Coolsmartphone.com covers several different mobile operating systems – Windows Mobile, Android, iOS – which highlights the diversity currently in the mobile world.
However, all these different OS use different SDK’s and programming languages, and indeed different submission methods to their app stores, which is a bit of a nightmare for developers wanting maximum penetration across the mobile market.
So what is the future, or indeed at present, how best to manage this?
I think Rightmove.co.uk might be an early adopter of one directions we could see. Rightmove were early to launch iPhone and iPad apps for their, and indeed even had their own AIR app for your desktop. But that was just for iOS – nothing for Android.
However, they now have a solution for Android, and indeed many other mobile platforms – Blackberry, Nokia, iOS & Android. A very simple solution in fact – a website.
If you visit www.rightmove.co.uk from your smartphone, it will now take you to a special mobile version of the website that looks, well, like the iPhone app. It integrates with Google Maps, and works perfectly on my Desire’s screen – its the app, without being an app.
Could this be the future? It makes lots of sense for corporations with lots of online content to simply develop versions of their sites to fit smartphone screens? Could the app stores of the future be predominantly filled with just shortcuts to websites?
Link – Rightmove.co.uk