Monday 14 November 2016

Switching to Android from iOS: Where lies the Difference in Operating Systems?

The competition between Android and iOS is set to enter another year. While users have enjoyed the rivalry, given the trends it has inspired in Android App Development and iOS Application Development, they also have had the choice between two versatile Operating Systems. While users are quick to switch to iOS from Android, the reverse process demands serious temperament. Given the famous saying amongst users of iOS, ‘An iOS user isn’t able to use Android’ again. This is due to the unique features offered by iOS, and while Android offers countless customization options for its users, iOS doesn’t let do users much and ends up doing it for them.






Recently, with the latest Software update, for the first time, iOS allowed users to have a say in the Pre-installed applications, allowing them to uninstall it. While switching to iOS from Android offers a lot more organization and involves a little expenditure, given the way applications are priced at Apple’s App Store, switching to Android from iOS involves missing out on a few features, but not without helping the cause of your Credit Card.


To begin with, the difference lies in the reader mode that is available to the users of Safari. If you are looking for a page to read, but it happens to be cluttered by other senseless info like ads and popups, the reading mode in Safari can disable each of them, leaving you with the article’s headline and content. This feature is especially helpful for those who are looking for minimum distractions during their reading and editing time. Alongside, there is the flexibility of night-time mode which allows users to change the color of their screen according to their comfort, a function Android hasn’t yet adopted. Android does allow a manual reading mode in Chrome, but when it comes to matching the effectiveness of Safari.



For the users fond of average screen size, the launch of iPhone 6 and variants posed a challenge, as, after consistent usage, they felt the tiredness in their fingers. However, Apple had the solution to this through their ‘Reach-ability’ feature through which one could get the interface to squeeze in the middle of the screen, and all this could be done by a double tap on the Home Button. Occasionally, users complained of the irritation this feature caused, but for many, this was a life savior. Therefore, once you switch to the giant screens of Android, you’ll have to do without this feature, and for the ones who grew accustomed to Reach-ability while using iOS, this is one thing they’ll serious miss in Android.



Unlike Android, iOS has already mastered the art of smooth scrolling, as evident through the efficient functioning of Safari. Browsers in Android do not offer a great scrolling experience, and often while reading long articles on the web, one experiences a lag or delay in the page. Even with high-speed internet and complete page loads, there is a persisting lag in the scroll which doesn’t make for a great reading experience. For the ones choosing to shift to Android from iOS, be prepared for an excruciating scrolling experience.



Clearly, Android has a lot to do in terms of catching up with the effectiveness of iOS. What saves it from user skepticism and criticism are the cost-effective hardware solutions that make it possible for users to own an Android with ease, quite unlike an iOS Device. Alongside, Android has been instrumental in inspiring trends in Android and iOS Application Development, even though the revenues from the Apple App Store exceed those of Android by over 75%. However, it’s not always numbers, and if you are looking or have made the switch to Android from iOS, be prepared for an experience that is not disappointing, but different.



Tuesday 1 November 2016

Decoding the Recent Trends in Android and iOS Application Development:

What goes up must come down, and the year of 2016 was a testimony to this fact. While Android App Development and iOS App Development saw new trendsetters in the game, witnessed the old thresholds being overpowered, and also attained a swell in user numbers, it also realized that nothing lasts forever, especially when your application developers are looking to go static. One of the leading applications was the famous ‘Pokemon Go’ that made going out cool again. However, the fun wasn’t to last for long, and eventually, the application, with all its user numbers and surging stock prices faced an inevitable slump. While there was nothing alarming about the application that led to its eventual downfall, experts were left wondering what really let the users off the hook?



2016 has some interesting trends to offer in the domain of Android and iOS Application Development, and Pokemon Go was critical to these trends as it offered a much-needed shift from the madness of on-demand services that had taken over. We term this as madness because every startup was looking to create an application based on the ‘Uber for X’ model, without understanding the market, the supply-demand graph, or in some cases, even their own product. There was a prevailing haste within the market that caused many startups to falter. Certainly, this faltering had a direct impact on the factors that dictated the trends of Android and iOS Application Development. However, one must note that despite the consistent failures, the domain of on-demand services has been quite strong for the year, and one can expect further growth in the same in the upcoming years. With businesses worth billions looking to shift or initiate their operations online, one can safely assume for a progressive growth in the area of on-demand services.

What Pokemon Go did was cause an unprecedented shift of attention from on-demand services to the conventional form of Android and iOS Application development that had captivated users before the coming of Uber. People were again hooked to games, educational applications, news and magazine broadcasts, and the earlier categories in Android and iOS Application Development saw a much-needed upheaval in numbers, given how they were losing ground to on-demand services. Even with the on-demand services serving completely different applications and utilities, they were occupying a considerable space on the device and more importantly, the mind of the user. Through the short-term success of Pokemon Go, one can hope for the conventional applications to stay meaningful.



Apart from On-Demand Services and conventional Android and iOS Application Development, users went for other utility applications that did not require the presence of any professionals. In this aspect, Google garnered unparalleled success as its applications helped users with better search results and operations like news, maps, and other location-based services.


The era of Android and iOS Application Development has just begun and there is going to be much more to it than what meets the eye. With the enhancing of the hardware with each passing year, one can expect more developments in Android and iOS Application Development, especially with the coming of beacons, the extensive use of native technology and hardware in application development, the engaging UX and UI Designs, and the presence of cost-effective solutions that has made it possible for everyone to own a Smartphone. For the ones engaged in the business of Android and iOS Application Development, the future offers nothing but a vast horizon gleaming with countless opportunities.

Friday 28 October 2016

What Factors Led to the Growth of Android and iPhone App Development?

Are you looking for discounts on plane tickets? Well, there is an application for that. Are you eager to attend the next big party happening around the city? Turns out, there is an application to find that too. Also, if you happen to lose your TV Remote around the house, there is an application to summon a person from the nearby service provider who helps you find it. Clearly, if people are looking for professionals to help them find TV Remotes through applications, Android App Development and iPhone App Development has indeed come a long way. What are the factors that have contributed to the unprecedented growth of Application Development for Androids and iPhones? As we look back, there is no clear answer for that, and in the scheme of things, one thing to led to another. However, none of it would have been possible if people didn’t have an access to Smartphones, and Apple had a huge role to play in it.



When Apple came out with its first iPhone back in 2010, not many people could afford it. The people in the Developing Economies of India and China had no way to access the technology that was being sold at an expensive price. The conventional handsets were doing well until then, with Blackberry and Nokia flooding the market with new devices each season. Android was gaining ground as an Operating System, but was farthest from where it is today. The concept of owning a Smartphone wasn’t prevalent and what made any device exceptional was the camera and memory. The software aspect was more or less ignored. However, this is where Apple came in. With the launch of its first iPhone, Apple opened up an avenue that went beyond the hardware, and for the first time, people were interested to know what a mobile operating system could achieve. This is where the idea of excessive Application development was first born.



Back then, not everyone could afford an Apple. Turns out, the story remained the same for the next few years, and is more or less the same today. While Apple’s reluctance to launch a product that is cost-effective cannot be explained, it did offer other companies opportunities to do more now that they knew the technology that was in play. Before we knew, Chinese products entered the market. Samsung (from South Korea) came out with its own devices that ranged from cost-effective to mildly expensive. Someone had found a way to disrupt Apple’s solitary walk on the road to innovation. This surge of products from Samsung and its contemporaries led to the enhancement of Android, and slowly, iOS was looking at a rival in Android, and that to a formidable one.


News Magazines, TV Channels, Social Networks, and other conventional sources of desktop entertainment and education turned to mobile websites before launching their own mobile applications for Android, iOS, Windows, and Blackberry. Eventually, users had countless applications to choose from and Android and iOS App Development flourished. While Windows and Blackberry bowed out of the race, the remaining two kept on adding applications and soon, users discovered that they could do more with apps as it gave them instant access on-the-go. Social networks were gaining numbers and users wanted to do more with messengers that replaced the conventional SMS functions. The first phase of Mobile App Development was supplied by innovation in cost-effective hardware that allowed users across the globe to buy a Smartphone. As we look back now, years later, without cost-effective Smartphone devices, there would have been no revolution in Android and iPhone Development.

Tuesday 25 October 2016

How to Choose the Ideal Company for Mobile App Development?

For any startup, young enterprise, or an established organization, to choose the ideal company for mobile application development can be a difficult choice. Given the importance of mobile applications and their engagement figures with the users, it would be naive to assume that your business does not require a mobile application development company. The firm or company can help you with an application that is integral to your clients and stands strong on your business aspirations. These days, the inculcation of a mobile application is seen as an expansion phase for the business, and given the competition in the market, it’s better for you to get the application designed at the earliest.



When it comes to choosing a mobile application development company, the first question you need to ask yourself is the platform that you are looking to target. Are you one of those who are looking to have an application only for your Android users or iOS users, or do you wish to target both. For enterprises that are on a constrained budget, it is recommended that you go for a single operating system first. However, if budget is not an issue, you should be looking for a company that can work on both Android and iOS with ease, given the fact that other mobile Operating Systems are either out of business or obsolete.

After deciding upon the platform, you should then focus on the technologies you are looking to use. Not all mobile application development companies employ the use of emerging technologies in the market. Therefore, before you start on the development and design phase, there is the need to extensively brainstorm the technologies that you are looking to use. At the end of the development phase, you don’t want to end up with an application that has nothing to satisfy your users in terms of technicality. This brainstorming is usually carried out when you sit with business end of the company you are looking to work with.

Does your mobile application development company have a marketing strategy in place? Are they looking to help you with the bugs at least a year down the line? If not, you should look for some other options, but if they are interested in doing so, you should discuss the marketing plan and check if it taps the user base you are looking to target.


Eventually, it all comes down to how well the mobile application development company understands your plan for the application. Along with an impeccable design, it is important for the developers to inculcate the vision you have for the application as that would form the backbone of your business. As the client, your choice must be based on the work the company has done in the past, the passion that drives its team, and the innovation with which they can curate your mobile application.

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Mobile Wallets and Digital Payment: How Mobile Applications changed Transactions?

The extensive market of Android App development, along with iPhone app development has allowed for service providers to introduce numerous utilities. However, not all these utilities are free, with some requiring a payment at the time of installation while the others having in-app purchases. Also, the inception of services based on the ‘Uber for X’ business model require users to make a payment every time they avail and service. While this can be tedious and tiring if one has to pay through cash each time in the case of ‘Uber for X’ models, Credit and Debit cards also don’t help the cause as they can be time-consuming and would require some infrastructure as well. Therefore, to counter this problem, innovative Mobile Wallets, and Digital Payment platforms were introduced.



You order a cab, complete your ride, and step out, without having to pay through cash or worrying about the limit on your Credit or Debit card. A few years ago this scenario would have come across unimaginable to most users and service providers, but today, with Mobile Wallets and Digital Payment platforms like PayTm, users can easily avail multiple services without having to wrestle with their wallets for currency denominations. Today, as we move online for almost everything, these mobile wallets come in handy as they allow users to complete their purchases with ease, have their subscriptions renewed each week or month without swiping their cards again and again, and most importantly, can rely on a single platform to complete all their purchases. Mobile Wallets and Digital Payment platforms have not just changed physical transactions, they have eliminated them, and replaced it with a far easier process, thus helping everyone who is a part of the transaction.



When these Mobile Wallets and Digital Payment platforms were first launched, the challenge lay in getting consumers to use these. Therefore, companies started with numerous promotional offers, cashback, and prizes to lure users to install these platforms. The strategy did work in the long run, and its success is evident by the number of people who choose to make payments through Mobile Wallets and Digital Payment Platforms.


What is the future of these platforms? Well, to begin with, they are only going to expand in the next few years. From cab services to online music subscriptions, every company has tied up with multiple mobile wallets and digital payment platforms to assist users with their payment. This has not only ushered a revolution in terms of the transaction, but also helped saved infrastructure in the form of machines that was earlier wasted for cards. Given the way businesses are moving to mobile platforms, one can expect mobile wallets to become one of the key services under the startup industry.

Monday 3 October 2016

What do you need to know about Android Mobile App Development?


Android and iPhone have been in the competition for long now. While the former strives to improve the interface, add more applications to appeal to the users, the latter is slowly moving away from the Smartphone market to a technology where the mobile devices become obsolete. However, given their cost effectiveness, many people still prefer an Android device over an iOS device. This can also be attributed to the limited app options available on the iOS platform. As the market for Android App expanded, iOS fell behind, unable to cater its user expectations in terms of app, and instead, having them do everything through a few applications. While this appealed to the ones who wanted to avoid a cluster of apps on their mobile devices, it wasn’t much of a good idea for the ones seeking multiple options. 



Today, the Android Mobile App Development is expanding rapidly, introducing each day, a new set of applications to perform different functions. Not all of these applications are chart-busters, but most of them end up garnering a section of the customer base. For the ones who are looking to venture into the arena of Android Mobile App Development, the opportunities are countless. To begin with, there is the potential clientele that runs into millions. Android app developers aren’t supposed to restrict themselves to any single domain of app making or a fixed format. Given the hardware support available in Smartphone devices these days, the Android Apps can be developed to host multiple features through an engaging interface. 

So, what are the per-conditions before you set out to build a career in the Android App Development? To begin with, you must have the fundamentals sorted. Any Android app requires a strong foundation upon which the other complexities can be based. Many Android developers fail to understand the importance of having their basics strong, and thus, end up creating an app that doesn’t last long in the market. Additionally, one must be equipped to adapt to the evolving technology. Android App Development is going to expand rapidly, and this will happen with the inculcation of multiple technologies. Therefore, as an Android developer, your focus should also be on learning new technologies as this can help you enhance the overall app design. 

Marketing has become a key component of Android App Development. Companies today are also focusing on innovative methods of marketing to get their apps to the consumers. As an integral part of Android App development, marketing revolves around understanding the consumer needs, the way they use the app, the expectations they have from the services being offered through the app, and persistent bug fixes. Failing on any single frontiers could spell doom for the application, and therefore a complete marketing strategy helps adding value to your Android app. 

Android App development market is the key to the future for now. While iOS may jump ahead with new technologies and breakthroughs, but it would take them a while before they can figure out how to introduce cost-effective solutions like Android. For all the Android App developers out there, the right time is now!

Monday 26 September 2016

Decoding the Future of Mobile App Development and their Saturation:




The era of PCs is slowly coming to an end. While portable laptops have made way for tablets, the market is now dominated by Smartphones. Given the cost-effective devices that have penetrated the market in the past few years, Smartphone accessibility has improved, thus resulting in rapid mobile app development. Today, we see elaborate marketing campaigns for app releases and launch. All this has been made possible due to the extensive market that has embraced the idea of iOS and Android apps. A single visit to the Google Play Store or Apple’s App store is enough to realize the countless options that are available within the market. However, the question that is now being pondered is that how long is it here to last?

Well, with the launch of Airpod and an iPhone without a 3.5mm jack, Apple dropped, a very small one thought, but a hint of eliminating the smartphone device in the next 10 years. As it has been proven time and again, historically, what Apple does becomes the trend. Therefore, we are looking at a future where Smartphones would become as obsolete as the desktop PCs today. Even with a significant decline in the market, the app industry could be hit. However, would the mobile app development come to an end? Not likely, here’s why.

From desktop PCs, we ventured into laptops, and from laptops into Smartphones and tablets. Technically, the objective of the technology remained the same but with a changed interface. In terms of the future, we are looking at a possibility of wireless headphones and Smartwatch technology that would inculcate the 3D Hologram mechanism, something only witnessed in movies till now.
Does this mean that our mobile app development sector is doomed? No, but it would be required to adapt to the new technology pretty fast. As an app developer, you don’t want your fate to be like that of Blackberry. When the app development phase began, Blackberry was at parallels with iOS and Android. However, today, it remains nowhere to be seen for its weak adaptation to customer needs and requirements.

For the mobile app development phase, the biggest challenge would be to adapt to the new technologies that are coming in. The saturation point is out of question, given how science is evolving, but the interface is not going to restrict itself to Smartphones. For the ones who are currently pursuing mobile app development, the future does hold exciting prospects for you, but it is imperative that you focus on the future and not merely on the present.


For now, the mobile app development segment seems to be doing quite well. In the next 5 years, we are looking at an estimate of close to $20 bn dollars worth of business online. Therefore, there as a mobile app developer, there is still quite a lot of time for you to get used to the market, but like everything, the mobile app development is also going to witness as upheaval at the right time for the right reasons.