Intel XDK – A new kid in the list of top mobile app development frameworks

With the increase in the number of mobile phone users, the demand for interactive and innovative mobile applications is rising steadily. This requirement increase made the mobile app development market work day and night to fulfill the needs of the users/customers. Many app developers are focusing more on cross-platform mobile application development as this process reduces the turn around time (TAT) of the app development. So, what is cross-platform application development? It is a technique of writing a single code for an app that runs on all the leading mobile operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows and more.

Reading this article will help you get the answer for:

• What is native, web and hybrid app?
• What are the benefits of adapting to hybrid apps?
• What is Intel XDK?
• What are the features of Intel XDK?

What is native, web and hybrid app?

Clients and sometimes even the amateur developers get confused with the terms: Native Apps | Hybrid Apps | Web Apps. It is a huge responsibility of every app developers to know the difference between these apps.

• Native Applications – These applications are specifically designed and developed run on a particular platform i.e. an app that is developed to run either on iOS or Android or Windows etc. They take advantage of the all the platform features using which they can work offline.
• Web Applications – These apps are nothing but websites that are developed to behave just like how native apps perform. Web applications are run by web browsers and are typically written in HTML5 and CSS3.
• Hybrid Applications – Hybrid apps are a combination of both native and web applications. These apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and that’s why people normally misunderstand this as a web application. They are made available on the platform specific stores from where they can be installed and used.

To summarize, Native and Hybrid apps are installed in an app store from where they can be accessed whereas the web apps are the mobile-optimized website that looks more like an application.

What are the benefits of adapting to hybrid apps?

Hybrid apps are native but their contents are web-based, and they reap the features of both the native and web apps. Some of the benefits of developing hybrid apps are:

• Many web developers prefer hybrid apps as they don’t have to have any native language knowledge and they can use the existing web development expertise.
• Hybrid apps offer very generous features, feel, and animation without any limitations.
• In general, hybrid apps are multi-platform i.e. they run on all devices irrespective of the platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, etc.
• Hybrid apps are easier to maintain, faster and easy to develop.
• Developing hybrid apps eliminates direct interface with device drivers using plugins and APIs.

What is Intel XDK?

Intel XDK is a software application used to build cross-platform mobile applications using HTML5. Web developer considers it to be the best fit for them as it offers multiple features to create an innovative and fully-functional mobile app. Intel Corporation claims this software to be the one solution for IoT applications and mobile apps development. Using the Cordova framework – the framework used by the PhoneGap application – Intel XDK runs HTML5 in mobile applications. This mobile application development software is a new kid and is different from rest of the pack as it includes the complete range of tools that supports everything from development to testing and debugging.

Intel XDK comes with ready-to-use app templates built using “App Framework” which is a JavaScript framework supported by Intel Corp. The themes developed by this framework is supported by iOS, Android, Tizen, Windows, and Blackberry. Intel XDK also supports jQuery mobile, Topcoat UI framework and Bootstrap 3. With rich feature set and clean development workflow, Intel XDK is becoming the developers’ favorite for developing high-end cross-platform mobile applications.

What are the features of Intel XDK?

Here are some of the most exciting features that make Intel XDK stand out from the crowd of cross-platform app development framework:

• App developed using Intel XDK can be used by almost every platform starting from the iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry to Tizen.
• Intel XDK comes with a drag-and-drop user interface (UI) builder that makes creating interfaces easy.
• This development software supports multiple UI framework like App framework, Ratchet, Bootstrap 3, Topcoat and jQuery mobile.
• It supports Cordova plugin that is also used by PhoneGap. This feature opens a wide range of Cordova plugin features.
• Intel XDK IDE offers a very clean and easy-to-use interface using which designing, developing, testing and building an application is made easier.
• It comes with app debug and profiling options for testing app on different device configurations.
• Code generator and demo apps are an added advantage of using the Intel XDK software.

Intel XDK is proving to be the best cross-platform mobile application development software as the features and support are awesome.