Learn to Build Your Own Mobile App using PhoneGap

iphone

When I talk to college or high school students about my job as a software developer, I often encounter the question “how do I get started creating apps?”  As a software guy, I want to encourage students to become makers.   I love the craft of making software and building apps.   Therefore, I wanted to share some information about a tool that will provide a gentle introduction to building mobile applications for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

PhoneGap is a free tool that allows you to create simple mobile applications using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.   You should check out this tool for the following  reasons:

  • Using PhoneGap Build, you can build apps using one step without owning a Mac or other expensive programming tools.
  • A friend of mine is building a small mobile phone game using Canvas and JavaScript.  It’s amazing that this works!
  • As you grow in your HTML and JavaScript skills, you can use more advanced features of your mobile platform like the accelerometer, camera, geolocation and more.
  • You can build apps like these – http://phonegap.com/app/
  • I believe in taking baby steps in life.  While it would be cool to start learning Java and Objective C to build mobile apps, PhoneGap helps you start the learning process using tools that are simple and engaging.
  • If you start investing time in learning PhoneGap, you’re building skills to become a web developer too.   The demand for these skills is only increasing.

If you don’t know HTML, JavaScript, or CSS, no problem!  There are fun places to get started learning.

HTML/CSS

JavaScript

How do you get started with PhoneGap Build?

Here’s a quick video giving you an overview of how PhoneGap Build works from LearnToProgram.tv .   In future blog posts, I hope to provide more teaching regarding the design process of building a mobile app, getting started with HTML5 and JavaScript, and more.

Reference Links:

 

What kind of app would you like to create?   We would love to hear from you!!  Leave a comment and let us know how we can help you.

 

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Photo taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/witer/4908036684/sizes/m/in/photostream/