Create our own mobile application

Conduit is possibly one of the best solutions out there for building mobile applications. The flexibility it has, added to the number of supported platforms reflects an incredible work of its creators with which a blog, an rss feed or social media content can be taken to applications ready to be distributed in application stores such as Apps or Android Store .

With this, anyone without being an expert mobile programmer can develop a functional tool, mainly from Internet content; Although it also allows to integrate specialized developments because it has an API that surely could be easier than rolled up the shirt with the code from scratch.

It is possible to integrate data from different sources, with simple draggable buttons like rss, Youtube, Maps, music or images.

Additionally it supports html content and direct links to common routines such as contact and email.

Integrate syndicated content

With this, a blog can be carried to a mobile application by simply including the rss address; And not only that but also other funtes.

As a sample I give you the example that I have developed from Geofumadas, in this one, seeing how it looks from an iPad: See that the appearance to track the feed is very practical.

The access buttons can be changed in order, although the platform is missing some things that I suppose they will later integrate, such as a return button because when clicking towards an original browser-style view, it does not include an icon to return to the mobile application ; this happens when it is saved as a shortcut on the desktop of an iPad, which launches Safari without a menu. Also downloading the Android version sometimes keeps waiting, although once installed there is no problem.

Integrate social media content

In the same application, a button can be included to reflect the movement of a Facebook page, a Twitter account or a term that we follow. The following example is from the Geofumadas account, seeing it as an Android application.

In this way, then a loyal follower can have in one click the updates of a site, as well as the interaction of social networks. Each functionality has an accessible click to share the content. Let's not say if Youtube videos associated with the theme were integrated.

Once the data sources are defined, you can choose display properties, such as the icon for the application, background style, language, and color tablet.

In terms of navigation, you can choose where the navigation bar goes, bottom, top, vertical blocks or tiled buttons. Conduit has a very good preview service both vertically and horizontally, so you know how it will look on the different supported platforms:

• iPad
• iPhone
• Android
• BADA / Samsung
• Blackberry
• Windows Mobile
• You can also see it on the web.

CHow to spread the application

Once created, Conduit has several ways to spread the application, which is the ultimate goal of those who create them:

• One way is to redirect your visitors. There is a functionality, in which a script is created to copy the code of the site, every time a visitor arrives from a mobile, an alert is raised to warn him that there is a mobile version and gives him the option to choose how to view it.
• Another is promoting on social networks (Twitter or Facebook), for this there are special buttons at the bottom of the application panel.
• It also brings the functionality of creating a QR code, which can be placed on the site to be able to capture it with the camera of a mobile.
• And finally there is the option to upload it to the application stores. Conduit has this process well developed, to enter application data, images as required by storefronts, selection of the countries where they can be viewed, and then the option to generate the application for download. Of course, this requires payment in the respective stores, in the case of Android you pay US $ 25 for registration, in Windows Mobile US $ 99 and in Apple you pay US $ 100 per year; Of course, you can also set a price for the download, this is not done in Conduit but in the store. 

Once uploaded, updates are made from conduit with a single button, without having to upload it again.

It has an interesting functionality to send immediate notifications to users who have downloaded it. This can be sent in general to all, by country or even by selecting a geographic area on the map.

Conclusion

Definitely. one of the best I've seen to create mobile applications without having experience as a programmer. Let it be a free service, what better.

It is worth trying, because it has more than what I show in this article, for example a very interesting statistics and advertising system. For a sample I leave you what I have worked for Geofumadas in mobile version using Conduit:

Capture QR code from Geofumadas	Download Geofumadas for Android	Preview in mobile browser

Go to Conduit