Create a Mobile Site or App Using a Framework
Browsing on the go using mobile devices is becoming a bigger and bigger trend. Often, users prefer a mobile friendly version of the website compared to the experience they get when sitting at a computer. Creating a mobile friendly version of your website, or even a standalone mobile app, isn’t as hard as you may think thanks for a variety of frameworks available.
All of the popular smartphones on the market today including the two biggest, iOS and Android devices, come with a mobile browser that utilizes Webkit for rendering. Webkit is one of the most advanced browser engines available right now, and it features the most HTML5 and CSS3 support as compared to other browsers. This is a very good thing, because it gives you the freedom to utilize these options to not only make your site look good, but also to reduce load times.
There are plenty of mobile frameworks to chose from; however, these are the best available right now for features and compatibility. The purpose of a framework is to reduce the amount of initial development time you spend setting up your site or app. Frameworks also give you pre-built functionality. A lot of frameworks include your basic navigation and layout, but they can also include features such as gesture recognition, geolocation, offline storage and easy customization.
jQuery Mobile
jQuery Mobile is the official mobile framework by the team who brought you jQuery. It is supported on a huge variety of platforms including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, bada, Windows Phone, Palm webOS, Symbian and MeeGo. jQuery Mobile is one of the newer frameworks, but it is already on alpha version 4.1 and is constantly being updated.
jQuery Mobile is one of the biggest and most diverse mobile frameworks available. It can easily be used for a mobile website or a mobile app. If you think of a UI element that you need for a mobile site, chances are jQuery Mobile has taken care of it. Also, all of the elements are fully customizable by CSS. The documentation for this framework is very extensive, so you can easily learn how to do exactly what you want.
jQTouch
jQTouch is one of the original mobile frameworks available, and it is still one of the best. Originally developed for iOS devices, it also works on Android and other forward-thinking devices. The style of the framework definitely has a native iOS feel to it, which is great for any iOS user that uses your site or app.
Features of jQTouch
- Easy Setup
- Native WebKit Animations
- Image Preloading
- Callback Events
- Flexible Themes
- MIT Licensed
- Swipe Detection
- Extensions
Now It’s Your Turn…Go Develop
Getting started is easy; just visit these websites and download the latest release. Both of the frameworks are free, so you can play around with them before you ever implement anything. You can also visit the framework’s site on your mobile device to experience how it functions.
Have you created something with these frameworks or have another framework that you like better? Let us know in the comments below.