Which Mobile Os to consider for career perspective

[quixand]

For understanding basic building blocks of Java - Head First.
It looks like there is a Head First ver for Android too, but I haven't read it so no comments.

 

[agantuk]

There is this book - Android Application Development in 24 Hours - which is pretty good for folks who have absolutely no idea about Android development. This would help you get started. Once you are able to do some basic stuff, the Android API is your best guide

 

[avi]

I also suggest Beginning Android book.

As you have already chose Android, I like to add few words to above discussions which can be helpful to others. Exactly six months ago, I had same question in mind and I chose iOS. I am a Mac user [hackintosh ] and I like iOS and felt like developing apps for it. I chose it because I liked it

My friend who is also a developer told me, no. of android devices in India, price range below 15k is very much compared to above. And no. of people who buy your apps in android are more in those who own 15k+ device. Hence, your app is highly unlikely to be paid. [I don't know how much true this statement is & also it was told to me 6 months ago.]

I can tell difference between iOS & Android app dev. No. of Android users are growing everyday, so if you develop an free app [filled with ads], you can earn money & also name. Once you acquire good name, then you can sell your apps. Android is not that bad at all. For iOS app development, you need Mac, that means one have to invest again. For students / newbies / freelancers this could be tough. Initial Mac OS device [Mac Mini] costs 30k+ approx. Next, you have to pay $99 to evil Apple every year. As for Android it's just one time registration of just $25. [correct me if I am wrong] And also Android SDK tools can be easily run in Windows. Suppose if shit happens & if u need technical assistance, then evil Apple will charge 99$ per session. [or two sessions I guess]. But where as in Android, which is an Open Source, a lot people will be ready to help you at very less costs. [And yeah, there are forums for both platforms]. Advantage with iOS is less fragmentation. But no. of Android devices are very much & you have work more to make sure that it works in many devices. Another problem with iOS is getting your app approved. Apple tests each & every app before adding to appstore. It may take 2 days or max 10 days. In android, your app almost appears instantly.

Now, if anyone is unaware & confused which one to go, here are my suggestions :
1. Chose which one you like & what makes you happy to work on. Either it may iOS or Symbian, if it can keep you happy & then forget money
2. If you already know Java, then Android will be easier. For iOS you have to learn Objective C & Cocoa Touch [which are not that hard]
3. Among all, I would suggest Nokia, either Win Mobile or QT+. QT+ reasons have been already stated by Dhruv & Darkstar to which I agree completely. Nokia's dev support is top notch & tools are really good & can be run in Windows. As for windows mobile which require VB, C# [correct me if I am wrong] which are dead easy to learn. Once Nokia releases their Windows series there will be huge demand for apps & you will easily earn name as stated by paul.

Hope this helps

 

[Lord Nemesis]

I would strongly recommend against limiting your career scope with iOS development. Get a good grip on C++ (and maybe Java) first. That way you would have a strong base for all mobile platforms. You can learn Objective C any time later.

iOS development is still a major risk for most companies. There is only one way to sell iOS apps that's through the app store and there is no guarantee that an app would be accepted. There have also been cases there Apple stole the idea behind a 3rd party app and banned all future versions of it. Its not a good prospect for companies and even more so for developers. Whether you want to run your own company or work for another company or work as a free lancer, a one dimensional skill set can kill your career. Its always best to keep yourself versatile.

For instance my present company has just started getting into Mac/iOS development and hired people for a dedicated Mac and iOS development team. Its comprised mostly of people whose knowledge and experience is limited to Objective C and Mac OS/iOS SDKs. I was also initially called for an opening in that team, but because of my diverse technical skills, I was put into a technology team than a development team. Because of my Mac development experience, I can also work in their team if required, but they on the other hand can work only on Mac or iPhone development. If the company ever decides to shut down the Mac/iOS development because of what ever reason, those people cannot be relocated to any other team.

 

[Kaleen Bhaiya]

I would strongly recommend against limiting your career scope with iOS development. Get a good grip on C++ (and maybe Java) first. That way you would have a strong base for all mobile platforms. You can learn Objective C any time later.

iOS development is still a major risk for most companies. There is only one way to sell iOS apps that's through the app store and there is no guarantee that an app would be accepted. There have also been cases there Apple stole the idea behind a 3rd party app and banned all future versions of it. Its not a good prospect for companies and even more so for developers. Whether you want to run your own company or work for another company or work as a free lancer, a one dimensional skill set can kill your career. Its always best to keep yourself versatile.

For instance my present company has just started getting into Mac/iOS development and hired people for a dedicated Mac and iOS development team. Its comprised mostly of people whose knowledge and experience is limited to Objective C and Mac OS/iOS SDKs. I was also initially called for an opening in that team, but because of my diverse technical skills, I was put into a technology team than a development team. Because of my Mac development experience, I can also work in their team if required, but they on the other hand can work only on Mac or iPhone development. If the company ever decides to shut down the Mac/iOS development because of what ever reason, those people cannot be relocated to any other team.

thank you for ur comments. I am indeed keeping versatile because after reading avi's comments that initial investment in istore is 99$pm and even after submitting your app there is no guarantee that it will be accepted. Besides you also need to pay commission incase your product is permitted to istore. In the end i thought its better to get the basics right and when needed jump to technologies which suits you best.

 

[avi]

thank you for ur comments. I am indeed keeping versatile because after reading avi's comments that initial investment in istore is 99$pm and even after submitting your app there is no guarantee that it will be accepted. Besides you also need to pay commission incase your product is permitted to istore. In the end i thought its better to get the basics right and when needed jump to technologies which suits you best.

Yep, as I said, if you are really interested [like me], then get into iOS dev. As all Apple's products are phucking costly, there development also !! wtf :-/ About getting admitted or not, if your app is bug free & according to Apple's standards, in 90% cases its get accepted. If it is accepted, then you earnt a reps in iWorld of Devs

I would strongly recommend against limiting your career scope with iOS development. Get a good grip on C++ (and maybe Java) first. That way you would have a strong base for all mobile platforms. You can learn Objective C any time later.

I assume you are suggesting me. And I totally agree with you what you said. I have not limited to just iOS, this is what happened. I know basic C & C++ which is enough for developing. So I had choice with iOS or Android, because I had people who can guide me well on both platforms [now I got a guide in WP7 also ]. I didn't knew Java & I had to learn to either Java or Obj-C. I have Java in my next semester, so I chose Obj-c over it because anyway I am going to learn Java. Now I am holidays, once Java starts I will jump into Android also And also iOS dev path kinda was easy for me to getting into, I already had hackintosh, a nice guide & immense interest for iOS. But what you suggest is really important for students like me. One should be versatile in today's competitive level !

iOS development is still a major risk for most companies.

+1000

There is only one way to sell iOS apps that's through the app store and there is no guarantee that an app would be accepted.

Agreed. But isn't there is an advantage ? If the app is accepted then it means its bug free right ? In iOS, users don't have to search for web whether the app has a malware or not

There have also been cases there Apple stole the idea behind a 3rd party app and banned all future versions of it. Its not a good prospect for companies and even more so for developers.

Oh yeah hyeah: That's why I always say Evil Apple. Best example would be WiFi Sync [use Google], now they have included it in iOS 5 !!

If the company ever decides to shut down the Mac/iOS development because of what ever reason, those people cannot be relocated to any other team.

YES. Not just iOS, applies to every dev if he is not versatile & jack of all trades