Free Cell Phone Apps Development
From LoveToKnow Cellphones
With the rising popularity of smartphones, more and more people are starting to get interested in free cell phone apps development as well. While some apps, like Facebook for iPhone, are official releases from larger companies, a large number of the cell phone apps out there are actually created by amateur developers. Did you want to try your hand at making your own tip calculator, image editor, or Twitter client? Maybe you can with a little help from the community.
Free Cell Phone Apps Development
Although not all the smartphone platforms are completely open source and completely open to your scrutiny, a good number do come with what is known as an SDK, or Software Development Kit. This is the basic set of software required in order to produce new applications for that particular kind of smartphone. In general, you will need to code the app separately and according to a different set of standards depending on the phone that you'd like to use. In this way, a BlackBerry app cannot work directly on an iPhone, for example.
In looking at the options you have for free cell phone apps development, some of them will afford you an easier ability to make money from your developed applications. Others will require a little more ingenuity on your part if you want to run a profit. Then again, you could just as easily offer your cell phone apps for free!
Apple iPhone
Since the iPhone has quickly skyrocketed to being one of the most popular smartphones on the planet, it's not at all surprising that people are very interested in the wide range of great free iPhone apps. When the original iPhone first hit the market, this was not the case, because only modified iPhones could run third-party software. This changed with the App Store and the iPhone 3G.
It is very well possible to partake in free cell phone apps development for the iPhone, creating lots of free iPhone apps, but this does not come for free. If you want to publish your developed applications in the App Store, you will need to enroll in the iPhone Developer Program. This grants you access to the iPhone SDK and the iPhone OS. The Standard Program is $99, whereas the Enterprise Program is $299. There is an application and review process before your enrollment can be approved.
The good news is that you can recoup these costs by selling your apps through the App Store. You do not take the entirety of the price, since Apple is hosting the program and running the e-commerce solution on your behalf, but you do get a reasonable portion of the profits.
You can find the SDK and more information at developer.apple.com/iphone.
Android Phones
If the Apple iPhone Developer Program sounds too expensive for your taste, you may want to consider the emerging popularity of Android phones like the T-Mobile G1. Google Android is an open-source smartphone operating system, but the development kit does not come for free.
In order to publish your smartphone applications in the Android Market, you will need to first create a developer profile and then pay the $25 registration fee using your credit card (via Google Checkout). Naturally, you'll also need to agree to the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement as well.
With these steps in place, you can partake in as much free cell phone apps development as you'd like. The Android Market isn't quite as restrictive as the iPhone App Store, so you can exercise a greater degree of freedom.
For more information and to download the Software Development Kit, check out code.google.com/android.
Java-Based Apps
Even though it may not be the first option that comes to mind for phone app development, taking a look at the Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) might be a great option. This is because Java-based applications can run on a huge variety of mobile devices, including most cell phones. If coded properly, Java apps can run on a Symbian S60-based Nokia smartphone, for instance, as well as a Windows Mobile smartphone. Certain Java apps will also run on regular, conventional phones like the Motorola RAZR.
Official information regarding Java ME for mobile devices can be found at java.sun.com/javame.
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This page has been accessed 677 times. This page was last modified 06:14, 1 June 2009.
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