Phonegap A Reliable Cross Platform Mobile Development Platform PhoneGap is an OpenSource mobile development framework that allows developers to create mobile application by utilizing standardized web APIs. This framework was engineered by Nitobi Software, a Vancouver based firm in Canada and was later purchased by Adobe systems. Developers can use this simple web development tool, in combination with JavaScript and HTML, to create mobile apps that run across a wide range of mobile platforms like Blackberry, iOS, Windows Phone, Android, Symbian, etc. Quite essentially, PhoneGap provides pre-loaded JavaScript functions that are mapped to a platform’s native functions. This helps developers create only a singular application using HTML, CSS and JavaScript that will be capable of running on any mobile OS.
What Is Cross Platform? Cross Platform applications, quite simply, allow the use of single application on multiple OS’s and platforms. A Cross Platform application will let the user interface with the native OS, without the need for native Software Development Kits (SDKs). In essence, Cross Platform applications like PhoneGap allow developers to create a bridge between the user, the app and the native OS, thereby facilitating the use of an app on multiple platforms. While there are several development tools for the creation of apps with Cross Platform capabilities, PhoneGap is by far the most popular choice.
Building Cross Platform Applications Traditionally, the tablet and smartphone market today is dictated by 3 big guns – Android, iOS and Windows Phone. While this is good news for users who get several choices and diversity, it is a bit of a problem for businesses who wish to promote their products and services. Their potential customers are scattered across all 3 platforms, which means the development of native apps for all 3 or more platforms. This is a time and resource consuming task which also requires increased investment. This is exactly the type of situation that is salvaged by the use of PhoneGap to develop an app that can run across all 3 platforms seamlessly, thereby reducing a business’s time and resource usage.
Phonegap Design and Rationale At its core, PhoneGap is powered by technologies like CSS3, HTML and JavaScript, which together contribute to the smooth running of PhoneGap on different levels. Unfortunately, due to the use of HTML5 for rendering purposes, PhoneGap as a standalone tool has trouble accessing native hardware features like camera, accelerometer, GPD, etc. This issue can be overcome via use of additional plugins that allows developers to retain specific functionality features from JavaScript and allow user communication between the app and native hardware functions like the camera, accelerometer, GPS, etc. While PhoneGap is an excellent tool for Cross Platform app development, it does have certain issues when utilized for web based technologies. One such issue is that PhoneGap often runs slowly if loaded with native functionalities and features for web based technologies. Additionally, PhoneGap applications need to be developed with care when it comes to UI features as they may be rejected by the Apple or Google Play Stores if they are unable to provide the same look & feel (User Experience) as those of native apps.