Types Of Mobile Applications

By Author: Yancy Marry
Total Articles: 184
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Mobile apps are the most used technological tools in enterprises worldwide. Installed in smartphones, mobile applications are downloadable products that can be used for various purposes such as gaming, multimedia, travel, productivity, weather, utilities, etc. The multiple features & functions of mobile applications have made these tools popular in every operational environment of a modern enterprise, irrespective of its size & type. Besides being categorized according to their execution abilities, mobile apps can be divided into the types of:
1. Native Applications – Native mobile apps are those that will run effectively only on the mobile device or operating system platform it has been designed for. For instance, if a mobile app is created with the programming language of Objective C, it will run successfully only in smartphones or tablets equipped with the iOS platform.

2. Web Applications – Mobile web apps are tools which are designed in such a way that they will run successfully across multiple platforms. Since these apps are accessible from a web browser, the OS platform or mobile device on which ...
... they are running does not have to be the same for every operation. Written in JavaScript, CSS, or HTML, which are all web languages, a mobile user can download these apps from the web each time he/she is accessing it. Downloading delays, high page loading time, & slow interaction results in bad user experience from web apps. Native apps generally provide a speedier & more vivid user experience; therefore they are preferred by app developers & individual users.

Native and Web mobile apps can further be classified on the basis of their characteristics. There are four categories of mobile applications being sold in the market. These are:
1. Time Wasters – Mobile apps that are used during short bursts of time, like when the user is waiting in a queue or takes a break from work, are known as time wasters. All gaming apps and the recently popular Facebook app are time waster mobile apps. Time waster apps are generally faddish; their lifespan is short. Getting hooked onto & tiring out of using time wasters is easy & quick. Therefore, all time waster apps must be built & marketed well for proper monetization.

2. Core Utilities – Mobile apps which appear on the home screen of devices are classified as core utility apps. Contact, texting, camera, & calendar apps are all core utilities. These types of apps generally show long lasting value, since they are essential for completion of day to day activities.

3. Episodic Utilities – These types of mobile apps are not visible on the device home screen but are highly used & very useful. Episodic utility apps are usually successful & identifiable with particular user app needs. But app developers must remember not to build an episodic utility app that serves multiple uses; these types of apps must be typically situation centric.

4. Notification Driven Apps – This is the newest group of mobile apps and is still developing. Communication apps like texting & email mobile apps fall in this category. These apps are however known to drain mobile device battery life faster especially if they tend to over-notify a user. App developers must take note of this aspect of notification driven apps during the development process.
The above are types and sub-types of mobile applications selling in the current mobile market.

Copper Mobile is a mobile application development companies in India with an experience of creating over 300 mobile apps. It has provided mobility consulting and app development services to leading names like Cisco, Ciena, and Verizon.