March 2011
Do SMARTPHONES & TABLETS mean (extra) business?
When Apple introduced the iPhone and iPad, all previous attempts by other companies to introduce similar products were instantly forgotten. The slick design and the excellent user interface propelled these devices to the record books in terms of sales volumes. But competition is heating up and Apple’s closed iTunes environment pushes many prospects towards devices that are based on Google’s Android mobile operating system. When you are in business for a mobile application, there are some tough decisions to be made and hurdles to overcome…
Is there an app in your future?
Part of the success of the Apple devices can be attributed to the App Store, a collection of tens of thousands of little programs that are relatively cheap (or free). In light of this success, many B2C and B2B companies are looking for the Holy Grail – or the holy app – that can boost their business among the mobile users. However, the first (hype driven) concern is often a rush to “be there”. Still, the basic needs must be answered: is there a business case to use the application on the move, does it bring added value to the users, can it be made user friendly, adapted to the intricacies of a touch controlled mobile pad or phone. Applications that are high on the list in a B2B environment are: sales and/or service support, trade fairs, e-learning…
To choose or not to choose
Developing for mobile devices is today a bit of a challenge. Traditionally, many interactive presentations, games, calculators, e-learning etc. were made in Flash. To adapt existing Flash content to a different screen size is usually more cost-effective than starting over. Unfortunately, Apple decided NOT to support Flash, as opposed to the Android devices that do play Flash. It is expected that the overwhelming market share of iPad will decrease in favor of Android devices – similar to what happened with mobile phones over the last year. So developing for one and disregarding the other is not really
an option. But the incompatibility of the development environments
has an impact on the required budgets.
The common denominator
All mobile devices have a web browser and web connectivity. So if the user is always connected – via WiFi or via 3G – the creation of a mobile (micro)site can be a good alternative to a native app, and a cost effective solution to offer content across brands and platforms; it will need some extra work to adapt to the many screen sizes and resolutions, but the content only needs to be created once, preferably in HTML5. However, if the content needs to be available off-line, there are tools to wrap the microsite into an app – one for each platform.
The B·U·T approach
Today, the hunger for apps requires an individual approach based on criteria like: what devices will be used, are they on-line all the time, is cross-platform availability required, is there a need for compatibility with the desktop, does the application already exist in a different form factor, how will the app be distributed etc.
Based on these criteria, we decide on the most efficient approach, select the optimal tools and media formats to use for the given application, and test on a wide variety of devices.
So when there is an app or a mobile solution in your future – and we bet there is – do not hesitate to contact our specialists.
