Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The Advantages of Snappii 2.0 Release. Part 2. How to Customize Cell and Detail View in the Advanced List

Today we will take a close look at how Advanced List view can be customized and show required buttons as well as images according to your app idea. To start making it you should upload a Data Source first. The spreadsheet you are uploading needs to contain fields for each button you will later use in cell and detail view. For my data source I have used the following fields in the spreadsheet: Company, SnappiiLogo (the title must not contain spaces or uncommon characters), phone, email, URL, RSS and Twitter. Then added appropriate info to each of these fields (see the screenshot below). After the spreadsheet is uploaded, match the fields. Figures should be numeric, pictures should be images, date and time should be date and time, text - text. In the opposite case the data source will not work in the app.  


Then save the changes and add Advanced List to you app, choose custom view for both cell and detail views in the dialog and start modifying it (the screenshot below). Don't forget to bind each button you add with the corresponding value in the uploaded Spreadsheet. You can leave it Constant however in this case the same data (text, image) will be shown for each item in your list.



Add the buttons you want to put data in to your cell and details view. I have just dragged and dropped some controls on details view and binded them with data source. You specify the text length by leaving as much text as needed in the box. The more text the app will show up the more space should be occupied. You'd better use short wording for cell view as its size is limited. But for detail view a text of any length can be used. You can place the buttons as you wish, change their form and size, play with the color schemes, so fully customize it. Create your own layout and make the app look unique. After adding all the buttons and binding with data source, you can preview your app like I did using Snappii Preview app. Below is how it looks on my device.


cell view
details view

As you see the process is really simple and doesn't require any programming background. Please keep in mind that you can use any button from Snappii editor in the cell and detail view such as Nearby, QR code, PayPal and etc. Want to try it now? All are welcome to Snappii website. Use the advantages of new Snappii 2.0 release for free and find more answers in Snappii FAQ. Spend just a couple of hours to complete feature-rich and powerful iPhone and iPad mobile apps.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Advantages of Snappii 2.0 Release. Part 1. How to Sort and Search Data in Advanced List

After several months of hard and fruitful work Snappii mobile development enterprise has finally released long-expected Snappii 2.0 project. This release gives a lot of new opportunities in creating mobile apps both for DIY and Full Service customers. Due to Snappii 2.0 now users have the ability to store data in their iOS applications and submit it when needed via email. It has become some times quicker to add new data to mobile apps without even uploading Excel spreadsheets as Snappii users used to do before. With the help of new tabs and buttons such as Advanced List and Advanced Form Snappii clients can easily modify and customize List view and use Data Sources in forms. This project deserves numerous blog entries to be covered. So let's move step by step. 



The topic of today is how to sort and search data in the Advanced List. This feature is indispensable when you have to upload lists with many items. Let's say you are an owner of dental clinic and have a big stuff. To add the whole list with their names and description you don't need to create complicated spreadsheets. Instead you can make a simple spreadsheet with some Headers like: Name, Date of Birth, Education, Experience, etc. Later in the app there will be an option to add information to corresponding headers. The list will be constantly growing and at the same time easy to use. That became possible due to Sorting and Searching information according to set parameters. In the screenshot you can see a Data Source dialog where Sorting and Searching details are specified. Just check the needed type to make it Sortable and Searchable. These buttons will appear in your app after it to enable you to fulfill these operations. If you let's say want to find all hygienists working in your clinic you click on Advanced Search button and enter the keyword in the Header2 which reflect names of your team and their speciality. As shown in the example only 4 people appeared to be hygienists and the list itself is huge, everyone will spend hours to find the person without an ability to make advanced search. 



Sorting is another helpful feature. It works the same way as sorting, you check fields you need to be sortable and make ascending or descending view. Alphabetical order will help you  to faster and more conveniently handle large volumes of data in your mobile app.
a descending view

The features above can be useful for various purposes and regardless the business you are into. You can try to make such an app yourself or order it in our App Request Form. Visit Snappii website today to keep up with up-to-date technologies.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Why Enterprises Should Not Use SDKs To Create Mobile Apps

A software development kit (SDK) is typically a set of software development tools that allows to create mobile and not only applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system.


Though frequently used SDK has quite a lot of drawbacks which are listed below


-        SDKs provided by Google and Apple are platform specific
-        They require knowledge of Objective-C and Java… it a skill not every programmer has
-        Apps are platform specific. Each must be created from scratch for every platform
-        It takes too long. You are working with low level languages. Even building simple apps takes many months
-        No way to quickly test and debug applications.
-        There is no way to update apps on thousands of devices without going through App stores for distribution ( problem: slow) and users must take update action

The solution a enterprise mobile app development platform that
-        Allows any programmer without having mobile app development skills to create mobile apps
-        Allows quick testing.  Build app and see it run
-        Creates apps that are platform agnostic yet native to each platform
-        As many quick updates as users want, rapid distribution
-       Offers many ready-made templates, no necessity to make native iOS and Androi apps from scratch
-       Cost-effective and easy solution

This is why Snappii is the right solution. Go check this website today to get the benefits of using unique Snappii App Developing Platform. Even non-programmers can become mobile app programmers here.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How Enterprises Can Utilize Existing Programmers To Build Apps

The enterprise is getting serious about developing and submitting various mobile business apps. No matter whether the goal of the app is to spread information, sell products and /or services, show business locations, display catalogs, watch videos or push mobile applications as products in themselves, the stable emergence and evolution of mobile platforms have many IT organizations wondering how best to represent their apps - which devices the apps should run on, what audience to be focused on and when.

One of the important factors is to create cross-platform mobile apps not to be worried about which device user should own to have a chance to see app working and get benefits by having the application installed. In case you want to hire programmers or outsource app development to let's say oriental countries (there the expenses are lower) you should take into consideration that it will be necessary to hire some people to make your apps compatible with iPhone/iPad or Android devices, support most tablets and be mobile optimized to be used as HTML5 apps. Hence it will cost even more.

There is far more splendid solution such outsourcing app programming to on-line web services. Snappii is one of the best among them. Only some of the advantages:

- no need to pay thousands of dollars to hire developers
- free and easy app making, testing and updating
- your staff can make apps on their own even without programming knowledge
- your existing team knows your business better, their efforts will be more efficient
- web services using REST are used for connecting to back end systems.
- you create just one app and distribute it to Apple Appstore, Google Play or make a Web app at once
- knowing Objective-C or Java or HTML5 is not required
- app development is 30x times faster than developers work

To target multiple device types you won't need to spend much time and money. Outsourcing to web service like Snappii is successful and brilliant deal in any case.

The selection of mobile development tools has never been richer, or more affordable, than today. Don't miss your chance to improve your enterprise by obtaining powerful native and web apps using Snappii.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Why Enterprises Should Not Outsource App Development

When having not enough people in staff to cover the whole volume of programming work, most companies have to outsource some part of their activities to other enterprises. It has become already a common experience especially when it goes about enterprise mobile development platforms.

However it is not an easy task to find a reliable company which you can trust. These companies should meet all of your requirements such as to be a high quality, to fulfill tasks according to a schedule, not to cost much.
On the one hand it seems to be a really great solution to outsource iOS/Android app development to free up your own programmers to work on back-end systems. In case when outsourcing to India it may even be more cost-effective and cheaper than hiring new developers in your country.

As everything in our life it can have a reverse side on the other hand. Among main disadvantages is the loss of control existing by the following reasons:

- app development will be made in other countries, let's say in India, hence it will be harder to explain to them exact requirements
- different time zones slow the process greatly, conversations via Skype or emailing  won't replace real talk
- security risk
- if you collaborate with this company for the first time it can be dangerous indeed. No guarantee that you will receive what you have asked for
- in some cases the expenses may be higher than getting new people to your team

Hence to correctly outsource  app development enterprise you need to mull everything over throughly to avoid risky situations. It will take much time though.

Another solution and even more reasonable is using a web service Snappii. Outsourcing to Snappii is safe and inexpensive.

Snappii is a platform for rapidly developing, testing, deploying, updating and analyzing Mobile apps. It does not require any programming skills or mobile development knowledge so it can be used by member of your existing staff. Snappii also offers full services and will build your app for you.

As it is US based there won't be problems while communicating and discussing the details of synergy. Besides app development here is 30x times faster than any experienced developers can offer.

Go check Snappii site to know more about it, see powerful mobile apps and make your business successful and stable. With Snappii it is simple.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Enterprise Software Is Becoming Mobile

Mobile application development, including the need to extend enterprise applications to mobile devices, is growing in prominence, according to numerous researches. Mobile and tablet applications have become an enormous part of the development landscape.

Hiring developers is not affordable especially for small businesses as it requires tens of thousands of dollars to cover the expenses. Moreover some programmers should be involved in iOS and/or Android apps development as it requires  knowing various programming skills like Java, JQuery, HTML5, Objective-C and etc. That means that you will have to hire at least a couple of developers to create a single app to be compatible for several platforms. And it will cost twice as much. App development  is only one part of the huge process. Another issue is how to market your app, spread a word about it so that more potential users would know about it. You can make an informative app telling users all about your business and offer it for free or create the one which will give your clients multiple benefits to be used outside the app as well. The third aspect is app updating and testing. Once the app is made it is necessary to have it tested and once it is released to have an ability to quickly modify it according to rapidly changing conditions of global market or in your business. This will need additional expenses on programmers. You should take the app development time into consideration. Depending on  developers' experience it can take from some weeks up to even some months. Hence if you need the mobile app completed in two weeks hiring developers is not the way out of the problem. Besides it is always hard to find a good  and reliable one.
However the solution exists and it is a web service for app building like Snappii. Snappii specializes in native iPhone.iPad and Android app development as well as HTML5 apps  and have already created lots of powerful and feature rich applications for its clients. Only some of the advantages this service offers:

- speed, hours and weeks vs months for app development
- low cost in comparison with hiring developers
- distribution to online store like Apple Appstore and Google Play
- quick updating and distribution to all users' devices
- no long term contracts and set up fees
- immediate app testing
- etc.

Snappii is a great way to expand and promote your existing business or even start your own app development enterprise. First see requested apps running on devices and only then pay. Please visit Snappii site to know more about Snappii products and pricing.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Importance Of Mobility For Modern Businesses

Last year, smart phone shipments beat those of PCs for the first time ever, with 73 million more units being sold. In IBM’s recent CIO study of more than 3,000 CIOs, 75 percent of respondents identified mobile solutions as one of their top priorities. And as CIOs and CMOs begin to partner together to better engage and market to the digital customer, marketing through the mobile channel will continue to become a priority for both discipline.

Without being mobile oriented many businesses small and medium sized are doomed to lose customers' interest to them. If websites are not mobile equipped up to 70% of visitors will leave such sites after a few clicks. The information is hard to read from screen and it needs constant scrolling and pinching that can irritate users. Every business should change its strategy to fit up-to-date world business conditions.

Hopefully it is not difficult to establish mobile development today. There are lots of services which make mobile optimized websites and iOS/Android native apps from scratch according to clients' needs. A good example is Snappii web service which have more than 7000 users who already created or are in the process of making their own apps. Though Snappii platform doesn't require programming skills not all of its users can afford themselves spending a lot of time on building their apps. However there is a solution - Full Service. You just tell Snappii team the app idea and supply with required materials for app content. The rest of the work including app development, testing, submitting, making updates and full maintenance is made on Snappii side.

Visit Snappii site today to implement real mobility to your business.

Monday, October 15, 2012

How Can Anyone Create Mobile Apps

Recently respective analyst group Gartner has published their report on practically all MADP (mobile app development platforms). The most interesting observation is that each listed platform require programmers to handle them. And it seems to become the most difficult issue to be solved as finding appropriate and cost-effective developers is a hard work. In most cases programmers' fees are high and many companies with low budgets just cannot afford hiring these developers. Their way out is to outsource  programming to India or other countries where app development is some times cheaper. However it can give variable results and at last you might spend time and money and get nothing. What is the answer?

Unfortunately online app building services stayed unnoticed by Gartner and franckly speaking by unknown reasons. Web services which don't require programming skills allow to create powerful and robust native  iOS, Android and HTML5 apps. The quality of mobile apps made by such online builders is being constantly improved and more custom features added. It is coming closer to what programmers can do and if you want to often update your app app building services will meet your requirements better. The app updates are available quicker and much cheaper when using web services.  Snappii is one of the DIY platforms offering custom app development rapidly and at cost-effective prices.

Snappii proposes to solve the “programmer issue”  by enabling anybody: existing staff, programmers skilled in other areas, business analysts etc. to generate front  end apps. They not only can prototype and test UI designs but take it all the way to finished front end (client side) app creation.

Snappii is a platform for rapidly developing, testing, deploying, updating and analyzing Mobile apps. It does not require any programming skills or mobile development knowledge so it can be used by member of your existing staff. We also offer full services and will build your app for you. Visit our website today.

Monday, October 8, 2012

How To Establish A Mobile App Business

Many people around need apps for their businesses. No surprise customers and potential prospects like getting all the information using mobile devices. They spend twice more time surfing the Web from their gadgets than PCs. The main reason is the convenience of use and ability to work wherever you are: in the street, in a bus, in a traffic jam, while eating out or jogging. If you obtain only a website that is a high time to think over the importance of getting mobile versions of it or even mobile apps. You can find clients who want apps and create iOS and Android apps for them. With up-to-date technologies it is really easy. No programming skills are required to enterprise a mobile app development. For example Snappii online app builder allows creating native and HTML5 apps 30x times faster than any programmer can do. Along with the time frame the cost of services does matter and it will pleasantly surprise you. In difference with hiring programmers you will pay dozen times less. The advantages of web services result in the opportunity to quickly modify and update all apps which will not be expensive and besides are quick indeed.

Snappii app builders enables to create mobile apps on all important platforms including iPhone, iPad, Android and HTML5 web apps. Due to this you can freely establish a prosperous business totally from scratch and with minimal budget. Snappii app creation starts at only $39 per month. If you have a client, create an app for him and gain more customers. As well Snappii is the best solution for outsourcing app development. Outsourcing to India may result in getting what you actually didn't want to get. Using services of other companies won't be reasonable because of the cost. Moreover Snappii offers white label solution and total app stats which are significant to  Try Snappii already today and start your own business without difficulties.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

How To Start A Mobile App Business

To create an enterprize mobile app everyone should make sure his/her app will be popular and especially useful for future users. Analyze who,when and how will use the app. One more significant factor is if such or similar apps already exist. It doesn't make sense to create again the one which was created and many people already use it. Don't forget about marketing. Without promoting any mobile app will come into oblivion even being live in the Appstore or Google Play. It can be really important to have an ability to make updates to apps when it is needed to meet growing needs of businesses or app users. Hiring a developer will cost thousands of dollars and each update will empty one's pockets for sure. 

The solution however is available. Web service Snappii will enable any user to make iOS and Android apps in hours and inexpensively. Moreover programming skills are not required. Each can try out the rapid platform and make sure that it works stable and robust. Due to Snappii CMS the updates can be made immediately and be distributed to all users' devices. Building and testing native as well as HTML5 apps is totally free which allows app creators to think over every detail before they are ready to release their apps. That practically eliminates  the chances that the app one submit will be rejected or works incorrect. At moderate fees Snappii is ready to make and maintain apps for you. That will save busy people plenty of time and give them an opportunity to spend more attention on other things to do. So the successful mobile app development enterprise results in 3 major factors. A unique idea, quick and easy platform to make it come true and marketing of your product to spread it all over the world. Check Snappii site today and start your own profitable business.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A Mobile App Development Enterprise

Mobile apps are not difficult to create even if you have no programming back knowledge. If you can afford yourself to hire a developer that is excellent however you will spend a lot of time and money waiting for your app released. And it won't be easy to update your app as each time you will have to address programmers and be charged. The real way out for you can be to use online web services like Snappii which allow you not only to make an app but also establish your own app development business. Dozens of apps can be created in weeks and resold to potential customers. If you own a big company you may take such service into account too as it is a great opportunity to outsource your business and thus expand it. Free up your programmers so that they could work more on back-end and Snappii will take care of your front-end development. Native mobile apps running on iOS and Android platforms are built with Snappii 30x times faster than developers can do. 

To enterprise mobile app development you have to do just two things: 1. register at snappii 2. fill in the App Request Form with your requirements. Snappii team quickly handle multiple requests and get back to prospects with a reply. According to your wishes a prototype can be made first so that you review native and Web apps working on devices. Snappii HTML5 apps don't require reviewing process and are released instantly after being created. Customization is also available at a moderate cost. Mobile app development enterprise has never been so affordable and convenient.

Please check Snappii apps out in the App Gallery and make sure they perfectly fit your requirements and business needs. First try it and only then pay.