Tools for iPhone Mobile Application Development

Seeing is believing, and I have seen it. It has been around for some time now, and it has come to stay, the iPhone and iPod Touch. I have worked in this market for some time and seen how it has developed and how it has created millionaires in a short period of time. There is one common factor amongst all these success stories and that is that all have a passion for the iPhone and its capabilities. iPhone together with the iPod Touch has set a new era for the mobile application usage for both personal and corporate markets.

In this article I will show you some ways you can capitalize on the iPhone market and to be able to make money on this. However, there has to be given a fair caution as well. It will not work if you not put your soul and hard work into it. No matter what type of business model or sector within the iPhone and iPod Touch market you want to enter into, you need to put your energy into it. It is like any other business, you need a business model and plan to work from, and then take it out into the market and hopefully you have assessed the market correct and they will love what you do.

I can be reached at sak@ec-ba.com if you want me to tell you more about these opportunities and more.

Introduction
To develop applications for iPhone OS, you need a Mac OS X computer running the Xcode tools and Visual Studio Developer. Xcode is Apple’s suite of development tools that provide support for project management, code editing, building executables, source-level debugging, source-code repository management, performance tuning, and much more.

Xcode : Xcode is an integrated development environment (IDE) that provides all of the tools you need to create and manage your iPhone projects and source files, build your code into an executable, and run and debug your code either in iPhone simulator or on a device.

Interface Builder : Interface Builder is the tool you use to assemble your application’s user interface visually. Using Interface Builder, you assemble your application’s window by dragging and dropping pre-configured components onto it.

Instruments : To ensure that you deliver the best user experience for your software, the Instruments environment lets you analyze the performance of your iPhone applications while running in the simulator or on a device. Instruments gather data from your running application and presents that data in a graphical display called the timeline.

Areas in which iPhone application can be developed using iPhone SDK
» Calculate
» Entertainment
» Games
» News
» Productivity
» Search Tools
» Social Networking
» Sports
» Travel
» Utilities
» Weather

Business and iPhone
Due to its sleek design and user-friendly features, it appears that the iPhone is more set to appeal the young people on the go than the business people. Let’s not forget that the iPhone is basically a mobile phone and young people do a lot of talking. And when they are not talking, they might be text massaging or playing games. The question is, whether business people on the move would take fancy to the iPhone? So what the iPhone has in store for busy businesspersons? For one thing, those already hooked on their laptops and Blackberries would perhaps not convert immediately to the iPhone. But for those who want to try it, there are many applications.

Today, businesspersons need to carry their offices in person all the time. Apart from the ubiquitous phone, certain applications are very essential even when they are out of the offices. For instance, they frequently need to verify, reply to and manage their emails, see calendar for appointments, update the contacts, browse the Web, instruct the employees through SMS, and use the calculator.

And that’s not all. They might also need to know weather conditions for visits outside their city or the country, plan their itinerary, book and confirm travel tickets and hotels, rely on the GPS to guide them and reach the place of appointment, and remain in touch with the office through conference calls. In addition, enterprise applications allow them to keep abreast of business operations and activities such as manufacturing, supply chain management, financials and many others.

In short – email, calendar, contacts, web browsing, enterprise applications, visual voicemail, SMS, calculator, GPS, weather forecast – these are some of the essential business applications that a businessperson can’t do without.

Smart Contacts is an example of an iPhone application for easily access the iPhone contacts and reduce somewhat complexity of iPhone contact management.
Hourdoc iPhone Application Development is an iPhone based application that remotely mange the employee’s attendance and other activity by interacting with Hourdoc.com.

Mobile gaming
This is one of the fastest growing sectors when it comes to personal entertainment. While iPhone 3G is already gaining a huge success, porting games and development of games for iPnone is becoming actually bigger marketplace.

The 3G enabled iPhone has good capabilities and features like 3D touch screen processor, 3 dimensional accelerometer provides users an new experience and platform for gaming. Deliver innovative animated games for the iPhone 3G and Mac.

Next to the mobile phone and SMS, games are perhaps the most popular feature of the iPhone and all similar touch screen mobile devices. With the world becoming smaller and smaller because of the Internet and the Web, people are now able to indulge in leisure activities while on the move. For those already hooked on the iPhone and for those yet to acquire this gizmo, games is perhaps one of the irresistible features. With the largest LCD screen comparable to other devices in its class, iPhone games offer a matchless gaming experience.

The iPhone comes bundled with many interesting and intelligent games. These include combat, racing, strategy and puzzle games among many other types. Despite availability of vast number of games, there is always the demand for newer games. Game development for iPhone gets major impetus since majority of iPhone users are the young people. iPhone game application developers are further driven to create innovative and original games, as over the time users get weary of playing the same games again and again.

Themes
The very first thing that gets your attention when you tap open the iPhone is the GUI or graphical user interface showing a variety of icons, images and graphics on it. This is the starting point of  a journey into the wonderful world of various features of the iPhone. With so many applications running on the iPhone, it is sometimes confusing to follow and remember all the icons.

Customization is the answer where you create customized themes and icons to help personalize the iPhone. Users will always look for new themes, icons and wallpapers to fulfill the increasing demand for creative and user-friendly visual interface.

A final product would be the implementation of a iPhone theme for a specific iPhone Application.

Entertainment on the iPhone
Apple’s iPhone is not just a phone. It is an all in one mobile device offering something for all types of users. In order to fulfill its fun quotient, the iPhone offers a variety of entertainment options like games, photos, songs, videos, music videos and music playing applications. Agreed that there are thousands of free and paid downloadable entertainment apps on the iPhone, still there is enough room and scope for further applications.

Local/regional-centric applications you will not find elsewhere. This includes rare local/regional/country wise vocal and instrumental music, jokes, breathtaking photos and videos, and puzzle and board games. If you are tired of playing the pocket piano and guitar, why not try playing the soul stirring sounds of exotic local ones? Also, find magic applications to entertain your guests and friends at a party.

Sports on iPhone
If you are a keen sports enthusiast and the iPhone owner, then perhaps you cannot do without iPhone sports applications. Whatever be your kind of sport it is possible to create and develop the application for it.

One of the coolest features of the iPhone is that you can customize it with hundreds of web applications. With downloading the sports applications, you can keep track of your favorite sport, players, scores and the latest news.

If you are a supporter of a particular sport or a club, then the iPhone’s web based applications will allow you to remain in touch even when you are commuting.

Mobile Website Design
Businesses all across the world are using innovative ways to market their products and services. Mobile compatible Website design is turning out to be a very cost effective way targeting mobile subscribers that are browsing the internet for your products or services. The development and launch of the latest phones like iPhone, blackberry, etc. increase the need for web site development for these gadgets. Mobile web browsing has increased multi folds. Typical mobile user will look for specific content or services while browsing your website with strong call to action.

Mobile Website design and development must be developed with in mind to optimize the mobile compatible website to promotion of the mobile website in mobile search engines. Having a mobile version of a website and promoting it in local mobile specific directories will boost sales as mobile is such a medium where the chance to have direct reach to the target audience helping to improve the ROI.

Seeing is believing and that’s where the mobile website has an edge to tap mobile subscribers.

There are various categories catering to which, iPhone applications are developed. Many companies specialize in a particular category. For example, a company may specialize in the domain of iPhone website development. An iPhone mobile development domain includes useful web 2.0 applications designed exclusively for iPhone, like:

Search tools. Web utilities. Social networking. Ecommerce websites. Travel, sports and entertainment and so on.

Outsource iPhone Application Development
Outsource of iPhone application development has several advantages which mainly includes:

Firstly, it is cost effective. Outsourcing of IPhone applications gets the job done at lower costs. Customized applications can be developed without much investment which was otherwise necessary for the technical manpower and training.

The rigmaroles of the iPhone applications- approval by Apple, guidelines etc are taken care by the right verified companies.

Creation of innovative, portable, secure and “affordable” iPhone is a key issue for any development for the iPhone.

As there is a forever increasing demand from the users for more hip and more stimulating applications for iPhones, both iPhone application development and iPhone website development are witnessing their peak period. Driven by steady growth of wireless communication industry, there is a consistent demand for offshore iPhone application companies to develop personalized and tailored applications for iPhone, as these companies offer expertise in technologies and platforms like C/C++, Dot Net, J2EE, AJAX, Cocoa, MAC and of course iPhone’s SDK for cost effective price.

There is a need to outsource iPhone application development, as the users of iPhone are always looking for more avant-garde iPhone solutions to enjoy their iPhone better. The market players, as a result, are faced with a dual challenge to both develop more advanced, secure and innovative iPhone applications on an ongoing basis, and market the end products too.

Since iPhone application development requires expertise, which is definitely not in the realm of a lay user, both end users and market leaders are always looking for a qualified and skilled iPhone application developer who can utilize iPhone’s SDK to its optimum advantage and stays abreast with the dynamic and fast-paced iPhone application development technology.

Noteworthy is that SDK is an open resource and therefore requires no licensing. IPhone OS is the synchronization software that helps run iPhone. With the use of the iPhone SDK, iPhone application developers worldwide craft new and customized iPhone applications and generate web content for use on iPhone OS–based devices. The users can download these iPhone renderings and use them on their devices, on free or paid basis.

In order to achieve expertise with economy, it is a common tendency observed across iPhone market to outsource iPhone application development to offshore destinations, to both freelancers and small mobile application development companies. This ensures extensive and simultaneous development of affordable, cutting edge web and native iPhone applications on subjects encompassing wireless internet security, content management, video and picture sharing, Interoperability, Instant messaging service, gaming, enterprise connectivity solutions, GPS mapping solutions and what not. The list is only expanding.

The complete potential of iPhone, the multimedia gadget, can be utilized by developing ingenious applications for it. The launch of the SDK (software development kit) by Apple in 2008 boosted iPhone application developer worldwide to come up with unique and customized applications for iPhone users.

The SDK, also known as the ‘tool chain’ includes:

Xcode: It is the integrated development environment (IDE), wherein iPhone applications are developed. It is the integral part of the iPhone application development kit and consists of a graphical debugger and a powerful source editor too. Interface builder: It helps in the designing and testing of user interfaces. The graphical editing environment of the interface builder is utilized by the iPhone application developer to design user interfaces and seamlessly integrate the applications to the 3G environment of iPhone. Instruments: The instrument retrieves data, analyzes and compares performance and displays the results graphically in real-time. It plays a pivotal role in the real-time optimization of iPhone applications. An iPhone application developer should have a sound knowledge about using the SDK. The SDK uses the objective C language and runs only on the MAC OS X 1.5 platform (the OS of iPhone). The applications developed needs to be approved by Apple and can be distributed solely through App Store.      

Utilize already made Applications

ZippiCash
Zippi Networks Inc., a leading provider of mobile commerce applications that enable Americans to recycle their “Clutter into Cash,”. Zippi’s latest mobile application is now available for download in the app store, App Store and at www.zippicash.com. “Zippi Cash TM” has received the highest popularity rating available by the current rating system.
The “Zippi Cash TM” application turns an iPhone into an opportunity to generate income and recycle those hidden gems in the garage, closet and storage locker. The application provides the information needed to discover an items value by producing a mini-appraisal and results table. Based on results an item owner can choose to sell the items themselves or connect directly to the Zippi Network, who will get it sold for you.

Gold Price Grabber
GoldPawnShop.com is an online pawn shop, made an application called “Gold Price Grabber,” an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Gold Price Grabber is the first iPhone App giving users the ability to sell jewelry online and check the price of gold – all at the same time on a handheld device. Gold Price Grabber enables the consumers to track the price of gold daily.  If gold happens to hit a certain level an ounce, they can sell gold jewelry right away, allowing them to capitalize on the high gold prices as they occur. Pawn Shops have seen a significant increase in business due to the economic conditions consumers are facing these days. The Gold Price Grabber application for the iPhone and iPod Touch was designed by Tommy Spero for Soul and developed by Blue Whale Web Solutions, Inc., an iPhone application developer based in South Florida. To download and preview Gold Price Grabber, follow the link below. http://www.goldpawnshop.com/gold-price-grabber-iphone-application.asp GoldPawnShop.com was created to help consumers generate cash from unwanted gold jewelry or broken jewelry. Our easy website takes the stress and aggravation out of finding a traditional pawn shop to sell jewelry and offers a 10 day money back guarantee.
Blue Whale is a boutique web firm based in South Florida offering services such as iPhone application development, lead generation website design and search engine optimization.

There are many more applications that enable you to make cash with your iPhone, however it falls outside the scope of this article to list all opportunities, and I will stop at these two at this moment. If you want to know more, please contact me and I will let you into other applications available.

Other business models
There are offers on the internet on how to make thousands of dollars on iPhone application market, and some of these schemes are working and others are not. Be careful out there, as the market floods with offers that might be real, and others might not give you anything at all but a dent in your wallet.

Please contact me on sak@ec-ba.com and I will give you details on one other way you can capitalize on the iPhone market, without even having your own iPhone at all.

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