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.

Custom iOS app development in business and its far-reaching effects

iOS app development has long been in demand and has resulted in far-reaching effects in the tech world today. The surge of apps is due to the increasing demand and craze for something innovative every time. The iOS trends have started owing to the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) culture that the offices have started employing. This has prompted individual employees to buy their own iPads and iPhones into the office. Many organizations and individuals were surprised by the productivity gains which they saw and many organizations have opted to develop custom business apps for the iOS platform. The most common business uses were taken into account before the development of custom apps. Apps were used for solving specific tasks including inventory management and bill invoicing. There are apps which help in dealing with customer relationship management, as well as research and surveys.

The new hi-tech Austin Convention Center proposed elimination of paper work orders resulting in 200 percent ROI for the tech giant. Similarly, Lee Medical automated its healthcare processes with business apps, which helped in quality of their services and several lives were saved at reduced costs. West Paw Design introduced FileMaker Go for iPad which prompted its entire business to go automated right from the first part of order entry to the final delivery, which saved thousands of dollars on an annual basis. Many organizations are very keen to automate their processes to iOS devices but most of them are stuck on how to implement them cost-effectively. The biggest challenge that many of them face is how to create and update iOS apps for business needs. Organizations need developers who can provide custom iOS application development but the remuneration per hour is huge.

It is good to have a web app which is advertised with mobile browsers. This requires extensive programming with JavaScript and CSS. Such apps lack complete interactivity with native apps and need a steady web connection to run. Additionally, the time and cost involved in the integration of custom apps is huge. Also, there is a strong need to acquire or build custom libraries for much of the functions in an organization including charting, reporting, or even signature capture. It is good to have an alternative which would imply using a platform designed for development and maintenance of custom business apps. One such platform is the popular FileMaker which is actually an Apple subsidiary. Employees expect a lot from the iOS platform and the iPhone experience since Apple is known to be the pioneer of smart design and great quality in smartphones. Its design is pivotal to adoption. The tools need to be easy to use and design. Additionally, the iOS apps need to be simplistic yet comprehensive.

The alternative platform should boast of support to the native iPad and iPhone clients since users will be expecting the same quality which Apple presents. It should have gesture support along with several touchscreen actions such as pinch and zoom, with support for location. A good platform goes far beyond client expectations and mostly offers support for common data exchange APIs along with integration with popular authentication systems. The popularity of the iOS and the supportive devices like the iPad and iPhone are making them essential for boosting business productivity.

Custom iPhone App Development and the trends revolving around the App store

iPhone app development is demanded by many companies in the western world. Also, the trends around iPhone app store are changing too. The Apple iPhone 4S is a phenomenon now, while the iPhone 5 is ready to be rolled out by September 21 this year. What makes the phone a must-buy all the time? Obviously Apple and Steve Jobs have created a brand which is insurmountable. The high adoption rate of these smartphones is testimony to the class of the products and its unmatched features. More than 50% of all US smartphones are iPhones which is continually building on its earlier success.

But with recent years, demand has been heavy for custom iPhone apps from the enterprise markets as well as other mobile development companies. Android-based phone sales have literally doubled over the year while Windows Phone is trying to make inroads into the market. The App Store has become increasingly crowded since there are about a million mobile applications available on the App Store across various categories. To stand out and make a mark in the App market, it is necessary for companies to partner an established partner and a development company which has the right kind of experience and expertise in the field of mobile app development. It is necessary to look out for competent mobile development companies who have years of experience in the field as well as a team of developers who are expert enough to create any type of app for any domain. The company should have experienced professionals who are well versed with the iOS 6/iPhone 4S apps along with development of apps for the iPad, and any other Apple product.

The iPhone 4S SDK development process is difficult for the newbies but those accustomed to developing apps on the platform will find it easy to create apps for a wide variety of requirements. The offshore technology team of mobile app developers and iPhone developers need to get ahead of the technology curve for being the best. One should stay ahead of the overall competition for making a mark. Offshore development companies always try for getting mobile application developers who are willing to put in extra time and effort for success, obviously in a mutually beneficial relationship. The biggest advantage of outsourcing iPhone app development process is that the costs involved are very less compared to developing apps inhouse. One can see significant cost reductions and the development time is less too. 

Some of the features of highly successful custom iphone app development companies include:

• High experience and skilled development team specific to iPhone app development
• Proven success with app listings in the App store for the series of iPhones as well as iPads and Macs.
• Cost effective project plans and flexible and scalable pricing models
• Stringent delivery schedules and tight plans of development
• Custom iPhone application development including all app functions found in a single roof

Companies which are able to offer apps related to other latest mobile technologies especially for Android always have more business than a technology specific app development company. Apps are always in demand related to the smartphone hardware features including the accelerometer, GPS, calendar and anything that needs customization revolving around an enterprise.

Steps to become an iPhone App Developer

Here are some of the profound tips for becoming an iPhone Apps Developer. One of the first steps that you need to do is buy a Mac. A Mac with an Intel-based processor which runs the Leopard version of MacOS X will suit you fine. A top of the range model is not necessary. Any Mac which can afford maneuverability for the developer will be needed. Mac Minis are more than powerful enough and can be serviceable if one already has PCs and a bunch of devices. Mac Minis are good to move around too. Developers can take them home for continuing their work. Owning the SDK is the next step. Apple provides the free SDK which is required for iPhone development and includes that an average developer needs to get going. It includes the development environment Xcode and the iPhone Simulator which is required for testing. There are some performance analyzers too, template-like interface builders and a huge reference library with enough documentation.

The third and one of the most important parts for iPhone app development is to learn Objective C. It is the primary programming language which is required for app development and an extension of C with OOP principles along with scripting elements. Any developer with previous programming experience will find it easy enough to transfer their skills for mobile app development. Apple adopted Objective C which was previously referred as SmallTalk. Since then, it has always used the platform. The best way to pick up the language is when you start with C/C++ and then learn about the APIs of the iPhone and the iPhone developer site is the best source too.  The free tutorials on the web can get you help too. The official Apple SDK has good details about various features and one can get clarification on anything. To start out with development, the fourth step is to start writing something. Get a project to work on and start coding with Objective C. A Java programmer can also adjust and practice his or her programming skills for getting a project done.

A couple of modification tasks can help if one has not actually commenced on an original project. The SDK includes a host of sample projects which can help the developer with several aspects of development. One can start there with the process and just reverse engineer it. One can add new features and even create a new game. The fifth step is to eventually become a developer. Sign up to be an iPhone Developer and shell nearly $99 which would allow agreeing to Apple’s terms and conditions. One needs to sign up to even test the code on the iPhone. Depending on time available during some weeks and even depending on the level of programming knowledge, an iPhone game would take about two months to get finished. The toughest part is to adjust to the unsafe language since a new developer would get frustrated to find even a single bug in the code. Finally, submit the app to Apple. Apps need to be submitted to the App Store and uploaded with a description along with icons and screenshots. Apple mostly takes a week to approve the content.

The First look of the new iPhone: How it feels to have iPhone 5!

The media greeted the iPhone 5 last week with a mediocre response. The new iPhone 5 has longer, larger screen, with a thinner body frame compared to iPhone 4S. If follows the first two parts of technology’s Olympic-sounding motto: citius, grandior, vilius which means, faster, bigger and cheaper.

But it is not all about statistics, and even though iPhone 5 does not break any records, it is still at the top of the league. Apple lovers will tell you that it is not about the records that matter, but the experience.

Raw specifications suggest that the new phone is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than last year's 4S but these specs never reveal the feel of touching an iPhone. With the latest phone, typing or swiping feels like you are touching the core pixels. This is because a layer of glass is removed from the touchscreen. Though the 4in screen is longer, it has the same width and one can still swipe the iPhone across with a thumb, which is not possible with Samsung's huge Galaxy S3.

Those having an iCloud account can set up their new gadget with everything – including photos, apps, settings and even Wi-Fi settings and alarm times.

Apple is promising more than 225 hours' of standby time and more 3G browsing and talk time amounting to nearly 8 hours. The new "Panorama" camera functionality is remarkable too. You can take a picture while moving and the camera goes on clicking until one has a perfect scene. You can move yourself up and down or around an object. You have 360 degrees of freedom for moving. Once the clicks are done, the software gets it all together seamlessly.

The iPhone 5 has a rear camera which includes 1080p video recording which also includes stills in between. There is the new enhanced Siri too which can find and book restaurants, tells you football scores, and offers turn-by-turn navigation to anywhere. It also helps the user to open apps and look out for film times and reviews. It is now easy to be updated with weather forecasts and particular stock prices too.

Here is a summary of what the new iPhone 5 can do:

The good: The iPhone 5 adds most of the things that were found lacking in iPhone 4S: It has 4G LTE, bigger screen by length, and the quickest A6 processor yet. The redesign of the iPhone is sharp, slim, and incredibly feather-light.

The bad: Some telecom companies like Sprint and Verizon models will not have voice and data simultaneously which is a bane. Also, the new and smaller connector makes the current accessories redundant without the multi-adapter. Also, there is no NFC feature compared to Android phones while the screen size is smaller than the big Android models.

iPhone 5 certainly rebuilds the iPhone enigma with a fantastic framework of a sleeker design and better features than its predecessor, providing a solution for most of its previous shortcomings. The best iPhone is here and it certainly makes it to the top bracket of the smartphone universe.

iPhone Application Development for Business & Pleasure

IPhones have been the best platform for various applications since its inception in the year 2007. The extreme technological flexibility and high end hardware has enabled the iPhone to be compatible to millions of applications found in various online stores. Interestingly, in this era of technological revolution, the iPhones provides a huge array of applications which are required for every day use. Moreover, the high demand for apps has fuelled the need for many high end app developers. Many programmers around the globe design apps which cover all the major business and utility segments required for daily usage.

iPhone’s revolutionary touch-interface for the first time has created a product that is transforming the usage of mobile devices with its ability to become accustomed to the user’s experience. This has facilitated for a wide range of apps to be moved to the iPhone and different companies across the world have started creating a road map into their customer management and relationship strategies with the swelling field of iPhone application development. Many companies have the ability to fix complex problems related to mobile application and hence help create revolutionary iPhone apps for their customers around the world. Varieties of iPhone apps are available like widgets commonly used in social media integration, and website creation and are available in different forms.

In recent times, the trend for apps has shifted more towards business. Education, business, medical and book applications are the most sort after categories of apps development these days. Even during this economic instability, the mobile apps seem to be flourishing as businessmen and entrepreneurs are using the apps more frequently to reach out to their customers/and prospects and thus providing them something new and unique. Program developers are acting according to the demand and are emphasizing more on the business front. With several thousand companies working day and night all over the globe to develop applications for different sectors including entertainment, social networking, shopping, navigation, and browsing etc. they are readily accessible online. The technology platform used in creating the apps include JavaScript, XHTML, CSS DHTML AJAX, Xcode, Cocoa Touch Framework, Objective C, iOS4, iPhone SDK, Unix and Mac OS X. The most innovative and creative iPhone apps and their designs are created by coding the iPhone SDK platform. The apps made by the developers, who are highly trained IT professionals are extremely user friendly and easy to install.

Before letting the applications hit the store, they are thoroughly run through different tests and are checked and rechecked for bugs. The app teams in various companies remain up to date so as not to fall back in the competitive market. A lot of work is put into promoting these apps as well. Most companies facilitate 3rd party services to develop apps as per the client’s creative ideas to change them into a live iPhone apps. With such a powerful device like an iPhone at hand, you can do anything you like anytime with a little help from such app development teams.

Mobile App Development with iPhone and Android Expected to Blow out Competition

The demand for mobile developers is high and the recruiting environment for software development professionals has been extremely good. IT teams are in huge demand since they play important roles in achieving client goals. Investment in technology is important for meeting the drastically increasing demand on software professionals.

Hiring managers are searching for mobile app developers more than ever since the demand has quadrupled over the last year as companies are willing to boost their spending on IT for meeting their goals. Jobs for software professionals are many but only the competent ones land on them.

The analysis of the best platform has been debatable but going on in the US. According to a report, the shortage of iPhone application developer has affected several companies. The shrinking number of professionals is mostly due to the fact that they are inexperienced and the second part is that they are confused about the mobile app platform that they should specialize in. Software development professionals are also very much concerned about the reducing remuneration though iPhone developers are always in demand.

Talking about the features of the iPhone, the UI is exceptional and the software is seamless. There are several iPhone versions with one released every year. The storage capacity varies for every model and the rate differs likewise.

Android on the other hand is one of the consistent performers in the mobile app world and there are many incredible smartphones which run on this platform. Android owners have different carriers and referred to, as Droids. The phones are of different configurations, memory and sizes.

Apps constitute the most important part of both platforms and are cited as the primary reason why many people opt for smartphones. Apple's App Store has a huge store of apps and games and also is the biggest market of apps in the world with the Android OS closely vying for the top spot. Apple is relatively strict in the apps that pass through its scanner.

Alternatively, Android emphasizes on "openness" and encourages more and more apps for its own app market which results in diminished quality of the apps. The iOS boasts of good quality apps compared to Android market and both the stores have their own share of hits and misses.

A unique advantage with Android is related to Google’s huge list of services which are assimilated in the smartphone easily. The native Gmail app. Google Maps feature and the Google Navigation features are great enough. One can tweak some phone features if necessary. The smartphones boast of slick design and theme apps for a consistent look and feel of the apps.

But with multiple versions of Android available, there is a consistent problem of fragmentation with the operating system. Additionally, many phone manufacturers opt to have their own mobile "skins" which find a place on top of the Android platform. Only Galaxy Nexus offers a vanilla Android experience and hence the first phone to be updated with the newest OS.

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