Web Development Technology Trends to watch out for in 2017

There is always an ever increasing demand for web development technologies. Of late we use the web for almost everything be it searching for restaurants, paying our bills or booking tours and the list goes on and on. With this demand in high, let’s have a peek into the latest and upcoming technological trends of 2017. 

AI (Artificial Intelligence)  

We would have definitely come across this term a million times all these years. A few attributes of AI are that it makes the consumer process easy; it is more faster and evolving like ever before. The year 2016 witnessed the tech giants Google, Facebook, Amazon introducing new AI technologies that can be used by public.AlphaGo is a program built by Google DeepMind and it became the first program to beat a professional Go player.Similar to Google Brain, tech companies Facebook and Twitter have created internal groups. 

Let’s see what other companies follow this bandwagon in incorporating new AI technologies into their consumer products. 

Static site generators

“Speed” maybe considered a very important aspect, atleast when it comes to websites. Developers, bloggers, agencies are looking towards static websites over dynamic websites. These apart from offering high speed and security also ensures low cost. The web pages run on the server and do not require complex database. A few of the Static Website Generators are Hugo, Jekyll, Hexo, etc. 

Rails 5

This version was introduced in late June 2016 and is expected to grow by the end of this year. Some of the interesting features like improved Turbolinks and Action Cable can make the web development workflow better. Due to web page reloads apps may tend to be slow. Turbolinks come to rescue in such cases and just reloads the contents of the body from the server rather than refreshing the entire page. To put it in a nutshell, developers can create Single Page like Apps directly from the Rails stacks.

We all receive Push notifications from different companies. These are developed using WebSockets. While most client browsers have started adapting this feature there is still a need for a server to send notifications to subscribers and send signals appropriately. Action Cable is a new way to facilitate the process easily. 

JavaScript in 2017

ES6, Builtin methods, Classes, Closures, Node and Express, Rail, etc are some of the fundamental concepts that developers need to to know. JavaScript’s immense popularity has led to a vibrant ecosystem of technologies, frameworks and libraries. The three advantages of using this are efficiency, safety and cost. Few of the frameworks to look for this year are Angular.js (also called Model-View-Whatever) framework is great for startups and mid-sized companies; REDUX which offers transactional, deterministic state management for the applications; Vue.js that is useful for quick development of cross-platform solutions; Ember.js, Meteor.js, etc are among the others to watch out for! 

Motion UI

Motion UI may be defined as a Sass library for creating CSS transitions and animations. It has a bundle of pre-made effects as CSS classes including transition, effects to hinge, slide, spin, scale and some built-in animations. The updated version has robust transition options, flexible CSS patterns and an animation queuing system.    

These are only a few of the advancements to happen this year and we have to wait and watch this space for more!

Top 5 best practices to improve app engagement

When it comes to sustaining the growth of a newly launched mobile application which has been “all the geeks have been talking about”, the name of the game is - customer engagement. With mobile technology being a burgeoning market, it makes sense to invest time in carefully considering and planning your marketing strategies, so as to capitalize on your app’s early success, thus prolonging it into much more than just a “short-time sensation”. Listed below are a few tips and tricks you could follow to turn your app into a cultural phenomenon.

Top Tip 1: Deep Linking

The majority of industry experts agree that deep linking is one of the prime factors contributing to an increased level of customer engagement. Deep linking, to the typical technology dilettante can be described as “URL tagging for mobile applications”. In other words, it aids in transferring a user to another part or page of your website, by clicking on it. A lot of technology giants such as Google, Apple and a slew of other top-notch companies have realized the immense potential that lies in deep linking and are investing heavily in this sector.

Top Tip 2: Efficient Tracking 

Innovative methods of engaging customers are nothing without sufficient tracking of your efforts. Backing up your strategies to engage customer better, by tracking and measuring the successes of each of your efforts, will only help you in concentrating your efforts better at the right people, in future endeavors. Knowing which of your plans and strategies work and identifying those that don’t, is a major weapon in your marketing arsenal.

Top Tip 3: Paying attention to the demands of users

Users are more often than not, quite willing to voice their opinions about a web application, irrespective of whether they like it or not. Capitalizing on this will really help in putting you a step ahead of your competitors. Taking into cooperation the feedback of users and then acting on their suggestions can only aid in accentuating your brand’s image, making you a brand that “truly cares for its customers” - the hallmark of any organization.

Top Tip 4: Make “Sharing” the app easier

In an industry where word of mouth takes precedence over blatant advertising, getting people to share and tell their friends about your app more, will really prove beneficial in the long run. Creating an app well integrated with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others, paves the way for an easier “Sharing” experience for the user. Inviting people to share and like the app means that it gains a wider audience, proving to become a self-advertisement juggernaut that does all your work for you.

Top Tip 5: Periodic Updating of your app’s features

Running a successful mobile application means staying ahead of your competitors at every curve. Focusing on the innovation of new as well as better features and functionalities will help you in establishing a brand that customers find to be truly reliable and pertinent in their day-to-day lives.

Constantly improving and updating your app’s appearance also helps in maintaining a fresh and engaging brand image that user’s are less likely to get bored by.

Conclusion

Although blindly following the above tips is not a guarantee that your app will succeed, establishing your own marketing practices that are tailored made to the specifications and functions of your mobile app, on the basis of the above mentioned tips, will definitely put you a step closer to being in the leading of Android and iPhone Application Development Services.

Trends that will impact the mobile app development in the year of 2017

Technology has always impacted the lives of humans and has affected various aspects of our daily life, 2017 promises to be a big year for the mobile app industry technology boom. Last year Augmented reality technology got a huge boost with the launch of the hit game Pokemon Go which was available for android and iOS platforms. The presence of virtual reality excited the audience and commercially this game was a huge success. Companies like samsung, apple and a number of Asian mobile companies have started producing wearable gear for the growing market.

However this year a lot of new developments are expected to shake the world of Mobile app industry. Artificial intelligence, chatbots and messaging apps are expected get a major revamp. Artificial intelligence has always captured the imagination of human mind and this year it is expected to be upgraded. Companies are capturing consumer’s behavior and patterns in order to provide personalized recommendations. This is exactly the point where artificial intelligence and mobile apps can join hand and provide a unique end user experience.

Previously smart assistants such as siri, iris, alexa helped users in doing easy tasks. But AI has taken a next step in the form of chatbots which linger inside and outside of messaging apps. There is a new wave of Artificial intelligence which is the internet of things where different products and different users come together and behave in accordance with the owner’s desires.

Some of the latest developments expected to take place in 2017 are listed below

Location Based technology will be upgraded

One of the areas Artificial intelligence haven’t tweaked it in terms of technology is the location based service apps. Over the past few years advancement of location based services has given rise to a number of apps similar to ola and Uber which are maximising their profits through their location based model. This year it shows no signs of slowing down especially in the healthcare and retail business.

Integration of smartphone technology

Mobile apps are nowadays developed to be cross disciplinary. The presence of smart  Tvs, fridge and even washing machines have given rise to the smart home technology. Two companies which have revolutionized the smart home technology are Nest and ecobee. They developed apps that cater to IoT (Internet of things) and helped the users seamlessly integrate mobile platforms and other devices and backend infrastructure that can communicate and share data for an overall unified experience.

Web based progressive apps are slowly making an impact         

 
Progressive Web apps are gaining momentum in the market thanks to an increase in mobile  browser audience. Apps similar to offline map based services are perfect examples of Progressive Web based apps. These apps will let the consumers to use it without downloading it completely. In developing countries and third world countries where the users are still dependent on slow internet connections these progressive apps can be extremely useful. It makes use of the mobile app’s core characteristics which results in increased user retention without the hassles of maintaining a mobile app. Custom web development practices also has played its part in providing a better stance for developers in building mobile  apps.

Cloud based mobile apps will be on the rise

From businessmen, to IT professionals and students everyone are utilizing the cloud based apps in today’s world. Even simple game apps are allowing the users to save their checkpoints on cloud. This year users can expect apps which will take minimum space in the smartphone internal memory and can fetch data from the cloud storage. Google drive, dropbox and onedrive are just few examples. Cisco research has stated that by 2019 cloud apps will drive 90% of the total mobile traffic. Good times ahead.

iOS 10 beta 6 released for iPhone and iPad

Apple issues iOS 10 beta 6 for developers plus public beta 5 for testers.

Apple switched to the next phase of testing iOS 10. A week after the fifth test assembly of the new OS, the company has extended the updated iOS 6 beta 10, intended for developers and improved iPhone Application Development Services. At the same time, a public beta version of iOS 10 beta 5 became available. Technical issues are available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The size of updates is relatively small – just about 80 MB.

Brief Introduction to iOS 10 beta 6

New iOS Beta 10 is focused on

• Improving the stability of work
• Compatibility with the 3rd party applications
• Energy efficiency
• Adding several other new features  

Rather, it is one of the last assemblies before the release of the final update in September. This latest edition contains several minor changes and bug fixes. In addition, the improved stability and performance of iPhone and iPad are obvious. The file weighs around 80 MB on smartphones, depending on the particular model.

What’s New in iOS 10 beta 6?

• Here are the expected innovations for iOS 10 beta 6 offered by and for an iOS App Development Company:A problem with .doc and the section for selecting the wallpaper for iPad was solved.
• The ability to use Touch ID in order to purchase the applications without entering a password after a restart (apparently not a bug) was saved.
• Badge of updates in the section titled "Software Update" in the settings is now made in the shape of a red circle, although it was a blue circle before (this change was added to beta 5, but it became clear only after the release of the sixth version)

I guess it is obvious that the newly released beta version is full of various fixes and improvements. Most of the iPhone or iPad users appreciate these modifications. iPhone Application Development Services were significantly improved and updated. A comparative test mentioned above proved it.

Operational stability and compatibility with many other side apps have attracted more customers who would like to download programs and software that was not running on their devices before. This step allowed the company to overcome its main rivals:

• Windows
• Android
• Apple OS
• Ubuntu
• Linux
• Fedora
• CentOS 

Why Try This Recently Released iOS?

Energy efficiency makes it possible to work longer with your favorite device. Concerning the interface, there are fewer changes. However, a new edition was superior,  as the iOS App Development Company has done a great job to determine and fix bugs.

Technical update file "weighs" just about 60 MB. Users can run the installation of iOS 6 beta 10 right now via Firmware over the Air option in the “Updates of Operating System Settings” or through downloading the latest version from the developer’s section on Apple's official website. Most probably, it is one of the last assemblies before the release of the final 10 iOS update.

As for fun and entertainment, this recently launched version of iOS has brought an up-to-date look to Apple Music and News. Add the redesigned first Home app for HomeKit, Lock screen and Home screen experience for widgets, tons of iMessage features in Messages, and much more. Such a small bonus as a new Home app wallpaper is also pleasant. It has made this software update even more anticipated.

The basic sounds on your favorite iPhone or iPod will be also different from now – they will be less irritating. At the same time, keyboard clicks turned louder, but you can always control the sound level and preferred theme. A new almost dark mode helps to differentiate first-party widgets from third-party widgets. In addition, it is easier to read from your device now.

New music output icons may confuse the user at first, but actually, it looks way cooler. When you reboot your device, there is no need to re-enter your iTunes password in order to make purchases from the AppStore. Use Touch ID without any problems, even after rebooting. Isn’t it awesome?

Which platform is best to build an app – Android or IOS?

Ever since the evolution of smartphones, app development has undergone various astronomical changes and have used various platforms. The two most prominent and popular app development platforms, IOS and Android have been locking horns with each other, trying hard to out-smart the other at every single opportunity. It's not a straightforward answer to the question which platform is the best? There are a lot of parameters and scenarios to consider before we can arrive at a decisive solution. Let's analyze both these platform with regards to the following.

The demographics

Determining the target demographic is a very critical factor for the success of any business venture and both these platforms have precisely defined their target demographics and was able to cater to their needs brilliantly. IOS targeted the demographic that included people who have a higher income, higher spending capacity and those who have a higher level of engagement. While the Android targeted, a slightly lower income demographic and the developing nations. This does not mean people in the IOS-targeted demographic are not using an Android and vice versa.

The Revenue Models

The revenue models of both the Android and the IOS platforms directly reflects the revenue-generating approaches of Google and Apple respectively. A high percentage of apps, those support ads are present in Android, while the IOS has more users who pay for the apps.

The Development Speed

Android, even though being an open source, has hurdles with regard to lockdowns by carriers and OEMs and results in the new apps taking a longer time to adapt to the latest OS in Android when compared to the IOS. This has a direct impact on the development speed as an Android app takes a longer time to build when compared to the IOS. Another consideration to the development speed is the release-to-approval ratio. On average, Apple approves 4-5 updates per month while Android approves the same number of updates per day. So we can positively say that Apple gets your app to the market quickly and Android allows the users of your app to get regular updates more quickly.

The Apps – Cost & Features

• Cost

Hiring an IOS App development company or an Android App development company or doing the development process in-house, the cost can be measurable on all scenarios. As Android apps take a longer time to build, the cost of building those apps are obviously higher. This is where IOS edges forward as their apps bring in more revenue compared to the Android.

• Features

Being an open source, Android offers the developer a much deeper access to the operating system itself, thus enabling the creation of apps, enriched with features. Some apps are built to be run on a rugged hardware with a customized ROM. An Android platform suits well for these kinds of apps and has an advantage over an IOS platform. IOS on the other hand, with its more “locked-down” OS, compared to the “open” OS of the Android, was able to penetrate effortlessly into the business sector, offering secure applications.

Final Words

It's very much clear by this point, that not one platform can be crowned a distinct winner. Each of the two platforms has its pros and cons and are put to use, based on the various necessities. You as an application developer or an entrepreneur should be able to decide the platform that's well-suited for your app and its users. Sometimes both an IOS and an Android platform can be used to create one app to capture a major share of the market. Hence, make the right choice and take your app towards a greater success.

Google introduces Android Basics Nanodegree

A career in Android apps development always remain as the most astonishing one for every aspiring Android app developer for it is the most happening and so extensive a domain. Individuals who wish to learn programming on Android  and those who know a little about android development will obviously find a great opportunity in the Google’s new offering, “The Android Basics Nanodegree”.

The course offers a good chance for beginners to learn the basics about android programming direct from the horse’s mouth. The program has been launched by Udacity experts in accompaniment with Google.

Along with this program, the first 50 students who finish this course will receive a chance to win a complete scholarship to register in Udacity’s career tracking on the Android Developer Nanodegree program. The scholarship will enable students to get the complete support of experts from the time of enrollment to graduation.

This Udacity-Google tie-up will bring valuable help for the new developers to earn the most crucial knowledge on Android programming. The course includes vital points on Java programming language, interacting with web API’s and the essentials enable the programmers to utilize the SQL database.

The course will transform a student into a technical perfect android developer having a strong fundamental knowledge. At the time of completion of the course, students will have to successfully complete 10 projects including 8 functional application creation in it.

The cost of this Nanodegree offered by Google comes around $199 per month. Students can learn the typical course directly from Google experts. Users will be trained to build real-time applications and professional portfolios. Within two hours of posting the project, expert reviews will be delivered on the project. The user can make use of Udacity Connect to get a chance of face-to face learning.

Nanodegree by Google is structured to be an excellent course for freshers who want to know more on Android application development. The cost per month for learning this program is on the higher side, but the program will provide android app developers with some practical ideas for building some advanced applications.

Reasons to use React Native for Cross Platform Mobile application Development

Developers who deal with both Android application development and iOS application development can skip the hectic task of learning the coding principles of both these platforms. There certain handy cross platform mobile application development frameworks like Phone Gap which help mobile app developers to ease some difficulties to a large extent. However, in the real life situations most of the cross platform frameworks fail to meet the expectation of the users. React Native is an exception to the point. It is getting a wide recognition from many a iOS app development company and android app developers as the finest framework for creating cross platform mobile applications. This article highlights the reasons for the popularity of React Native as a cross mobile application development platform.

Superior User interfaces 

In defining React Native, the creators of this framework has mentioned it as a “JavaScript library” for developing “user interfaces”. The react components concentrates on the view portion of the applications. React Native applications are written with view codes that contain tiny snippets of codes that indicate how a part of the application will be based on the set of input data provided by the developers. Abstractions are represented in a React native platform by means of creating components. These components can be easily modified, call-back, and manged at very level. Thus, this platform helps developers to create superior user interfaces.

Powerful patterns for building applications 

Native applications offer a superior look, feel and speed that many of the frameworks fail to offer. React Native provide simple but powerful patterns for building applications. For proper functioning, this framework needs a view for which the structure must be clearly designed by the programmers for the purpose of placing data. One of the greatest advantages of using React Native is the that the platform re-renders the components according to the changes done in the parent data. It has no data binding or micro managing of the view. When you alter the parent data, React readjusts the view accordingly by using the minimum possible DOM alterations to provide the needed result as wished by the programmers.

It enables superb user-interactions   

React active helps developers to create applications having less complexities, and superb user interactions. React codes figure out mark ups to link functions automatically. It never faces any kind of performance lag, and the implementation is also very easy. For making native applications for iOS and Android, React native serves as a great platform to build native applications.

React is very easy to learn 

React codes are very simple to read and understand. Programmers who know the fundamentals of JavaScript and HTML can learn it very easily. For the basic codes used in this framework is JavaScript. Newcomers may not find working with JavaScript as a difficult task.

Conclusion 

In addition to all these React active comes with an excellent ecosystem having even the latest features of the language ES6 enabled in it. It utilizes Flexbox, hence developers can use the very same code they use on Android or iOS to create applications. It has features like code sharing, and all the updates are made live, as well. On the whole, React Native is an ideal platform for  developers working on both android apps development companies and iOS app development companies. It will save the cost and time of learning three languages for accomplishing the task of cross-platform app development.