This document is the first assignment of Unit 7: Mobile Apps Development in BTEC. It consists of 21 pages (6000+ words) that have met P1, P2, M1 and D1 which is required to get the highest possible grade (Distinction) in Assignment 1 (Learning Aim A). I have explained, analysed & evaluated effectiv...
ASSIGNMENT 1
Investi gate mobile apps and mobile devices
Table of Contents
Types of Mobile Apps............................................................................................................................2
Web Apps..........................................................................................................................................2
Native Apps........................................................................................................................................3
Hybrid Apps.......................................................................................................................................3
Context of Mobile Apps.........................................................................................................................3
User Needs........................................................................................................................................4
User Preferences...............................................................................................................................4
User Characteristics...........................................................................................................................4
Categories of Mobile Apps.................................................................................................................4
Mobile Device Functions....................................................................................................................4
1. Motion Sensors..........................................................................................................................4
2. Environment Sensors.................................................................................................................5
3. Positional Sensors......................................................................................................................5
Operating Systems.............................................................................................................................6
Mobile App Programming and Languages.............................................................................................6
Programming Environments..............................................................................................................8
Visual Studio..................................................................................................................................8
XCode.............................................................................................................................................8
Device Permissions............................................................................................................................9
App 1: Amazon App.............................................................................................................................10
Overview..........................................................................................................................................10
App Type..........................................................................................................................................10
User Needs & Characteristics...........................................................................................................10
User Interface & Features................................................................................................................11
Operating System............................................................................................................................12
Reviews............................................................................................................................................12
Mobile Device Permissions & Functions..........................................................................................12
App 2: WhatsApp.................................................................................................................................13
Overview..........................................................................................................................................13
App Type..........................................................................................................................................13
User Needs & Characteristics...........................................................................................................13
, Unit 7: Mobile Apps Development
User Interface & Features................................................................................................................14
Mobile Device Permissions & Functions..........................................................................................15
Operating System............................................................................................................................16
Reviews............................................................................................................................................16
App 3: Gmail........................................................................................................................................16
Overview..........................................................................................................................................16
App Type..........................................................................................................................................16
User Needs & Characteristics...........................................................................................................16
Mobile Device Permissions & Functions..........................................................................................17
User Interface & Features................................................................................................................17
Operating System............................................................................................................................20
Reviews............................................................................................................................................20
Evaluation............................................................................................................................................20
References...........................................................................................................................................21
Types of Mobile Apps
A mobile application, sometimes known as an app, is software that runs on a mobile device such as a
smartphone or tablet. Mobile applications typically provide users with services that are comparable
to those available on PCs.
There are three main types of mobile apps as shown below, they each have their advantages and
disadvantages for use. When deciding the type of mobile app to develop, it's typical to compare the
time and cost of development of the type of app against the user experience/functionality.
Web Apps
Web apps are not real mobile applications; they are websites that look
and feel like native mobile applications. They're usually written in HTML
and run through a browser. Users access them in the same way they
would any other web page and will be required an internet connection to
use. It uses online technology (including browsers) to perform a huge
range of different tasks. Many apps are used for the purposes of online
retail such as the Amazon App.
Web apps retrieve and store information by using server-side scripts (in
scripting languages such as PHP and ASP), while client-side scripts (in JavaScript and HTML5) present
the relevant information on the user interface.
Web apps have very limited functionality as they are hosted on the browser. They cant access useful
and important features of a mobile device such as GPS. Because they are compiled in the web
server, this limits the app from access the mobile device’s API; resulting in less functionality than any
other app type. This is why web apps have odd designing compared to other app types.
, Unit 7: Mobile Apps Development
Native Apps
Native apps work with the device's OS in ways that enable them to perform
faster and more flexibly than alternative application types. They are build for a
specific mobile OS and that’s why they are able to function properly when they
are running on the targeted OS. Native apps can work much faster by
harnessing the power of the processor and are able to quickly access multiple
services on a device, such as the microphone, accelerometer or push
notifications.
The most important thing about native apps is that they can be used offline on a platform as they are
build for a specific OS which means their features and some of the data is stored locally in the app.
Examples of native applications range from navigation programs, such as Waze, to social apps, such
as Twitter, or games, such as Pokémon Go because these were made specifically for an OS.
In terms of developing and programming native mobile app, they are quite expensive to make as
well as require much more time than hybrid and web apps. They are usually developed in low level
programming languages such as C, C#, C++ and Java depending on different platform or OS.
Hybrid Apps
It is a mixture of both web and native apps. It can use data from a website/
web server or/and can also use maximum device functions of a mobile device
hence, using the abilities of both native and web apps for multiple OS such as
Android and iOS. For example, the snapchat, if you download snapchat on
android or apple it will be the same app.
Hybrid apps are developed using frameworks such as Flutter, React Native or
even HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They typically uses single codebase for
different OS as explained earlier. Unlike, native apps where you can only developed using one
programming language and use only one codebase for a specific platform which is a disadvantage as
if the developer needs to develop the same app for another OS; then he will need to make another
codebase using the OS preferred software and programming language. This decreases the
productivity and efficiency of the app as the developer also need to ensure that both apps are
maintained properly. By being able to build and develop the same app for different OS with a
single/same codebase means that the company or the developer will need to invest less in time,
budget and planning. He can easily maintain the app, add or remove any features and it will
automatically update on all of the platforms. However, there will be a need to access the different
OS API in order to develop the same app for multiple OS.
Moreover, hybrid apps also allows the developers to access the different device permissions and its
API. They will still be able to access and benefit from features like GPS, speedometer etc. Usually,
hybrid apps are tend to be less functional and useful than native apps as they are not fully native
which means they might not be able to access certain parts of the mobile device. But yet, hybrid
apps is the most efficient way to develop an app.
Context of Mobile Apps
The following is required to build a profile of an apps intended users and
helps with design features:
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