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Nov 19

iPhone hype...

Posted by Annalisa Afeltra in Ruby on Rails - Web 2.0 - 6 comments digg this add to delicious

If we consider the business world, since the Blackberry was released in 2002, it broadened the use of IT in the business world. Receiving e-mail on your smartphone and being able to be updated in real-time was a useful tool for everyone.

But then came along the iPhone….

The iPhone changed the whole game of the smartphone. Not only is it an interesting little device that allows you to be updated with your e-mail, organize your appointments, manage what you need to do but so many more applications are being developed that have reached the top of the top 25 list of apps to have. Like the new Google voice search application that enables you to search a website using your voice, but I have tried it and maybe it didn’t like my voice…

iPhone applications have created another dimension in the development of web applications, not only to develop web 2.0 applications in Ruby on Rails but for our applications to be successful and competing within the current market, we need to develop iPhone web applications that are synchronized with our web applications. A simple to-do list application is much more useful if you can view it on your iPhone and manage it from there too.

But then I ask myself…

is it better to develop iPhone web applications or native applications?

Some advantages of web applications :

  • web based therefore can be cross -browsered
  • it can be used with other smartphones and not only for the iPhone
  • you don’t need approval from Apple

If anyone has any comments I would appreciate it.

Thanks

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Comments

  • Richard W.

    Posted on November 19

    In my last company we did both: a web app for basic features (and other smartphones ,which, btw. are really suc.. when it comes to css/js). On the other hand, you'll need to do a native-versions for the real killer features (locating yourself, full sensor access etc). I don't think there will be some kind of bridge to javascript here in near future. So, depending on your needs, you want perhaps serve both (with some REST-actions as backend-service for the native client). BTW: If you don't need to talk back to a server you can compress the whole stuff (html,js,css,images) and put them on the iphone as kind of a bookmarklet.

  • Benjamin

    Posted on November 19

    "You don´t have to learn Objective-C" is missing! And you don`t have to use XCode...

  • Annalisa

    Posted on November 20

    Hi Richard, Thanks for the useful tips. I will need to communicate back to the server though, would that mean that I would need to use objective-C as well? Annalisa

  • Annalisa

    Posted on November 20

    Thanks, good point!

  • Dr. Green

    Posted on November 30

    It will be interesting if the new Google phone will bring such changes to business. I will however, be immune from the change, having not owned a mobile telecommunication device since about 2002.

  • Digitaleye

    Posted on December 02

    I think producing a web based application is far better than an iPhone only app. The majority of applications, for the iphone, are gimmickey, with only a choice few being really usefull. I think producing a cross browser business application with support for the mobile phone browsers will be more useful in the business world. By producing for iPhone only, you are basically limiting your customer base.

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