Category: Technology

Android Studio was announced last May by Google’s Product Manager, Ellie Powers and since then, it has grown to be a popular integrated development environment (IDE) for developers. The studio is specifically designed to accommodate Android development and can be downloaded on either Mac or Windows. Android Studio addresses a number of issues that developers have been facing. Not only that, it has emerged to be the most popular IDE for those who are into development. With features such as developer console, template-based wizards and a rich layout editor, Android Studio has quickly become popular among developers. How to learn more about Android Studio? Many developers have often looked for resources that would help them to develop apps without a hitch. Online resources are always great but there is always the need for that special guide which becomes a sort of go-to-resource for budding app developers. Belen Cruz Zapata’s Android Studio Application Development is a great guide which helps developers to create visually appealing apps using the new Android Studio. To be specific, this guide helps developers to use the new IntelliJ IDE Android Studio to create great applications that come with attractive interfaces. In this article, let us take a look at how Android Studio will help developers to start building great Android apps. What does an Android Studio do? The purpose of Android Studio has been to make sure that developers have access to a centralized and open-source kit to work with and create applications. From the outset, Android has competed with iOS in terms of interface, design and functionality. iOS has a more centralized development environment and Android has lacked that cohesion, until now. The latest Android Studio makes sure that developers can now enjoy centralization that was previously only associated with iOS developers. All said and done, the new Android Studio is a great tool which helps developers to create and build Android applications without having to work too hard or too much. It helps developers to work fast without wasting time and increases productivity as well. By making sure how to use the Android Studio, one can ensure that the resulting applications are up to the mark. Now that more companies and clients have begun to see applications as part of the content mix, app development will only increase in its importance. Thus, it is crucial to learn more about how to use the Android Studio and how best to create applications that are visually appealing. In order to understand what Android Studio is all about and how it can help you, you might want to go step by step. Installing and configuring Android Studio You must first learn how to install your Android Studio and configure it, according to your needs. You will first need to prepare for the installation and then download the Android Studio. After downloading, you need to install it without having to worry about things going wrong. Finally, you need to run the Android Studio for the first time to see if it is working well. The next step is to configure your Android SDK to meet your professional demands. Starting a project The moment you install and configure your Android Studio, you are ready to start a new project. You need to know how to create a new project and create a custom launcher icon as well. The next step is to learn how to choose your type of activity. Navigating a project The next step is to learn how to navigate through a project. It is simply not enough to start a project and assume things will go according to the plans. You need to know how to navigate through a certain project. This includes understanding the project navigation panel within the Android Studio and also the project structure and settings. Using the code editor After you learn how to navigate through a project, you will need to know how to use the code editor. This helps you to understand the settings and engage in code generation and completion. All along, you will need to understand what navigating codes you must use and which actions shall be useful to you. Creating user interfaces A user interface that is clean and clutter-free helps you to create better Android applications. With that in mind, you need to understand the concept behind graphical editors, text-based editors and how best you can create a layout that will ultimately help you. The next step is to understand how to add components and how you can support multiple screens. By learning how to change the UI theme, you will be able to better create applications that are visually appealing. Finally, you must also learn how to handle events. Google Play Services Android Studio is inextricably linked to Google Play Services. You need to understand how Google Play Services work and what services are actually available. The next step is to add Google Play Services to your Android Studio. You need to understand how Google Maps Android API v2 works and how Google+ Platform for Android works. Finally, you need to understand the concepts behind Google Play In-app Billing v3 and Google Cloud Messaging. All these concepts help you to create an application that is well prepared for the audience today. Tools Once you learn how to use Google Play Services, you need to learn how to use the tools as well. This includes learning how to handle the software development kit manager and the Android Virtual Device Manager. Next, you need to understand the concept behind generating Javadoc, which is a prominent technique that is applied while creating applications. Finally, you need to learn how to use the version control system. Debugging After getting familiarized with the tools, you need to understand how to debug issues. This includes understanding running and debugging, LogCat and DDMS. Under DDMS, you need to know the concepts behind threads, method profiling, heap, allocation tracker, system information, emulator control, network statistics and file exporter. Preparing for release Once

At IndusNet, we are committed to helping you remain updated with the latest technology and to be your technology delivery partner. On that note, we specifically aim to breakdown some of the changes within iOS 8 that will affect your app and cause compatibility issues. As Apple does every year, the Cupertino-based company has launched iOS 8 for all its mobile devices above iPhone 4S and iPad 2 (including both the devices) & on the newly announced Apple Watch. The new operating system will also be available on the iPod touch 5th generation. The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens respectively, adding to the plethora of sizes and resolutions available on iOS devices. Isn’t iOS 8 supposed to auto-scale to every screen size? Of course, the iOS features auto-scaling, which means, all applications will supposedly work just fine on larger screens. Only, this is not completely true. If you have an iOS application and are wondering how the new iOS 8 will affect your application, read on. iOS 8 cannot change the User-Interface and User-Experience to make use of the bigger screen sizes and resolutions. Moreover, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus come with newer features such as horizontal viewing, dense content adjustments among others, which need to be incorporated specifically. If you already have an iOS application, it is very important for you to release updates for your users so that they have the best UI/UX. At IndusNet, we are committed to helping you optimize your iOS apps, no matter which Apple device your users use. iOS 8 has tons of features on which you can capitalize Before you decide whether you need to make drastic changes to your application or just minimal alterations, it would be prudent to take a look at some of the new features of iOS 8. These new features can be used to enhance the UI/UX on your app, so that you can use them for your business. Of course, not all of these features are applicable to every business but some of them may be. Do take a look at all the new features and if you think one or many of these features could be used within your application, contact us for customizing and updating your app to iOS 8. Custom Actions – Apple now lets its users to assign actions with just the touch of a button. One can print documents, assign a photo to a caller or do just about anything they probably would wish to do.From an app developer-point of view, this would mean one could possibly make it easy for users to add watermarks, add something to a calendar or a wish-list or even engage in translations easily. It all depends on what your specific business requirements are and certain changes can be made with the help of Custom Actions. Extensive sharing – Earlier, one could only share with Facebook and Twitter. In fact, Twitter was the first social site to be integrated within iOS. Facebook came later on. Now, Apple has thrown open its sharing-options doors to every developer. This translates to you being able to decide if your users get to share something over your app, while using another. Customizable predictive keyboards – Apple is already touting its new keyboard as the smartest ever. The newly integrated Quicktype keyboard is similar to SwiftKey and Swype in some ways, but a lot different and even more effective in other ways. The word suggestions now depend on whom you are texting.This means, predictive texting will now be able to choose slangs when texting to a friend and more flowery words when writing to your editor. Or perhaps, it can suggest formal words when writing to clients. Moreover, the predictive keyboards can be customized easily, which means, you can create new keyboards so that they can be used system-wide. Later on, a preferred layout or input method can be chosen as well. Integrated recording – Recoding has never been easy on iOS. Not anymore. iOS 8 makes recording more integrated and if you have an application that requires this feature, it can easily be integrated. Handoff – The new Handoff feature allows users to pick up from where they left while using different devices. If you started to type an email on the iPhone, you can choose to do it on the iPad at a later time, without having to reopen windows or type again. AirDrop – Apple has enabled its AirDrop facility to run between devices running iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Those who own both iOS and Mac devices will find this feature very useful. If your app or your business can gain from users sharing files between their own devices, this is a feature you could probably make use of. Instant hotspot – Setting up personal Wi-Fi hotspots was always cumbersome on iOS devices. One had to go to the settings and then search around in order to turn on the personal hotspot. Not anymore. Instant Hotspot allows users to access the Internet on computers or iPads without having to fiddle with the settings. Interactive notifications – More items can be viewed in the Notifications Centre. Whether adding widgets that let users know about package deliveries or reading the latest news headlines, widgets can be used creatively by developers. It all depends on how you want to integrate widgets within your app, so that users can use them on their iOS devices. Inter-app communications – As mentioned earlier, Apple has thrown its sharing-doors open to developers. This means, inter-app communication became a lot easier. No matter which application you want your app to communicate with, our iOS developers can help you achieve your goals. Widgets – Widgets have long been the privilege of Android users. Many iOS users often didn’t like the widgets or so went the assumption. However, it is becoming increasingly important to use the widget facility. iOS 8 allows developers to create widgets within

As mobile app developers, we know that there are a few applications that may pose security risks to users. If you have a mobile app of your own and would like to make sure that it gets rave reviews, you need to probably look at the security aspect of your app before looking at anything else. Importance of mobile app security is manifold A good application is, firstly, secure and safe. It need not pose privacy and data security related problems. Users need to feel safe and secure when they use it. Hundreds of thousands of apps are in the marketplaces and it is not inconceivable to think that many of these apps are faulty, when it comes to security protocols. If you have not given a thought about the security functions of your applications, it is time that you do. Mobile app security makes you popular It is often said that people abandon applications when they realize that a particular app is not so secure. Even if you update the software, many people who have jumped the ship might not return. It is always better to take the precautions before something serious happens. With that in mind, we need to discuss ways to ensure app security in this article. Some of the most important steps to ensure app security are as follows: • Do not abandon manual testing While it is always a good idea to automate everything, it is sometimes necessary to run a manual testing alongside. This ensures that computers do not overlook certain obvious threats that a human can observe. While automatic verifications can be done regularly, manual verification can be done once in a while so that we know that there is nothing wrong with the app’s security. Manual testing can be taken up by an outsourcing partner who will be better able to help you with reducing costs associated with all things manual. • Use threat modeling We live in a world that is increasingly complex. While technology has advanced a lot, there is a lot of stuff that we still need to understand and learn. Mobile devices have added another level of challenge to app developers as threats increase with every new platform. Earlier, we only had to deal with computer generated threats. Now, we must bear in mind that mobile devices can be equal partners in security threats. By using threat modeling, one can discover potential threats before they occur. Thus, it is important to use threat modeling alongside architecture and design reviews. • Use mobile security standards Just like IT governance, one also needs to write a sort of mobile policy. Along with that, it is important to come up with mobile security standards so that guidelines and standards are agreed upon. For different platforms, you will need to have different mobile security standards. While Apple’s iOS is slightly more secure, Android remains quite insecure when it comes to threats. Ask your developer to make sure that mobile security standards are written and used. It is important to have certain guidelines in place and also to follow them diligently. • Invest in mobile app security Sometimes, it requires a little money to buy security. Invest in software programs, devices and talent to ensure that your app security is taken care of. If you are not able to invest in mobile app security, outsource your mobile app security tasks to an agency, which specializes in handling third party tasks. This ensures that you do not spend valuable resources on ensuring app security, when specialists can take care of it for you. A little money invested for the purpose of security can not only save your mobile application but also your business in the long term. As we move towards a more mobile world, data and security related threats will increase even more. It is very important to invest time and money in security so that threats are handled swiftly, even before they can cause damage. While it is not possible to ensure that there won’t be any threats at all, it is always possible to be on guard and take all the necessary precautions so that we are not in a position where we need to be sorry.

Sonia was driving along a highway when she suddenly lost control over the wheels and veered along the road, only to stop at a ditch. Thankfully, she was not hurt and managed to call for help. An hour before she drove along that stretch, Cynthia had noticed a gaping pothole and avoided driving over it because daylight still bathed that remote stretch of highway. If Cynthia had access to an app that could inform the authorities as soon as she saw a pothole, servicemen nearby could probably have placed a board or cordoned a part of that road in the nick of time, avoiding the risky loss of control that Sonia had to face. There are already a number of apps, which rely on crowd-sourcing to help authorities/enterprises that manage infrastructure using location based information. One such crowd-sourcing solution is Infrafix. This crowd-sourcing app for geo-located infrastructure and management can be a boon not only to end-users but primarily to Governments & enterprises that need to undertake real-time management of geo-located information and assets. This mobile application is currently available for Android devices and will soon be available on iOS & Windows devices as well. How does one use Infrafix? Infrafix can be used on both tablets and mobile phones, in both offline & online mode. A user who has installed Infrafix needs to collect data real-time such as taking pictures or filling up custom designed forms in order to let concerned authorities know where the infrastructure is damaged or malfunctioning. The app comes with in-built social sharing abilities so that issues can be resolved on a prioritized basis. The mobile app can be used in conjunction with the web portal app Infrafix (http://demo.infrafix.co.in/) so that field crews and servicemen can share & receive information wherever they are. Supervisors, managers and co-workers can receive real-time data about broken-down infrastructure so that timely action can be taken, avoiding situations in which Susan found herself in the example cited above. Infrafix is an effective and powerful solution for managing infrastructure breakdowns real-time, helping both enterprises & Governments to engage in effective and positive governance. Infrafix and social governance Infrafix can be discussed in the context of social governance. Social governance refers to the process of using social media to engage citizens, collect information and also carry out government-related activities. For instance, when ministries use Twitter to inform citizens about new legislations, it is a form of social governance. When a police department alerts citizens about a burglar on the prowl, it is again a form of social governance. If a resident of a community tweets that he or she is not able to reach the hospital and requests for emergency services to be sent through government/community channels, it is again a form of social governance. With that in mind, when people or employees send real-time data, in the form of pictures or forms or text messages to relevant authorities about infrastructural issues that need attention, it is again a form of social governance; and a very important form of it too. Infrafix can, thus, be described as a crowd-sourcing application that enhances social governance by bringing relevant and concerned authorities’ attention to broken down infrastructure. It does not matter what sort of infrastructure we are talking about. Whether it is a road that needs to be repaired, a bad traffic jam that is not able to clear itself, a rainwater drain that is overflowing or a building that looks like it is about to crumble down, all these and more can be addressed when real people in real-time identify issues & inform authorities (both Governments and enterprises) through geo-location enabled applications such as Infrafix. Infrafix comes with a number of features that make it a viable social governance tool. Some of the most important features are: • Web and mobile app: It works on both mobile devices and the web. Users can report issues whether they are on the location or take pictures (if they are unable to connect to the Internet) and upload it on the web interface, when they have access to the internet. • Geo-tagging: Accurate location and geo-tagging helps concerned authorities to identify where the issue is being reported from & immediately rush to the spot. If that pile of garbage is raising a stink, waste management departments can immediately rush to the spot and clear it, as soon as an Infrafix user reports it. The app comes with rich GIS symbology and visualization, which helps in identifying the source of the issue. • Account admin & workflow mechanism: Data is revealed conveniently on maps and graphs so that issues can easily be fixed. Offsite workers can access in-built databases wherever they are. • Crowd-source with social sharing: Nothing is more important than getting people to report problems to concerned authorities themselves, instead of relying solely upon field workers. Crowd-sourcing helps concerned authorities to reach out to infrastructural issues as and when they happen, leading to better reputation & e-governance. • Online and offline data capture: You could take pictures real-time and attribute information that can easily be entered. Data attributes can easily be viewed and edited from within the app as well. • One-click map and data sharing: Users can collaborate real-time and access maps. • Reporting and analytics: Data can easily be entered into layers within a map so that issues can easily be analyzed, moderated, shared and published; that leads to immediate alerts, thanks to that through which the issues can be addressed. As response time is reduced, enterprises or Governments, which are entrusted with duties, can fix issues on time. Who is likely to benefit from Infrafix? Whoever deals with on-field issues will benefit from Infrafix. To that effect, even real estate and construction companies can benefit from Infrafix. If your job or duties require you to engage in identifying, reporting and resolving on-field issues in real-time, then Infrafix is probably the app of choice. Thanks to its collaborative and minimalist approach, it is easy

There are several important factors to consider while engaging in mobile app testing. There are no hard and fast rules about best practices for mobile app testing. Nevertheless, there are a few factors that are very important to consider. We have made a list of best practices that we think are absolutely necessary no matter who the developer is: • Security There is nothing more important than security these days. Apps usually require a lot of user information and most people do not like to share their private information anymore. Try to minimize the information that you ask from your users. Also ensure that you do not collect a lot of user behavior data with the help of cookies. • Test efficiently It is very important to test often and regularly maintain a database about how your app is functioning. In that effect, it is also important to test early in order to find out bugs before your consumers do. When you do find out the bugs, release updates as soon as possible so that your users are not affected in any manner. • Use test automation If you do not have access to a device lab or if you do not live close to an open device lab, ensure that you at least purchase a good test automation software. These software programs emulate most devices in the market and will help you to test your app, playback and even debug. •Use manual testing Automation can never replace manual testing. Manual testing allows you to see for real how it feels to use your application on a device. This drastically changes your perception about your won application. Be critical and try to find as many faults as you can with your application and do not leave room for others to find faults. • Comparison testing Try and make a list of all the applications that are similar to yours. Now, compare your application and the competitors’ applications by testing side by side. This allows you to list all the advantages and disadvantages that the competitor has. Finally, make changes so that your application looks and feels better than your competitors’. • Test user experience flows There is nothing more important than checking how it feels for end users to use your application. With that in mind, you must ensure that you know what it feels like for an end user to use your application. Chances are, there will be many things that you will not like. • Ensure design is simple When you test your application, you will realize that the design is almost always faulty and that there is room for improvement. Get your designers to work on the layout, font, logo, design and format before making the app go live. Test and re-test again so that the design does not look outdated. It must, in fact, look fresh and original even after a couple of years. • Test speed Make sure that your application is not slow and that it does not take a lot of time to load. Many well-designed applications take a lot of time to load and that stops people from using them. •Ensure that apps do not crash Apps that crash often are almost definitely deleted by users. This is the main reason why you must check your application several times before making them go live. Make sure that your applications do not crash often and that they use minimum resources. • Battery consumption Nothing is more important than how power-hungry your application is. If users notice that after installing your application the phone is running out of battery, they will promptly delete it. Thus, it is crucial to ensure that your well-designed application is not a power-consuming black hole. While this list is not exhaustive, it is important to note that these simple and rather common errors in applications are the main reasons why people delete applications. People are extremely concerned about security, battery usage and how the app ‘behaves’. It is for this reason that you will need to test and retest your application time and again. Even when the application goes live, you will need to continue testing and restesting in order to maintain quality.

There is nothing better than manually testing mobile applications instead of using emulators and simulators. Real-time testing using various devices helps an app developer to understand the various quirks and problems that an app and a device might pose in conjunction with each other. However, not every mobile app developer will have access to all the devices that are available in the market today. If one considers the number of devices that are available for each platform, the choices are really mind boggling. In order to solve this problem, many testers and developers tend to use emulators or simulators, which are basically software programs that act as if they were real devices. These software programs are cheaper to use and can quickly test a certain application on a wholesale basis. There is no need to individually run the application on each device and check if it works fine. One must note that this method is not fool proof and leaves an app developer vulnerable to many problems in the future. Nevertheless, sometimes, small-time developers may want to use mobile app testing tools instead of investing in an entire lab like a larger company can afford to invest in. Moreover, even if you have access to a real time testing facility, you can always first run an application on an emulator and then move on to test in the real world. The Mobile App Testing Blog had listed about 10 tools that are great to begin with. We think the list is great and the tools are listed and described in detail below: • FoneMonkey for iOS FoneMonkey for iOS is a great tool that helps developers to test applications for iOS devices. It is a functional tool that allows for interactive creation and moreover, it also helps the developer and tester to edit and playback scripts on the user interface. One can go ahead and create suites of tests that will help to discover any flaws within the application, before actually testing it on an iPhone. FoneMonkey for iOS not only supports QA testing but also supports developers at the same time. Gorilla Logic has donated the app to the iOS developing community and can easily be used by developers, whether they are small or big. However, we believe iOS is one of the easier developing platforms as there are only so many devices available in the market and iOS is consistent and sans problems that one usually encounters with Android, which is used on a number of devices. • iPhoney If you were wondering how your design appears on an iPhone, you can go ahead and use iPhoney, which is a great web-browsing environment that is powered by Safari. In fact, this tool can be successfully used to create websites for iPhones. It comes with a great 320 x 480 pixel canvas that mimics iPhones and it is free to use. One must remember that it is not an iPhone simulator but it mimics iPhone’s browser and allows developers and designers to see for themselves how a website appears on the iPhone. The new Version 1.2 comes with a number of features that are useful to both developers and designers. Version 1.2 allows developers to view source code, which is a great blessing if you would like to take a look at the iPhone targeted pages. The tool is also localized for French, German and Norwegian users. Considering the increasing number of iPhone users in Francophone countries in Africa, Europe and certain parts of Asia, this is a real boon for Francophones. • W3C mobileOK Checker W3C mobileOK Checker is a great application that helps developers to evaluate how mobile-friendly an app really is. It performs various tests in order to determine mobile-friendliness and checks if web content is delivered in a fashion that conforms with mobile web best practices. It helps developers to catalyze content that ameliorates functional user experience as opposed to just theoretical user experience. The idea is to check how functional a certain app is, in the context of mobile web experience and the app does not really check if a particular app, website or user agent is good enough. The application must be used from that perspective and must not be used as a means to endorse a particular application. • Modify Headers If you were looking for an open source tool that helps you to add, modify and filter requests pertaining to HTTP headers, you must be using Modify Headers, by Firefox. It helps app developers to check HTTP privacy and test the efficacy as well. Moreover, this add-on is a great way to enhance mobile web development. • dotMobi Now that almost everyone browses the Internet using mobile devices, it is more important to check how a website appears on a mobile device rather than on old fashioned browsers. dotMobi is a great tool that helps developers to check if a certain website appears correctly on a mobile web browser. This tool comes with additional support which can be sought from their homepage. One of the more polished tools, dotMobi Emulator can be used to see if a website that is designed looks great on mobile devices or not. • Google Android Emulator The ubiquity of Android devices need not be explained. Android is probably the most popular mobile platform at the moment and that is because it is open source. Cheaper devices can run Android without having to pay hefty licensing fees. This and its versatility has ensured that Android is used on almost all mobile devices except those manufactured by proprietary software companies like Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry. Google Android Emulator is a great mobile device emulator that runs on your computer. It helps developers to test and develop Android applications without using a physical device. The Android SDK helps developers to avoid purchasing all the Android devices that are in the market and continue to be launched with each passing day. • Android SDK Another tool that developers might