The best iPhone and Android Apps of the Year

Both iOS and Android developers are launching incredible apps every month. Here are some of the best of the year.

Here are some of the best iOS apps:

Camera Awesome
The best new app of 2012 is led by a photo-sharing service which can help in clicking awesome photos. The app is developed by a decade old photo-sharing site SmugMug and is named as Camera Awesome. This app makes us to believe that you can ditch digital cameras any time. The app has automatic leveling features and comprehensive color adjustment options. It also includes many presets and filters for $0.99 for each of them or nearly $10 for all of them. You can share the photos across your social channels including the new Instagram app.

Pocket
The Pocket app is known as the best bookmarking app which is free and was earlier known as Read It Later. It has new features including the ability to view videos and images seamlessly  which is part of its simple and classy interface.

TouchTV
News provider SkyGrid has come up with a new app called the TouchTV, which shows videos from cable networks onto the iPad. TouchTV includes videos of more than 5 minutes from 16 different providers which include hotshots like ESPN, Bloomberg and the like. The app also offers a glimpse of what app-based TV would be like. It is one of the best video discovery services on the iOS platform.

Any.Do
Any.Do finally comes up with an iOS version. The app is backed by Eric Schmidt, Google’s chairman to be one of the best productivity apps every made easily letting the user to complete their tasks with a swipe of a finger. It includes a comprehensive voice-dictation technology which records the words without the need to type manually. One can share lists with friends too.

HomeSnap
HomeSnap is an app which is assisted by augmented reality to help users to know the value of a home by snapping its picture. One can see school information and historical data related to the house too. Although it is not yet wholly reliable, it is efficient enough.

Here are some of the best Android apps of the year:

Flipboard
Flipboard is one of the favorite Android apps and a socially curated magazine which showcases news, photos and status updates. Flipboard is also one of the best ways to read content from third-party publishers on smartphones.

Instagram
Instagrams is one of the best photo-sharing apps which attracted more than 5 million downloads in less than a week. Instagram was later taken up by Facebook; the app has since then achieved cult status and the identity of a true pop-culture sensation.

Google Drive
Google Drive is rated to be a far superior and more cost-effective solution for sharing documents through Dropbox. Many companies rely on Google Docs, so Google Drive can be easily added to the list too. It has dominated the market in the face of ruthless competition from Dropbox.

Airbnb
Airbnb’s is part of the Android family since January and is a vacation-rental marketplace which helps property owners and travelers for sending quick messages. The app has reputed travel recommendations from celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Jack Dorsey.

The iPhone Development Environment and the Android Development Environment - A Comparison

iPhone and Android are the most popular smartphone platforms of the generation. The apps created on these platforms have made life comfortable and smooth. Working with the environments, developers find that there are few kinks with each of them. The comparison between Android and iPhone application development has been endless and nearly all boards of controversial comparison articles are trolled or flamed.

With regards to the programming language, the iPhone app development language is Objective-C which is based on C and consists of various extensions including interfaces, dynamic typing, messages and many more. On the other hand, Android revolves around Java. Many feel that Java is a total no-brainer programming tool. That is precisely the reason why coders opt for iPhone application development which they would find more exciting than Android app development.

It is very difficult to find the different functionalities in the iPhone but Android platform is much more transparent about its functionalities.

The iPhone apps are stringent in quality and are of closed nature. Android apps on the other hand are based on an open source platform and easy to tweak. The iPhone source code is available through the web but downloading Android source code of any app is easier and faster. Android apps are pretty much consistent too if one is considering the overall layout. It is also easy for beginners to venture into Android App development instead of iPhone development.

If there is a comparison between iPhone and Android application development on the basis of its programming model, the winner is obviously iPhone since it is based on the popular MVC design pattern. It is useful and easy to make the UI based on the design pattern since the coding patterns are structured well in the source code. 

On the other hand, Android supports multiple processes simultaneously which makes it a little complicated. Both platforms enlist user preferences set in XML. Android's XML pattern allows for customized user interface components. But with an iPhone, the UI job is extensive and tedious.

As an iPhone developer, one can have various resources at one's disposal. Developers can resort to watching videos carefully for learning certain processes and coding techniques. Android too offers proper guidance related to API preferences. Android resources are more organized in this sense. Also, Apple developers do not have access to open source tools for developing iPhone apps.

The tooling systems of both platforms are basically similar and quite simple. Both the platforms have a debugger, profiler, IDE, UI, and code builder. There are no clear favorites in between iPhone and Android application development since both the platforms have advantages as well as disadvantages. It depends on the type of developers and their choice of platform. Both platforms offer tremendous growth opportunities. Additionally, with the every passing year, the complexity of apps is increasing at break-neck speeds. It is important to be clear about each of the pros and the cons of both platforms before opting for one of them for mobile application development.

Android or iPhone: The competition is still on!

The competition between the world’s biggest mobile platforms has always been intense. Even though Windows Phone is picking up and Blackberry has its boys, it is Android and iPhone Development show all the way!

The iPhone: The one and only
When people talk about features of the iPhone, they are referring to the iOS mobile platform. The speed of the software is great across the board and there has always been one iPhone even though we have several versions every year. One can just choose the storage that it boasts of: 16 GB to 64 GB.

The many looks of Android
Android is Google's mobile operating system and many smartphones run on this platform. Android owners refer to their smartphones as a "Droid" even though the carriers differ from one another. Android phones are found of all shapes and sizes.

The App Store vs. the Android Market
Now this is the most important part that constitutes both platforms: apps. Apps are cited as the primary reason why people opt for smartphones these days. Apple's App Store includes a huge list of downloadable games, tools and is the biggest market of apps in the world closely followed by Android. Apple is relatively strict in its choice of apps in the market and takes critical judgment of the apps that pass through its scanner. The App Store though is the king here.

Alternatively, Android emphasizes on "openness" and does not have a strict app approval process for its own app market. This is the main reason why malware cannot be fixed, but Android followers are happy about the approach.

The iPhone OS has been in the market for long now and hence boasts of good quality apps and more apps compared to Android market. But there are new apps being developed in both platforms and hence both iOS and Android have their own share of hits and misses.

iPhone vs. Android
A unique advantage with Android Application Development is its seamless integration with Google and its services. Everyone can benefit from Android's superior native Gmail app. Google Maps feature in Android include Google's Navigation, GPS navigation app for the car. On the whole, Android is a flexible OS which helps you to tweak some phone features if it bugs you. All simple settings can be controlled too. There are slick design and theme apps which can easily modify the look and feel of the smartphone.

But there is a huge issue of "fragmentation” with Android since there are multiple versions of Android available. The latest version of Android is 4.0 or Ice cream Sandwich but there are many new devices which are still running an old version of the OS. Additionally, phone manufacturers come up with their own “skins” which rests on top of the Android platform. These “skins” have their own look and own apps that cannot run on any other phone of any other manufacturer. Only the Galaxy Nexus offers a vanilla Android experience and are always first updated before any other smartphone.

Now coming to the iPhone advantage, Apple has always been able to offer the best possible experience for its customers and hence seamless experience is guaranteed on all levels. With its latest Retina display technology, iPhone has the best pixel-rich display in a phone and presents a superb UI for web browsing and multimedia. Apple's FaceTime app makes video chatting seamless between Apple devices. Siri is the best phone assistant till date too.

The iPhone is less customizable which might be a huge turn-off for some users. Also there are problems with its support for 4G capability. This is a huge minus in terms of speed when Android 4G phones are around.

For more information about iPhone Application Development and Offshore Android Application Development visit: www.elantechnologies.com

The War Between iPhone and Android Development is On!

iPhone and Android are the two most popular mobile development platforms for the developers today. Both the platforms are vying for increased success and the numero uno position.

Trends in the iPhone app development market
iPhone is extremely popular with those who have been using the iPhone and many more who cannot afford to buy it. The iPhone has always had sleek design through its various models, and the ever smooth UI never fails to attract attention. The incredible touch sense and the huge store of apps have several followers and faithful ones at that too! The demand for interesting apps is huge and iPhone developers have managed to bring about innovation in most of them too. There has been a constant demand for apps related to business, connectivity, utilities and games.

Apple developers have had to bring in many apps over the years to supply the apps as per the demand but with the recent launch of iOS 5 and iPhone 4S, the demand is sky-high. iPad 2 has also pulled in demand of apps suited to the product even as development costs are growing every day.

Trends in the Android app development market
Android is a super development platform for mobile app development for developers. Those having experience as a developer in different platforms will have fun working with Android and to work out the logic of the games as well as other apps. The Android Software development kid is open to invention and an experienced developer can get started with Android apps development in an instant.

Android Development has made its foray into different domains and industries. The need is high for innovative games and utilities which can make the best possible use of the firmware and the hardware of smartphones. Since Android is open-source based, developers find it easy to get started with the whole development process. The SDK is easy enough to use for experienced coders and developers and one can start on implementing the ideas for apps too.

A Brief Comparison
In terms of ease of use, the iPhone takes the cake and scores better marks than its counterparts. Android has improved a lot in the ease-of-use perspective but the iPhone has managed to keep a fair distance from the rival to win hands down. Android phones consist of many home screens and other features which make it a little cluttered.

In terms of openness, Android is the winner since it is open source and open to all. Those users who need their platform to be open always opt for the Android since the apps maketh the phone!

iPhone also boasts of the best battery backup compared to most of the Android phones. Android phones are loaded with features that have always caused less battery life. The battery life  is lower compared to that of the iPhone. The battery performance varies over different Android phones but in an overall perspective, they are a notch lower than iPhone in terms of powerful batteries.

Both the mobile platforms support multi-tasking to different degrees of success. iPhone helps in multi-tasking without hampering the overall working of the phone with several battery enhancements.

The iPhone's software keyboard is also said to be superior to the Android's default keyboard. The iPhone is said to have better features and scope whereas it is found that Android devices cannot even search emails.

For more information about iPhone App Development and Offshore Android Application Development visit: www.elantechnologies.com

Android: The Leader in its Own Right!

Android-based smartphones and its apps have increased considerably with the latest platform version being Ice Cream Sandwich which is version 4.0. The number of games and utilities along with business apps has reached sky high and more are coming every day. This is evident from the fact that the market has grown at the rate of 32 percent every month while there are dozens of mobiles and gadgets coming up for getting launched every two months. With the popularity of smartphones in the Android platform, especially the Motorola Droid, Samsung SII, and other apps along with it’s incredibly smooth operating system.

There are various companies related to mobile development and Android technology. Using the latest Android Development technologies the Android Developers are expected to create innovative and useful apps which can lead to a surge of Android apps.

Why is there a need for Android application development?
Some of the main reasons why Android is a preferred mobile development platform:

• It is an open source mobile platform which tries to understand clientele needs.
• Performance stability and security is enhanced due to the nature of the Linux kernel. The kernel enables smooth operation and less hassles in development of apps
• The porting of different Android applications changes too
• The investment is too low for setting up Android SDK required for creating an application.
• Android is based on Linux which facilitates smooth accessibility to a rich development environment.
• Swift information and accurate trainings
• Easy to use developer tools

For more information about iPhone Developer and Offshore Android Application Developer visit: www.elantechnologies.com