Just a month after releasing the second version of the Stadskerk app for a former church of mine, this weekend we released the third! This app is sort of my playground.
From HTML to Native
After having done the original one in Sencha (HTML) a long time ago, this summer I finally had time to do a native version in Titanium. Since I mostly do custom apps with custom interfaces, I used this second version to experiment with all the standard UI components of both iOS and Android, like tab groups and the action bar. One of the lessons I learned and shared from this was how to have a dynamic menu with Android action bars when used in tab groups.
Custom vs Standardized
Like I said most apps I do are custom. The Stadskerk app is not and that goes for many others, including churches, non-profits and other organizations whose apps are mainly extensions of their website and online presence. They are a hub of information coming from sources like Google Calendar, Twitter, RSS, YouTube, WordPress and so on.
Frameworks
Having someone like me doing such an app would cost you several thousands of euros. If I had more customers like you I could of course re-use components and share the costs. I’d probably even build on ChariTi, a framework aimed at rapid development of standardized apps in Titanium. But you would still depend on me for new features and frankly.. this would not be the kind of work I’m waiting for. Instead, I’d suggest to use an app factory.
App factories
An app factory is what WordPress is for websites. It allows people with some technical smarts, but no development experience to build their own apps. Like WordPress, this will limit you to the themes, plug-ins and options available, but if you need a simple app using standard components, you’re fine.
Goodbarber
The app factory I like and used for Stadskerk is GoodBarber. This small company based on the lovely island of Corsica has managed to build a very usable, friendly and performant app factory. Their support is excellent, price good (€16 a month) and the native apps look sharp. I’ve helped them to support Dutch and tablet versions are on their way!
So, if you need a custom app I’m at your service.
Do you need a simple standard app? Try GoodBarber.
Small print
Is there a catch? Well, maybe a small one. Just like WordPress, it does still require some technical insight and guts. If you’re afraid to follow instructions on how to hook up with the Twitter API or set-up a Apple & Google developer account and certificates you will still need help. If you do, contact me and I’ll walk you through in a day.