mobile application development strategies

Mobile Application Development Strategies

Presented by Nathan ClevengerEnterprise Editor, Smartphone magazineMobile Practice Director, ITR Group

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Agenda

• The App Phenomenon • Competing Mobile Platforms• Potential Application Architectures• Third‐Party Development Frameworks• Enterprise Best Practices• Discussion / Q&A


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Android

• Open‐source Linux‐based OS• Very rich Java development environment• Eclipse is the preferred Java IDE• Platform is extremely flexible and customizable• Utilizes Apple’s WebKit browser engine• Fastest growing developer ecosystem• Enterprise interest and adoption is growing


BlackBerry

• Proprietary OS from RIM• Java development environment• Development is fragmented from variations• Platform is capable, but suffers from issues• Struggling to transition to apps beyond email• Weak developer ecosystem and community


iPhone

• Proprietary OS from Apple• Native development in Cocoa & Objective‐C• Platform is highly usable, but inflexible• Incredibly robust developer ecosystem• Enterprise interest has been extremely high• Adoption is growing very rapidly


WebOS

• Proprietary variant of Linux from Palm• Leverages Apple’s WebKit browser engine• Uses HTML 5.0 as a rich application platform• Struggling developer ecosystem• Enterprise interest exists but is small• Adoption is largely pending Palm's future


Windows Mobile

• Proprietary OS from Microsoft• Dominates rugged/industrial mobile space• Struggling with smartphone market share• Large, but struggling, developer ecosystem• Arguably most enterprise‐friendly development• Struggling with negative consumer opinions


Platforms: Summary

• Windows Mobile dominates the LOB space• iPhone is gaining traction in the enterprise• Android has growing enterprise adoption• BlackBerry is struggling to transition to apps


Application Architectures

• Application Architectures• Native App Development• Web App Development• Hybrid App Development

• Development Approaches• Platform‐specific• Platform‐specific with shared code


Native Development

• Native apps are generally platform‐specific• Use platform specific APIs and UI• Usually implies platform‐specific coding


Web Development

• Use HTML 5.0 and AJAX for smart clients• Can often simulate a native experience• Allows for cross‐platform development


Hybrid Development

• Hybrid is part‐native and part‐web• Can be a native‐wrapped web app• Native APIs can be accessed via wrapper


Hybrid Spectrum

100% Web App 100% Native App

Hybrid App


Framework: WebKit

• Open‐source browser engine from Apple• Supports HTML 5.0 and very rich CSS/JS• Smart‐clients via thin‐client architectures• Currently in iPhone, Android, and WebOS• Coming to BlackBerry via Torch Mobile• Hybrid wrapper to expose native APIs


Framework: Titanium

• Uses HTML/CSS/JS to create native apps• Markup is used to generate native controls• HTML can also be rendered via WebKit• Supports iPhone and Android devices


Framework: RhoMobile

• Ruby framework for mobile platforms• Uses templates like Rails for rapid dev• Compiles Ruby at build, not interpreted• iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, WM, Symbian


Framework: Mono

• MonoTouch brings C# and .Net to iPhone• MonoDroid will bring .Net to Android• Windows Mobile supports the .Net CF• Windows Phone 7 supports .Net Silverlight• Other platforms can share code server‐side


Best Practices

• Start small, and keep it simple• Let your requirements drive the architecture• Don’t underestimate the cost of user adoption• With mobile apps, it's all about usability• Prototype ‐ iterate quickly, iterate often• Facilitate focus groups with the actual users


Driving ROI

• Internally‐focused vs. externally facing– Who are the users of your mobile applications?

• Aligning the mobile strategy with IT strategy– Does mobility play into any key IT initiatives?

• Focus on quick wins and low‐hanging fruit– Are there easy ways to generate dramatic ROI?


Questions?

[email protected]


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