1. PhoneGap Day EU 2015 conference report
Sebastian Lopienski
CAPPS meeting, June 2015

2. Apache Cordova / PhoneGap
Apache Cordova is a platform for building native mobile applications using HTML5/CSS/JavaScript
mobile means tablets and smartphones, but also wearables (Google Glass PoC created recently)
big community; 900+ plugins available (!)
PhoneGap is a distribution of Apache Cordova

3. PhoneGap Day EU 2015 http://pgday.phonegap.com/eu2015/
In central Amsterdam (30min train+walk from Schiphol)
Conference on May 18: ~15 presentations
Workshops on May 19 (didn’t attend)
Around 150 people: experts, developers etc.
Lively and friendly community
Very interesting coffee discussions
Very interesting sponsors stands (!)

4. Affiliation hardly visible Most common question: “Where are you from?”

5. From http://www. slideshare

6. Hybrid apps: 7 performance tips http://www. slideshare
use a JS framework (don’t write your own!)
avoid animations
use FastClick to avoid the dreaded 300ms tap delay
use PouchDB for offline storage (syncs with CouchDB)
detect when app is in background => don’t update UI
avoid memory leaks
reuse HTML/DOM elements
remove unused media from memory (img.src=”empty.gif”)
use callbacks or promises instead of timeouts or intervals
use CrossWalk to put the latest Chromium on Androids
Also:

7. Apple App Store rule 3.3.2
3.3.2 An Application may not download or install executable code. Interpreted code may only be used in an Application if all scripts, code and interpreters are packaged in the Application and not downloaded. The only exception to the foregoing is scripts and code downloaded and run by Apple's built-in WebKit framework, provided that such scripts and code do not change the primary purpose of the Application by providing features or functionality that are inconsistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application as submitted to the App Store.
This means we can update hybrid apps live (!!!), without going through the review process.

8. Hybrid apps Performance used to the problem – but now solved
Superpowers of hybrid apps:
platform coverage
development cost (a single web developer vs. one per OS)
agility (update your app live to change UI, do A/B testing)
one codebase to maintain
many tools available (dev, debug, test, deploy, analytics…)

9. Ionic Framework Becoming the solution for hybrid mobile app dev
not “just” a framework, but a whole ecosystem (tools, libs, plugins, services etc.)
mature: v1.0 stable released May 2015

10. Phone: first day of off-line sale
Shifting focus from apps to scopes
categorized context home screens (e.g. Nearby, Music, News)
branded scopes - (e.g. from Amazon)
no need to discover and download apps
Development:
C/C++ (scopes)
Qt/QML (native apps)
HTML5 (web apps + hybrid apps)
Devices (targeting European market):
BQ Aquaris E4.5 (dual SIM, 169 EURO)
Meizu MX4 (a high-end device, coming soon)

11. Push and pull models Android:
Google Play Store apps that use push: 15%
Installed apps that use push: 42%
Push notifications enhance user experience if done well
Main reason for removing an app: too frequent notifications
Make frequency and content configurable
Respect quiet hours (night); don’t rely on “Do not disturb”
Solutions available:
phonegap-push plugin for Cordova/PhoneGap
ionic-push API for Ionic apps

12. Push and pull models Pull is the traditional model – but still valid
Combine all requests into one, compress data
Web File API hard to use, results in a “callback hell”
list files -> download one -> unzip it -> remove the zip
Solution: phonegap-plugin-contentsync plugin
You can even update your app (!!!)

13. Accessibility From a "nice to have" to a a requirement
especially for governments, education etc.
Mobile OSes support accessibility in their webviews
good news for web/hybrid developers!
a web site cannot see if accessibility features are enabled (for privacy reasons)
phonegap-mobile-accessibility plugin comes to rescue
Developers’ duties:
Take care of reading order, structure the page, add alt text
Use semantic HTML: e.g. star icon is an HTML checkbox
Enable accessibility features in your mobile OS and use them really to learn the logic

14. Other presentations
WebViews (WebKit, Chromium) - differences, fragmentation
Telerik – development platform for mobile apps
CrossWalk – modern WebView with advanced web features for legacy Android devices
HTML GL – library to rendering HTML/CSS via WebGL, for speeding up HTML/CSS animations:
<html-gl>
<img src="file.gif">
</html-gl>
phonegap-plugin-gameCenter – add gamification to an app
Growing your app’s user base - luck? work!

15. Misc App downloads Android vs. iOS is 1:50 (!?!)
“Android users don't download apps”
Some other frameworks, tools and libraries mentioned:
ReactNative - build native apps with React and JavasScript
Parse - online services: DB/back-end, push server, analytics
Kendo - jQuery-based mobile widgets w/ Angular integration
Sencha Touch - cross-platform mobile web app framework
Monaca - cloud-based app development environment
localForage - a library for offline storage, improved

16. My conclusions: Hybrid mobile apps are mainstream
The technology (Cordova / PhoneGap) is mature
The ecosystem (frameworks, 900+ plugins) is very rich
“Low performance” argument not valid anymore
Benefits (one codebase etc.) hard to ignore