Update: Native Apps Part II: A Hybrid App
Every single web page out there, if you like, is like a computer.
Tim Berners-Lee
Modern web technologies (HTML5, CSS, Javascript) allow us to build advanced solutions.
Although not that advanced, a service like EA Glossary is in fact just one single web page, i.e. one HTML5 document. With a bunch of supporting stuff, primarily jQueryMobile, it is “like a computer”.
I created the website some years ago so I could refer students and others to it. I turned it into a mobile-friendly web app last year.
For a while now, I have been playing around with the idea of turning it into a set of native apps (for iPhone, iPad, Android, etc). I basically want to learn more about what it takes to build native apps, and EA Glossary seemed a good place to start.
Instead of digging into just one native platform, I went looking for a solution that supports multiple platforms, as I would want apps for both iOS, Android and if possible Microsoft and others. And works on both tablets and smartphones. And works offline.
I decided to use PhoneGap, an open source framework for quickly building cross-platform mobile apps using HTML5, Javascript and CSS. Or rather, I use Phonegap Build, where the compiling is done in the cloud.
And so: Get EA Glossary Native Apps for Android, Blackberry, Symbian, webOS and Windows Phone.
The iOS app is as yet unavailable and still work-in-progress. I have signed up for Apple’s iOS Developer Program, but await confirmation, and cannot build an app until I get a signing key. The Android app has been signed. The Blackberry not so, as I have not looked into that. The other apps cannot be signed.
The apps are not in an app store, so you must set your devise to accept untrusted apps.
If your devise supports QR codes (get an app for that) just scan the QR code here:
If anyone is interested in joining me in making this app even better, the source is in GitHub.
