Getting Started With Cross-Platform Mobile Application Development Frameworks

There are different mobile platforms available including iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Mobile and cross-platform mobile framework like Rhodes, Titanium, PhoneGap, and many more provide custom development services like intuitive user interface of the App for each platform to provide rich experience to a native application. Here is a collection of cross-platform framework recommended for developing powerful and useful mobile web applications.

Appcelerator Titanium

Titanium is a free open source cross platform development framework that allows Titanium developer to use web technologies such as HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby and JavaScript to build native application that provides better user experience. Titanium compiles native code in development of native iPhone, Android devices, tablet, desktop applications, Windows and Mac. BlackBerry will be coming soon on Titanium. Titanium also provides access to more than 300 social and other APIs and location information to users. Appcelerator also offers customizable metrics for actions and events. Titanium communicates with device or cloud and the app can leverage camera and video camera capabilities.

Rhodes

Rhomobile’s Rhodes is an open source MVC framework written in Ruby that allows for development of native apps for multiple operating systems including iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Symbian. The framework adopts a Model driven Approach that lets users to write code once using HTML/Ruby and publish it many times that helps businesses to build rapid apps for major smartphones and ensure cost reduction. RhoMobile offers RhoHub, a hosted development environment, and RhoSync, a standalone server, that is optimized to automatic synchronization of backend enterprise app data to the mobile device and takes advantage of hardware, including GPS, PIM contacts and camera. Rhodes platform is an innovative and quick solution that provides real-time business benefits for end-users in Rhodes Mobile development.

PhoneGap

PhoneGap is an open source cross platform mobile development framework that allows developers to create web apps using standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that supports Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iTouch , Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Maemo and Palm. PhoneGap applications enable developers take advantage of device hardware features including contacts, camera, sound, GPS, accelerometer, magnetometer and many more. PhoneGap also offers an Adobe AIR app and also online training courses to help the PhoneGap developer access native API’s and build mobile apps.

MoSync

MoSync is an open source cross platform tool to develop mobile applications, with support for JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Python is planned. MoSync works on different mobile operating systems such as Android, iPhone, Symbian S60, Java ME, Moblin, and Windows Mobile. BlackBerry and Maemo will be coming soon on MoSync. MoSync features Eclipse-based IDE for C/C++ programming. MoSync also takes advantage of device features like graphics, sound, multimedia and Bluetooth.

Sproutcore Touch

SproutCore Touch is MVC based framework for developing HTML5 web applications that runs on iPad and desktop computers that includes complete support for touch events and hardware acceleration on the iPad and iPhone.

Sencha Touch

Sencha Touch is the first HTML5 mobile JavaScript framework that allows developers to create mobile web apps. Sencha Touch suppors major mobile platforms including iOS, Android and WebOS. Sencha Touch supports HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript that provides power, flexibility, and optimization in developing web applications.

AppMobi

AppMobi provides XDK, an open source cross platform development tool that can deliver native apps for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. The native development tool, XDK, utilizes standard web technologies such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript that allows developers to create native apps that can be deployed on multiple platforms. AppMobi has integrated XDK for creating PhoneGap projects for iOS and Android.

iWebkit

iWebKit is a framework for developing iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad applications. The webkit can be used by everyone even without any HTML knowledge. iWebKit5 brings enhancements that enables to develop web apps that  is very easy, fast, compatible and extendable.

JQuery Mobile

jQuery Mobile is a jQuery-based Touch-Optimized Web framework that allows developers to design and develop customized web application that runs on major smartphone and tablet platforms. jQuery Mobile framework supports iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Symbian, webOS and other devices.

Zepto JS

Zepto.js is a JavaScript framework for mobile WebKit browsers, with a jQuery-compatible syntax. The goal is have a 2k library that handles most basic drudge work with a nice API support. It has support for touch events and detection of the environment. Zepto.js is currently in early beta but looks very promising.