Easy Design

How Handheld App Creation Can Be Difficult

Don’t believe the experts, handheld app creation is harder than you’d expect. There are many reasons for this:

1. Too many devices to support: One of the first decisions to make is which handheld platforms to support. Is it better to stick with the latest devices or should you go for a larger set of handhelds? The choice of platform has a huge influence what your application can or cannot do.
2. Very different application models: Even if you limit yourself to one device, often you’ll still have multiple app models to choose from. On the BlackBerry platform, for example, you have to decide between creating a proper BlackBerry app or a more generic Java ME application.
3. Long-term learning curves: Creating a mobile application often requires learning a different programming language (like Java) and/or a new set of programming tools (like Eclipse). Because the market is so diverse, programmers usually have a hard time finding relevant development help.
4. Messy database choices: Unless you’re creating an online-only application, you’ll need to store data locally, and there are many options for doing so. Complex data requirements may necessitate a proper embedded database. Less complex applications may be adequately served with simple data persistence options, but data exchange with external data sources can be quite more complex in those situations.
5. Consumer versus large business targeting: Although Apple has shown that there is a lot of money to be made serving the consumer market, there is still a lot of money to be made with business-focused applications. The two markets are completely different, however, and you simply cannot target both of them with the same app.
6. Significant startup expenses: Handheld app creation is not inexpensive. Labor are hard to find and charge accordingly, and there are real costs in terms of hardware and network charges.

Because of these difficulties you might wonder why anyone bothers to create mobile apps. The rewards outweigh the expenses. The return on investment of a mobile enterprise app can be tremendous, especially for apps aimed at field personnel. The demand for mobile consumer applications means there’s lots of money for companies able to satisfy that demand.

Handheld application creation is a lot easier if you do your homework. If you want to write a good enterprise application you’ll need to invest in a good mobile enterprise application platform. For consumers, you’ll still need great development tools, but you’ll also need a lot of flash and a simple user interface.

Succeeding at mobile application development requires a lot of thought and planning.

Forget Iphone, BlackBerry has it too!