PhoneGap Development - For Quickly Building Cross-Platform Mobile Apps

PhoneGap Development - For Quickly Building Cross-Platform Mobile Apps
By Amory Y Bert

PhoneGap is one of the most widely used Open Source frameworks for building cross-platform mobile apps. Instead of using native language, PhoneGap allows developers to use HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS3 for creating unique and vibrant apps. This helps mobile app developers to leverage their current skills on the common platform, rather than a device specific programming language. This is perfect for those developers who want to create single codebase to target multiple devices.

The applications that are built with PhoneGap are more advanced compared to normal HTML5 mobile websites. Using various APIs (application programming interface), PhoneGap applications can easily link to the smartphone's hardware such as Camera, Compass, or Accelerometer. Similar to native apps, cross-platform PhoneGap applications can be built and developed. However, the best part of PhoneGap development is that the apps have gained tremendous recognition in the Apple App Store as well as Google Play Store and Windows Store. Hence, one can find the specific app for any mobile platform.

PhoneGap development can cater for app solutions for a wide range of mobile platforms, which includes iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry OS, as well as Symbian, HP WebOS and Bada. Besides, PhoneGap development can add a number of features to the cross-platform mobile app.

PhoneGap SDK (Software Development Kit) offers a wide range of application interfaces to the developer to deal with the specific mobile feature. Some of the typical mobile hardware APIs supported by PhoneGap are as follows:

1. Accelerometer API
2. Compass sensor API
3. Geolocation API
4. Media API
5. Storage API
6. Globalization API
7. Connection API
8. And several others.

All the APIs offered by PhoneGap are platform specific; hence, in order to create a variety of apps, specific platform SDK needs to be installed. The SDK usually provides developers libraries and tools that are necessary to develop, test, and debug app for specific mobile platform.

To build Windows 8 apps, developers need to have Windows 8 and Visual Studio 2012 professional installed. In addition, PhoneGap also requires installation of Apache Cordova, which is a collection of mobile APIs that help access native hardware functions. Similarly, to build iPhone apps, developers need to have a Mac machine along with Mac OS X, Xcode 4.5+, and Apache Cordova installed.

PhoneGap development is the app solution that can suffice the needs of different mobile platforms. PhoneGap developer can create multiple app solutions for business, games, entertainment, and social media. For quickly building cross-platform mobile apps, PhoneGap has become the best Open Source framework.

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PhoneGap Development And Mobile Application Development

PhoneGap Development And Mobile Application Development
By Andrew V Mark

PhoneGap is an open source framework which is widely used for building cross-platform mobile applications. The developers make use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for creating innovative and rich apps. This is perfect for mobile app developers who want to start with mobile application development and can leverage their existing skills on a common platform rather than with a device-specific compiled language. This is fantastic for someone who is interested in creating a code base which is compatible with multiple devices.

Applications which are built with PhoneGap are not like the normal mobile websites that you can find. PhoneGap apps can easily connect to the mobile device hardware and is like other tools such as the Accelerometer or GPS. PhoneGap applications can be built and developed like the native applications. The best part of the developed apps is that they can find a place even in the Apple App Store and also in the Android Market. One need not have to use the specific mobile platform for creating the connected mobile apps.

PhoneGap is suitable for creating apps across a wide range of mobile platforms including the Android platform, iOS and its versions, Blackberry, Symbian and the Palm OS. One can add any number of features even with the help of PhoneGap.

The PhoneGap SDK has an application interface which provides the developer with specific mobile features. Here are some of the typical hardware specific features which are supported by PhoneGap:

Geolocation features
Accelerometer features
Sound enhancements

In order to create diverse and innovative applications with the help of PhoneGap, the SDK needs to be installed for the specific mobile platforms which one needs to target for creating the app. The software development kits are actually used by developers for compiling the app for a specific platform.

For developing Android-related apps, one needs to have Android NDK and Android SDK installed. Additionally, PhoneGap requires some other installations to be done including the installation of the Eclipse IDE and the installation of the ADT plugin for Eclipse. Other than that, one needs the Apache Ant, Ruby, and Git Bash (Windows Only)

One needs different hardware requirements to be met including the needs of an Intel-based Apple Computer which is moderate in performance and can deliver the graphics well. The iPhone SDK is also needed along with Xcode and Mac OS X Snow Leopard. This is pivotal for the creation of the iPhone apps.

PhoneGap needs to be downloaded and installed after which one can see a separate folder for each of the platforms that the framework supports. It also has a default application which can be used to show the power of the SDK. One can easily create a huge range of apps which are cross-platform. One need not have to use the app only on iOS or Android. One can also create fantastic utilities and then share the single codebase across different platforms. In terms of the design perspective, PhoneGap development includes development of apps with the use of HTML5, Javascript & CSS3.

PhoneGap helps developers to create a single app which can be used in different platforms. One can create multiple apps related to business, entertainment, games, and social media. Also, one can use third-party integration. PhoneGap also helps developers to monetize their native mobile apps creatively and helps combine mobile development methodologies which are fundamentally different than each other.

PhoneGap Development Company have team of skilled and experience mobile and PhoneGap Developers who develops apps for many platforms that suit for business needs.

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