People often think mobile applications only consist of dedicated software development tools and techniques used by traditional computer scientists that can often be arcane or require very specific tools and platform-specific APIs. And sometimes we must redevelop applications several times to hit all target platforms, which can be very time consuming and expensive. But most modern platforms are quite capable of providing very powerful and engaging experiences using Web based APIs and manipulating the DOM via Javascript. This may be a far more accessible toolkit for your development team and it could accelerate your development efforts.

1. Developing Mobile
Learning...
Using Your Existing Toolkit!

2. Intro
• Chad Udell
• Solutions Architect - Float Learning
• Blog at Visualrinse.com and FloatLearning.com

3. What’s wrong with this?

4. There’s an app for that...
• First: It’s a marketing slogan.
• Now: It’s a C Level directive.
• They don’t know, nor they care
how it happens
• They don’t know the tools
typically involved in developing
mobile apps

5. You’re left to create learning...
• Do you build an app for
that?
• What purpose does that
serve?
• How do you get smart
about native app
development in time?
• You can’t hire anyone!

6. Remember... why mobile?

7. Do you need an app?
• Are you using deep hardware integration?
• Do you need to monetize it?

8. Advantages, disadvantages

9. So, no native app?
• What then?
• Mobile Web Dev
• Cross Platform Dev
and cross compile
• Considerations
• Demos

10. What’s up in Mobile Web?*
• Various JS Frameworks
• Sproutcore
• JQTouch
• Scriptaculous/Prototype
• Adobe Spry
• iWebkit
• iUI
• Sencha

11. Plusses in Mobile Web
• Overall, it works.
• Development is pretty easy
• Deployment is just like web dev

12. Minuses in Mobile Web
• Debugging stinks.
• Compatibility is a pain
• Device capabilities are not
equal
• Hardware access – Not
happening.
• Optimization - time machine to
1999!

13. So, I Guess I Need An App...
• Not too interested in learning
a ton of new tech
• Need a quick and easy
deployment path
• Need to hit multiple platforms

14. Help me! I’m drowning!
• Adobe Flash CS5/Adobe AIR
• PhoneGap
• Appcelerator
• Gianduia/Xcode?

15. Adobe’s Mobile Solutions
• The iPhone Debacle - CS5
Packager
• Android Mobile
• Flash Player 10.1, AIR
• Dreamweaver’s HTML5
Extension
• Device Central

16. PhoneGap
• Build once, deploy multiple
• Can build and package web
apps as native
• Android, iPhone, Blackberry
• Not fully optimized
• Not much hardware integration

17. Appcelerator
• Build once, deploy multiple
• Can build and package web
apps as native
• Android, iPhone, Blackberry
(soon)
• Cross compiles to native code
• More HW integration

18. Making sense of it all.

19. Deploying to the cloud

20. What’s up there?

21. Next Steps
• Examine your toolkit for
mobile deployment
options and plugins
• Download the
simulators, but look for
hardware
• Check out the rapid
development platforms

22. In Closing.
• Don’t jump to the “We Need
an App for that” conclusion
• Educate your management
• Don’t discount JavaScript
• Try native development at your
pace, using things you are
familiar with.