Saturday, November 10, 2012

Mobile Application Development Technologies - Native, Web and Hybrid




Many mobile developers have the same opinion that both native mobile application development and HTML5 can be somehow mixed with each other. They see advantages in both approaches and advocate for the hybrid approach-the mix of native and web technologies. Mobile developers have even begun to use dev tools like Appcelerator Titanium that compiles JavaScript to native code. They have discovered that HTML5 based developments let them quickly get apps for multiple platforms. However, HTML5 is not competent enough to keep up with native technologies, such as Objective-C for Apple's iOS powered devices and Java for Google's Android powered devices.
A pure HTML5 app cannot take all advantages of device's own capabilities, but a native app can do this. A single HTML5 app-code can be suitable for all platforms, whereas a native app requires different versions of the code for different platforms.
Native mobile application development is still an ultimate choice.
Web technologies have tremendously changed. Still, they cannot be the ultimate answer for all requirements. They are actually ineffective at various places. A native app can be built with great UI and multi-touch feature. Many native apps do never need to access the internet to perform a task. The entire code remains available locally. The locally available data avoids delay in all actions of an app. But you cannot expect the same level of quickness from a HTML5 or web application, because it needs to access the internet to perform every task assigned to it.
You cannot ignore HTML5 Development.
Native is of course an excellent approach, but you cannot ignore the combination of HTML5 and JavaScript. Native apps cost too much time and money, and there is no point of using this technology if HTML5 can give a less-costly solution. There are many domains that are more suitable for HTML5 developments than native ones.
The Use of native and HTML5 makes a hybrid app
Some developers have invented a middle approach through which both technologies can be used. They call it the hybrid method of building mobile apps. Mobile developers can publish hybrid apps even on app stores, whereas a pure HTML5 app cannot be published anywhere. A hybrid app can also use many features of a device that a native app can use.
Still, it depends on requirements of a company or organization. Not all business procedures are suitable for all Mobile Application Development methods. It depends on the nature of the problem that has to be solved through a mobile app-whether it is based on native technology, web technology or hybrid technology.