To App or not to App

As companies start to wade their way into the mobile landscape, the first thing that they normally request is if they should build an “app” to distribute their video content to smart phones. This is in part due to the endless Apple iPhone commercials that burn the phrase, “There’s an app for that”, into your minds. However, creating a specific application for a particular phone(s) may not always be the best solution. In addition to creating a branded application, there are two other options that may be better suited depending on the nature of the business problem that needs to be solved. The options are as follows:

Application
An application is a compiled piece of code that runs on a specific smart phone, or a family of handsets. Each phone grouping (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Winmobile, Symbian) has its own OS, and a different way of creating, running, and distributing applications. For example, an iPhone application is written in Objective-C and is distributed via the App Store. An Android and Blackberry application is written in Java, and is distributed via their proprietary markets. Windows Mobile requires a C# application and has a similar marketplace. Although for some phones users can directly load applications, the stores/markets are really the only mainstream option and have the advantage of providing updates. Media such as images and videos can be embedded into the application directly into the application.

Pros: Branded user experience, can operate without network connection, fewer compatibility issues with different models within same OS family, more UI options, can provide video playback support
Cons: Users have to specifically search for and install application, unique application needs to be built for each phone OS with little overlap, updates require a new release, including video in the application increases size

Optimized Website/Portal
An optimized website displays itself within the native browser of the phone, just like any other website. Most smart phones now have very sophisticated browsers and can view most web sites if they stick to HTML, CSS and JavaScript (no Flash/Silverlight). Web site developers still have to take into consideration what type of phone is viewing the page, and will utilize handset detection to determine the appropriate sizing and video formats that will work for each of the models.

Pros: Instant updates, build once for all phone OS with small adjustment for different phones, no installation required
Cons: Requires a network connection, somewhat limited UI options, handset detection can be extremely difficult and time consuming to maintain, relies on native video player of phone OS

Hybrid
The hybrid method is a combination of the two previous methods and utilizes an installed application that pulls some or all of its content from the Internet. For example, Bank of America’s Android app is distributed and installed through the market, but when run, it simply pulls up an optimized web portal within the application. Another example of a hybrid is an application that pulls larger media files from the network, for example videos off a CDN, when the user requests them.

Pros: Only small amount of OS dependant development and fewer releases required, reduced application file sizes, can still brand the experience
Cons: Requires a network connection, some level of handset detection still required

Creating and maintaining applications for multiple phones types can be a real handful as you will seldom find a single resource aside from an agency that can create all variants. This is why in most cases, the hybrid or web site approach is the best fit for most business needs, particularly for situations where the content itself is pulled from an external source or needs to be updated frequently.


Author, Forest Johns,VP of Solution Engineering