Multi-Platform Smartphone App Development

22 European countries are collaborating with each other with the intent to produce an application development milieu that would be compatible with all smartphones. Being spearheaded by the German Graunhofer Institute for Open Communications Systems, it is something that could well appease individual app users and end continued frustration amongst consumers.

Cutting to the chase, different programming languages are used in different environments – for example the iPhone, Symbian and Android environments – meaning that an app that woks on one platform, may not work on another. And, if that was not frustrating enough, don’t stop to forget that there are platforms other than those on mobile phones: car installations and other home consumer electronics for example. How wonderful to have an all-encompassing set of apps that would serve the purpose that they were designed for yet not need specific or branded gadgets to run on.

There are plenty of consumers that would welcome this development. The end users, negating those with a geekish bent, wish ease of use and compatibility rather than true “brand” specificity. Putting it another way, if I like an app, then I don’t care how it is developed provided it works for me on the gadget I own or use. Functionality is the keyword for consumers. After all, you don’t care who made your car engine as long as the car runs to your liking.

But, don’t get too comfy, the move is not without its detractors. There is a lot of wheeling and dealing to be done before the proposal, despite its 10 million Euro investment, gets anywhere near to completion. There, after all, always some that won’t play ball.