TECH/APPS SPECIAL...How to make your own smartphone app

How to make your own smartphone app 

If you’ve always wanted to create an app, but didn’t know how, go through the following sites

1 Appsbar.com
Appsbar is a good place to start making your own apps because it’s completely free and you can make HTML5 apps for almost every mobile operating system. You can create as many apps as you like and don’t have to pay developer charges or publishing costs. A built-in wizard will guide you through the process of app creation. It’s as simple as choosing an app type and selecting from the numerous options (background, colour, section, number of pages, and so on). Once you are done, you can submit the app and the Appsbar team will go through it to make sure it meets the app market quality standards and that it works well. Even this service is free.
2 Buzztouch.com
Buzztouch has taken the trouble of setting up a mini-university, Buzztouch U, which takes you through the process of creating the app and explaining the steps as well as difficult terms. You can create both iOS and Android apps, the process being more suited to advanced users. You can start by using the online control panel, but will have to download the source code to a PC and use free software Xcode for iOS, or Eclipse for Android, to run and compile the app. Don’t worry, no coding knowledge is needed and Buzztouch provides all the links and explanations.
3 Andromo.com
As the name suggests, Andromo helps create native Android apps. These can have cool features like videos, interactive maps, photo galleries, a music player or RSS news/feeds. The apps that you create for free will have banner ads, but the team at Andromo promises to share the revenue 50-50 with you in exchange for giving you the tools to build the app and hosting it. All you need is the basic idea for the app and what it should do. If you want to keep your app without ads, you pay a one-time fee of $99 ( 6,040). If you do this, you’re also free to sell your app in the Android marketplace, instead of giving it for free.
4 Monk.ee
At Monk.ee, you can create your own social networking app to share with your friends. With the free package, you can create an app using the predefined templates, including photo/video sharing, chat rooms, Twitter and community spaces. The catch is that the apps have ads and have to be downloaded from Monk.ee’s own monkey market.
5 Appmakr.com
Appmakr lets you create apps for iOS, Android or Windows Phone with a simple graphics user interface. The step-by-step process requires you to choose a platform, integrate a URL/ RSS feed, add various images for logo, splash images and background, and then put in contact details and other relevant information. If you want to monetise the app, you can select a price for the app (in US$), or earn by including ads within the app. Appmakr also has an ‘app quality index’, which shows how likely it is to get approved. If you’re happy with it, submit it.
7 Ibuildapp.com
Ibuildapp not only lets you create Android or iOS apps, but also provides a complete content management system. This allows you to update your app with new content/design in real time, that is, even after it has been published in an app store. The creation process is similar to other app builders—choose an app template, select the interface, design and look, add content and data, and once you are finished, submit the app for approval yourself. You can also purchase Ibuildapp’s annual services for $329 ( 19,740), where they will submit your apps to Google Play store and iOS App store for approval (price includes developer licence and distribution cost).
6 Appinventor.mit.edu
This one sticks to the Android platform and requires you to log in using the Google account. Though it offers more features, it is also more complicated than the ones that offer simple app builders using graphical interfaces. You can add screens, set animations, allow social network connectivity, set how the app reacts to the accelerometer, location or orientation sensors, and integrate advanced features like a barcode scanner, text-to-speech conversion and speech recogniser. However, the App Inventor does not offer submissions to the Google Play store for approval. Once created, you can download the ‘.apk’ file to your computer and send it to others or transfer it to your phone to install yourself.

Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj ET130805