iPhone app development and Android app development can be broken down into two main categories; web applications and native applications. In this article we’ll look at the differences between them, and which solution is right for you.

Why do I need a Mobile version of my Website?

Every day more and more users get smart phones. Its predicted that the next largest number of online customers will come from smart phones, so having a mobile version of your website is important.

The reason you need a mobile optimized website is because of the usability issues normal websites run into on the small mobile screens. Drop down menus, excess of content and large images all add to a bad experience, and sometimes unusable website.

Native Smart Phone Apps

A Native App is a piece of software (a program) that needs to be installed on a device, like the applications you would find on the Apple iTunes store or Android Market Place. Because these apps are installed, they usually have the added advantage of running offline and can take advantage of the built in hardware and software of the mobile device like the gyroscope, camera, accelerometer and more.

Native apps are device specific, meaning one that runs on the iPhone wont run on an Android or Blackberry. However developing mobile applications with PhoneGap allows you to publish native apps to multiple platforms, which means less investment for a larger market.

Mobile Web Apps

A mobile web application is more or less like any other website, but it has been optimised for viewing on mobile device web browsers. Building a mobile web app enables you to publish to the internet the same way you would with a website. This means there is no ‘approval process’ from the app store required, and it can be instantly used by other smart phones so you don’t need to do any phone specific development. Of course each phone has its own unique browser technology so some compatibility still needs to be taken into account, and the application will not appear identically on all devices of different platforms and screen sizes.

The major setbacks of web applications are older or less capable browsers on older devices that don’t take advantage of CSS3 or HTML5.

The Hybrid Web App Wrapped in a Native App

Because native apps have full access to the system hardware and software they can do some things a mobile web application cannot. For example taking photos. Additionally native apps allow the use of the built in browser inside a special view. This means any capabilities a web app can do can be replicated in a native app. This opens the exciting possibility of developing a mobile web application that runs online, and can also be compiled for iPhone and Android and be submitted to their online stores all with the same core code.

Comparison Table

	Web Apps	Native Apps
Internet Access	Generally Required	Not required
Installation & Updates	Not required, just hit refresh	Needs to be downloaded or deployed by developer
Device Complaibility	Currently very good, but as mobile browsers get better this will increase	Fully dependent on device hardware and software
Content Manageability	Can be done	Can be done
Distribution	Can be accessed via a public URL	Must be downloaded via website or app store (if the app store approves it)
Enterprise	Perfect, no deployment	For iPhone, Requires Enterprise Apple Developer License and Manual Provisioning of each Device
User Experience	Very good, but it depends on the web browser, hardware and age of the device	Very good as they are developed for specific devices (which means older or less capable devices are generally not catered for)
Effects & Animations	Good, but will increase with better browsers and hardware	Very fast and responsive
Sharing with Social Media	Very easy, just share a link	Will need to be built in
Development	Developed for Mobile Browsers with Javascript / HTML / CSS	Usually built for a specific device, however platforms like Phonegap enable you to develop across multiple mobile platforms. Code must be compiled for each device.
Hardware Sensor Access	Very limited access except for geo location	Everything: gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, camera, microphone, web browser, GPS
User Collaboration	Can be built in, all data saved on server	Can be built in, would most likely use a web browser to do anything like this
Can it be sold?	Generally not recommended but it can be walled of with a sign in	Can be sold on app store or be sold with a website
Can the content be found online?	Yes all content can be found online	Generally not, this would need to be built in (unless it just uses a public URL like a normal website)
Advertising	Easily done with adwords or paid advertising space	Easily done but would need to be built in. iPhone users can use iAd
Graphics	Users will get an experience appropriate to the capabilities of the device they are using	Users (particularly iPhone users) will get a seamless experience on all devices the software is compatible with
Fonts	Is getting better with @font-face but isn’t perfect on all browsers yet	Can be built in with a complete control over typefaces

For more information on Brisbane iPhone app development, Brisbane Android app development or Brisbane Blackberry development, please contact us!

Posted on December 1, 2010 at 12:08 pm.

Written by Maurice