From Retail to Logistics, Payments to Hospitality, there has been a gradual shift in printing methods. Speed and convenience has seen traditional desktop printers replaced with mobile equivalents. The introduction of tablets and smart devices has led to a whole new industry of APP writers/generators who are reacting to the requirement for mobile applications which need to be tailored to a business’ individual requirements. Thus factoring in the likes of total cost of ownership, device functionality, compatibility and security.
With various types of application architectures available, most APPs are generally classified into three main categories: Native, HTML5 and Hybrid. Each of these types of APPs come with their own list of pros and cons which a user needs to consider alongside their current OS environment and how this will affect their business efficiency, strategy, future plans and budgets.
Native Applications
This type of APP depends on specific development environments such as iOS® or Android® and are built specifically for that operating system.
Pros
- These APPs are easily obtainable via a simple download from the App Store® or Google Play® and are normally instantly ready to use (unless an operating license is required)
- Native APPs tend to be more stable and secure than other APP types
- Offline usage is also possible
- Easy integration with host device features, such as Bluetooth, Camera, WLAN etc.
Cons
- Native APPs are restricted to a particular operating system
- Development costs are high as each application needs to be tailored to individual operating systems
- Native app management may be challenging, if any APP changes are required, each change will need to be replicated onto each individual users OS application
Native APPs have greatly improved in stability and security attracting the attention of large enterprises in a variety of industries. As a result, native APPs are dominating in business which require high stability and security such as casino billing systems, railway ticketing and lottery systems.
BIXOLON provide various native app SDK’s for a variety of operating systems such as Android®, iOS®, Windows®, Linux®, Chrome® and Symbian®.
Web Applications
Web Applications use multiple programming languages such as CSS, JavaScript and HTML5. This type of APP normally in the format of a webpage. The source of the APP does not belong to the operating system, so can be fluid across all operating systems.
Pros
- Working on all platforms can reduce both development time and costs.
- Easy maintenance compared to native APPs as there is no registration process via the download host sites
Cons
- Web apps are typically large file sized and data rich
- HTML5 is not accessible when offline
- Unable to fully utilize host device functionality
These types of applications have become popular is small to mid-sized businesses such as local restaurants and boutique stores for their cost efficiency. And have also gained the attention of larger businesses such as supermarket chains or mobile phone carriers as this type of app can also function as a central management system.
BIXOLON provides a Cordova SDK plugin to support this application trend.
Hybrid Mobile Applications
Hybrid applications utilize a combination of Native and Web development methodologies. A native container is used to develop hybrid apps using CSS, JavaScript and HTML5 programming languages. Hybrid apps are accessible on different operating systems (however the compatibility is lower than HTML5 apps).
Pros
- Hybrid apps are consistent across operating systems
- By sharing source codes across multiple operating systems environments developers can reduce both time and cost
Cons
- The APP file sizes are large and slow, leading to reduced performance
- The user experience quality of a hybrid application usually doesn’t match that of a native APP
Hybrid applications provide a great number of benefits especially around cost reduction which is extremely attractive to start-up companies or enterprises which have a plan to run and maintain their own application across multiple operating systems.
BIXOLON offers an Xamarin SDK which allows apps available in Android and iOS the same performance.
With many APP options available, it is up to the customer to access their working environments and strategies when considering which application type to take.
BIXOLON printer solutions can support various types of SDKs to fulfil many user’s business environments. To access BIXOLON’s full SDK range, visit the BIXOLON Technical Download page.
For more information visit http://www.bixolon.com or contact your local BIXOLON sales representative.
