apHarmony will be happy to assist in your cross-platform mobile development project.  Cross-platform mobile apps and web projects provide further reach for your content and deliver a wider audience than possible by targeting a single platform.

There are three primary methods to develop a cross-platform mobile project: using a multi-deployment framework such as PhoneGap, targeting multiple platforms individually using native code, and creating a responsive web app which will work not just on mobile, but also on desktop environments.  Each development method has its own set of advantages and challenges.

The most widely used tool for multi-deployment is PhoneGap.  This tool lets developers publish to multiple platforms, such as both Android and Apple iOS, from one source app.  Although some specialization may be necessary for each platform, the majority of the code is easily ported.  The challenges with a multi-deployment framework are the lack of advances features, and more generic interface available.  If the app is simple, however, the PhoneGap solution will often work well.

Targeting multiple platforms individually is the most labor intensive, and most flexible solution.  Although clients may want to start out tackling multiple platforms simultaneously, we often recommend starting with one, and then porting to additional platforms once the first is successfully completed.  Native framework targeting has several advantages with speed and utilization of low-level features, as well as providing a more cohesive experience as expected by app users.

Responsive web apps can be the ideal solution for cross platform mobile development, if the user can be assumed to keep an internet connection throughout their interaction with the site.  The same app can then easily be used by both desktop, mobile phone, and tablet environments, and changes are easy to deploy.  The main drawback with responsive web apps is that they will not be listed in the app stores, and in order to charge for the software, separate payment processor integration and authentication must be implemented.

If you have any questions about cross platform mobile development, please feel free to give us a call at 630-855-7522.  We will be happy to discuss your project.