PhoneGap

PhoneGap is an open source mobile development framework that enables developers to create a single app to be available over multiple platforms.

Apps are developed using web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript and are supported by the following platforms:

• Apple iOS
• Google Android
• HP webOS
• Microsoft Windows Phone
• Nokia Symbian OS
• RIM Blackberry

HTML5 is the latest and most advanced mark up language available for web development and CSS3 is the latest version of cascading style sheets used to style various elements on a web page.

The mobile framework allows developers to target all smartphones with a single codebase by enabling a Foreign Function Interface (FFI) to an embedded Webview or Webkit. In simple terms applications are actually shown in an embedded virtual browser within an app, appearing to us a normal app.

How can PhoneGap help your business?

PhoneGap is a very useful tool as developing a single app will then create a readymade product that will be available over 7-8 app stores. This will dramatically reduce the time that would ordinarily be required to create an app available to all users.

The NMBS Exhibition App, iExhibit, took 3 weeks to develop for use with the iPhone. To make this available to all users the same timeframe would need to be applied to all platforms, a total of 21 weeks. Another alternative would be to employ extra developers to speed up the process, both costing time and money. With the use of PhoneGap this timeframe would be reduced to just 3 weeks for the app to be developed for use over all 7 platforms, reducing the labour and cost.

To create an app on all 7 platforms without the use of PhoneGap, developers will need to be competent in the relevant programming language, such as Java or objective-c. This could then cause the need to employ extra developers with the relevant knowledge, again increasing costs. Developing with PhoneGap only requires the use of HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript to develop for across all 7 platforms. Reducing the need to employ multiple developers to deal with each platform.

To get started with PhoneGap please take a look here on their website.