Module 1 Discussion 1 - GionnaSLU26/AppDevelopment_COM437 GitHub Wiki

Week 1 Discussion 1

Part 1

Mobile app development for Android can be done in several ways, depending on the needs of the app and the resources available.  • Native Android Development is the most traditional approach where apps are built specifically for the Android operating system using Java or Kotlin language and tools such as Android Studio, which is Google’s official development environment. According to Promatics (2023), native apps usually perform very well and have full access to all of Android’s features, like the camera, GPS, sensors, and notifications. However, developing natively can take more time and cost more because the apps are built only for Android and require separate development for other platforms (Promatics, 2023). • Cross-Platform Development, which allows developers to write a single codebase that works on both Android and iOS. Popular tools for this include Flutter, created by Google, which uses the Dart language; React Native, developed by Facebook, which uses JavaScript and React; and .NET MAUI from Microsoft, which uses C# and .NET. Cross-platform tools can save time and money because developers don’t need to build separate apps for each platform (Promatics, 2023). • Hybrid Development, which blends elements of web and native apps. Hybrid apps are built using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and then wrapped in a native shell so they can run as mobile apps on Android devices. Frameworks such as Apache Cordova and Ionic are popular choices for hybrid development. This method is faster and often more affordable, especially for simpler apps, and is great for developers who already know web technologies. However, hybrid apps usually don’t perform as well as native apps and may not feel as smooth or integrated on Android devices (Promatics, 2023). Android is a mobile operating system built on a special version of Linux. It was first created by a small company called Android, Inc. Google bought this company in 2005 because it wanted to get into the mobile market (uCertify, 2025). Google then decided to make Android free and open for anyone to use by sharing most of its code under the Apache License. This lets people and companies download Android’s code and customize it to make their own unique products. One big benefit of Android is that developers can make one app that works on many different Android devices. Apps are a huge part of what makes smartphones popular and successful (uCertify, 2025). Since its first release of Android version 1.1 in 2009, Android has gone through several updates to improve its features. Each version of Android improves the app ecosystem by adding tools for developers for better security, and to provide a new innovative way to engage its users (uCertify, 2025). The following Android versions are as follows: • Android 1.5 Cupcake (2009): Added an on-screen keyboard and support for home screen widgets (uCertify, 2025). • Android 2.2 Froyo (2010): Introduced Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and performance improvements via the JIT compiler (uCertify, 2025). • Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (2011): Unified phone and tablet interfaces and introduced a modern design language (uCertify, 2025). • Android 5.0 Lollipop (2014): Launched “Material Design,” offering a new visual style and better battery management (uCertify, 2025). • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (2015): Introduced runtime permissions, giving users more control over app data access (uCertify, 2025). • Android 8.0 Oreo (2017): Added notification channels for better user control over notifications (uCertify, 2025). • Android 10 (2019): Brought in system-wide dark mode and advanced privacy settings (Android Developers, 2024). • Android 12 (2021): Introduced “Material You,” which personalizes the user interface based on user-chosen colors (Android Developers, 2024). • Android 14 (2024): Focuses on privacy enhancements, battery optimization, and better support for foldable and large-screen devices (Android Developers, 2024).

Part II:

As someone new to app development, I’m excited about this, even though I’ve been feeling a bit stressed about our project. After browsing through the MIT App Inventor, one of the options that I think could help me most is the ability to create apps by dragging and connecting blocks instead of writing code. journey (MIT App Inventor, 2025). The MIT App Inventor can help me learn the basics of app development in a simple and fun way. It gives me the confidence to try out ideas and see how apps come together without feeling overwhelmed by complicated code. It’s a great stepping stone before moving on to more advanced tools later on in my learning journey. 
GitHub is an online platform where developers can store and manage their code (GitHub, 2025). To me, GitHub is like Google Docs for coding because it keeps track of every change made, so you can go back to earlier versions if something doesn’t seem to work. For me, learning how to use GitHub could help me feel more confident because it means I’d have a way to save my work, avoid losing progress, and collaborate with others. It also seems like it would help me become a better developer by allowing me to look at other people’s code and learn from it.

Reference:

Android Developers. (2024). Platform releases. https://developer.android.com/about/versions GitHub. (2025). GitHub Desktop. https://desktop.github.com/download/ MIT App Inventor. (2025). Get started. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/get-started Promatics. (2023, August 21). A complete overview of mobile app platforms. https://www.promaticsindia.com/blog/a-complete-overview-of-mobile-app-platforms uCertify. (2025). Android: Beginning Android programming with Android Studio. uCertify. https://www.ucertify.com/app/?func=ebook&chapter_no=2#top