It is very easy to see the opportunity involved with Android mobile application development, as it has only been a few years since the first Android device was released, and it has already evolved into such a complex piece of technology.
At that point, it did not even compare to the popular iPhone, but then again, that was only the first version of the Android device. Since then, the advancements have brought new meaning to the Android name. Following the G1 was the Donut, otherwise known as the Android 1.6, followed by 2.0 closely after, and here we are today with version 4.2 Jelly Bean that implements brand new camera features. “So,” you may ask, “what’s next?” Well, everyone is now waiting for version 5.0, coming in the near future.
Operating system – what hardware do you need?
You can make use of several different operating systems, such as Windows, Linux and Mac OS X to develop your Android mobile applications on. For the purposes of this tutorial, I use the Windows 8 operating system.
The following platforms are supported by Android:
– Windows 8 – 32 and 64-bit
– Windows 7 – 32 and 64-bit
– Windows Vista – 32 and 64 bit
– Windows XP – 32-bit
– Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later – x86 only
– Linux
If you use a 64-bit operating system, you must make sure it can handle 32-bit applications as well.
Making Sure Your App Won’t Fall Over
Your users’ phones won’t necessarily just be running your application on its own – they will more than likely be doing other work behind the scenes, like downloading files or playing music from another app. You need to know the answers to questions such as these:
• Will downloading files affect my application?
• Will my app crash if a necessary Internet connection isn’t available?
You need to know the answers to such questions – I call this thinking outside of your application boundaries.
All apps are not of the same standard – there are some excellent ones and some dismal ones, believe me! Before you go and broadcast your app to the world you need to make sure you know its limits. You need to know that it will continue to run when users navigate their way around the screen, or carry out routine tasks, otherwise the whole thing could be a bit of a flop.
iPhone Mobile Application Development
An Intel-based Macintosh computer with the latest version of Mac OS is required to get started programming your first iPhone mobile application. The iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) should also be downloaded for free by becoming a registered iPhone developer.
To start off, we will make the assumption that you have a background in object-oriented programming and a form of C language like C++ or C#.
The first step you must take is to find an idea for a great iPhone mobile application. Let’s say you have an idea for an application to calculate your net-worth in Euros or a data-driven application that helps find the best sandwich joint in Philadelphia. Your next step is to think about the best iPhone mobile applications and what makes them overshadow other applications. What steps are taken while clicking through that application that will seamlessly get the user to the perfect sandwich in the city?