[Cialug] My entry for "dream big grow here" is SquareTap

[Matthew Nuzum]

On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 8:18 PM, Todd Walton <tdwalton at gmail.com> wrote:

> I tried to vote for it, but it immediately says "Unable to verify
> email" in small red font when I hit the Vote button.
>
> Also, a question: How hard is it to program an app for several
> different devices?  Is there any commonality?
>


That's weird. If you don't mind, give it a try again when you can. I saw
they updated the website today.

By "program an app" do you mean a native app? If so, there are two
solutions:

Native app: You'll use completely different programming languages for each
platform. Objective C for iOS, Dalvik Java for Android, .Net for Windows
Phone 7, a different Java for BlackBerry.

There are tools that make life easier for people who are willing to
compromise on how "native" their app feels. Appcelerator and PhoneGap allow
you to create an app out of HTML and Javascript. Then you use each
platform's development tool that converts it into a native app. Think of it
as a creating a custom web browser that runs only one app. However you're
still limited because you can't download code from the Internet, it has to
be completely self contained (though you can access web services). Also, you
have to compile the app separately for each platform and then submit it
separately to each app store. If you find a glitch and you update your app
you have to go through the re-submission process again, once for each app
store.

It's better but not ideal.

A web app isn't automatically bliss. However it's a lot easier than creating
3 or 4 native apps. Because mobile devices differ you need to follow the
same procedures you do for desktop web apps to ensure compatibility. Test on
multiple devices, avoid clever platform specific tricks, etc. However the
benefits add up. You can update your app whenever you like, use whatever
programming language you like, etc. You don't *have* to submit it to an app
store, but hopefully SquareTap wil be such a success that you'll want to
submit it there. And hopefully I'll be able to keep the bureaucracy to a
minimum so that submitting is enjoyable.

And just a little annecdote, someone contacted me today asking if I would
support the "Bada" smartphone. Apparently there's a shortage of apps there.
It works! There was a slight glitch with the zoom (everything was a bit too
big) but it worked. With a tool like SquareTap people can choose whatever
platform they like without having to worry about the availability of apps.

Please vote, I'm tied for 2nd place and behind by only 2 votes.
http://www.myentre.net/busProfile/tabid/95/Default.aspx?entry=369

Also, check out squretap.com on your mobile. Why don't you set it as your
homepage? I'll bet you find some cool apps in there.

-- 
Matthew Nuzum
newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin and twitter

♫ You're never fully dressed without a smile! ♫
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