designing websites that were well-suited to open flawlessly on major browsers. With the increase in smartphone-driven Internet traffic, web designers need to make that webpages are compatible with different mobile devices that run on complex mobile operating systems. Thus, mobile development is cross-platform and cross-browser at the same time. With serious bandwidth, screen-size, platform and interface deficits, mobile devices present challenges that were unknown to web designers of yesteryears. Here are 10 important aspects to keep in mind, while optimizing webpages for smartphones. Precision of Content Precision of content is an important feature a web designer must keep in mind while designing mobile-optimized websites. Reduced screen size and lower resolutions mean that each pixel is valuable and only relevant content must be optimized. Low priority content can be hidden or removed altogether. Images and videos must be optimized to suit a small screen and content must be very focused. Horizontal scrolling must be avoided and as much as possible, vertical scrolling must be used. Single Column Layouts As the screen size is reduced, users would have to skewer their eyes in order to be able to read text comfortably. Even when the text can be maximized and increased in size with the help of zoom, users would not like it when content appears in two or more columns. Thus, it is very important that vertical scrolling and single column formats are adopted. Interface and Navigation An intuitive mobile website renders information in the least confusing manner and the lowest number of clicks and taps possible. Making sure that there is always a search box near the logo on the landing page allows users to type keywords and retrieve information intuitively. Curtailing Text-entry  Dropdown menus are always preferable to keying in text. Pre-fill options, automated input using GPS and suggestive options help in creating intuitive websites. Parallel Versions of Mobile Websites While most smartphones today have a good resolution above 480 x 800, there are older cellphones which have screen resolutions of 128 x 160 pixels. A mobile website that is designed for a larger resolution screen will never look tidy or synchronized on a screen with a smaller resolution. As a designer, one may have to design parallel versions of mobile websites for lower and mid-level resolution screens. Touchscreen and Non-touchscreen Devices With an increasing number of people using touchscreen-only devices, web designers might be tempted to design sites that are touch-optimized. Doing so would alienate users that still use certain models of smartphones by BlackBerry and other companies, which sometimes have QWERTY keypads and no touchscreens. Location Tracking Optimizing a website to track a user’s location can give valuable information to owners of the website. This information is usually used to help users discover things and people nearby that matter to them. It may also help in driving contextual content to a user’s screen. Communication It is important to make sure that communication takes place effectively and intuitively in fewer numbers of clicks and taps. Telephone numbers on the websites must be enabled to be dialed directly, and clicking on email addresses should direct the user to email applications within the smartphone. Social Media With the advent of social media, website designers should design sites in such a way that content can be shared across Twitter, Facebook, Google+ Tumblr, Reddit and other social bookmarking and networking sites. Minimalism A web designer must always try to keep information, content, media and even design to the bare minimum. When there is very little real estate available, space is very valuable and that is just the case in mobile websites. As of December 2011, Android devices held 47.3% of market share, Apple’s iOS held 29.6% of market share, RIM’s BlackBerry OS a share of 16%, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile has a market share of 4.7% and only 1.4% of smartphone users used a Symbian device. Web designers would however need to keep in mind that all of these operating systems are equally important and while designing a website, one must optimize sites for every major platform. We, at Indus Net Technologies can help you optimize your website for smartphones or develop one from scratch. You can get in touch with one of our consultants at info@indusnet.co.in or http://www.indusnet.co.in/mobile/

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native-vs-webapp

Pros & Cons of Mobile Apps (aka Native Apps) vs Web Apps

February 7, 2012

Looking into the phenomenal growth of mobile browsing, businesses are shifting their focus to mobile web. Their overall web strategy is gradually leaning towards mobile web. However depending upon the business the mobile strategy will vary. For example a business related to selling products like Amazon or Ebay will have a different strategy then a business offering news to the readers. Whatever be the business, the bigger question while creating mobile strategy is whether to use open standards like HTML, CSS and JavaScript to build the Mobile site or build it as a native Mobile App for the device you are targeting. To start with both Mobile Web App and Native App have their pros and cons. So before you start building the application a thorough evaluation is essential. Difference between Web Apps and Native Apps Before we proceed, let’s understand what exactly is the difference between the 2 types. Native Apps are applications specifically designed to run on a particular platform. The whole application is installed in the device and can be executed. They are usually dependent on mobile firmware as well as the Operating System. So an app designed for Android will work only on Android devices and not on an iPhone. It needs to be ported or adapted to iOS to be used in iPhone. These Native Apps are mostly obtained through a marketplace. Web Apps are applications which are usually accessed through a web browser and the whole or part of it needs to be downloaded onto the device each time you access it. These are created using open web standard like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. These are usually platform independent. These web apps are loaded automatically in the mobile web browser through the use of sophisticated detection technology when the site is accessed through mobile. The image below depicts how US smartphone users use Mobile App and Browser for various tasks. Pros and Cons of Web Apps & Native Apps Both Native and Web Apps have their pros and cons. A clear understanding of the benefits and demerit of each along with your mobile web strategy will help in choosing one over the other and if requires choosing the both. Rich User Interface: Native Apps seamlessly integrate into the device features and provide a rich user experience. They integrate with phone in such a way that gives the feel of built-in functionality of the device. The improvement is mobile web technology is helping the Web Apps to gradually go through a phenomenal change in user interface. But the Native Apps clearly win here. Connectivity: Native Apps can be used to some extent even if there is no data connectivity however Web App requires connection to Internet to function. Native App is winner. Performance: As Web Apps require HTML and JavaScript rendering they are comparatively slower as compared to similar Native Apps. Native App is winner. Availability: The Native Apps are distributed through a marketplace like Android Market or iPhone Apps Store. And these are available subject to Approval. Even if an App is approved now, in future that may be rejected based upon the terms. This dependency of Native App for distribution is a hindrance for Enterprise to go for a Native App for their business application. On the other hand the web app can be accessed from any device without such restrictions. Web App is winner. Updates: The updates to Native Apps happen through the market place where as the web app update is instant. The moment you make any changes in the web app users will be able to see the updated features instantly. Web App is winner. Cost of development: The most notable advantage of mobile web app is that you build it once and it will be available to all devices irrespective of the configuration and platform with few changes. Native Apps being platform dependent, considerable amount of money has to be spent to develop same App for different platform like Android, iOS, Windows 7 and Blackberry. Web App is a winner here. Engagement and Branding: Because of the stronger integration with the mobile platform Native Apps provide a better engagement. Also they help in creating a stronger branding for your business as there will be a dedicated icon of your brand on the mobile device which is used to launch the Native Application. Native App is a winner here. For further elaborate learning on this Max Katz has created a table that shows various differences in various categories between Native App and mobile Web App. Conclusion: Thanks to HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery framework like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch the gap between a Native App and Mobile Web App is gradually reducing. With few exceptions most of the native apps could be written into Web Apps and can provide almost similar experience. Another form of the App called Hybrid App is also seen now a days which is a web app placed inside a native wrapper. According to Jeff Haydn the Native App and Mobile web are not mutually exclusive and need to co-exist for some time. Feel free to contact us at info@indusnet.co.in for our advice. We will be more than happy to help without any bias, as we have both capabilities and only suggest the right fit to our clients. You can also visit our mobile section.

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Is your business ready for the mobile web?

February 4, 2012

In any business the most important success factor is the ability to reach out to the customers. While time is changing, the way we do our business is also changing. The technology that has impacted the most to the way we conduct our business is “Internet”. So it is important for a business to have web presence both in mainstream as well as in mobile web. Because of the convenience and instant access the focus is gradually shifting to mobile web. Hence mobile presence is of greater importance. According to a research conducted by Microsoft till 2011, 4 billion mobile phone users were present and out of that 1.08 billion are smartphones. By the year 2014, the mobile internet usage will exceed that of Desktop internet usage. Mobi Websites are an extended version of the mainstream websites, customized for a better user experience on devices with smaller viewing space. Looking at the popularity of Mobile web, ICANN gave nod to a mobile specific domain extension called .mobi in 2005. How mobile sites help your business: Having a mainstream as well as a mobile only site for your business definitely has it’s advantages. According to report provided by Compuware and Brand Anywhere and Luth Research if your site is not optimized for mobile experience you might lose as high as 61% visitors. Below are few advantages the mobi websites offer: Through mobile websites we can reach out to customers via one more medium. Reach to customers through mobile search Increase brand and business visibility Mobile sites help our products and services to be at our customer’s reach anytime and anywhere. With a mobile friendly site customers/ visitors will be glued to the site. Mobile sites will help in processing transaction in real-time. The mobile site can have a direct dial button to reach to support team directly. Approach for building successful mobile websites When you are sure that you need to have a mobi website for your business, you need to have a proper strategy in place. The first and foremost thing is to understand the business and customers and how they interact with the site. It is needed to talk to customers and do brainstorming among team members to come up with answers to few basic questions like: Why do they use your site on a mobile device? What features are they using? What features are crucial for them when mobile? What are some sources of frustration? What devices do they use to access the mobile Web? Once done with the preliminary investigation, there are 2 options to get the mobi website done. 1) Either you do it on your own: For this you need to be knowledgeable enough to perform the task. 2) Or Outsource it from a Professional: When choosing a professional, you should give special attention to their approach in convincing you. Mobile websites have to be always well thought of and since the number of screens and the screen space will be limited, it is important the professional outfit hired for the job has a detailed approach. Checklist for building Mobile websites: While designing mobi websites, special care needs to be taken to present as much information on as little space as possible. The content needs to be precise and the navigation should be simple. There are certain best practices and technologies under Mobile Web Initiative(MWI) that needs to be followed for a mobile ready website. Also to check the mobile readiness of your mobi there is a free tool called MobiForge. Following points need to be taken care while designing a mobi website: Make the content crisp and concise. Do not feed users excessive data in one page as it will slow the loading as well as cost money. Simpler navigation Make the user interface finger friendly Better User Interface Accessibility through all mobile platform Optimized call to action for better conversion Mobile site redirect, to automatically redirect mobile users to mobile friendly site Conclusion: The distinguishing feature of mobile web is its ability to offer users access to information anytime, anywhere. When you plan to launch mobile site, It is not that you create it and forget. You need to take input from visitors and customers, use analytics to know how users interact with the site and use those data to provide a better mobile experience. Businesses that are able to design and implement a successful mobile web strategy will be able to see the benefit of this ever growing and challenging medium. Are you prepared to take advantage of this new medium? If not, you might be losing a major chunk of your business to your competitors! Shameless Self Promotion: At Indus Net Technologies, we do consult and create mobile websites! So, if you have decided to outsource, feel free to connect with us at info@indusnet.co.in or visit http://www.indusnet.co.in/mobile/  

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