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Ask HN: How do I build cross-platform phone apps?

4 points by bakbak 16y ago

Instead of making apps for different platforms (iphone, ipad, android etc.) , is there a way to build cross-platform apps ? can we build it in HTML5? what are the challenges?

gspyrou 16y ago
Try http://www.phonegap.com/ http://www.phonegap.com/
binaryfinery 16y ago
Depends. Let me start by addressing the HTML/javascript toolchains out there: they suck. One of my clients has experience of this. The first thing they tried was using one of those javascript/html systems. Its a fairly simple app that one would think was ideal for HTML/javascript, but it was barely usable and tech support was awful. Thats why they hired me. What platforms are your target - the "etc" you mention? Blackberry? Blackberry is still huge but by iPhone and Android standards they are hardly smartphones. How about WP7? Interesting but so far tiny. Next question: what kind of app? If its games, you use C/C++ and OpenGL for Android and iPhone. Personally, I use C# and manage core business logic libraries with platform-specific user interfaces in Silverlight, MonoTouch and MonoDroid. I have a client who wants Android and later Blackberry, so for that we do the Android version in "normal" java so we can share libs with Blackberry in the future. I don't think there's a one size fits all. The ones that do (e.g. Flash, or HTML/javascript) end up looking or running like ass.
ecommando 16y ago
Some others: http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/ http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/ http://www.airplaysdk.com/ http://www.airplaysdk.com/ Cheers, R
bdfh42 16y ago
I am currently trying jQuery Mobile - which is promising but at the current alpha stage there are rather too many issues at the moment to commit to it. However I do think that this framework has all the right signs for the future. <edit> link here http://jquerymobile.com/ http://jquerymobile.com/ </edit> Oh and Jo looks interesting as well http://joapp.com/ http://joapp.com/ </>
neworbit 16y ago
I like appcelerator but they really need to step up things on the Android side of the house
filipcte 16y ago
You should look into Appcelerator Titanium (http://www.appcelerator.com/ http://www.appcelerator.com/) and PhoneGap (http://www.phonegap.com/ http://www.phonegap.com/). They allow you to build native mobile apps using HTML/JavaScript, by exposing device specific API's (camera, location, address book etc.) to JavaScript. There's an excellent review and comparison between the two, on StackOverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1482586/comparison-between-corona-phonegap-titanium http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1482586/comparison-betwee...
charlesdm 16y ago
If you're writing games, you should probably go with a C or C++ based solution with OpenGL es. That can run on all platforms except for Win phone 7 (for now). For applications there are a couple of iOS/Android solutions such as Appcelerator or Phonegap

4 points by bakbak 16y ago

Instead of making apps for different platforms (iphone, ipad, android etc.) , is there a way to build cross-platform apps ? can we build it in HTML5? what are the challenges?

gspyrou 16y ago

Try http://www.phonegap.com/ http://www.phonegap.com/

binaryfinery 16y ago

Depends. Let me start by addressing the HTML/javascript toolchains out there: they suck. One of my clients has experience of this. The first thing they tried was using one of those javascript/html systems. Its a fairly simple app that one would think was ideal for HTML/javascript, but it was barely usable and tech support was awful. Thats why they hired me. What platforms are your target - the "etc" you mention? Blackberry? Blackberry is still huge but by iPhone and Android standards they are hardly smartphones. How about WP7? Interesting but so far tiny. Next question: what kind of app? If its games, you use C/C++ and OpenGL for Android and iPhone. Personally, I use C# and manage core business logic libraries with platform-specific user interfaces in Silverlight, MonoTouch and MonoDroid. I have a client who wants Android and later Blackberry, so for that we do the Android version in "normal" java so we can share libs with Blackberry in the future. I don't think there's a one size fits all. The ones that do (e.g. Flash, or HTML/javascript) end up looking or running like ass.

ecommando 16y ago

Some others: http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/ http://www.anscamobile.com/corona/ http://www.airplaysdk.com/ http://www.airplaysdk.com/ Cheers, R

bdfh42 16y ago

I am currently trying jQuery Mobile - which is promising but at the current alpha stage there are rather too many issues at the moment to commit to it. However I do think that this framework has all the right signs for the future. <edit> link here http://jquerymobile.com/ http://jquerymobile.com/ </edit> Oh and Jo looks interesting as well http://joapp.com/ http://joapp.com/ </>

neworbit 16y ago

I like appcelerator but they really need to step up things on the Android side of the house

filipcte 16y ago

You should look into Appcelerator Titanium (http://www.appcelerator.com/ http://www.appcelerator.com/) and PhoneGap (http://www.phonegap.com/ http://www.phonegap.com/). They allow you to build native mobile apps using HTML/JavaScript, by exposing device specific API's (camera, location, address book etc.) to JavaScript. There's an excellent review and comparison between the two, on StackOverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1482586/comparison-between-corona-phonegap-titanium http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1482586/comparison-betwee...

charlesdm 16y ago

If you're writing games, you should probably go with a C or C++ based solution with OpenGL es. That can run on all platforms except for Win phone 7 (for now). For applications there are a couple of iOS/Android solutions such as Appcelerator or Phonegap