Mobile application development strategies
- 1. Mobile Application Development Strategies Presented by Nathan Clevenger Enterprise Editor, Smartphone magazine Mobile Practice Director, ITR Group Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 2. Agenda • The App Phenomenon • Competing Mobile Platforms • Potential Application Architectures • Third‐Party Development Frameworks • Enterprise Best Practices • Discussion / Q&A Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 3. 80% of the FORTUNE 100 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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- 13. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 14. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 15. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 16. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 17. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 18. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 19. Application Architectures • Application Architectures • Native App Development • Web App Development • Hybrid App Development • Development Approaches • Platform‐specific • Platform‐specific with shared code Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 20. Native Development • Native apps are generally platform‐specific • Use platform specific APIs and UI • Usually implies platform‐specific coding Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 21. Web Development • Use HTML 5.0 and AJAX for smart clients • Can often simulate a native experience • Allows for cross‐platform development Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 22. Hybrid Development • Hybrid is part‐native and part‐web • Can be a native‐wrapped web app • Native APIs can be accessed via wrapper Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 23. Hybrid Spectrum 100% Web App 100% Native App Hybrid App Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 24. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 25. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 26. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 27. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 28. 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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 29. 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? Wednesday, April 28, 2010
- 30. Questions? nathan.clevenger@itrgroupinc.com Wednesday, April 28, 2010