Mobile Programming

Types of Mobile Applications

 Types of Mobile applications

 There are three types of mobile applications

 1. Native applications
 2. Web applications(mobile web site)
 3. Hybrid applications
 1. Native applications

 Native applications are built specifically for each mobile

platform and installed on the device itself.
 Each native mobile app only works on the platform for which

it was built.
 If you want native apps to work across all mobile platforms,
you must build separate versions for each platform.
 There are three main 3rd Generation Object-Oriented

Languages that are used for developing Native applications.

1. Object C for IOS platform Native applications
2. Java for Android and black berry RIM platform
3. C# for Windows phone Native applications
 Advantages of Native applications

1.It can access the on-board hardware and software on a mobile

device. For example it access onboard hardware such as GPS,
camera, microphone and graphics. It can also access onboard
softwares such as email, calendar, contacts, picture/video gallery,
file manager, and home screen widget areas.
2. Has the ability to run offline: Since the application remains installed
on the device from the original download, no internet connection is
required.
 Disadvantages of Native apps

1. Applications cannot work across different mobile platforms.

For a native app to work across multiple devices, separate
versions of the app are required.
2. It requires extra money and effort to develop, testing, and
distribution for different versions to various platforms rather
then simply developing one version for all platforms or
updating a single website.
 Examples of Native Applications

 There are Several examples of native mobile applications

 1. SMS applications
 2. USSD Applications
 3. Content Based Applications
 1. Short Messaging service(SMS) Applications

Short Messaging service(SMS) Applications are used for

transferring short, usually a 160 character text, message to
other mobile phone users over a cellular network.
 1. Short Messaging service(SMS) Applications

 SMS is used in business communications such as banking and

individual communication .
 SMS provides a store and forward system which makes it possible
for the message to be stored in a telecom operators infrastructure
until the receiver is ready to accept it.
 SMS can be received at any time even while a phone call is in
 progress.
 SMS provides a low cost non-voice communication system
 Examples of free android SMS applications
 Chomp SMS is an android based application features such
as emoticons, widgets, quick reply pop ups, and blocking
SMS from unwanted numbers.
 EvolveSMS app contains features such ability to swipe
between conversations which makes texting with a lot of
people easier than hitting the back button and then
selecting another conversation. It also has Android Wear
support, password support for security, customizable
notifications, and more
 Handcent is packed with features including theme
support, built-in spell checking, password protection for
individual conversations to keep prying eyes away, group
chatting, and more
 2. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data(USSD) Apps

 USSD applications are menu based applications that use USSD

protocols to create a real time connection between mobile
devices and service provider’s computers to allows two-way
interaction.
 This is achieved by creating a session to sending pre-defined
codes. For example *144# can be used to check the balance of a
prepaid airtime account.
 The code differs from the number to which an SMS is sent because
it includes the symbols # and *.
 Example of USSD Apps

 Default Phone app (or dialer) is an app that contain

features like sending USSD codes, call blocking and
voice mail.
 Every mobile phone has its own version of Default
Phone which is inbuilt.
 USSD vs SMS applications
 Differences between USSD and SMS applications

Similarities of USSD and SMS applications

1. Both don’t require internet connection
2. Both are installed on mobile devices
3. Both are used for sending text based content
 Case study in Kenya: Mpesa
 M-Pesa is a mobile money-transfer application that was created in
Kenya in 2007 to allow urban workers to send money home to their
rural families, who had little or no access to banking or postal
services, but who owned or could access a mobile phone.
 Since the money is transferred using USSD and confirmed through
SMS.
 No Internet access is required either.
 M-Pesa has been so successful in Kenya that is has over 10.5 million
active monthly subscribers, who have transferred over $5.9 billion
(between October 2012 and March 2013) through 65,547 registered
agents around the country (Safaricom, 2013).

 M-Pesa has been rolled out to several sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
 3. Instant messaging (IM) Applications

 Instant messaging (IM) applications makes it possible for

people to exchange messages in real time through internet.
 IM applications are available to users who own smartphones
and internet enabled feature phones.
 Examples : BlackBerry Messenger, WeChat, WhatsApp, Google
Talk and Skype.
 3. Instant messaging (IM) Applications

 From a marketer’s point of view, instant messaging applications

(IM) can offer a channel for customer support, but presents
even more of a risk in terms of alienating or angering
consumers.
 This is a space reserved for personal contacts. That said, instant
support gives you the chance to reach customers when they
are focused on your service or product.
 This relies on the assumption that you are available to provide
the information needed instantly.
 4. Quick Response(QR) Codes Applications

 Also known are scannable barcodes that can be read by certain

mobile applications (by taking a photo of the barcode). They
contain information such as a URL.
 QR codes, also called 3D barcodes, offer a way to compress
complex information into an image that can be decoded by your
mobile phone.
 QR codes can offer users with camera phones a convenient way
to get information with just one click.
 Once you have installed a QR code reading app, these barcodes
can be interpreted by the phone’s camera to provide website
URLs, contact information, discount vouchers, or even to activate
downloads.
An Example of The QR code
 4. Case of QR codes Applications
Leonard Low and Margaret O’Connell (2006) application captures
barcodes that are tagged on a nursery plant. The captured bar code
is then translated into a web link, which appears on the screen of the
learner's mobile phone. The web link is used to access Information
about the nursery plant as indicated in Figure 2.13.
 2. Web applications

 A mobile web application is a mobile website that is formatted for

use on a mobile device (e.g. smartphone or tablet) and accessed
through the device’s web browser.
 Example: apps.ft.com/home/web-app

 A mobile web app is normally downloaded from a central web

server each time it is run. Although apps built using HTML5 can
also run on the mobile device for offline use.

 Web application is not limited to one development language. It

can be developed in any language such as Java, PHP, Python,
etc…
 Technologies for Web Applications

(a) Technologies: A mobile web app is developed using three core

technologies:
1. HTML defines static text and images
2. Cascading Style Sheets (CCS)  defines style and presentation
3. JavaScript defines interactions and animations.
 Advantages of Web Applications

1. The key advantage of mobile web apps over native mobile apps is
cross-platform compatibility, allowing them to reach the
broadest audience for the least effort.
2. They’re relatively cheap, easy, and fast to build, mobile web
browsers are fairly standardized, making it much easier to create
a universal mobile web app than a native one.
 Tools For Developing Web Apps

(There are multiple tools that can be used to develop web

applications in minutes.
The tools provides development environment with facilities to
select original desktop site, previewing how the web app looks
on different devices, and fine-tuning for each device.
Examples are:
Wapple (http://wapple.net/)
mobiSiteGalore http://www.mobisitegalore.com
MobilePress http://mobilepress.co.za
MobileFrame (http://www.mobileframe.com/)
Pyxis (http://www.pyxisportal.com/
 1. Wapple (http://wapple.net/)

 Wapple describes itself as "the most advanced mobile web

build, development and publishing technology“ .
 It can be used to create very sophisticated mobile websites
and have them up and running in less than 30 minutes.

 Its features include click-to-call, polls, questionnaires, a mobile

shop, built-in forms, analytics, social media, video and Google
maps integration.
 2. mobiSiteGalore http://www.mobisitegalore.com

 MobiSiteGalore has a free limited trial service that allows setting up

a website with three pages and limited features and hosting,
 It also offers Professional package with unlimited pages for just

$225 a year.
 mobiSiteGalore consists several features that be used to create

some very sophisticated mobile websites.

 It include the following features:

1. Widgets to do site search, add Google News and Sitemap

2. Click-to-call features
3. Ecommerce features e.g. ability to accept PayPal or Bango payments
4. Design features including photo galleries
5. Multimedia features for adding audio and video clips.
 MobilePress http://mobilepress.co.za

 MobilePress is a free WordPress plugin that to allow access to

WordPress website on mobile handsets, with the ability to use
customised themes.
 It has features for tracking mobile sites analytics and serve
advertisements from some of the biggest mobile ad networks
such as Admob, Quattro Wireless, Buzzcity and InMobi.
 Developers can also include their own advertisements.
 Examples of Mobile Web Apps

 Examples of such application are:

 - Wikipedia Mobile (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/)
 - Facebook Mobile (http://m.facebook.com)
 - BBC News mobile (http://www.bbc.co.uk/mobile/index.html)
 Disadvantages of web apps

1. Web apps generally cannot access the on-board hardware and

software on a mobile device. Requirements such as camera
control, direct GPS control (there is limited access to current
location) .
2. It cannot support heavy/complex custom graphics (gaming, etc.)
3. Web apps generally require a network connection to function,
with performance issues if the website is slow or unavailable.
 Native vs Web Applications

 The biggest difference between the two types :

 Native applications are installed directly on each device while
web applications are served from a central location and
 Accessed through a web browser without requiring installation
on each device, they are platform independent.
Hybrid Apps
 3. Hybrid applications
Hybrid apps combines (blends) native and web apps to allow the
user interface appears in a browser window, with a native app
wrapped around it.
This means hybrid application is native Application with Web
Application inside it.
Advantages:
1.The application can access device functionality(onboard software and
hardware) that is not available through the browser.
2. Reduce development time, cost by allowing minimal customizing to
reuse it across different devices.
Disadvantage:
1. They it requires customizing by writing at few codes to allow reusing
it across different devices
 Tools for Creating Hybrid Apps

 There are several tools that can be used to develop Hybrid Apps.
 They include the following:

Other Tools: Intel XDK

 Case of Hybrid Mobile Applications
 An Example is OMAL application (Mwendia and Buchem,2013) ,
that consists of native mobile module, which wraps other mobile
web applications like dropbox and facebook to enable accessing of
learning materials by university students.
 Native vs Hybrid apps

 To the user, a well-designed hybrid app looks very similar to a

native app: it is downloaded from an app store, stored on the
mobile device, and launched just like a native app

 But to developers there is a huge difference, because rather

than rewriting the entire app for each mobile platform, they
write at least some of the code in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript,
and reuse it across different devices
 Hybrid apps vs Web Apps

 Both web apps and hybrid apps web app can work across
different platforms.
 Hybrid app can access onboard hardware and software of the
device. However, web app cannot access such functionality
since they are not available through the browser.