Mobile app development with cloud integration is a complex process that involves many different competencies, let alone for the educational realm. This article created by Google for app developers wishing to develop such applications for the Google App platform outlines the various requirements and competencies for embarking on such an endeavor. The complexity of moblie app development with cloud integration is captured in the figure below which comes from the same article:
Should you wish to continue in your educational venture into the complex world of mobile application development with cloud integration, the first step is choosing the platform(s) that your mobile app will interact with. The major cloud infrastructure service providers include:
iCloud
iCloud is Apple's proprietary platform to provide seamless integration among all of someone's Apple devices. Developing for iCloud is a must if you plan to build apps designed specifically for Apple products. Because Apple has a significant market share of the smartphone and tablet market, it is a smart bet that building your app for the iCloud for the present is where the money is. Where the iCloud infrastructure really excels is in the area of streaming media.
Egnyte
The major advantage of Egnyte is its ability to handle large amounts of data without file limit restrictions. The Egnyte platform is scalable and therefore designed for large enterprise-level customers who require that their cloud infrastructure can handle hundreds of simultaneous connections. Developing an app for use at the post-secondary level where that kind of access is not uncommon, the use of Egnyte is an obvious choice for such enterprise.
Google Apps
There is no question that Google is the king of indexing and has quickly become the standard for online email and now cloud interactivity. Because of the ubiquity of Google, and the gaining market share of its android devices in the smartphone and tablet market, developing apps for the Google Apps platform has the greatest market potential. The major drawback of using Google Apps has been the limitations of integration between apps.
OpenDrive
A new player to the cloud services market, OpenDrive's platform allows users the ability to create documents on one computer and then access and edit them online with your Apple iPhone or other computer. Because of it's excellent collaboration tools, developing apps for integration into OpenDrive has the potential to be the next killer app. At the moment, the biggest limitation of OpenDrive is it's inability to integrate with most email services.
Dropbox
Originally developed as a simple file-sharing platform, Dropbox has evolved to become a de facto standard in the cloud services industry. It is simple to use and therefore very convenient. Because of its advanced file-syncing engine, apps developed using this infrastructure can take advantage of its superior management and organization of file structure. Like OpenDrive, the biggest limitation is it's inability to integrate with most email services.
Amazon Cloud Drive
One of the newest players on the market, the Amazon Cloud Drive is perhaps the most rough around the edges but definitely has the most potential given that it has the money and resources of the Amazon brand behind it. Additionally, apps developed for the Amazon Cloud Drive can take advantage of Amazon's superior media streaming services. Overall, apps integrated into the Amazon Cloud Drive have the potential to be the next killer app.
Watch this video for more comparisons between the different cloud services:
iCloud
iCloud is Apple's proprietary platform to provide seamless integration among all of someone's Apple devices. Developing for iCloud is a must if you plan to build apps designed specifically for Apple products. Because Apple has a significant market share of the smartphone and tablet market, it is a smart bet that building your app for the iCloud for the present is where the money is. Where the iCloud infrastructure really excels is in the area of streaming media.
Egnyte
The major advantage of Egnyte is its ability to handle large amounts of data without file limit restrictions. The Egnyte platform is scalable and therefore designed for large enterprise-level customers who require that their cloud infrastructure can handle hundreds of simultaneous connections. Developing an app for use at the post-secondary level where that kind of access is not uncommon, the use of Egnyte is an obvious choice for such enterprise.
Google Apps
There is no question that Google is the king of indexing and has quickly become the standard for online email and now cloud interactivity. Because of the ubiquity of Google, and the gaining market share of its android devices in the smartphone and tablet market, developing apps for the Google Apps platform has the greatest market potential. The major drawback of using Google Apps has been the limitations of integration between apps.
OpenDrive
A new player to the cloud services market, OpenDrive's platform allows users the ability to create documents on one computer and then access and edit them online with your Apple iPhone or other computer. Because of it's excellent collaboration tools, developing apps for integration into OpenDrive has the potential to be the next killer app. At the moment, the biggest limitation of OpenDrive is it's inability to integrate with most email services.
Dropbox
Originally developed as a simple file-sharing platform, Dropbox has evolved to become a de facto standard in the cloud services industry. It is simple to use and therefore very convenient. Because of its advanced file-syncing engine, apps developed using this infrastructure can take advantage of its superior management and organization of file structure. Like OpenDrive, the biggest limitation is it's inability to integrate with most email services.
Amazon Cloud Drive
One of the newest players on the market, the Amazon Cloud Drive is perhaps the most rough around the edges but definitely has the most potential given that it has the money and resources of the Amazon brand behind it. Additionally, apps developed for the Amazon Cloud Drive can take advantage of Amazon's superior media streaming services. Overall, apps integrated into the Amazon Cloud Drive have the potential to be the next killer app.
Watch this video for more comparisons between the different cloud services: