Types of mobile applications
Technology evolves rapidly, and with it the world of mobile applications grows and, in turn, changes are generated in companies and industries. Therefore, many companies are attentive to surf the wave and reach the beach in the most ideal way possible.
Regardless of the nature of the business, many companies integrate application implementation into their strategic plan, aware that most of the access is made from a mobile device. However, another large corporate majority is unaware of the types of applications that exist, their characteristics and do not know when making the decision, what type to implement.
That is why we have listed the advantages and disadvantages of the three types of applications that exist: Native, WebApps responsive web design and WebApps optimized.
In a first response, we can say that the "natives" are those that run within the operating system of the device, while WebApps will be executed within the browser that is inside the devices.
Both options are valid and with benefits, as will be seen in the comparison below. But there are also cases, whenever possible, in which the best option is to have both applications in our business.
1 - Native applications are those that are developed for a specific mobile operating system. They are created exclusively for mobile phones, having to create one for iOS, Android and another for Windows Phone.Advantages
Full access to device, software and hardware
Better user experience
Display of app stores and integration with wearables
Disadvantages
Different programming languages and skills according to the operating system
Higher costs and development time
Without SEO they do not appear well positioned in Google search, if you do not have web optimized for mobile phones.
There are cases in which a mobile application is right to be exclusively native, such as when it depends on the functionality of the device. If the company needs the application to continue working even without an Internet connection, it is known as offline. Although these types of applications are of good performance and user experience, being native, they require development for different platforms. To reduce costs and increase productivity there are tools that generate in a mobile environment in a multiplatform way, that is, from a code can be generated for other mobile platforms.
2- In the case of WebApps or mobile friendly Web, they are easier to develop and manage from a computer. Developers do not use different programming languages, on the contrary, they program them in a language known as HTML or Java Script.
Advantages
Reusable programming code
Develop faster and with less cost
No installation required
Disadvantages
Internet connection is 100% necessary
Limited access to device hardware
By not demanding the installation loses visibility in stores
This scenario could specify two types of WebApps, the WebApps with adaptive design and optimized Web Apps. The adaptable design, when using certain frameworks allows us from a single application code to respond to different screen sizes, attending in the best way to the user experience.
The optimized results from an application totally different from the one I have on the desktop, which is programmed in such a way that it is optimized for its usability.
Conclusion: There are several factors to analyze when choosing between native applications or Web Apps Friendly: costs, updates, performance, user experience, maintenance, SEO, market time ... In some cases, it is best to have both options.
Many companies and developers have their applications in multiplatform. That is, they have applications that run on different operating systems for mobile devices (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry).
