ReachLocal is shaking up the mobile app development landscape with its innovative open-source LigerMobile framework, designed to elevate the user experience on both iOS and Android devices. In a crowded market filled with cross-platform development tools from companies like Sencha, Xamarin, and Appcelerator, ReachLocal's offering stands out by prioritizing seamless page-to-page transitions that rival native animations.
A New Approach to Hybrid Mobile App Development
Traditionally, hybrid mobile apps were little more than fancy web applications trying to mimic native behavior on devices. But this approach has its drawbacks – it can be sluggish, feel non-native, and even crash due to memory issues. ReachLocal's Joshua Tuberville, principal architect, confirms that the company had a similar experience when building its own mobile app for ReachEdge marketing automation. "We tried that approach and hated it," he says. "Especially when we were emulating transitions from one view to another." Instead, LigerMobile takes a different route by launching separate HTML5 views for each page, providing a collection of single-page apps with native-like transitions.
Building Native-Like Experiences
LigerMobile uses JavaScript to build the underlying structure or "skeleton" of iOS and Android applications. Although initially built on top of Apache Cordova, the framework has gradually become less dependent on Cordova. This allows developers to focus on creating a prototype in HTML5 and then decide how much native coding they need – whether that's in Java for Android or Objective-C for iOS. The project began as an internal effort when ReachLocal was building its own mobile app for ReachEdge, but the framework has since emerged as a standalone solution.
Empowering Developers
Developers can use LigerMobile as a starting point to build their own hybrid applications and then decide how much native coding they need. Other JavaScript technologies like AngularJS or CoffeeScript can also be used in conjunction with LigerMobile. The framework's flexibility and ease of use make it an attractive option for those looking to create a prototype, proof-of-concept, or even full-fledged native app.
The Future of Swift App Development
LigerMobile is poised to revolutionize the world of hybrid mobile app development by providing a more seamless user experience. By offering a flexible and powerful framework for building iOS and Android applications, ReachLocal is opening up new possibilities for developers and setting a new standard for swift app development.