Develop Cross Platform Mobile Apps Easily

Mobile industry is fragmented with different brands and operating systems being used. Developing cross platform mobile apps can be quite challenging as each platform is unique and exhibiting unique features, capabilities and behavior. Traditionally developers would design apps for each of these platforms independently but this would add to the development cost, something which many small businesses couldn’t afford. Thankfully today there are many tools which make cross-platform development and porting easy. These apps not only make the job easy but can also reduce the turnaround time adding to the benefit. Let us now take a look at some of these tools.

Corona SDKCorona SDK is one of the most popular tools for building cross-platform mobile apps and games. It uses a scripting language known as Lua which is easy to grasp for any developer. It comes with a robust text editor which allows you to develop apps for Android and other mobile platforms. It also make games development easy with the Box2D physics library which allows you to develop wide range of games. The only downside of this tool lies in the fact that you are required to upload the project in their server for compilation unlike other tools which allow you to do so on your workstation itself.

GiderosIf you are looking for a tool which allows you to build apps for iOS and Android in a short timespan, then Gideros is the tool that you should opt for. Gideros comes in with an integrated development environment (IDE) and a built-in player which facilitates testing of the apps alongside the development process. Here you will be able to test your app across different resolutions and screen sizes something which is necessary while developing apps for smartphones and tablets. You will be able to test your app wirelessly in iOS and Android devices which proves to be a game changer for this app.

RhoMobileRhoMobile comes with Rodes which is an open-source framework based on Ruby. With this you will be able to create stunning apps which are compatible over a range of devices Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, iPhone and RIM. Native apps for all these smartphone platforms can easily be built over this platform which serves as a great advantage.

Unity 3DAs the name suggests, this tool is used to develop 3D app or 3D game for smartphones. It has a narrow learning curve which makes it extremely popular among mobile developers. It can create apps for iOS, Android and the web. It is a visual tool which helps in reducing the amount of coding that goes behind creating an engaging app. You can simply design the apps by dragging objects from one to another and see the graphical representations of your objects in 3D. This tool works with many scripting languages such as JavaScript, C# or Boo.

Author Bio:

This post has been contributed by Praveen Sharma, working as Sr. Associate – Internet Marketing with Daffodil Software Ltd., a company providing android apps development services. Follow Praveen Sharma on twitter here.