React Native powers more mobile apps than you think
Few years back, Facebook launched an open source mobile application framework by the name of React Native. As soon as it launched, mobile app developers soon began adopting it for developing high end mobile applications on several platforms like Android, iOS, Web etc. Many new generation clients wanting to develop their business online have been on the lookout to hire an Android developer. Sometimes, the same clients are also looking to hire an iOS developer to cater to a larger market. In this context, there is scope for mobile app developers to develop innovative applications to solve critical problem statements, given that people are transacting online more on their handheld devices. Released in 2015, React Native quickly became popular amongst mobile app developers and is used widely to develop various applications. In this blogpost, we will take a look at some of the prominent mobile applications both in Android and iOS.
Instagram is the most popular photo sharing social media network out there. It was popular even before Facebook acquired it in 2012. Prior to acquisition, Instagram was essentially a native app which meant that there were multiple versions catering to different smartphones. With the coming of React Native, Instagram was able to transform itself rapidly to the extent it was deployed even on the web. The framework has helped the photo sharing network to add more features that hinge on customer satisfaction. All these resulted in the milking of one key metric – engagement.
Bloomberg
Most of us would be familiar with Bloomberg. For the uninitiated, Bloomberg is an online platform for all news across the world delivered in a highly unique personalised fashion. In fact, the current form of the app is attributed to React Native’s influence – enhancing interactions and engagement.
Skype
Skype is one of the most popular video calling applications that was launched even before smartphones emerged on the scene. It quickly asserted its presence in the mobile app store to leverage on the new front camera and convenient portability feature of the smartphone. But there was a problem. Originally developed by Microsoft using the UWP framework, it was initially only restricted to Windows 10 phones that weren’t that popular. However, with React Native, it was possible to design Skype for other mobile platforms.
UberEats
With increasing prevalence of food delivery applications, it only made sense for UberEats to utilise React Native’s powerful features to be the snappy, vibrant mobile application it is today. Prior to that, UberEats experienced problems of incomplete information. Nothing can be more frustrating for customers than not being able to order food online, right? Fortunately, the open source framework eliminated all such performance issues resulting in massive jump in downloads.
Airbnb
This online accommodation booking platform sensed that customers were booking more on their mobile. Due to paucity of resources for developing native apps, it adopted React Native framework early to develop multi-platform applications. Now the company is able to deliver a much richer user experience and also able to release new versions quickly. After all, this is exactly what is needed to stay ahead of the competition.
Clients are always looking to enlist quality mobile app development services to build high quality applications. But it doesn’t stop there. The real challenge is to keep updating their apps with evolving customer preferences and outside competition. While you may have glimpsed at some of the framework’s advantages – Open Source, Rapid Development, Multi-Platform and so on, finding the right developer with expertise in the framework is a challenge, given that the framework was launched only a few years back.
Vivaldi – A Stellar Browser
Many studies point to the increasing trend of consumers browsing more on their mobiles rather than desktops. Ever since the advent of the smartphone, customers have become accustomed to browsing intensively on their hand-held devices. Initially, many of them ignored it on account of lack of screen space or inconvenience of reading on a small screen for a long time and so on. But gradually, with greater mobile content and orientation, customer preferences changed. Mobile browsers too on their part have evolved significantly. There are numerous mobile browsers on the market now including Chrome, Safari, UC, Opera and many more. To this list, we want to bring to your notice a relatively new kid in the block – Vivaldi Browser.
In this blogpost, we would like to coax you into install and start using Vivaldi for reasons which we will discuss in the following sections. In particular, those clients who are looking to hire an android developer, may want to consider this star browser which we think is poised for transforming the browser market – one that has been dominated by the likes of Chrome or Safari for long. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Vivaldi – Empowering Users
Vivaldi was developed by former Opera developers. Being a cross-platform browser it claims that the user can actually take control of their browser. Targeted at power users, Vivaldi emphasises so much on customisations and user control and rightly so. It is packed with many thoughtful and innovative features. For instance, users can hop from one device to another and continue from where they left. Synchronising bookmarks, history and other relevant is no hassle. The best part is that these processes are all encrypted – only the users are privy to their data.
There is a lite mode feature that allows for higher data compression without affecting performance. This mode can be used whenever users run low on data. No more worrying about mysterious data loss. Yet another interesting feature which users will certainly find helpful is the page capture. You can either save whatever is visible on the screen or the entire webpage itself. In addition to it, Vivaldi has a dedicated reader mode that readers can enable to stay away from pesky distractions like notifications. Sync has been implemented extensively on Vivaldi and the notes feature is the best example of it. Users can now stay connected with their notes on whatever device at whatever time.
Perhaps, one of the less explored areas with regard to browsing is tab management. Every browser has its own take on it but our developers, in their experience of providing varied mobile app development services, find Vivaldi to have more organisation in its tabs. We believe it is still a work in progress though. The settings screen is where users can tweak and customise their browser settings in whichever way they want.
Final Thoughts
Throughout our time with Vivaldi, we found it to be distinctively helpful, convenient and gives more control to the user. But, perhaps, the best feature of Vivaldi that we loved was its incredible snappiness even on low spec devices. We have seen rival browsers struggling in such devices. Their attention to detail must certainly be commended. For instance, it is a nightmare browsing on one hand, especially on large screen phones. Vivaldi addresses this putting in place a button on the bottom screen that brings up the URL bar. Now, if that doesn’t excite you, we don’t know what will!
Contact us and hire an android developer today.
Designing the Search for Your Mobile App
The search bar has become an integral part of our lives. With a few clicks, people are able to look up on something they want to know. The advent of smartphones has transformed the search process even more. Most mobile applications too have Search integrated into it. As the scope for mobile-online business models widens, web developers will have to look for ways to design the Search functionality innovatively. Doing so will directly and indirectly result in more end sales. After all, when it comes to mobile applications, it is all about convenience. Hiring dedicated android developers or iOS developers will enable clients to develop rich applications aimed at bringing positive in-app experiences.
Our developer team, providing a variety of mobile app development services, delve into the process of designing Search. It is influenced by factors such as context, app functionality and depth of information.
The first thing that mobile app developers must know before attempting to designing Search is the difference between desktop visitors and mobile app visitors. The latter category of people wants a faster and convenient experience. But owing to the limited real estate in the case of mobiles, the significance of the Search bar becomes more realised.
We will look at two aspects in designing Search – the layout and physical design of the Search bar itself and the displaying of results as per the app.
With regard to physical designs and layouts, there are many kinds such as a top/ bottom layout, bar/ tab/ magnifying glass designs etc; Clients who want to hire mobile app developers would do well to provide information of their business and what they want to achieve with their mobile app. This information will be useful in formulating the design elements and layout of the Search.
A top layout is relevant for mobile apps driven by search, or in other words, visitors open your app primarily to search for information on products – eg: cab aggregator apps focussed on pickup and drop destinations. On the other hand, a bottom layout Search enhances the primary purpose of the app.
Depending on the screen space for your mobile app, you can appropriately design the Search – be it bar/ tab/ magnifying glass. For instance, if you have used the YouTube app, you might have noticed the magnifying glass for a Search. This is due to lack of space in the top navigation bar that is occupied by the logo and the upload video functionality. Therefore, adhere to intended purpose of app and implement it effectively.
The second aspect – presenting the results – is more related to the target segment of your business. There are different kinds of searches namely simple, filtered and predictive search. In Simple search, it is left to the visitor to type the relevant query. Mobile developers can display results according to the search keyword.
Filtered searches are appropriate for online businesses selling products, especially those that sell a vast inventory of products. Visitors will be able to customise and narrow their searches.Clients can communicate to their hired mobile app developers on how they want to display their results (products) in an appealing manner. Predictive search is useful for apps containing large amounts of content. It helps the visitors to come to know related search queries as they type. This search also greatly aids in smooth repeat purchases – case in point – cab aggregator apps that display recent ride destinations even before they type.
The team at HireIndianProgrammers has a mix of both android and iOSdevelopers. We have developed several mobile app development projects for our clients, both android and iOS. Our mobile app development services also cover support and maintenance with no messy contracts. If you are in the stage of developing an online business venture or expansion of the same or improve upon your mobile app, you can hire an iOS developer or an android developer, depending on your needs.
Top skills to check before hiring an Android Developer
These days having a mobile application for a business is a trending thing. In the mobile market, almost 88% of the mobile phones are android. To build a successful mobile application you should know how to choose the best developer and the types of skills required for the android developers. HireIndianProgrammers, the best Mobile app development company in India has the expert developers in developing a mobile application for various requirements.
Skills to look for when hiring a Mobile app developer
Android SDK Knowledge
It is very important for the developer to have experience in Android software development kit when it comes to developing. When developing an android mobile app the developers mostly deal with layout, action bar and views. Make sure the developer whom you are going to choose should have the proficient skills in Android SDK.
Experience in Android Studio
Android Studio is the necessary tool which is important to design an android application. If the developer is familiar with Android studio software then it helps the development process quick and easy. An Android developer has the capability to handle bugs in their coding.