CES –  2020 Jan 7-10

What you should know!

CES 2020 in Las Vegas convention centre (plus 11 official locations), is touted to be the biggest and best yet with thousands of exhibitors, showcasing the latest in innovation and future technologies all displayed on over 2.6 million net square feet of exhibition space.

The show promises to introduce you to the very latest in smart phones, smart  cars, smart watches, drones, televisions, TV’s, home appliances, Apps, software and telecommunications, and our experience from 2019 was that it is certainly an experience not to miss.

However, there are some things you should be aware if you decide to go.

Accommodation: make sure you book early as all accommodation more than doubles in price (and often triples in price) the closer you get to the show dates.

That said getting a decent hotel at a decent rate for the show dates will be difficult to get no matter when you book.  One good option is the Red Roof (formerly the Comfort Inn) but be prepared to pay up to $300 aud per night.  Even the air B&B prices escalate dramatically.

Cost – Registration for the exhibitions and key notes is generally around $500 aud, while a basic conference packages are generally over $1300 aud.

Trade Only – CES is a trade-only event and not open to the general public. You must be over 18 and affiliated with a company in the consumer technology industry to attend.

Plan in Advance – chances are you won’t get around everything. Have a good plan mapped out in advance will help you to see the things you are most interested in.  And remember you don’t need to see everything as the daily streaming videos and You Tube follow-up sessions enable you to catch anything you miss.

Hope you enjoy CES 2020.

Native Apps vs. Mobile WEB Apps

In deciding the overall core development strategy for you’re the mobile application you will probably be confronted with the decision regarding building a Responsive Website or a Native mobile application.

Native App’s  – are  built from the ground up as an App.  Users of native apps usually download them via app stores online or the app marketplace, such as the Apple App Store, the Google Play store and so on.

A Web App’s, on the other hand, are basically Internet-enabled apps that are accessible via the mobile device’s Web browser. They need not be downloaded onto the user’s mobile device in order to be accessed.

From the point of the mobile device user, some native and Web apps look and work much the same way, however, there are major differences that need to be considers including:

Native applications – Technical Benefits:

Data Processing: When a project requires extensive data processing and, therefore, intensive use of the device’s memory, you are a to choose a 100% native development for higher performance.

Scaling: Native applications are supported by companies such as Apple (developer of iOS) and Google (Android). Therefore, each new device or solution launched in the market by the two companies would have the advantage of the approval and all the facilities when scaling the native application to these new scenarios: whether Apple’s new smart watch (Apple Watch 2) or Google’s new smartphone (Pixel).

Development

Each mobile platform that the native app is developed for, stipulates its own unique development process.

In the case of Web apps running on a mobile device’s Web browser, the problem that arises is that each of these mobile devices have unique features and come with their unique problems as well.

Each mobile platform offers the developer its own standardized SDK, development tools and other user interface elements, which they can use to develop their native app with relative ease. In the case of Web apps, though, there is no such standardization and the developer has no access to SDKs or tools of any sort.

Accessibility

A native app is totally compatible with the device’s hardware and native features, such as accelerometer, camera and so on.

Web apps, on the other hand, can access only a limited amount of a device’s native features.

While a native app works as a standalone entity, the problem is that the user has to keep downloading updates. A Web app, on the other hand updates itself without the need for user intervention. However, it necessarily needs to be accessed via a mobile device’s browser.

App Efficiency

Native apps are more expensive to develop. However, they are faster and more efficient, as they work in tandem with the mobile device they are developed for. Also, they are assured of quality, as users can access them only via app stores online.

Web apps may result in higher costs of maintenance across multiple mobile platforms. Also, there is no specific regulatory authority to control quality standards of these apps. The Apple App Store, though, features a listing of Apple’s Web apps.

Cross-Platform Mobile App Development 

What is the premium choice?

A range of development platforms have emerged to address the issues associated with writing App coding separately for IOS and Android environments. Some of the more common platforms are Apache Cordova, React Native, Adobe Phone Gap,  Flutter and Xamarin Forms.

Each development platform has its strengths and weaknesses. However, in our books the two leading platforms for serious business Apps are Reactive Native and Xamarin Forms.

Our team has designed mobile application using both platforms and until recently our choice was React Native. However, since Xamarin was purchased by Microsoft in 2016 we believe it has become the platform of choice for a variety of reasons including:

1.Microsoft Support – With Microsoft integrating Xamarin into software development and support programs it has rapidly become a superior app development platform.

2. More streamlined technology stack code – Xamarin uses C# + .Net framework to enable reuse of most of the code. This also means that all the apps can be built in Visual Studio.
3. Native-like UX – With Xamarin, we are able to build a superior user experience with platform-specific UI elements.
4. C# language– Allows us to use a familiar syntax and sophisticated features like Generics, LINQ and the Parallel Task Library.
5. Cross Platform capability – We can utilize the Xamarin.Forms tool to more quickly build cross-platform apps for iOS, Android and also Windows.
6. Full Hardware Support – Xamarin offers native-like app features and connects with native libraries to generate native-like functionality, with less development and running costs.
7. Open source – Xamarin is now an open source platform and is made available with the MIT license, as a part of Visual Studio.
8. Simplified maintenance – Being cross platform based on C# Xamarin facilitates maintenance and App updating.

What do think?

CRISPR CAS9

Is this the bleeding edge of AI App development in the future?

Something you can’t afford not to know!

When we think about stem cell research and editing the human genome, we typically think of multi-million labs and highly qualified scientists.

However with the discovery of CRISPR CAS9 the world could be about to change, and a mobile App’s might have a role.

Typically viruses are used by scientists as the vehicle for altering the DNA, in simple terms when a virus infects a human cell it inserts DNA into the cell to cause disease. By altering the sequence of DNA that the virus inserts we have been able to modify some sections of DNA. To date this Process has required sophisticated labs and highly trained people and has generally been developed by major pharmaceuticals companies.

However, with CRISPR CAS9 a science student with a few hundred dollars’ worth of equipment could possible re-engineer the human genome and with some software development smarts could possibly make the blue print for the modification available as a mobile App for all to purchase from the Apps store.  As far-fetched and as scary as this sounds, fortunately or unfortunately it is all now not just science fictions but a real possibility.

So what is CRISPR CAS9? It is essentially a copy and paste tool for the editing the genome enabling accurate editing of the DNA by cutting out sections and adding new sections. While this technology will have many positive benefits for curing disease in the future it could also have some more bazar possibilities, include humans with tails, extra limbs or wings. None us know where this could lead.

DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT – A TEAM APPROACH

Our team has the unique set of complex skills required for Smarter Community development.

We have our own inhouse team of experts in design, digital development, community dynamics, urban economics and application implementation.

DIGITAL PLACE MAKING – A NEW HORIZON

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Through innovative digital initiatives to connect people in new ways the virtual realm to the physical assets in the community we help to create stronger communities.