Check out easy mobile application development for the Internet of Things

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Mobile app development is changing the way business processes are conducted as well as people’s lives. With people relying on their mobile devices to look for answers, find solutions, developing applications for mobile operating systems has become a very profitable venture.

In today’s tech revolution, it makes more sense to hook up mobile tablets and phones to connected devices or the Internet of things. Some may say that probably there are already too many apps, protocols and formats for users to maintain a healthy relationship between a phone and all other stuff. The internet of things products have just started connecting homes, gadgets, rides and workplace in numerous ways. Unfortunately, for a small business or maybe an industry player, it becomes worse when you are on the vendor side of things. Provisioning a lot of custom SKUs for one app, bespoke and language versions to meet various system roles and access levels could be overwhelming. All this adds to organizations looking actively into alternatives for native development, testing IoT apps across modern smart phones and in most instances could prove to be time well spent. When talking about mobile devices, it’s pretty much a two-horse race between Android and iOS, instead of the other competing OS flavors that developers have to take into consideration ten years ago.

A new trend or change always bring about hope and fear. Fear of the involved risk and hope for chances of success. The IoT is a big change that is seeping into the technological environment. While some industries still wait for others to take the first step to risk, others have plunged into the vortex of change and thus, the adaptation of the Internet of Things and mobile apps is helping them as well.

The internet of things or IoT is making news each and every single day, for one reason or another. The fact is gradually established that mobile applications are leveraging the internet of things Microsoft. Applications for belt, smart watch, glares and more, which are on their way to becoming the internet of things are taking the networking to an entirely new level. With the IoT growing at present, the real and virtual world merge. There would come a time when the line between the two states of being will be erased completely. Objects that could interact with one another in real time. The technology could be operated and utilized to its fullest via using smart phone applications.

The role of mobile applications in revolutionizing the IoT world
Mobile applications are as universal as oxygen in the tech-driven world today. The statement isn’t an over exaggeration, but entirely defines the Omni-presence of mobile apps. From redefining marketing techniques to organizing a future technology such as IoT, AR and more, the apps have greatly contributed in the technology world revolution. Nonetheless, it’s the mobile tech revolution, wireless technology and cloud computing over the past ten years that made the Internet of Things a mainstream technology nowadays. The incredible growth and popularity of mobile applications market has changed the way people interact with business and the way people live. It’s not only the consumer market that’s tracking the IoT growth in connection to smart phone applications. All, including all kinds of enterprises look forward to this merge and started sing the applications for business.

Mobile apps are the center of the IoT space
As the internet of things continue to evolve at lightning speed, the smart homes, smart cities, connected machines and connected cars concept will flourish. In this environment, mobile devices, like smart phones, tablets and wearables would function as a key interface via which we would be able to interact with devices that are IoT-enabled. Already. Mobiles are empowered with sensors and applications that could reveal a huge detail of information on its users. Aside from geo-location information, smart phones and tables also could even trace light condition, device orientation and many more information. Mobile devices come with several connectivity options, such as Bluetooth, WI-Fi, cellular and NFC, which enable them to communicate to other sensors or devices. It’s the default qualities of mobile devices, which put them at the core of the internet of things. Nowadays, a smart phone is able to interact with a fitness band and a smart phone to further boost and ease the user experience. The mobile connectivity and built-in sensors strengthen the ecosystem of the IoT, making a new world of development and opportunities in travel, education and other industries. It is high-time for businesses as well as application development companies to come together to create IoT-friendly apps. Moreover, mobile applications could help create a mechanism wherein information transmitted by objects via their integrated sensors would be received in real time.

The amazing popularity of IoT anchors the new mobile app development scope. Moreover, the exponential growth of the mobile application market is enriching the internet of things experience via IoT enabled devices. Through mobile connectivity, there would come a time when there will be a thin line between the real and virtual world. Some benefits of the Internet of Things include

  • Boost efficiency and eventually increase productivity
  • Integrate business processes to make new opportunities for business
  • Use technology for reaching more targeted users
  • Use flexibility and speed benefits in the data transfer process
  • Utilize power technology for solving complex issues and provide a simple solution

The major industries that have a great impact of the Internet of Things

  • Healthcare and fitness
  • Software and technology
  • E-commerce and retail
  • Infrastructure
  • Transportation and mobility
  • Manufacturing

THE KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR IOT AND MOBILE APPLICATION INTEGRATION

A. Integration. Innovation is moving fast, from the smart phones in our hands, to smarter devices that connect the world. The internet of things is not a single thing but an integration of different things that need advanced integration skills as well as end-to-end solution. While deploying a solution for IoT, software companies encountered some inevitable concerns such as integration of edge devices to the internet of things, integration to enterprise apps and services, particularly identity, security and operational apps. Information tech organizations should develop IoT solutions teams led by an architect.

B. Privacy. If data could be tracked, then it could be hacked. As sensors, beacons, smart lasses and cameras are applied anywhere, there is a great possibility of tracking down data at the very moment. Information could either be used for good or bad, thus implementing the right security technology is vital when dealing with a lot of data. Companies integrating IoT in their core mobile applications, if possible need to separate personal identifiers from personal data.

C. Industrials expertise. Industrial operational workflow and the data supply chain variables are key in creating apps that deliver true value. Partnerships between software development companies and industrial experts have become imperative. Application developers could closely work with industrial process experts on concept, design and test phases to come up with a perfect IoT-compatible application.

D. Real-time performance and user-friendly design. Industrial operations are much more complex compared to retail and consumer. Besides, industrial users are comfortable in handling data in various ways. User experience design should plan a user-friendly interface carefully and data that’s easy to access. Connected assets generate huge volumes of time-series data that demand real-time processing. Applications should scale and must be flexible enough to handle as well as present big sets of data and analytics-based insights to let users act faster.

E. Industrial security. Personal data security is key concern in the virtual world at present. Cloud computing and storage let industrial applications to enhance performance and to reduce expenses. However, cloud-based app platforms should sufficiently upgrade cyber security to build confidence of operators in using third-party applications on the cloud. Security is vital in every stage, from application platform and design to installing, including the use of password enforcement, intrusion of detection tools, sandboxing applications, access control and conformity to industry standards as well as government regulations.

For a device level, app programming interface needs software that supports IoT devices into mobile applications. Integration of IoT is all about APIs, logical connectors, which enable apps to communicate with every IoT devices manufacturer. The API’s expose data, which enable the devices to transmit data to the apps, which act as data interface. Or, they could enable the app to control the device and serve as function interface. With the API’s, developers should learn to efficiently use the IoT devices interface. There are third party providers who build tools, which make using IoT devices easier for developers. A connected world accelerates the overall growth of an enterprise. Undoubtedly, the integration between IoT and mobile application development opens up new doors with less failure. Mobile apps function as stepping stones for brands, which are future ready.

The internet of things is expansive, and app developers may not even be aware how to start. This new technology has entirely assumed the old process. Rather than asking what the function of the app is, developers these days should ask what the function is. For instance, take into account what particular device are you trying to integrate seamlessly. The entire basis of the IoT is a thing, thus developers now should learn the technology of the thing itself before attempting to build an application, which controls it. Although software and development are evolving constantly in the past few years, developers definitely have found their groove. Applications are more functional, streamlined an integrated more than ever, enabling you to stay connected seamlessly to the world through a smart phone or tablet, and even on television. However, as the IoT starts to take off, mobile application development will undergo several changes. There are a few things to take into account as the new tech and new stage of mobile application development starts.

With the introduction of new development applications from companies like Microsoft, as soon as the Internet of things is integrated well into mobile application systems, newbie developers could possibly expect more and more programs funneled their way so anyone could develop an application. Beyond Microsoft, a lot of organizations now offer numerous features so up-and-coming application developers could get started. For instance, users could have application templates on SellMyApp to help jumpstart development. As the IoT gets more inclusive in our day-to-day lives, more and more programs would be available, so almost anyone could develop and code.

Since the internet of things is so new, creating programs from scratch will take a lot of work. Part of the problem is that now there are not many developers who are truly well-versed in how it works exactly. This pressures develops to build from the ground up, and this could be tough. As of now, there aren’t many platforms for the IoT, thus, making it difficult for developers to create anything. Without a web-based platform to build a mobile application on, new software then has to be written and coded. Today, it’s common to have developers who could build apps across various platforms. From iOS to Android, most current developers could code for different platforms. As we could head to a unified IoT platform, there could be more niche market for developers. This being said, businesses would have to remember that hiring a developer for everything just won’t work. As the internet of things get more prevalent, businesses would have to look for at least one developer who specializes in IoT.

With constant IoT development, mobile apps lead to a better connected world. We have yet to witness how the IoT ecosystem would evolve five years from now. The internet of things would make a big impact on our economy and environment in the future. The relevance of smart phones would grow further in the near future when the mobile devices would be utilized as a primary interface for connecting virtually everything and anything.

Based on forecast, there would be more than fifty billion connected devices by the year 2020. All developments and innovation in the world of the Internet of Thins would make our lives better.

Ritesh Mehta
Ritesh Mehta works as a senior Technical Account Manager in a software development company named TatvaSoft Australia based in Melbourne. He specializes in Agile Scrum methodology, Marketing Ops (MRM) application development, Android app development, SAAS & SOA application development, Offshore & Vendor team management. Also, he is knowledgeable and well-experienced in conducting business analysis, product development, team management and client relationship management.

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