#ios is also impossible to cross-compile for

[acevenoms]

Me: I hate proprietary software! I will run FOSS for everything! Death to Microsoft!

Also me: *buys a mac mini*

[educationtech]

Difference between hybrid application and android application — Arya College

Almost for a decade now, mobile apps have become a kingpin of innovation. With the growing market of smartphone devices, most of the organizations are adopting ways to incorporate mobile apps in their business flow, in order to enhance their market outreach.

For the development of a mobile app, organizations have to do detailed planning about various types of processes. Well, before going for app development, students of best engineering colleges in Jaipur have to decide upon the way in which you would like to create and deploy the app. During the preliminary research for the development of a mobile app, they might have found a couple of ways.

Most of the companies face a common challenge, such as, what should be built whether native app or hybrid app? Which will be the best for the organization? The answers to the queries depend on factors including the speedy development of the app, Whether the organization opt for in-house development, the objective of building the app, Budget to develop the app, Features required in the app, etc. 

What Is A Hybrid App?

A hybrid app is a program that is built using HTML 5, CSS and JavaScript and wrapped in a native container. The native container loads maximum information on the page as soon as the user navigates the application. There are plenty of native web frameworks available, which can help you build a hybrid app.

The main features of a typical hybrid app are Faster app development, Simple and easy to maintain, Cross-platform UI, Integrate with a device file system, Less expensive app development and cost-effective maintenance, Single code management for multiple mobile platforms, etc.

What Is An Android App?

An android app is a program that has been coded in a specific programming language, for devices having specific OS. For instance, Objective C is used for iOS or Java for Android Phones by the students of top engineering colleges in Jaipur. These apps can take advantage of OS features and other software tools that are installed on that platform. They also have access to various phone functions such as camera, gallery, contact list, etc. Mostly Native apps are compiled into machine code. These provisions help native apps perform the best in a mobile device.

The native development is easy and there are innumerous resources available, but it might not be understandable to everyone. Since the code has to be written specifically for each platform, it has to be rewritten for each one. Only the logic remains the same but the language, APIs and the development process might be different. Sometimes, this process becomes quite long for complex applications.

The main features of a native app are a high degree of reliability, Simple but Fast Performance and better user experience, supports both online & offline transactions, Native features can best be exploited.

Since these apps can be built only for a particular OS, a company or organization is required to make duplicate versions of the app, so that it can work on various other platforms. 

A Fair Comparison Between Both

Development Cost and Time

Hybrid apps take the least amount of time to develop and are developed by the students of private engineering colleges in Jaipur at a fairly cheaper price as compared to the native app. Building a hybrid app means maintaining just one code whereas with native code you need an app developer for each platform. But this does not mean that native apps are bad because they have their own advantages.

User Experience

Native apps provide the best user experience because they are specifically designed for a single app store, with which one can get the best compatible apps. The screen size is taken care of and so the hardware capabilities. With Hybrid apps, it is impossible to provide a good experience with just 1 application code for all platforms.

Paid or Free app

Since native apps have the best UI hence paid apps are usually advised to be developed as native apps whereas free apps can be developed as hybrid apps by the students of BTech colleges Jaipur.

Final Words

Native and Hybrid Applications have their own pros and cons as we have already discussed in the post. The decision about the choice of an app depends largely on the requirement of the organization. After heeding upon the requirement options, it is advisable to work with the app developers, who will be going to bring your ideas to life in an efficient manner.

It is better to outsource the app development rather than having a permanent in-house setup. Also, working with an outsourcing team could make your mobile app development feel like a natural transition. At Arya College, you can learn to choose the right app for your idea.

[aryacollegeofengineering]

3 common reasons why hybrid application and android application are different

Difference between hybrid application and android application

Almost for a decade now, mobile apps have become a kingpin of innovation. With the growing market of smartphone devices, most of the organizations are adopting ways to incorporate mobile apps in their business flow, in order to enhance their market outreach.

For the development of a mobile app, organizations have to do detailed planning about various types of processes. Well, before going for app development, students of best engineering college in Jaipur have to decide upon the way in which you would like to create and deploy the app. During the preliminary research for the development of a mobile app, they might have found a couple of ways.

Most of the companies face a common challenge, such as, what should be built whether native app or hybrid app? Which will be the best for the organization? The answers to the queries depend on factors including the speedy development of the app, Whether the organization opt for in-house development, the objective of building the app, Budget to develop the app, Features required in the app, etc.

What Is A Hybrid App?

A hybrid app is a program that is built using HTML 5, CSS and JavaScript and wrapped in a native container. The native container loads maximum information on the page as soon as the user navigates the application. There are plenty of native web frameworks available, which can help you build a hybrid app.

The main features of a typical hybrid app are Faster app development, Simple and easy to maintain, Cross-platform UI, Integrate with a device file system, Less expensive app development and cost-effective maintenance, Single code management for multiple mobile platforms, etc.

What Is An Android App?

An android app is a program that has been coded in a specific programming language, for devices having specific OS. For instance, Objective C is used for iOS or Java for Android Phones by the students of top engineering colleges in Jaipur. These apps can take advantage of OS features and other software tools that are installed on that platform. They also have access to various phone functions such as camera, gallery, contact list, etc. Mostly Native apps are compiled into machine code. These provisions help native apps perform the best in a mobile device.

The native development is easy and there are innumerous resources available, but it might not be understandable to everyone. Since the code has to be written specifically for each platform, it has to be rewritten for each one. Only the logic remains the same but the language, APIs and the development process might be different. Sometimes, this process becomes quite long for complex applications.

The main features of a native app are a high degree of reliability, Simple but Fast Performance and better user experience, supports both online & offline transactions, Native features can best be exploited.

Since these apps can be built only for a particular OS, a company or organization is required to make duplicate versions of the app, so that it can work on various other platforms.

A Fair Comparison Between Both

1. Development Cost and Time

Hybrid apps take the least amount of time to develop and are developed by the students of private engineering colleges in Jaipur at a fairly cheaper price as compared to the native app. Building a hybrid app means maintaining just one code whereas with native code you need an app developer for each platform. But this does not mean that native apps are bad because they have their own advantages.

2. User Experience

Native apps provide the best user experience because they are specifically designed for a single app store, with which one can get the best compatible apps. The screen size is taken care of and so the hardware capabilities. With Hybrid apps, it is impossible to provide a good experience with just 1 application code for all platforms.

3. Paid or Free app

Since native apps have the best UI hence paid apps are usually advised to be developed as native apps whereas free apps can be developed as hybrid apps by the students of best BTech College in Jaipur.

Final Words

Native and Hybrid Applications have their own pros and cons as we have already discussed in the post. The decision about the choice of an app depends largely on the requirement of the organization. After heeding upon the requirement options, it is advisable to work with the app developers, who will be going to bring your ideas to life in an efficient manner.

It is better to outsource the app development rather than having a permanent in-house setup. Also, working with an outsourcing team could make your mobile app development feel like a natural transition. At Arya College, you can learn to choose the right app for your idea.

Source: Click here

[ashraful090]

Top programing languages you must know to be a front web developer

If you’re new to the field of software development, the toughest part of learning programming is deciding where to begin. There are hundreds of programming languages in widespread use, each with its own complexities and idiosyncrasies.

The good news is that as you begin your journey as a software developer, you’ll start to discover which programming language will be most suitable for you, your interests, and your career goals.

In the list below, we go over the best and most in-demand programming languages for many of the most common use cases including web development, mobile development, game development, and more.



1. JAVASCRIPT

It’s impossible to be a software developer these days without using JavaScript in some way. According to Stack Overflow’s 2019 Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most popular language among developers for the seventh year in a row. Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents reported that they had used JavaScript in the past year.

Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is essential to front-end web development. A majority of the web’s most popular sites, from Facebook and Twitter to Gmail and YouTube, rely on JavaScript to create interactive web pages and dynamically display content to users.

Although JavaScript is primarily a front-end language run on the browser, it can also be used on the server-side through Node.js to build scalable network applications. Node.js is compatible with Linux, SunOS, Mac OS X and Windows.

Because JavaScript has a forgiving, flexible syntax and works across all major browsers, it is one of the friendliest programming languages for beginners.

 

2. SWIFT

If you’re interested in Apple products and mobile app development, Swift is a good place to start. First announced by Apple in 2014, Swift is a relatively new programming language used to develop iOS and macOS applications.

Swift has been optimized for performance and built from the ground up to match the realities of modern iOS development. Not only does iOS run on every iPhone and iPad, but it’s also the basis for other operating systems such as watchOS (for Apple Watches) and tvOS (for Apple TVs). In addition, Apple isn’t going anywhere as a tech industry leader, and iOS apps continue to be the most profitable in the mobile app marketplace.

3. SCALA

If you’re familiar with Java—a classic programming language in its own right—it’s worth checking out its modern cousin, Scala. Scala combines the best features of Java (such as its Object Oriented Structure and its lightning-fast JVM runtime environment) with a modern twist.

As a functional programming language, Scala allows engineers to elevate the quality of their code to resemble pure math. Scala allows for concurrent programming, allowing complex procedures to be executed in parallel. Furthermore, it is a strongly typed language. Engineers can create and customize their own data types, allowing them to have the peace of mind knowing entire swaths of bugs are impossible at runtime.



4. GO

One of the core languages favored by Google, Go is the little language that could. As a low-level language, Go is ideal for engineers who want to enter the field of systems programming. It encompasses much of the same functionality of C and C++ without the difficult syntax and steep learning curve. It’s the perfect language for building web servers, data pipelines, and even machine-learning packages.

As a compiled language, Go runs “close to the metal,” allowing for a blazing-fast runtime. It’s an open-source language, and ambitious developers can see their personal contributions adopted and enjoyed by programmers worldwide.

5. PYTHON

Python is perhaps the most user-friendly programming language of any on this list. It’s often said that Python’s syntax is clear, intuitive, and almost English-like, which, like Java, makes it a popular choice for beginners.

Also like Java, Python has a variety of applications that make it a versatile, powerful option when choosing the best programming language for your use case. If you’re interested in back-end web development, for example, then the open-source Django framework, written in Python, is popular, easy to learn, and feature-rich. Django has been used in the development of some popular sites like Mozilla, Instagram, and Spotify.

Python also has packages such as NumPy and SciPy that are commonly used in the fields of scientific computing, mathematics, and engineering. Other Python libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and OpenCV are used to build programs in data science, machine learning, image processing, and computer vision. Python’s science and data applications make it a great choice for the academically inclined.



6. ELM

One of the youngest languages on our list, what began as a Harvard student’s thesis has now grown to become a point of passion for front-end developers around the world.

Elm compiles to JavaScript, making it ideal for building fast-executing UIs with zero errors at runtime. Elm is a functional programming language, allowing developers to create client-side interfaces without the declarative trappings of HTML and CSS. Furthermore, the Elm web architecture was the intellectual inspiration for Redux, the state-management library taught here at Fullstack.

7. RUBY

Ruby is another scripting language that’s commonly used for web development. In particular, it’s used as the basis for the popular Ruby on Rails web application framework.

Beginners often gravitate toward Ruby because it has a reputation for having one of the friendliest and most helpful user communities. The Ruby community even has an unofficial saying, “Matz is nice and so we are nice,” encouraging members to model their kind and considerate behavior on Ruby’s chief inventor Yukihiro Matsumoto.

In addition to the active community and its straightforward syntax, Ruby is also a good language to pick up thanks to its association with great tech businesses. Twitter, Airbnb, Bloomberg, Shopify, and countless other startups have all built their websites using Ruby on Rails at some point.



8. C#

Like C++, C# (pronounced C Sharp) is a general-purpose, object-oriented language built on the foundations of C. It was originally designed by Microsoft as part of its .NET framework for building Windows applications.

C# uses a syntax that’s similar to other C-derived languages such as C++, so it’s easy to pick up if you’re coming from another language in the C family. C# is not only the go-to for Microsoft app development, but it’s also the language mobile developers use to build cross-platform apps on the Xamarin platform.

Additionally, anyone who is interested in VR development should consider learning C#. C# is the recommended language for building 3D and 2D video games using the popular Unity game engine, which produces one-third of the top games on the market.

9. RUST

Rust is a bit of an upstart among the other languages on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a valuable language to learn. Stack Overflow’s 2019 Developer Survey found that Rust was the most loved programming language among developers for the fourth year in a row, with 83.5 percent of Rust developers saying that they want to continue working with it.

Developed by the Mozilla Corporation, Rust, like C and C++, is intended primarily for low-level systems programming. What Rust adds to the mix, however, is an emphasis on speed and security. Rust emphasizes writing “safe code” by preventing programs from accessing parts of memory that they shouldn’t, which can cause unexpected behavior and system crashes.

The advantages of Rust mean that other big tech companies, such as Dropbox and Coursera, are already starting to use it internally. While it may be a bit more difficult to master than other beginner languages, Rust programming skills are likely to pay off handsomely, as the language’s popularity will only continue to rise in the near future.

IT’S CODE TIME

When deciding which programming language to learn, it’s important not to get caught up in flashy trends and popularity contests. The best programming languages to learn in 2019 are likely the same ones that were best to learn in 2017 and 2018, and that will continue to be true for the next several years as well.

Although the field of computer programming changes rapidly, the languages that we’ve discussed above have a great deal of staying power. By learning one or more of these languages, you’ll be in an excellent position not only for this year, but in the years to come.

When beginning your journey into coding, only you can answer the question of the best programming language to learn. Make your selection based on your interests and the type of software development you want to get into. Here is a quick summary of the different possibilities that we’ve discussed:



Front-end web development: JavaScript

Back-end web development: JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby

Mobile development: Swift, Java, C#

Game development: C++, C#

Desktop applications: Java, C++, Python

Systems programming: C, Rust

[ryadel]

Should I go with React Native?

Many people are opting to access the internet via a smartphone. Here is what mobile usage looks like in 2019.

Image Source: Smart Insights The mobile usage grows by 6% every single year. Due to this incremental growth, it is almost impossible for even small businesses to ignore mobile applications. The progressive growth of mobile usage has led small businesses to look for mobile app development services. When it comes to mobile app development, there is a lot of confusion among developers. Here are some of the common questions that developers have in their minds: Should I go for native or hybrid or web apps? What programming language should I learn to develop mobile apps? Should I learn a new framework for developing mobile applications? If you are reading this article, there is a good chance that you are looking for a new framework to create cross-platform mobile applications. You must have come across many frameworks to build mobile apps and found interest in React Native.

Image Source: eLuminous React Native is a popular framework that enables developers to develop natively rendering cross-platform mobile applications. The popularity of React Native is increasing at a steady pace. It is because of its amazing benefits to developers. The popularity of React Native is growing with the increasing demand for cross-platform mobile applications The native apps have the most excellent performance, but it also costs a lot to create and maintain the apps. With that said, the mobile processors are extremely fast these days that it does not make a lot of difference in many cases. If you’re serious about application development (desktop, mobile, and web), you should consider opting for a dedicated software engineering online course. You will be able to develop a well-structured and neat software if you are aware of various software development models and life cycles. In case you are interested in mobile and web development, you can opt for our course where we equip you with knowledge of angular, java, nodejs, PHP and other programming languages as per your need. It will allow you to land jobs and win projects.

Should I go with React Native?

There are plenty of popular mobile applications built with React Native like Facebook Ads Manager, Instagram, SoundCloud Pulse, Walmart, Bloomberg, and so on. Does it make it the best framework for you to pursue? Well, every framework has its merits and demerits. I will talk about the cons at first and then jump into the advantages of React Native to help you decide. Here are some of the cons of React Native: React Native is in its early stage. There are plenty of improvements still needed in this framework. React Navigation introduction resulted in fixing around 300 bugs and addition of new features. However, there are still many improvements needed. Some essential components are missing in React Native. Some of the suitable components for Bluetooth and mobile cameras are not available in React Native. However, we can expect improvements shortly. After knowing about cons of React Native, let’s analyze whether you should use React Native or not.

#1. If you’re jumping from Web to Mobile App Development

Javascript is the core language of React Native. If you’re in a web development space, there is an extremely high chance that you are familiar with Javascript. There is no need for you to learn languages like Kotlin, Swift, and so on to jump into mobile app development, thanks to React Native. We can integrate almost 80-85% of Javascript into mobile platform languages via React Native Framework. Learning React Native will be a piece of cake for people who know Javascript. However, shifting from native Android and IoS development to React Native can be a bit of a challenge.

#2. In case you are jumping from React to React Native

You can quickly jump from React to React Native, as both of them use the same reactive programming paradigm. There are an awesome GitHub community and lots of tutorials to help you get started.

#3. Your organization/client wants you to build an app with a minimum budget

Creating and maintaining native apps can be costly. Today, both small and large businesses are looking for alternatives to reduce cost. Thus, this study predicts the growth of cross-platform apps to rise from $25.19 billion in 2015 to $80.45 billion in 2020.

Image Source: inoutput Unlike native apps development, you do not need lots of developers to create and maintain applications. We use Javascript for coding, and there are plenty of components, which enables you to work with hardware like camera, GPS, Bluetooth, and so on.

#4. It covers both iOS and Android and maybe even more in the future

According to this study, Android and iOS still dominate the mobile operating system. The libraries in React Native supports both Android and iOS operating system. In the future, React Native may also cover Windows and tvOS.

#5. You do not want webview components

Many hybrid apps often have webview components, which may degrade the user experience. Now, you can reuse “native components,” which you can directly compile into your apps. These components can help in generating the consistent look and feel, as you can use parts that you use in Android and iOS. Thanks to the component-based structure of React Native, you can bring web, agile, web-style approach to development without the web.

#6. You want to give the best possible user experience to your users

React Native puts a lot of emphasis on the mobile user interface. Its massive Javascript libraries allow you to create a highly responsive user interface with the native environment. Your app will also load quicker than other hybrid apps.

Afterwords

I believe this article has provided some valuable insights to you about React Native. The benefits of using React Native will increase in the times to come, as the developers are spending a lot of time to improve this framework. Whether you are trying to jump into the world of freelancing or corporate jobs, having an understanding of React Native will help you crack the project/job. There is plenty of demand for developers who can play around with React Native. It’s a time for making a decision. Is React Native right for you? Let me know your answer in the comment below.   Read the full article

[concettolabs]

Cross-Platform App Frameworks: Let’s Discuss Where They Stand In 2019

First Let’s Have A Brief Introduction About Cross-Platform App Frameworks:

A framework that provides developers a complete set of tools with a purpose to increase productivity to resolve common issues.

If your company is creating any kind of mobile applications for the app stores or for internal use purpose than you have also faced the challenge of developing it on a multi-platform as it means to target iOS and Android devices.

Some of the companies have budgets and resources as well hence they used to do programming under native environments for the platforms as native tools give the advantage of being closer to the platform as it comes with a cost.

The advantage of going with native development is that the code developed by iOS team can be reusable by the android team or vice-versa. The challenge is to keep the user experience aligned across all platforms.

After reading these all the common question all were thinking is that which framework is the best for you, not need to vary as next we gonna discuss the top 05 cross-platform frameworks for mobile development.

Top Five Cross Platform App Development Frameworks:

Xamarin

:

An Ecma standard-compliant .Net framework-compatible set of tools which is founded by the same people who have created Mono known as Xamarin that offers developers a single C# codebase that is being used to produce native apps for all major mobile OS.

Around the world, Xamarin being used by more than 1.4 million developers. Using Xamarin’s Visual Studio developers can take advantage of the power of it and its advanced features that include Debugging of application on simulators or device, Code compilation, and IntelliSense.

The Test Cloud of Xamarin makes possible to test apps on more than 2000 real devices in the cloud which is the best way to deal with substantial fragmentation of the Android ecosystem and released bug-free app that can work flawlessly without any major issues.

The AppBuilder:

The AppBuilder is used by some of the largest enterprises across the world. With a purpose to facilitate rapid app development these framework sports a codeless user interface.

If you want to create an information-based application or company presentations than these frameworks fits the best for it.

This framework comes with pre-built blocks for feedback, polls, push notifications, analytics, content update and much more.

The AppBuilder directly integrate with Google Play and makes possible to publish a complete application with just a single click.

Flutter:

A Free Cross-Platform and an open-source framework for creating native interfaces for both iOS and Android. Flutter launched by Google in 2017 and has received a warm welcome also.

Flutter uses Dart, an object-oriented programming language which is easy to obtain and offers hot reloading which means it allows developers to preview the result first and can change within simulator, emulator, and devices.

In Flutter the code takes very less time to write perhaps, seconds, adding features, testing, fixing bugs, and developing so it lends itself ideal for minimum feasible product development.

Flutter allows wrapping a great native-like UI-User Interface and web view and also offers quick, adjustable appliances within the framework on its high-ranking rendering motor. Slowly Flutter becomes the most preferred framework for development.

As Google Ads, Hamilton musical and Alibaba eCommerce are the most known names that use Flutter as their preferred framework. Nowadays Flutter App Development is in demand.

Native Script:

Angular, JavaScript and TypeScript are hopefully the most used web development technologies. Native scripts used to create applications and also produces platform-native user interfaces from a single code base.

Native Script is backed by Telerik – a Bulgarian company that offers different software tools. Users can browse through real-world app implementations can study the official documentation and dive into the source code.

React Native:

A Framework that is developed by FaceBook and used by Instagram, Walmart, Baidu, Tesla, Airbnb, and many other fortunes 500 companies. An open-source version of Facebook’s React JavaScript framework.

React Native uses the same UI building blocks that are regular use for iOS and Android apps and also one reason is that it’s almost impossible to identify a React native app from an app built using Java or Objective-C.

Wrap-Up:

After everything, it’s always on the user as with which mobile development framework they wanted to go with and also I would suggest that anytime user can change mind if there are other better options out there.

Cross-platform frameworks that get used by Cross platform app development company as they are extremely impulsive with a new one being released on a regular basis.

Our purpose behind these is to help you rapidly turn rough ideas into a working application and after that into a successful polished product. Hence we also provide the facility to hire developers as per your requirements.

You can hire cross-platform app developer or hire hybrid app developer to build your own mobile applications using different cross-platform frameworks.

[semicoloncoder-blog]

New Post has been published on https://semicolon.codes/top-programming-languages-2018/

Top Programming languages in 2018

This is the definitive guide for anyone wanting to choose the right programming language career path in 2018.

And let me be clear about something:

This is not a “top hottest languages” post throwing around a bunch of names and buzzwords.

This is an objective and practical review of the current state, tendencies, and safe near-future predictions of the IT industry at the start of 2018.

It’s based on statistical data from various trusted sources and is the result of a two-week period of in-depth research.

When trying to decide which programming language makes the best career path, developers typically look for these four traits:

High salary

Popularity — plenty of job openings, variety

Tendency to become more in-demand in the future

Preferably easy to learn and pleasant to work with

1. JavaScript

JavaScript is the most popular language according to StackOverflow’s annual survey, with 62.5% of respondents claiming to use it.

It’s undoubtedly the dominant language of the web and the growth of JavaScript over the past decade has been immense. Why? Just look around and count how many web-enabled devices you can see. Stack Overflow’s co-founder and popular programming figure Jeff Atwood famously said:

Any application that can be written in JavaScript will eventually be written in JavaScript.

Having that in mind, it’s safe to say there will be no shortage of JavaScript opportunities in 2018 and beyond.

JavaScript knowledge feeds into plenty of front-end frameworks such as Angular, React, Ember, Backbone, and others, as well as the Node.js run-time environment, which allows you to run JavaScript on the back-end with high efficiency.

2. Swift

Swift is a relatively new programming language released by Apple in 2014. This is a language for developing native iOS or macOS applications.

It is considered an improvement in terms of usability and performance compared to Objective-C — the language used for Apple’s iOS and OS X operating systems.

Swift is generally favored by developers, standing at #4 in the list of most loved languages for 2017, after being #1 in 2015. Should you pick up a career with Swift, chances are you would enjoy it.

If you want to get into mobile development, you should definitely consider Swift as a high-paid career path. Generally, iOS apps have proven to be more profitable than Android apps.

3. Python

Python is a general purpose language which you can find almost anywhere today. You’ll find it in web applications, desktop apps, network servers, machine learning, media tools and more.

It’s used by big players like NASA or Google, where the Python creator Guido van Rossum was employed for about 8 years writing mostly…Python.

Python code is neat, readable, and well-structured. Proper indentation is not just for beauty here — it determines code execution.

Python-based web development frameworks like Django and Flask have been gaining more and more popularity. Also, the language is heavily equipped with quality machine learning and data analysis libraries like Scikit-learn and Pandas.

On the whole, career paths with Python are various and here to stay. It’s a good choice for beginner developers, as it’s high-level and easy to read and comprehend.

4. Java

Java is arguably the most popular programming language as 90% of the Fortune 500 companies heavily use it. Its famous slogan “write once, run anywhere” captures one of the keys that makes Java so valuable — its powerful Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which makes it cross-platform compatible.

Popular career paths with Java are backend developer, big data developer, embedded systems engineer, or Android developer. Although not the most “trendy” language at the moment, Java is so heavily used that we can pretty much guarantee it won’t go anywhere in the next decade and beyond.

Because of this, you can be confident that there are plenty of Java job positions both in your city and remotely, which can’t be said for some of the less popular languages on this list. Thus, if you are comfortable with Java, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll find the right place.

5. C++

C++ is a highly efficient and flexible language, first created back in 1985. It has remained in high demand due to its performance, reliability, and variety of contexts you can use it in.

Plenty of large systems have been created and maintained successfully using C++, including the likes of Microsoft, Oracle, PayPal, and Adobe.

A career with C++ typically involves developing desktop applications, especially for performance-intensive tasks. While rather complex, getting comfortable with C++ would give you a deeper understanding of how languages work, for example by giving facilities for low-level memory manipulation.

6. Ruby

Ruby is one of the most loved programming languages around. It’s designed to be friendly and easy to use by developers, as even its own tagline is “a programmer’s best friend.”

Ruby is a high-level language which aims to achieve a lot with few lines of clean, readable code. This sometimes takes significant effort “under the hood,” which makes Ruby relatively slower in terms of efficiency compared to other popular languages — but it definitely boosts your productivity.

Well-written Ruby code almost looks like sentences written in plain English. It’s a great choice for the first language to learn, as beginners typically pick it up fast and enjoy it along the way.

Ruby is mostly used for its most popular framework — Ruby on Rails. Ruby on Rails is a web framework which encapsulates all of Ruby’s ideas into a powerful tool for the web. The great productivity achieved with Rails makes it a common choice for startups who aim for a running start.

A career with Ruby on Rails is definitely a great choice as the framework is “optimized for programmer happiness” and is also well-paid. The only major drawback of picking up a career with Ruby is that the language is not quite as popular compared to the languages mentioned above. Thus, job openings with Ruby may be limited in some locations.

7. Rust

Rust is sponsored by Mozilla and was voted most liked by developers for a second consecutive year in StackOverflow surveys. This is a relatively new language, first appearing in 2010, which already gained remarkable popularity and is expected to improve even more in the future.

Rust is a compiled language which is often compared to C both in terms of use cases and performance. The main difference is that Rust is memory safe. One of the most common faults you could find in C code are dangling pointers, buffer overflows, or any other kind of memory errors. Rust is created with the purpose of avoiding those — the language literally makes it impossible for you to make such errors as they are caught during compilation (before the code was ever run).

For a beginner, Rust might be a bit of a struggle to pick up as it insists on various rules to achieve the memory safety. However, experienced developers love it, and it’s quite possible that in the next few years Rust will be in very high demand.

As far as salary is concerned, Rust is considered well-paid, ranking second worldwide in StackOverflow’s 2017 survey.

One more reason to choose Rust is that the language is being developed by a household name in IT, Mozilla.

8. Elixir

Its another new language, first appearing in 2011, that immediately gained popularity.

Elixir was inspired by Erlang, a language developed back in the 1980s by Ericsson and stands as arguably one of the best tools for heavy concurrency. Elixir’s author José Valim himself said that he liked everything about Erlang, but also saw room for improvement. The biggest drawback of Erlang for developers is the often quirky syntax and usability plus the lack of intuitive package management.

Thus, it appears — combining aspects from Ruby, a highly developer-friendly language and ecosystem, with those from Erlang.

This is mainly used for web development, and career options are typically well-paid but limited. The popularity of the language has been increasing year after year, so if your city has various IT companies around, Elixir developers may be highly sought after.

Salary-wise, Elixir is typically well-paid standing at third place worldwide in StackOverflow’s 2017 survey.

9. Scala

IT stands for Scalable Language, and is one of the many attempts to “rewrite Java” while improving its drawbacks. Its code is compiled to run on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

We can safely agree that Scala is already a success given the fact that big companies like LinkedIn, Twitter, and The Guardian use it in their codebases.

It has the reputation of being a complex language to learn for a junior developer. But those who make it past the learning curve probably enjoy a great career as open positions for Scala developers are definitely popping up more and more.

Scala ranks high in salary surveys, making the top ten worldwide and sharing first place in the US according to StackOverflow’s 2017 report.

  10. R

R is a programming language and environment used for statistics, graphic representation and data analysis. This is the #1 choice for data scientists. If you find yourself interested in this field, then R is a stable and profitable career choice for you.

[goldlink44]

Top 10 Games of 2016

Wow, what a great year for games (and not much else…). Seriously, though, 2016 produced some of the most fun gaming experiences that I’ve ever had. There was emotional wrenching, arcadey shooters, and games that put a smile on my face throughout their duration. I didn’t think that I was going to compile a list of my top ten games, as I wasn’t sure that there were 10 games that I could expound upon. But upon reflection, I found quite a few that I remember very fondly.

That said, there were also a bunch of games that won’t make the list for various reasons. Her Story and Until Dawn came out last year, but are both very very good for what they seek to accomplish.

I don’t own Hyper Light Drifter or Thumper, but they both look amazing and I can’t wait to play them in 2017.

I bought Inside, Oxenfree, Dishonored 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but haven’t put much time into any of them for me to have any strong feelings that I could back up.

Rimworld is still in early access, but shows some of the most promise I’ve seen in an indie game in years.

Orwell narrowly missed the list, but it is amazing in its own right. It’s a lot like one of my other favourite games from recent years, Papers, Please! but uses social media as its interface, and makes it fun to investigate potential law breakers. You can see my full review of it here. 

And so, without further adieu, here’s my Top Ten Games of 2016!

10. Battlefield 1

I learned all about the atrocities that occurred from 1914-1918 when I travelled with my family to The Netherlands and Belgium on a cycling trip that literally took us through the Western Front. It was humbling to see how, 100 years later, the land and the people never forget the seemingly pointless orders sending millions of men to their graves. I gained an appreciation, not only for the soldiers and support personnel that occupied that area of Europe during WWI, but also for the beauty of the land that was torn asunder from the battles.

Returning home weeks before BF1’s release, I was anticipating reviews, knowing that DICE can render fantastic environments and realistic war scenery. Most people were positive on the game pre-release, so I picked up a copy, and was not disappointed. The game is gorgeous, nailing the scenery of what I had seen first-hand, and depicting other fronts of the war in stunning detail. The campaign is incredibly well handled, showcasing the human stories behind the war, never glorifying or over exaggerating the heroics of the soldiers, but insisting that there was a great loss of humanity in The Great War. It’s emotionally on-point, and much better than I ever expected.

In any other year, I most likely would have passed over Battlefield 1, but given my trip to Europe, and the care with which DICE handles the story telling, it definitely makes my list of recommended games this year.

9. Overcooked!

While I may not have played hours upon hours of this co-op cooking game, the time I have spent with it has been incredibly entertaining. Anyone who has played Space Team in the past knows the mayhem that happens while trying to coordinate yourself and three other friends into executing on multiple goals at the same time. Throw this framework into a “too many cooks in the kitchen” premise, and it becomes a fun, delicious adventure that never gets stale.

Made by the team behind the Worms games, Overcooked! has a delightful art style and charming sense of humour that reduces the chance of getting bored with it. That, and each level has different mechanics that keep players on their toes, never letting them rest on their laurels and keep learning and moving to progress.

If I had 3 other friends always at the ready, I would definitely play Overcooked! every chance I got. Alas, I have enjoyed my extended bursts with the game, and can’t wait to get back in their and make some delicious soups.

8. Stardew Valley

While some people may spend their down time trying to relax by reading a book or watching a TV show, I found myself diving into Stardew Valley to destress. In its simplest terms, Stardew is a farming simulator that lets players crawl through dungeons and interact with fellow villagers, to almost simulate a second life (not in that creepy way though…). While this may not sound like everyone’s version of fun, Stardew Valley has such a delicate craft to it that everything feels good and rewarding to do. The kicker: it was made entirely by one person.

The premise revolves around you, the player character (customized any way you want, of course), inheriting your grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley when you’ve grown tired of the hustle and bustle of working in the city. You hop on a bus and learn the basics of farming and slowly get acquainted with everyone in town.

From there, there’s not too much else to say, as there are so many different options available that it’s nearly impossible for two players to have the same experience. It’s surprisingly relaxing to plant and harvest, fight monsters, and woo potential dates. Checking off tasks feels great, and the music provides a soothing tone to everything. While it may not be for everyone, and I haven’t spent the hundreds of hours playing it that others have, I can’t wait to dive back in on chill weekends and vicariously put my digital life in order to help me deal with my IRL problems.

7. Hitman

Another game that I wish I had spent more time playing this year was IO interactive’s episodic Hitman. I watched a LOT of people playing Hitman, most notably Giant Bomb’s various escapdes with it, but only recently purchased it myself. From what I have played, I really, really like it. So far, I’ve only gotten to two of the available six missions, but I’ve replayed them both several times, trying to master each assassination mission.

The set up isn’t very complex: you are an expert hitman, contracted out to assassinate dangerous targets. The gameplay itself though has a ridiculous comedy to it, that allows players to do nearly anything imaginable to accomplish their tasks. Beat them over the head with a golf club? Sure. Two-hand toss a fire extinguisher into their head? You got it. Sneak up behind, choke them out, and toss them off a bridge? Child’s play.

It may sound like incredibly poor taste to casually mention such gruesome methods of killing, but given the vast amount of murder simulators that inhabit the video game space, Hitman holds a special place for its use of comedy. While many games try to evoke a serious tone, or real repercussions for killing, Hitman knows exactly what it is, and accounts for the uncanny valley aspects inherent in video games. It leans into the silly ways of killing, and rewards players for their creativity. Again, it’s hard to get a handle on why this game works just by reading words, or even by watching it. The magic is only truly woven over those who play it themselves, and even as I type, I’m trying to allocate my upcoming Hitman time. If none of this has convinced you, perhaps this might. 

6. SUPERHOT

When I first heard about this game several years ago, it pretty much consisted of one mechanic: time moves when you move. I watched the demo, chuckled to myself, and hoped that the developers didn’t take their neat trick too seriously. Cut to this year, when SUPERHOT was finally released. I had almost forgotten about it, but the distinctive glass-like art style brought back memories of the cool mechanic, and again, I hoped that the game was able to improve on this simple-but-brilliant idea.

They did not disappoint.

I only played through all of SUPERHOT near the very end of 2016, but it was well worth the wait. The level design and player controls all lent to the feeling of playing like some sort of god. The narrative wrapper is also perfectly messed-up and suits this god-like feeling quite well. To fully immerse yourself in the game is to intuit where and when to shoot, throw your weapons, and move so that all of your split-second planning pays off. In total, the game took me about 3 hours, with an insanely difficult final level that outs all of your skills to the test, and succeeds on the initial promise in a way that I never imagined possible. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and rewards those who stay with it all the way. I loved it. It’s the most innovative shooter I’ve played in years.

5. The Witness

How do I sum up my thoughts on The Witness? For starters, I haven’t finished it yet, and feel like if I were to go back to it, I’d have to start all over again. That said, my time with it felt like school, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Playing Jonathan Blow’s previous game, Braid, hurt my head, but had a touching story that kept me going. With The Witness, there’s not much of a “story” but what fuelled my need to play it was the satisfaction of playing the game. Which is ridiculous when the game is basically just made up of hundreds or thousands of line puzzles. The puzzles start out simple enough, asking players to snake their way through mazes, creating lines in certain patterns that can’t cross over each other. Progressively, the game adds more and more elements to the puzzles, slowly training the player to think in different ways. It never prompts or looks down on you, but instead has an attitude of, “You can do it, just keep going.” There is no praise other than progression, but let me tell you, solving some of the more challenging puzzles makes you feel like the smartest motherfucker on the planet.

I should also mention that I played this with my girlfriend, Rosalie, passing the controller back and forth when we conquered a section, or got stumped by a puzzle. This definitely reduced the frustration, as getting a fresh pair of eyes didn’t let us bash our heads against a wall for too long. It’s hard to describe The Witness as “fun”, but it is beautiful and engaging, and never makes it too easy. The puzzles all build off of each other in such intricate ways, that there are too many “Eureka!” moments to count, all of which feel better than the last. There was definitely a lot of frustration with it too, but when I think back on it, all I can remember is the feeling of solving a puzzle, and feeling like I could conquer the whole damn island. It’s a different kind of pleasure than I normally experience in games, and in some ways, more potent than any other I’ve felt. Overall, it’s great.

4. Destiny: Rise of Iron

This is the third year that I’ve been playing Destiny, and I must admit, I think I’m a lifer. After being disappointed with its original release in 2014 (as seen in my Top Ten of 2014 list), The Taken King expansion from 2015 changed a lot of what I didn’t like about the game, and made it incredibly addictive. Combine that with a group of friends that I can consistently play with, and Destiny was the game I would usually fire up in 2016. To date, I’ve played 444 hours of Destiny since its release. It’s a fantastic game, made better with teammates.

2016’s expansion Rise of Iron was conceived as a way to tide fans over while Destiny 2 got delayed, and unfortunately, it shows. Don’t get me wrong, I loved a lot about getting more content for Destiny, but I feel like I went through it fairly quickly, and didn’t feel the need to keep going the way I did with The Taken King.

That all said, I still loved my time with it. The raid, Wrath of the Machine, is excellent, and the new crucible mode, supremacy, is a ton of fun for my main class and weapon load out - Shotgun Titan. The story was a bit of a let down, but I still enjoyed it. While this particular expansion wasn’t my favourite, Destiny solidified itself in my heart as a game that I will always return to. The shooting feels incredible, and the thrill of raiding is unlike any other experience I’ve had in games. I can’t wait for more content, and to see what else I can do with an already solid base. Here’s hoping Destiny 2 is 2017’s GOTY!

3. Overwatch

I was very late to the party on this game, and never played the betas. I’ve never been great at online multiplayer shooters. I even thought that I had my all-time-shooter in Destiny, but when I finally got my hands on Overwatch during a free weekend in October, I pulled the trigger (nice) and have loved every second that I’ve spent with it so far. Like Destiny, Overwatch is better with friends, as you casually shoot the shit while you shoot the shit (read: opposing team). Each character is unique, and I can play a variety of different ways that I never thought I would enjoy.

There’s been a lot said and hyperbolized about Overwatch, but I honestly think it deserves it. Like a lot of Blizzard’s past games, it perfects a formula, and adds a level of polish that makes everything feel accessible. I could go on and on about specific things to love, but it won’t make sense until you get your own hands on it. It’s fun, fast, and rewarding in the best ways - literally. It only shows positive accomplishments at the end of every match. The K/D ratio isn’t displayed, as killing n00bs isn’t the point. It’s about working together and having fun. To prove my point, I usually play as Reinhardt and don’t get many kills in each game, but I always feel valuable.

For changing my perception of competitive shooters, and for providing so many ways to play, Overwatch has earned a spot in my top 3, despite only playing it for 2 months of the year.

2. Firewatch

When I first heard about Firewatch, I knew that some of the guys behind the Idle Thumbs Podcast and The Walking Dead Season 1 were working on it. As I had been working my way through the Giant Bombcast, Idle Thumbs seemed like the obvious next choice for gaming podcasts. I resolved myself to try and listen to as much of it as I could before Firewatch’s release, so that I could better understand its creators (I guess). I was also a big fan of Olly Moss’s art for movie and game posters, and after listening to hours and hours of Idle Thumbs, I was brimming with anticipation for the release of the game.

When it finally came out on February 9th, 2016, I got home from my closing shift at Starbucks around 11pm. I waited for my girlfriend to fall asleep, and dove in around midnight. From there, i played through the whole thing in one sitting, finishing around 4:30am. My drive to do this was fueled by many things: 1) I loved the atmosphere and the music 2) I was on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating what would come next and 3) I was afraid that if I waited to finish it, I would miss something, or the tension would be lost.

My experience with Firewatch is very personal and unique, and I understand people’s resistance to its ending, or some of the tension that is built up throughout the game. For me, it is a fantastic story, full of relatable themes and story beats that pulls on my heart strings in so many ways. By the end, I was an emotional wreck, and I couldn’t have asked for more from such a tight, beautiful experience. I’m grateful to have learned about Idle Thumbs in the process, and will always recommend this game to people who enjoy a good story.

I also ended up playing through this with my friend Alex as part of my 24 hour live stream benefitting pancreas cancer research in November. You can watch it here: Part 1 Part 2

1. DOOM

Video games are supposed to be fun, right? If I had to picture myself as a third party, observing Chris Townley playing video games in 2016, I would have to definitively say that he had the most fun playing DOOM this year. Why? Because the majority of my time with it was spent with a big dumb grin on my face, giggling to myself as I bounced around and plowed through monsters. From the opening 5 minutes of DOOM, I knew that it was going to be an experience that I would treasure forever.

Growing up, we always had Apple computers with very few games on them. It was always a treat when my dad would bring home his laptop with a copy of Doom on it that I could mess around with. I might not have spent a large part of my childhood gaming time with Doom, but it is seared into my heart as a treasured memory. For example, my ringtone for the past 3 years has been the theme for 1-1.

Hearing that a new Doom game was coming out, I dove into nostalgia, and eagerly anticipated playing it, even if I thought it would be bad. Prodded by this interest, I picked up a copy of Masters of Doom by Dave Kushner, a book about the early days of id Software. It’s an incredible book, and one that I think most gamers should read. It also pumped me up for a new Doom. Just to swim around in familiar demonic territory would be good enough for me.

When it was announced that no review outlets had gotten a copy of it before release, I was skeptical but still hopeful. I didn’t play the multiplayer beta, because I knew that wasn’t where I was going to spend my time with it. When the reviews finally started flooding in, everyone raved about the single player. Shortly after, I spent the full price of $80 CAD to play it. I don’t regret it one bit, even though the game has had dozens of sale offerings since then.

Why do I like it so much? It’s dumb and it’s fun and it knows what it is. The original premise for Doom was along the lines of, you shoot demons, and you’re badass. DOOM (2016) keeps this theme alive, along with the speed and ridiculous humour that made the first game so fun. This is especially amazing considering only one person from the original team worked on the new one. It looks gorgeous, the music is perfect, and the mechanics urge you forward, punching and shooting through demons in sprays of blood and guts.

I could go on and on about how much there is to love about DOOM, but perhaps I will sum it up this way: after 11 hours of gameplay, and nearing the final mission, my save was corrupted and I lost everything. I’m not even mad, because I know I get to play through it all over again. Maybe this hyperbole will colour your version of DOOM, but for me, it was the best game I played in 2016.

[dme-delivers]

The Ultimate Guide to Mobile Marketing and Direct Mail – What You Need to Know

There are few certainties in life, and even fewer in the marketing industry. One of these certainties is mobile – mobile devices, mobile apps, mobile marketing. As the number of smartphone and tablet users across the world continues to grow, it will be impossible for direct marketers to ignore this emerging and constantly evolving medium.

There are thousands of mobile marketing “how to” and “trends” articles out there, but with this one I plan to take a comprehensive approach aimed at covering mobile marketing (specifically) for direct marketers and direct mail campaigns. Whether you are planning on promoting a mobile app with direct mail, or if you’re just looking for some tips on integrating mobile with your current direct mail strategy, this post is definitely for you.

Knowing your audience (OS and mobile vs non-mobile)

Every good direct marketer knows that a campaign is only as successful as the quality of the list. As with traditional direct marketing campaigns, the same is true with mobile marketing. Knowing when and how to use mobile in your campaigns is the first step. Certain audiences may not even be using smartphones – this is mainly the older crowds. Understanding you list also helps to identify whether to focus your mobile marketing messages on iOS, Android or both. For example, more affluent audiences tend to be predominantly iOS (iPhone/iPad) users. There’s no point of investing in both platforms if your users are mostly on one.

Also, mobile users may fit into various personas. Some of which include the news junkies, second screeners, social butterflies, and couponers. Knowing which group your audience predominantly fits into and personalizing the messaging and experience accordingly can have a hugely positive effect on your campaign conversion rates. If you’re having a tough time identifying which groups and personas your direct marketing list fits into, do a quick search on Google – there are services out there that can help you fill in the gaps!

Landing pages (mobile site, responsive or server-side mobile)

The next item to consider is the landing page that your direct mail marketing campaign drives visitors to. It’s extremely important that your websites, PURLs, landing pages and more are optimized for mobile users. While there are a few different ways to accomplish this, the main three are

Mobile-specific sites and URLs (m.yourpage.com)

Server-side mobile sites, that detect a visitors device and serve content appropriately

Responsively designed pages that conform to various screen sizes

In my professional opinion, responsive sites are the way to go. They take a bit more time and money to develop initially, but they are far easier and less expensive to maintain. More importantly, you are guaranteeing that your design will work on any and every screen size, device, operating system and platform.

Regardless of how you optimize your site for mobile users, the important thing to remember is that you NEED to do it. There’s no better way to throw out your money than to run a mobile marketing campaign without a mobile-optimized landing page…period.

Direct mail pieces with deep linking (payments, downloads, maps, QR, NFC, etc.)

Integrating mobile into your direct pieces opens up the door for a lot of cool tricks and tactics. It is important to understand what can (and should) be done for each campaign audience or goal. For example, a fundraising campaign could have a QR code that, when scanned, allows your audience to donate with a simple tap of a button. If you’re a local business sending out direct mail pieces, you can have a shortened URL or QR code that opens up the Google/Apple Maps app and plots directions to your location, instantly. There are literally hundreds of uses and methods for deep linking into apps and creating a richer experience than a simple landing page. We’ll save all of that for another article, though!

A/B testing (calls to action, deep linking and landing pages)

We all know that you should be A/B testing your headlines, creative, layouts, etc. However, building upon the previous section dealing with deep links in your mail pieces, it’s important to remember to A/B test these mobile calls to action. Certain audiences and segments may respond more positively to QR codes and deep linking into apps, while others may convert more with traditional (but responsive) landing pages or PURLs. The only way to really know for sure is to test and measure. Remember to have a clear goal for each test and specific measurements to decide the winner. Also, don’t go too overboard with your testing…keep it to one or two specific elements per test.

Tracking across platforms/devices (desktop, laptop, mobile web and mobile apps)

There’s nothing new about tracking the results of your direct marketing campaigns in real-time. What is new, however, is being able to track users across mobile platforms and segments. Tracking shouldn’t stop at the campaign level – with tools like Mixpanel, direct marketers can segment and analyze campaign results across desktop, laptop, mobile web and even mobile apps. Despite understanding the fundamental need for these tracking tools, 9 out of 10 direct marketers I’ve met have failed to implement even the most basic cross-device and cross-platform tracking (in a useful way). One of my favorite tools for mobile marketing (and mobile apps, specifically) is Segment.io. This will allow you to embed tracking codes into your campaigns and applications once, and then update them in real-time. Tools like these are definitely a huge time-saver and way around resubmitting your applications to iTunes and Google Play.

Consolidated reporting

So now that you’ve created your campaigns, optimized the calls to action for mobile, plus tested and tracked results, you need an easy way to report and analyze all of this data. All of the data in the world won’t do you any good unless you have an easy way to compile and digest it. That’s where reporting dashboards come into play.

The ideal solution would be to create an in-house reporting dashboard that uses APIs and web services to pull in data from all of the various tools and systems you use to create, send, measure, etc. your campaigns. However, not every mobile marketer or direct marketing company has the time or money to create something like this in-house. Luckily, there are tools like Geckoboard that provide similar functionality for a fraction of the cost. It’s a huge time saver…trust me.

Follow-up messaging to keep engagement high (SMS, push, survey, in-app, email, etc.)

OK –so if you’ve followed all of these suggestions your mobile marketing campaign was probably a huge success. Congratulations. Now comes the fun part. Direct marketing in the mobile and digital world doesn’t end with a single campaign…especially if your main goal was app downloads. Subsequent campaigns, both one-off and nurture campaigns, need to be mapped out to keep your audience engaged with your mobile offering. If you used a tracking or marketing platform in your mobile app (like Mixpanel, mentioned earlier) you now have the ability to market to your audience with SMS, push notifications, in-app messaging, in-app surveys and more. Attention spans are short in mobile marketing, and if you aren’t keeping your audience engaged, somebody else will. We’ll cover these mobile marketing strategies in more detail in an upcoming post.

Keeping up with the trends

It’s important to remember that mobile, like any other marketing discipline, is constantly changing. In order to keep your conversion rates and ROI high you need to be constantly learning and testing. What worked 12 months ago might not necessarily work today, and what works today might not even next week. Wearable tech like Google Glass, improving smart phone features (both hardware and software) and a growing amount of competition ensures that mobile marketing will continue to grow and evolve, and you definitely don’t want to get left behind! Read case-studies on blogs, attend conferences and network – that’s the only way to stay ahead of the game.

The benefits of mobile marketing

So now that we’ve covered the basics on how to do it, let’s cover why mobile marketing is critical. Two of the main benefits of effective mobile marketing are the increased amount of data that can be tracked and captured, as well as quicker (sometimes instant) conversions. In addition, greater levels of interactivity and engagement associated with mobile apps and marketing are also hard to ignore. Basically, if done correctly, the marriage of direct mail and mobile marketing can become pretty much every direct marketer’s wet dream…and we’ll leave it at that!

Do you have any other mobile marketing tips, suggestions or feedback? We’d love to hear them in the comment section below. So until next time…happy marketing!