HTML5 Frameworks for Mobile Apps – What you need?

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HTML5 is definitely a winner for Mobile Apps Development. It gives you the power of simple App programming and efficient device compatible app standards. Recently I started to explore few HTML5 Frameworks for Mobile apps developments, because we wanted to try something more efficient then native apps. Unlike Native apps, HTML5 gives an extraordinary advantage of ‘Create once and Deploy for all devices” and that’s the important reason for our search for a suitable framework. Here, I am sharing few experiences of the explored HTML5 mobile frameworks with my readers.

When I checked with Google, the first HTML5 Mobile framework captured me is ‘JO’. It is a very simple application framework for HTML5 and it supports almost all the mobile device browsers. iOS, Android, WebOS (Surprise..!! It is still working) and Blackberry. Yes, we didn’t tested it with Symbian – coz now days, the primary crowd is with Android and iOS only. JavaScript plays a major role here, and a little knowledge in CSS3 makes things perfect.

‘JQuery’ Mobile is the next option suggested by many friends – it is a touch-optimized Web Framework for Smartphones and Tablets. It is a unified user interface system across all popular mobile device platforms, built on the rock-solid jQuery and jQuery UI foundation. [I am learning JQuery UI with UX standards for few client works] - Its lightweight code, built with progressive enhancement, and has a flexible, easily theme able design [It makes life easy with colors].

I explored ‘The-M-Project’ last weekend with one of my friends – he is a HTML5 Guru. It is another JavaScript based mobile framework for writing cross-platform mobile apps. Ok – this M-Project contains all UI and Core files to build jQuery Mobile based mobile HTML5 Apps – so If you know JQuery – you’ve got another weapon to hit.

Yes, Of course, we tested the basics only for Proof of concept development – but still working on it for more new things. I am sure, this HTML5, JavaScript, JQuery, UI and CSS3 will be an excellent combo against Native apps – but for people like us – It is another way to make new business. Happy… !!

How to Promote HR in Social Media Marketing

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Human Resource is a business area, which always needs continuities interactions with individual candidates, groups, communities and Small/Medium/Corporate groups. The style of communication in various channels decides the greatest number in its business growth. Recently, I met a Client, who works for a renowned HR unit at Bangalore, for HR Portal Development and Social Media Strategy support services. Our meeting touched various success points as goals and strategy plans, in-fact I learned few ideas from him. I am sharing few simple ideas here, for any Human resource development businesses – which are into hiring, training, resource development, placements and management.

• Publish the available opportunities as small text notes in facebook, twitter, likedin and other common social networks. People need information about opportunities to get prepared for the same.


• Publish small notes about the current and future opportunity market trends, required technologies, knowledge base for opportunities. For example: Candidates should know that Java is still a major requirement for Mobile apps, and PHP plays a major role in Mobi Web Development. HTML5 is emerging as a next generation trend technology.


• Write and Post Human resource related articles in Social Networks with your Brand name. Educate the users about ethics, work cultures, Work – Life Balance and even personal finance management. These support areas are required for a healthy human resource management


• Create discussions on common interview questions and monitor how the attitude is changing with current scenarios.


• Ask Questions, Create Polls and Share them – let people participate and it helps for create a knowledge-base community

Our team of professionals, work for the above mentioned activities in content development and content presentations. The core idea is to create a community, where knowledge and professional values are connected together as growth.

Project Management for .Mobi Website Development

Project Management for mobile websites is a special kind of approach based on its various requirements and limitations. In my experience I handled Mobile websites for Social Media, Business Functional Applications, Online Product Purchase, News and Media presentations, Entertainment Content downloads, and Travel and location based services. For every single project, we faced a small change in our process, basically learned from experiences. We followed agile approach for almost all our projects in simple way to make the project management painless.

I am planning to write more about project management for this platform, but as a start, let me share some key points.

• Organize a basic requirements analysis meeting with all stakeholders and document the requirements in easy functional stories


• Build a product Backlog from the requirement analysis and consider it as first level defined scope


• Present the overall project goals – the overall solution model , as a guide for priority setting


• Build a team & assign key roles – the team should include stakeholders, quality assurance and implementation team members. Key roles and responsibilities should be assigned for scrum master, product owner, designers, developers, quality assurance and stakeholders. Document it for future benefits


• Define and publish a communication plan for the community of stakeholders


• Define backlog stories derived from basic analysis and user stories


• Prioritize backlog and communicate sprint release goals with stakeholders


• Plan your sprint – a scrum master is responsible for ensuring tasks are completed
  
  
  
  • Define sprint length – we plan for 10 days
  
  
  • The product owner should present stories to lead the team through the project proposal document, and define acceptance test criteria
  
  
  • Scrum master and QA should sit with the developer to confirm scope, expectations, and technical implementation details – including the QA level and documentation details.
  
  
  • Estimate the time – Scrum master, Developer and Product owner should decide based on discussions
  
  
  • Scrum master prepares a Scrum Board for tracking project activities
  
  
  • Daily scrum meetings should be planned – everyone should attend without fail
  
  
  • In Daily Scrum meetings – we normally take one story for the development, and design its solution. We also get updates of stories in progress, and identify-track-resolve blockers. We review the burn down chart and calculate time still required
  
  
  •  In sprint presentation stage – we review sprint status – basically health, discuss about areas need improvement, and changes required. We come to a agreement on how the next sprint will be run
  
  
  • The Demo normally goes through product owner – and we review the feedbacks received. The comments – improvement suggestions – and additional requirements will be added in backlog after an impact analysis
  
  
  
  

As you can see, the agile way of project management is almost same as website or any web application development – but the best thing is … it keeps us happy in developing … some kind of good professional way.

3 Quick tips to create secured Smartphone access

Are you using a Smartphone? Yes..? Oh Good. !! I am sure you are using your phone not just as a device to talk to your friends, send and receive messages – but also to store email messages, personal and office documents, presentations, audio, video files etc. When I discussed about their usage of smartphone devices, many friends accepted that they are using it as a mass storage device too – Just like a personal USB drive.

Security becomes an essential point, when your device is used as an information storage gadget. Smartphone device can be protected by using passwords / PINs.  Strong passwords are vital for maximum security. I propose these quick tips to create secured smartphone passwords / PINs.

1. Use folder security settings always. Nokia, Samsung devices are having inbuilt folder management tools with encryption options. Android devices, Windows Phones and Iphone devices are having operating system level file / folder security settings with encryption, and password protected.

2. Create passwords with combination Text and Numbers. Change your passwords often. Never keep text passwords related to you, your work or family member names. Secure your memory card, Bluetooth access with PIN password. This will be usually numbers only. Don’t use continues numbers, same numbers, birthdays / anniversary dates etc.

3. Create multiple profiles and use a profile with less information visibility while traveling. Create un-usual gestures, while using Android point based locking system or similar.

Share your tips to secured smartphone access – and follow me in twitter for more ideas.

3 essential security policies for Smartphone usage inside Office

Small Offices, Medium size organizations or Large corporate– the official Information should be secured, and managed to its maximum level through defined security policies.

The security policies should be a formal, brief, and high-level statement that embraces an organization’s general beliefs, goals, objectives, and acceptable procedures for a specified subject area. In our case, it is all about smartphone usage.

Define a mandatory require compliance, standards and guidelines, failure to comply results in disciplinary action for every policy division.

I advocate these 3 fundamental security policies for smartphone usage inside office.

Policy #1: Every Smartphone use should activate phone locking after a period of inactivity and use strong passwords or PINs for reactivation.

Policy #2: An Employee must connect from smartphone to the corporate network over secure VPN’s always.

Policy #3: An Employee must encrypt all corporate information stored on the phone using provided tools

I am sure; these policies can be a good start for security management in organizations. Share your comments and suggestions for more discussions.