You wanna do Internet Banking Online, download Ka-ching! You want watch youtube video, download youtube app. You wanna tweet, download Tweeter App. Let’s just be honest and admit that all of you who have access to a smart phone use apps everyday! Are you aware that you’re using an app, or are you just using it unconsciously?
I mean before this entry, I have been using many different apps (banking, direction, weather) so frequently that I’ve become accustomed to them being a part of my daily life. To be honest, I was a bit amazed when I realised how often I use a smart phone app just in the last few months.
So the topics for today entry are
- “When and where did the mobile applications start?” – It’s just a less boring way to say “the HISTORY of Mobile Applications”.
- “Can I make my own app? How?”
INFO SOURCES:
- Infographic of the history of mobile apps – link.
- History of Mobile Apps – link.
- Brief history of mobile applications – link.
- Infographic of the Evolution of the Smart Phones – link.
- History of the Smartphones by Brad McCarty – link.
- History of Smartphones – link.
- The history of the telephone – link.
Alrighty! Let’s dive in to it.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Believe it or not, despite the major impacts that mobile apps have on our lives, they haven’t been around that long. In order to trace the development of mobile apps, we need to follow the growth of smart phones, or their predecessors, cellphones.
- On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell’s discovery the ability to hear a sound over a wire marked the birth of the telephone and the death of the telegraphs.
- In the 1980s, Motorola introduced cell phones to the public. However, these cell phones were extremely expensive and not at all compact.
- The IBM Simon, developed by IBM and BellSouth in 1993, is believed to be the first smartphone. Even though it did not live long enough to gain the fame, but the technology put in the Simon was really ahead of its time. Besides making phone calls, sending texts, Simon also provided the users a client email, notepad capability, a calendar, especially the ability to send and received fax messages.
- In 1997, Sony Ericsson released its GS88 with the ambition to become the first acknowledged “smartphone”. Nevertheless, it was the Nokia Communicator introduced in 2001, with its color screen, that took the world by storm and surpassed Sony Ericsson to claim that historic title. Any 90s kids would remember the game snake installed in the Nokia phones, which can be considered the first app at that time.
- Since then, the era of choosing smartphones based on the workplace’s requirements. At this time Windows Mobile was designed to be a mobile version of the Windows desktop operating system, which opened the door that allows developers to create applications for the phones. Nonetheless, smartphones’ main customers at this time were business people.
- Then Apple, Inc came in and flipped the smartphone market upside down by introducing the iPhone, switching the focus to the consumers. 6 months later, the capability for third-party applications was added. At this time, the consumers developed the need to get access to the Internet. It was this major need that stimulated many companies such as Google, or Microsoft developed their wireless devices and operating systems.
- The “Mobile Applications” innovation actually came from the software and mobile developers when they decided to take the website capability to the next level. These applications can offer the same functions as the mobile websites yet in much more user-friendly and mobile-screen-friendly interfaces.
- As a result, it marked the application-booming era in which developers from all over the world rush in with the wish to create an app that will be used all over the world. Since the first app of playing snake on the screen, mobile apps have been growing with a head-spinning speed. Now you can book movie tickets, check emails, transfer money, real-time navigation, video phone with someone in a different country and many more other things you can imagine.
HOW?
The process involving in creating a mobile app might be quite complex since it requires a lot of market research so that your app will have users after it has been created. Nevertheless, if you just want to know what it feels like to be able to create your own app, there are heaps of online sources that offer that option, you might want to check out the following options, none of which require any coding whatsoever.
- Google App Engine – link – it allows you to develop your app and it also offers to test your app for $10.
- App Bar – link – You might have to sign up before you can start creating your app.
- iBuildApp – link – this website has an instructional video as well as free templates that you can try.
- AppMakr – link – it has many different templates for your different purposes.
You guys may have different sources, opinions, comments relating to this subject. Feel free to go ahead and fire away, I will really appreciate it.
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