TITANIUM

Developing mobile applications is a challenge that even every professional developer faces. Special focus is needed on each elemental aspect, while coding applications that are responsive, functional and compatible. Covering these bases for every feature to perfection is not exactly an easy task, to say the least, even for the most talented developers. That’s why the Titanium application framework- a cross-platform JavaScript runtime and API framework used to do mobile development on iOS, Android, and, most recently, the mobile web, with possible future support for Blackberry and Windows- has emerged as one of the best for extensive mobile applications.

WHAT IS TITANIUM?

Titaniumis the leading mobile platform of choice for thousands of companies that wish to seize the mobile opportunity.With more than 50,000 applications deployed on 80 million devices, Titanium is an open source development platform that allows developers to create native applications (mobile and desktop) using web technologies, such as JavaScript, HTML and CSS. It is touted to be the number 1 cross-platform mobile development solution in use today with over 250,000 mobile developers and 35,000 apps.

But that’s not all. Titanium does much more than just building apps that run on multiple platforms. Its true power comes from how it helps you build best of breed, native apps that take full advantage of the platforms on which they run. By this, we mean apps that:

  • Use hardware-specific features, such as the Android menu button
  • Use OS-specific controls, such as the Cocoa UI controls on iOS
  •  Participate in the platform ecosystem, for example using platform-appropriate notification mechanisms

HOW DOES ONE PLATFORM DO SO MUCH?

Titanium takes code written in JavaScript, combines this code with the Titanium API (which is in written in the targeted device’s native language), and evaluates code at runtime with a JavaScript interpreter that runs on the device’s operating systems. When you launch your app, a JavaScript execution is created in the native code and the JavaScript is injected as an inline object paired with native objects within the runtime environment. The pairing is strictly one-to-one in a way such as running inline JavaScript within HTML. This allows the Titanium API to act as a bridge to expose direct access to the native experience, through actual native features and APIs.

WHAT MAKES IT THE BEST?

The Titanium framework is loaded with exhilarating features, which is probably why it has become one of the most preferred frameworks among developers. Some of the features of the Titanium mobile framework are:

  • Enabled with JavaScript SDK: This open-source platform is embedded with JavaScript SDK, which aids developers in building functional-rich applications.
  • Entails Trending Web Technology: It utilizes web technologies that are both trendy and powerful, including AJAX, HTML5, CSS3, and jQuery.
  • Supports Multiple Platforms: Titanium has exclusive features that can be used to deploy applications without compatibility issues on various devices such as tablets, desktop and mobiles.
  • Ensures Native Support: This framework comes with platform-independent API that ensures full access for native-supporting features.

WHY SHOULD YOU GIVE IT A TRY?

Easy to Learn and Deploy: Titanium App Framework comprises HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Ajax and JavaScript. Hence, it will be easy for expert developers to learn every nitty-gritty aspect of Titanium, and hence empower them in their design work.

  • Easily Available: Titanium framework is free and open-sourced, so it is readily accessible to developers.
  • Easy-to-Access Native Features: Titanium framework comes with a platform-independent API that can make applications feature-rich because it can access advanced features such as touchscreens, cameras, GPS, navigation, contacts, storage, and much more.
  • Simplified Coding Structure:  Because it supports HTML5 and other robust web technologies, developers can build apps that are compatible with iOS, Android and other powerful platforms. In short, there is no need to code one application multiple times for different platforms.
  • Superb performance: The Titanium framework is packed with various functional entities that will definitely deliver a high-performance application.
  • Deliver Quick Prototype: It comes with an integrated environment that will help developers build quick prototypes so they can get user feedback as quickly as possible.

The Titanium framework offers flexible, scalable, and cost-effective application development capabilities.

IT CAN’T BE PERFECT. WHAT ARE THE DOWNSIDES?

One of the major downsides of using Titanium as a framework is that it still doesn’t offer as much support as most hope for and want today. This is mainly due to the fact that Titanium API connects directly to the native platform, and taking up a new platform is a lot of work. For this reason, Titanium only supports the larger platforms in Android, iOS, and some level of mobile web browser support. Also, some user interface components do not perform as well as their native counterparts. The Titanium team stresses that they are committed to spending a great amount of time working on this issue but the fact remains that Titanium can never support all native APIs and device functionality, which continue to grow and develop on the native platforms per each new release and update to the native operating systems.

TO INVEST IN TITANIUM OR NOT TO INVEST, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Just as in everything else, in every design approach, in every technological decision, there are advantages and disadvantages. For simple, some projects Titanium is a good choice but if you’re looking forward to use it on robust apps choose native development environments.

Once you have an understanding of the unique way that Titanium works as a platform, you can understand the power of what is being offered:

  • A solution to create mobile applications currently on Android or iOS without having to learn to program code individually for each respective platform.
  • A platform that is able to access native controls and device functionality directly and offers a better user experience by offering behavior and animations a user expects.
  • Most of all a free platform for mobile development offered under the GNU General Public License.

This framework, even with its drawbacks, is offering more than other competitors and will most likely be further adopted.