Turning your mobile website into an app for a greater reach to users is not an easy task. However, before you take the leap, you have to thoroughly weigh its benefits and consciously choose to migrate your website to a mobile app. Previously, mobile websites were more predominant when browsers dominated the launch of many new eCommerce start-ups. Browsers made the websites seamlessly fit in all kinds of handheld devices and users found it exciting to buy stuff on the internet using their mobile devices. The availability of the internet and the evolution of HTML to support rich media also enabled this transition. So, many ventures have started to launch mobile websites to attract their consumers and thereby increase revenues. With the present era of mobile devices being dominated by the app ecosystems, the prevalent question becomes whether or not mobile websites are indeed mobile and meeting its purpose. Apps have been making inroads on many users’ lifestyles and its adoption for business is seen as a positive trend. There are many benefits for businesses to migrate from the traditional browser-based mobile commerce sites to the mobile app ecosystem. A few of these benefits are listed below to aid you in making a conscious decision to follow the trend. Faster Access Mobile apps are written on the handheld devices’ native operating systems, while the websites run on a browser and always depend on an internet connection to work. So, apps are much faster than the mobile sites. This plays a critical role if you do not want to lose your customers due to a slow connection while waiting for...
The difference in the syntax and structure of programming languages is no longer the talk of the town. With every app enclosing thousands of lines of code, all that developers now talk about is their choice of app development frameworks, application program interfaces (APIs) and the cross compilation they provide. App frameworks have become the norm and people cannot call themselves programmers if they are not well-versed in at least one particular development framework. They offer a lot of benefits over the previous and newly outdated development approaches. These frameworks have reduced the learning curve so much that even absolute beginners can start developing apps with little training. Adding complex functionality is no longer a genius’s work, but an effective way of writing API calls and developing apps for various platforms does not require you to be an expert in all platforms. So, everyone with a great idea can now easily, quickly and effectively implement it with the help of app frameworks. Therefore, you too can easily create your own mobile apps which might have seemed a difficult task a few years ago. Here is an overview of the cross-platform mobile app development frameworks to get you started. Mobile App Development Frameworks The mobile app development has become a million dollar industry with hundreds of mobile apps hitting the market daily. The growing demand and the need for high-performance apps have pushed the app development industry to a new level and frameworks help developers scale to the growing demands. But, before we can delve into mobile frameworks, we first need to understand the difference between native apps and cross-platform...
“I have an idea for a brilliant app, but how to get started?” This is a common question people who plan to launch a mobile app ask us. Thousands of people think that they have a great app idea. If you’re one of them, then pull up your socks, because you got a great competition ahead. “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” – Scott Belsky, Founder, Behance. But, don’t worry. Read on, if you need help fleshing out your idea to actually build a business around it. Here we will walk you through the step-by-step instructions to make your dream project a reality. So, by not wasting any time, and words, here we go. Validate Your Idea This is the first and most important step for every idea and not specific to any technology. It’s good that you have a killer idea, but it’s not about what you think. Instead, you have to figure out what your ideal users or customers think about your app. You need to find out: What pain points your app is going to solve? Is the problem which your app will solve indeed a problem? Do you have a competitor? If yes, why would your users prefer your app? You also need to ensure that your app idea is unique or fills a gap which no other app is doing. The best way to start validating your idea is to ask your friends and family. Ask people you can trust to give you valuable and eye-opener inputs. This will not only help you conclude if your idea is worth something, but it will also show you...
Smartphones have changed our world. A decade or two ago, mobiles were just portable landlines – used primarily for calls and the occasional text. Today, it is an unforgettable part of our lives, something that helps us do everything from waking up in the morning to remembering appointments to playing games to burning calories to listening to music to keeping a track of pregnancy cycles. All of this is made possible by mobile applications. What does your organization do to leverage ahead? Statistics suggest that 32% of UK customers make a purchase on their phone. Add to that the fact that you can find an application for almost any task you might want to do – from learning a foreign language to waking up a stranger across the world with a song. Mobile users are expected to reach more than 43 million in the UK by 2017 and people are increasingly using their phones to access everything from search engines to shopping websites. Mobile solutions are needed for everything. Developing App For Your Business You need have an app for your business. Whether it be to improve organizational productivity or market your own app, you need a good app strategy. You have two options – you either hire a freelancer or a company. The best decision would be outsourcing to a company. Why? A freelancer may be great in a specific area but won’t have as much experience as a gamut of experts that a company has. A good company will also have acquired its reputation and grown by working for different kinds of businesses. The Steps Involved So...
Outsourcing was considered a taboo in its early days, but slowly it is proven as one of the most significant business models. The rosy days of the global economy are gone and so, while, lowering financial liabilities, organisations have to sustain the quality of service and employ a workforce that is economically affordable and efficiently skilled. Many countries like China, Malaysia, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, and Thailand are rapidly growing as preferred destinations for global outsourcing, but India leads the race by a wide margin since the inception of outsourcing. So, let’s see why and how India managed to remain in the spotlight. Cost Effectiveness Every business strives to be as cost effective as possible, and one of the best ways to cut down on operational costs is to reduce manpower expenses. India qualifies well on this metric and hence attracts foreign companies to invest here, as resource wages are comparatively lower as compared to other countries. With low labour costs, immense human resources and excellent infrastructure, offshore companies can invest and expect their projects to be completed with high quality and minimum expenses within strict deadlines. Skilled, Professional Manpower Currently, India has about 2.75 million software developers in the national workforce. By 2018, this count will reach 5.2 million, a whopping 90% increase. India’s software development growth-rate is attributed to half the population being under 25 years of age and current economic policies. India is a budding hub of developers and coders, promising to provide world-class services to outsourcing companies. Apple Inc., the leading technology giant, is looking into setting up a company-owned, technology development centre in India. If this happens,...
Agile development is a common methodology used to approach development projects. It takes a flexible, teamwork-based approach to development that has proven to be very successful. But what about startups? Can a startup firm in the technology sector benefit from the application of Agile methodology? To answer this question, we will first need to explore the unique challenges facing startups. The Nature of Startup Life A startup firm is often loosely defined as a new business that is not profitable, and the business owners are okay with that – it is a time to innovate, grow, and develop. It is worth noting that being part of a startup can be very exciting. For instance: Things are constantly changing each day. Everything moves along quickly. You are working on ‘the next big thing.’ You are surrounded by creativity and passion. Unfortunately, because of the excitement, rapid growth, and abundance of creative ideas, challenges are likely to arise as well. The business does not have a defined roadmap. Approaches to development are disorganized and chaotic. Early market reactions do not provide sufficient data to adjust long-term strategies. And these are just to name a few. An infographic published by Clarity offers a very comprehensive list of struggles faced by many new startups: The missing key to successful growth for most startups is to have an action plan for development – one that is flexible and dynamic. At first glance, it appears that Agile development methodology may be an effective solution. What Makes Agile Development Methodology Effective Agile development allows for flexibility, especially if immediate change is required. The core concepts of...
This year at World Wide Developers Conference keynote, Apple spent a significant amount of time focusing on and speaking about the iOS 8. And it got everyone thinking about how the new version would look like. But you will have wait until September for the iOS 8 release. That’s too long, right? Well, being in the iOS app development business has its perks. The new operating system is available for iOS developers and we will tell you what makes iOS 8 more than just a new number. No redesigning has been done to the new operating system. iOS 8 is built on iOS 7, taking its design and has included new features to it. The latest iOS updates are nothing like you have seen before. The new iOS 8 features will let the third parties score more with their apps. Yes, Apple is finally allowing the third-party apps to communicate with its own operating system as well as server through a number of extensions. The extensions that will allow the app developers to make apps are: Today Extensions Like Windows Phone’s Live Tiles and Android’s home screen widget, iOS 8’s Today extension will let you show limited information in the Today view in the Notification Center. Share Extensions Share extensions will let you share information from one app to online service. While one could share links or photos on Facebook and Twitter earlier also, the iOS8 is now open for online services such as Tumblr and Pinterest as well. Action Extensions The most interesting of all extensions, Action extensions will allow apps to manipulate or view content in another...
