10 Mobile App Development Tools

Check out these tools to build either a cross-platform mobile app or one for a specific platform like Android, iOS, Blackberry, or Windows.

Enterprises are realizing the benefits of rolling out their own enterprise-to-customer apps and rapidly adopting mobility technology. Here are some popular app development platforms for developers. A feature comparison table is also provided to foster decision making for our readers.

Android SDK: Android SDK includes sample projects with source code, development tools, an emulator, and required libraries to build Android applications. Applications are written using the Java programming language and run on Dalvik, a custom virtual machine, designed for embedded use which runs on top of a Linux kernel.

iOS SDK: The iPhone SDK includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iPhone simulator, frameworks and samples, compilers, Shark analysis tool, and more. Xcode 6 is the complete developer toolset for building Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps, including the Xcode IDE, performance analysis tools, iOS Simulator, and the latest OS X and iOS SDKs.

BlackBerry: The SDK relies on the Java programming language, allowing the production of graphically rich, customizable user interfaces. It packs several BlackBerry-specific and Java ME APIs that aim to assist developers in seamlessly integrating their new app with the core features that a BlackBerry device comes with.

Convertigo Mobilizer MEAP: Convertigo community edition is the Open Source Mobile Application Development Platform for enterprises, featuring all the required components needed to develop and to run cross-platform mobile enterprise’s application connected to enterprise’s back-end business applications. Convertigo can also be used for transactional portal integration and for SOA enablement of legacy web or Mainframe applications.

Appcelerator Titanium SDK: Create native, hybrid, or mobile web apps across all platforms from a single JavaScript code base. JavaScript-based SDK with over 5,000 APIs for iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry, and HTML5. Use web development skills to quickly build rich, fully native mobile apps and leverage any native platform API.

PhoneGap: It uses HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript to build cross-platform mobile apps. PhoneGap is a web platform that wraps around a bunch of native mobile device APIs and allows developers to build cross-device apps. PhoneGap can build apps for almost every platform using standards-based web technologies to bridge web applications and mobile devices.

Codename One: Codename One build their app using Eclipse, NetBeans or IntelliJ IDEA, they need the Codename One plugin to be installed on either IDE. Applications can be created either via the GUI builder tool or via code using standard Java 5, running/debugging the application is possible via the standard IDE tools and the Codename One simulator. It works on all devices specifically: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7 & J2ME devices.

Intel XDK: A free all-in-one HTML5 development environment that allows game developers to write a single app and automatically build and deploy to Android, iOS, and Windows app stores across PCs, phones, and tablets.

OpenMEAP: HTML5 mobile application platform that enables businesses and consumers with no programming experience to easily create, manage and deploy mobile applications that are automatically optimized for every device, including desktops, smartphones, and tablets.

IBM MobileFirst Studio: A mobile enterprise application platform that supports the development of HTML5, hybrid and native mobile applications. The MobileFirst Studio - the platform’s IDE - allows mobile developers to make full use of all existing HTML5 functionality and further enhance these capabilities with utilities and mechanisms required by modern organizations such as encryption of locally stored data, offline authentication and more.