creating mobile apps.

[chris_rover]

Hi,
at one of the webinars, creation of a mobile app was demonstrated.
the problem is the video quality doesn't seem too clear, so even tho I can hear what the developer was saying, some of the critical points being demonstrated, such as the coding of the templates, are blurry.
there's no sample for that on the samples site. Is there any alternative? I have been tasked with creating a mobile point of sale , and i need this information asap, please.

[Hany]

With regard to mobile devices and Profound UI, there are certain limitations in addition to other standards/recommendations for development. Currently, we only support mobile devices that use the WebKit browser. The WebKit browser is a layout/rendering engine (browser) that has become the standard in the mobile industry. While applications may still function similarly in other browsers on mobile devices, we only claim support for the WebKit engine. The good news here is that most mobile devices support this browser.

Devices that currently support the WebKit rendering engine include: the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry Torch, and Android phones in addition to other devices. So older devices that don't have the WebKit browser may not be supported. However, if your phone/device allows you to install this WebKit browser, you could possibly try it out and see how it works. But, again, that depends on how old your phone is.

Now, since we’re dealing with a smaller screen display in mobile devices, there are some design standards that need to be considered for the users’ sake. For instance, it is highly recommended to make all clickable items (buttons, grid rows, combos, images, textfields, etc.) on the screen large enough to fit the users’ fingertip when touching the screen. The standard spec here is anywhere between 38px to 42px tall and at least equally as wide.

The page flow will also have to be simplified. For instance, something that could fit on one browser screen cannot fit on a mobile device screen. So, here you would need a clever way of simplifying the page flow yet delivering the same functionality in addition to providing constant feedback to the user. I can’t cite any examples here as this depends on the application that you’re developing/designing.

Another important aspect of design/development to consider is to reduce the number of graphics on the screen. Obviously, when you’re on a mobile network, you don’t get the same bandwidth/network speed that you get at the office or at home. Having a lot of images/graphics on the screen can cause performance issues. This may change in the very near future with possibilities like 4G networks.

In terms of development, there is nothing different about developing Profound UI applications for a PC web browser vs. a mobile browser. You do everything within the Visual Designer module of Profound UI. The webinar gave a basic example of how you can extend/alter certain widgets that are available in Profound UI.

[chris_rover]

yes, I was trying to see how the widgets are customised. I was hoping that video would help. unfortunately, the images weren't too clear.