According to a developer survey, HTML5 is increasingly being used for cross-platform mobile app development, with 90% of developers planning to use it in 2013. While native apps are still preferred by some, cross-platform tools allow developing once for multiple platforms using web technologies like HTML5 and JavaScript. Popular cross-platform tools discussed in the document include Titanium, PhoneGap, Corona, and Sencha Touch, each with different capabilities and licensing models. While cross-platform apps have advantages in speed of development and cost, they also have limitations compared to native apps in areas like performance and access to device features.
2. So. . .
• According to the Global Developer Survey ’13 conducted by
Telerik, over 5000 developers said that they developed apps
using HTML5 in 2012 and 90% of them plan to do so in 2013.
• Only 15% of developers said they would prefer to use a native-only
approach.
4. Development Difficulty
Blackberry and iOS are the most difficult platforms to
develop for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 ranked as
the easiest with Android falling in the middle.
5. Types of Apps being built using
HTML5
The most important modern web technologies right now
include forms and validation, databases and flexible layouts
(grids, flexbox, etc.)
6.
7. Usage
• Apple’s iOS is the leading mobile OS in 30 countries. Canada-
83.7%, United States at 35.2%.
• Android accounts for more than 50% of the mobile web traffic
with South Korea at 78.3% and United States at 23.3%.
• Blackberry is the leading mobile OS in four countries, Dominican
Republic, 57.1% and United States, 32.0%
• Symbian is the leading mobile OS in more than 100 countries,
Nokia’s Symbian-based phones are widely used in developing
nations. However, it has almost no foothold in the US market.
8. Why Cross Platform
• What your app will do?
• Who it’s for?
• Where it will run?
• Do you maintain different and completely independent apps
for each platform?
• Design a hybrid app with one code base?
• Pros and cons?
9. Main Features
• Most of them use web based languages – HTML5, javascript
• Performance solely depends on the language being used.
• Provide Backend as a Service (MBaaS) which includes cloud
storage, social networking and ‘push notifications’.
• Support Web Services ranging from JSON, XML, SOAP, HTTP
etc.
• These tools cannot access device specific feature like the
bluetooth, NFC and other controls.
• Source code is typically organized in the MVC format
separating data tier, application and the interface.
• Problem with compiling iOS Applications
10. Titanium
• Developed by Appcelerator Inc.
• Titanium is free and opensource
• Apps written in javascript
• Support to build Android, iOS and Blackberry Apps, trying to extend support for
Windows.
• Interpreter for Android and BlackBerry is MozillaRhino, for iOS JavascriptCore
• Native experience – ‘not quite there’
• Source code organization
• Device Specific Functionality – No built in support for Bluetooth and NFC.
• Web services – SOAP, XML, JSON
• Code maintenance
• MBaaS support
11. PhoneGap
• Developed by Adobe Systems
• Free and opensource
• Apps written in HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript
• Support for Android, iOS, Blackberry, WebOS, Windows Phone,
Symbian and Bada.
• Apache Cordova is the heart of the backend.
• Performance limited because of hybrid nature of the app.
• Source code organization
• No built in support for Bluetooth and NFC.
• No Web services support built in.
• Cloud Compiler
12. Rhodes
• Developed by Motorola.
• Native app like feel.
• Apps written in Ruby and recently extended for JavaScript
• Support to build Android, iOS, Blackberry Apps, Windows phone and
Mobile.
• Source code organization
• Device Specific Functionality – No built in support for Bluetooth and
NFC.
• Rich web service support built in.
• Free but not for commercial users.
• RhoHub is their MBaaS
13. Corona
• Developed by Corona Labs.
• Apps written in Lua.
• Free until app isn’t published.
• Support to build Android, iOS, NOOK and Kindle Fire Applications.
• Application is compiled using Lua libraries mashed with OpenGL and
OpenAL.
• Native controls using underlying library
• Device Specific Functionality – No built in support for Bluetooth and
NFC.
• Web services – HTTP,HTTPS,SOAP, JSON
• Cloud service is called Corona Cloud.
• Targeted for game developers.
14. Marmalade
• Developed by Ideaworks3d.
• Upfront licensing.
• Apps written in C++
• Support to build iOS, Android, BlackBerry PlayBook OS, and bada.
• Binary combined with Segundo Embedded Execution Environment
(S3E)
• All device specific functionality except Bluetooth and NFC.
• Web services – SOAP, XML, JSON
• Marmalade Juice – plan to port Objective C source code into
Marmalade.
15. MonoCross
• Part of the Mono Project
• Built on the .NET framework.
• C# is used to build apps.
• Support to build Android and iOS.
• Specific platform tools – Xamarin Mono and Xamarin MonoTouch.
• Interpreter for Android and BlackBerry is MozillaRhino, for iOS
JavascriptCore
• Native experience – ‘not quite there’
• Source code organization
• Device Specific Functionality – No built in support for Bluetooth and
NFC.
• Windows Communication Foundation– Bing Maps API
16. Sencha Touch
• Over 50 built-in components.
• Built-in MVC system
• Apps written in HML5 and CSS3.
• Sencha Touch 2.2 is the latest version
• Faster, Cheaper and highly customizable
• PC developers can now create iOS applications without
needing a Mac.
• More than 500,000 developers
• Rich set of documentation
17. jQuery Mobile
• Built on the rock-solid jQuery and jQuery UI foundation
• Its lightweight size makes it a speed freak
• JQuery Mobile 1.3.1 recently launched
• AJAX-powered navigation system
• Extensions are easy to make
• No established architecture
• Easy to debug
• Markup-based and is backed by a smart community
18. What is good about CPD?
• Implement a feature once and share it across platforms
• Using a webview might be faster than writing a native
implementation for simple screens
• Update content without requiring a full app release by serving
your pages off a server
• One tool to create, debug, and deploy.
• Speed increases and cost decreases
• Multiple security methods aren’t needed
• Simple for web developers to use
20. Cons
• Requires a bridge for their pages to interact with native
chrome and call native APIs
• Maintain a fork, if new functionality is added
• Write a little code, run it on iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile
simulator.
• Several straightforward implementations for a single complex
implementation.
• Harder problems are inconsistencies in platform conventions.
• Maybe web technology will one day be as fast as native code
