Why You Should Choose React for Your Next Project

Since it was launched in 2013, the use of React has grown rapidly. If you are not familiar with it, React is a JavaScript framework that is used for developing web sites, web applications and mobile applications. It is based on a JavaScript library created by Facebook and is a powerful tool when used for native mobile app development. Its use has skyrocketed over the past 6 years, in fact, it is currently used by some of the most popular brands in the world, such as Facebook, Instagram, Walmart, Bloomberg, Apple, PayPal, Netflix, Skype, Tesla, Airbnb and many more.

With React, developers are able to build a rich UI for native apps that is supported by both iOS and Android platforms. Mobile application development companies have embraced React as a powerful tool for developing mobile apps and you should consider utilizing React for your next project. Here are a few reasons why:

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Reuse of system components

React’s ability to reuse system components is one of its best features. This approach helps give your project a more consistent look and helps facilitate codebase maintenance and growth. This feature is particularly useful for large scale enterprises. With its ability to re-use code components, it makes version management and the further use of components on a growing app ecosystem easier, along with helping maintain consistent internal coding standards. 

Stable code

To make sure that even the smallest changes that take place in child structures do not affect their parents, React uses only a downward data flow. To change an object, developers simply modify its state, make the change, and then only those particular components are updated. This structure helps to ensure that the code is stable.

Faster rendering

Another particularly exciting feature of React is Virtual DOM. Facebook introduced this feature to improve performance on high load or dynamic solutions. Since React utilizes a virtual representation of a document object model, all of the changes will be applied to the virtual DOM first and then afterword, it calculates the necessary DOM operations and updates the DOM tree is accordingly. This process reduces the time used and guarantees better user experiences and a better performing mobile application.

Proven performance

Since thousands of companies across the face of the globe have chosen React to develop their apps and web sites, including some of the largest in the world, you can feel confident in it as a development tool. For example, Baidu Mobile, which was developed with React, has over 600 million users.

Conclusion

In summation, React is not only a stable choice that reduces risk but it is also responsive and an advanced tool that has been more than proven. It is a highly recommended tool that is very effective when building large-scale enterprise applications that utilize dynamic data that changes.

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What’s all the Buzz about Flutter?

If you have been thinking about having a mobile application built for either yourself or your business and have done some research, you have probably come across Flutter during your search and want to learn more about it.

To start with, Flutter is an open-source SDK that mobile app developers can use to create native-looking Android and iOS mobile apps.  Perhaps the biggest advantage of Flutter is that it is a cross-platform tool that was developed to create both Android and iOS mobile applications from a single code base utilizing a modern framework.

Mobile application development

Mobile apps built using Flutter are created using a simple object-oriented programming language called Dart.

Flutter focuses on the use of widgets to build mobile applications. User interfaces are created by combining different widgets. Each defines a structural element (such as a menu), a stylistic element (such as a font), a factor of the layout (like margins), or other items related to the application. Flutter does not utilize widgets from the hardware but instead has its own widgets that look native to either the Android OS or Apple iOS. Additionally, it’s also possible to create custom widgets if your application requires them.

While Flutter isn’t widely used yet, it is growing rapidly and has been used to build several very popular mobile applications, such as Alibaba, Reflectly, Birch Finance, and the Hamilton Musical app to name a few. Many other apps currently in the app stores have been built utilizing Flutter. You probably have some on your smartphone right now and didn’t even realize they were built using the Flutter framework.

Flutter has several benefits when compared to the traditional way of building mobile applications.

Fast and Simple

One of the most useful features of Flutter is the ability to instantly view the changes you made to the application on emulators, simulators, and hardware. Almost instantly, the updated code is reloaded with no need to restart. This is an exceptional feature that saves developers a great deal of time creating applications.

Increased Productivity

Since Flutter allows developers to utilize the same code base for both iOS and Android apps it saves a great deal of time and resources in the development process. Businesses looking to accelerate the timetable of bringing their apps to market or looking to contain costs will find Flutter is an excellent way to accomplish both of these goals.

Enhanced Performance

The Dart coding language utilized by Flutter compiles into native code so they will perform just like the native apps you have loved for years. As an additional benefit, you will find that since apps built using Flutter have their own widgets, the apps will not need to access OEM widgets, which translates into less mediated communication between the app and the platform. The end result is fast app startup times and fewer performance issues.

Improved Compatibility

Since Flutter widgets are built into the app and it’s not as dependent on the platform, it will reduce compatibility issues between different OS versions. This will save you time and money when you start testing your application.

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Raise Awareness for your Mobile App with App Reviews

An integral part of many app marketing programs run by businesses and mobile app developers is raising awareness through app reviews. Getting reviews for your app can have a sizable effect on your app downloads. App reviews have many benefits, they will help you reach an audience you may not be exposed to in your other marketing efforts, additionally, reviews from third parties build credibility since they are coming from an objective source.

Getting reviews for your app can have a sizable effect on your app downloads.Start by writing a short, personalized email. This email should essentially be a short summary of a press release (which we will discuss below).  In your email mention the name of your app and discuss its unique selling proposition. Include links to your web site and where the reviewer can download it on Google Play or iTunes, followed by a paragraph describing its benefits and features.

Feel free to include a screen shot or two or a short video and wrap it up with your contact info. This email should be able to stand on its own, but it can be a good idea to include a press release under your signature.  You won’t want to include your press release as an attachment.

If you choose to write a press release, you will want to start with something that catches their attention.  Since readers often scan content these days, feel free to use bullet points to cover features and benefits, this will make it easier for a reader to scan and quickly develop an understanding of you app. Make sure you discuss what makes your app unique.

You don’t want to make it too long; an ideal press release will be 200-400 words. Remember your first 2 sentences are the most important; you need to capture a reader’s interest to get them to read more. Additionally, you will not want to use inflammatory language, don’t oversell your app or you will turn readers off.

When you start sending your emails out, it is a good idea to start small. You will have a much better chance having your app reviewed by smaller niche publications than major tech blogs like Mashable or Tech Crunch. Start by doing some research to find niche blogs that are targeted to a market your app would appeal to, for instance, if you develop an app focused on homeowner services, contacting sites that focus on homes and décor, etc. will potentially help you reach more interested users than tech blogs would.

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