Mobile Application Development

Overview

Mobile Application Development is an established trend in today’s market. Convenience and accessibility have become key factors in why a business solution achieves success. There are two main mobile platforms to target in the current market: Android & iPhone. SSW develops mobile applications in a cross platform way, to ensure that your investments in one platform can easily be brought to the other. A benefit of this approach is that the applications we develop will also work on less common platforms like Windows Phone.

Benefits

• Customized mobile applications with creative content control such as text, images audio, video and rich functionality
• Deep integration with advanced hardware features of modern devices such as cameras, GPS, and motion sensors
• Integration with your backend systems and databases to provide clients with real time access to information on their mobile devices
• Experienced and specialized graphic and UX designers

Key Technologies

• Angular and NativeScript - build rich native applications with the same toolkit as your responsive websites
• Xamarin native cross platform app development
• Ionic and Apache Cordova for HTML-based cross platform apps
• Apple iOS development for iTouch devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch)
• Android Mobile
• Windows Phone 8
• Mobile-targeted websites using Responsive Design
• React Native

Have a look at Adam's post on High Fashion and JavaScript Frameworks.

Angular and NativeScript

Developing for mobile devices has traditionally forced development down one of two paths - native development to produce interfaces that are consistent with the platform and can take advantage of advanced device functionality, and web development which gives simple cross-platform reach and leverages existing investments in websites. The combination of NativeScript and Angular address this problem by taking the web's most popular development framework and compiling the Javascript and CSS into a native UI format for the relevant platform. This brings the best of both worlds - fast development using familiar technologies, and the performance and consistency of a native rendering engine.

Figure: NativeScript produces a UI consistent with the host device

Xamarin & Universal Apps

Xamarin allows for the development of native applications that can be built for multiple platforms. SSW uses this technology when working with clients as it brings the best combination of development speed & flexibility. Rather than rebuilding 3 separate apps in each platform's SDK (iOS, Android, Windows Phone), Xamarin can be used to share the core business logic across all the applications, significantly reducing the work required to release an app on multiple platforms.

Figure: Xamarin apps share code across all platforms

Featured Video

Learn how Miguel et al started Mono, how they ended up at Xamarin, and, potentially, where they’re heading in the future with their excellent cross-platform development technologies based on .NET.

Hardware Integration

SSW has built solutions using the following hardware specializations:

• Rugged devices
• GPS
• Cameras
• RFID
• NFC

Get some ideas from the Tech NZ Wristbands videos on SSW TV:

• TechEd New Zealand 2012 uses RFID Wristbands – Episode 1
• TechEd New Zealand 2013 uses RFID wristbands – Episode 2

Mobile Apps Showcase

iPad Apps

Figure: insQuote – a quotation system for builders

Figure: Coochie – an application for a lawn-care company

iPhone/iPod Apps

Figure: Manad Plus – an iPod application for managing observations in aged-care facilities

Figure: jTrac – an application for Building Surveyors