Study Mobile Development
Mobile development is an increasingly popular option for computer science students. The near universal presence of smartphones, the ease with which one can develop for smartphone platforms, and the saleability of developed applications makes mobile development a lucrative field for international students in the United States. This article offers an overview of mobile development, as well as some insight for international students hoping to get started in the burgeoning field.
For many individuals, smartphones are more than just a communication device – they have become indispensable parts of everyday life. Whether it be calls, texts, sending and receiving e-mail, playing games, browsing the web, tracking nutrition, or scheduling important dates, smartphones have become an all-in-one device – thanks to the development of applications. Applications are at the heart of both the popularity and utility of smartphones, making mobile development an increasingly lucrative field for international students with computer science skills. This article will briefly explain what mobile development is, why it is a great avenue for international students interested in computer science, how to study mobile development, and give some examples of platforms with which mobile developers would be working (i.e. Android™ development, and iOS™ development).
What is Mobile Development?
Mobile development is the production of application software for devices such as phones, tablets, and personal digital assistants. International students with backgrounds in computer science or programming will most likely already be versed in the programming languages (HTML, Java/JavaScript, C, C++) employed by most mobile development platforms, including Android™ and Windows™. For iOS™ development, Apple uses the programming languages Objective-C and Object Pascal. While some platforms sell commercial licenses or charge for the uploading of apps to a marketplace, much of the software and distribution infrastructure required in the field of mobile development can be accessed free of charge.
Why Study Mobile Development?
Many international students with computer science and programming backgrounds will already possess the skills required to dive into mobile development. Most of the tools needed for mobile development are free and can be used to make a salable program. Mobile development can be pursued by a team as small as a single individual, making it great for international students juggling a class schedule. Therefore, the ease with which international students with knowledge of programming languages can use their skills to develop ideas into applications, combined with the low to almost non-existent overhead of the endeavor, makes mobile development a great and lucrative option for gaining experience as a freelance developer.
How to Study Mobile Development
Mobile development draws from the programming aspect of the field of computer science. The chief tools of mobile development are the programming languages of HTML & JavaScript (for mobile web application development), Java, C & C++ (for Windows™ and Android™ development) and Objective-C/Object Pascal (for iOS™ development [Apple]). That being the case, international students cannot expressly study mobile development as a major. However, international students will acquire the appropriate skills for mobile development in the course of a normal computer science or programming degree, as well as take specialized courses on the subject. The key to mobile development is to be well-versed in the aforementioned programming languages. From that point, a number of forums and tutorials have been created within the community of mobile developers that can assist new members.
iOS™ Development
iOS™ development (for Apple devices) utilizes the less universal Obective-C and Object Pascal programming languages. Developers can freely acquire the SDK (software development kit) for iOS, however, uploading developed applications to the Apple marketplace can only be done after purchasing a developer's license for an annual fee of $99. Additionally, Apple imposes a set minimum price for the application (above which the developer can charge any amount), and they retain 30% of the revenue generated by sales of the application.
Android™ Development
One of the reasons developing apps for Android™-based devices is so popular is that Android™ development is not only often free, but runs on the core programming languages with which many developers will already be familiar. Therefore, an international student with a knowledge of Java and C/C++ could, free of charge, use Eclipse, the most popular Android™ development environment, to create an application for Android™-based devices that the international student could then upload – again, for free – to the Google Play™ marketplace to be purchased or freely downloaded (in the case of free applications) by users. The combination of employing nearly universally-known programming languages within a low-cost infrastructure makes Android™ development a popular and accessible option for international students to try their hands at freelance development.