Web app or regular app?

Picture this, you work for a company that sells computer parts and you decided that just having a web site and facebook account is just not enough for the company, so now after several meetings about meetings and you guys finally decided to meet one more time and the conclusion became evident that we need to develop an app for android and Iphone/ Ipad. You start doing all your homework, talking to contractors, reading the blogs, and downloading pdf's from apple and google and then you realize something big -- This could get very messy real quick.

Once you decide upon what should be created for your company's digital embarkment you hear of an application type called web app. Further review into developing applications brings you to another realization that application development is truly software development and software development takes time to build and is not really flexible - well not as flexible as a web site. Thoughts start racing, your company is not in the business of delivering video games and interactive encyclopedias; all we do is sell computer parts, so why we would we need a beefed up software app.

Developing in IOS and Android's Java hybrid tends to be expensive and they do not have the freedom in technological inputs that web technologies have such as php and jsp (java for web). Apple has strict requirement for submission of apps and they will critique your app to death especially if you are delivering with tons of content. Android being a much easier and flexible a platform to develop on still has some draw backs. Further thought leads to confusion do we need a regular app or can we develop a web app and deliver the same user experience. Web app or regular app, but what is the difference between them? Well lets see.

Regular app -- A rich development using the actual code that is built for that specific device, so apple has IOS which is built off of Objective C and then Google's Android SDK is built off of Java. These types of developments are mostly preferred because they natively integrate into the device you are developing for. All devices have a library of code that developers tap into to make the app function well, such as finger scrolling, animation presets, graphic processes for 2d and 3d graphics. This is usually the best option but not always because web technology is easily expandable and always growing. Type of apps developed under native apps would be video games, entertainment apps, software applications such as pages or sketch book, and last but not least music and sound apps. I am sure a lot more could be added to this list but I just wanted give you a general idea.

Web app -- Is basically your website using the mobile device as a portal where you could display all your content, store all your site information and initiate some of the functions a regular app would give you. With a web app you take the approach of taking your website and just plugging it into the native app atmosphere without loosing your websites function and scalability. It is best to use a web app when you just want to deliver your website into an app platform or if you have a presentation of persistent data (publications, online stores and informational services) that not only needs to updated constantly but also may need to be repopulated into a new design or maybe your site is just always going through new design renditions or presentations. Web apps can replicate a lot of the native functionality that regular apps use such as swiping, finger touches and simple to intermediate animations. Another added benefit of web apps is you can design one architecture and display it through multiple platforms and devices.

A regular app is great for games and extra rich media apps, but for applications that require a display of data and simple human interaction a web app will more than suffice and if constructed properly can deliver the same rich touch experience we are all use to on touch devices. A web app is using old technology but just applying it in different ways and with the advent of html, data can be move from servers and stored on mobile devices so all your website or most of it can be saved for offline viewing and interaction.