Mobile Development with C#

Chapter 1. Surveying the Landscape

The last decade has been nothing short of a whirlwind in the mobile space. Phones have been transformed from simple conveniences to indispensable extensions of everyday life. With high-resolution displays, GPS, cameras capable of both still photography and recording high-definition videos, full-featured web browsers, rich native applications, touchscreens, and a constant connection to the Internet, the phone has evolved into a powerful mobile computer. The evolution has gone so far that the actual telephone functionality has essentially become secondary to the rest of the features. Today’s mobile phone is now more than the sum of its parts. It is your connection to the world.

The Players

As with any fast-moving market, there are many players with skin in the mobile game at any given time. This book, however, is going to be focused on three of the bigger names right now:

iOS

It can be argued that Apple is responsible for being the catalyst in bringing about the modern smartphone generation. Back in early 2007, Apple announced the iPhone, which marked the company’s first foray into building their own mobile phone. The product included many features, such as a touchscreen and a focus on a polished user experience, that would quickly become standard in smartphones across the board. In many ways, the iPhone remains the gold standard for smartphones today, even as the market continues to evolve and innovate. Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS, is also ...