In recent years, the fast-paced development of web technologies has dramatically powered development activities past its traditional boundary. Web technology has not only been entrenched in modern browsers, it has also contributed to enterprise-level Web applications, mobile application development, and server-side services, as well as some emerging platforms like the Internet of Things.

Here are several highlights of how advances in web technologies have changed the development process:

• HTML5 brings many new features (like built-in video/audio playback, local cache, etc.) to benefit modern browsing (cross-browser compatibility, mobile optimization, etc).
• Working with HTML5, CSS3 ensures easier and but still powerful building of web pages.
• The development of the JavaScript ecosystem contributes a lot of frameworks (like AngulaJS, Backbone.js, Ember.js, React.js, etc.) that unquestionably facilitate the development of web technologies.
• Node.js, a JavaScript (Google V8) powered cross-platform runtime environment opens the gate of server-side development by just using web technologies.
• On June 17, 2015, The General Assembly of Ecma International has announced the approval of the next version of JavaScript (with the codename ECMAScript 6 or ES6, now called ECMAScript 2015 officially). The new version brings foundational changes to JavaScript which enables the development of larger, more complex web applications.

Web technologies also play a very important role as they enter the mobile application development arena. They benefit mobile developers through its simplicity and fast-paced development, as well as its �?strong>cross-platform�?nature – “Write Once, Run Anywhere�?

The majority of development work nowadays still uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build web pages, then these web pages are run in an internal browser (called WebView), which is embedded in a native application (called Native Shell). If needed, the Native Shell can also expose native APIs (like camera, location service, etc.) to JavaScript. The applications built in this way are called Hybrid Applications. Some frameworks (like Apache Cordova (PhoneGap), Ionic, etc.) can facilitate this development.

In general, the benefits of Hybrid Applications fit well with our needs in terms of development process as well as our marketing strategy:

• Its �?strong>cross-platform�?nature can help reduce development time and cost dramatically.
• We can easily design for various situations, like different platforms, device sizes, etc.
• We can provide rapid prototyping and easy distribution to each platform (web browsing or app store).

However, this approach still has several “pain points�?that prevent developers from choosing hybrid applications over native applications, such as:

• Poor performance. Although the internal browser (WKWeb​View in iOS and Chrome WebView in Android) has been improved to provide faster web page reddening speed, the overall performance is still not comparable to what a native application brings.
• Poor Native API support. With the help of frameworks, the application can access to the native features of underlying platforms by leveraging external “plugins�? However, using such “plugins�?actually brings uncertainty as well as complexity in managing the development as well as a required level of maintenance.

Then, is it possible to bring web technologies to “native�?mobile application development?

The answer is YES.

With the help of JavaScript engine (also called JavaScript Runtime), developers can still write the application by using web technologies, but also allow the application to run directly on platforms (like iOS, Android) supported by JavaScript Runtime as a native application.

Because of this, developers can utilize the fast and convenient web technologies for development as well as the counterpart performance and user experience that a native application provides.

The framework Appcelerator Titanium is the earliest pioneer in this area and it does a great job in creating mobile applications on different platforms from just one JavaScript codebase. In March 2015, the release of React Native by Facebook brings this approach to the next level.

Compared to Appcelerator Titanium, React Native uses a batched asynchronous messaging protocol for establishing communication between native main thread and a background thread where a JavaScript engine runs to process JavaScript code. Without blocking the native main thread, the application can be more responsive and bring a more native-like user experience. Beyond that, React Native also ships with React.js – the emerging powerful framework that helps build applications easily by using its novel technologies (like Virtual DOM, One-way Binding, etc.).

Currently React Native is used in two of Facebook’s apps: Facebook Groups and Facebook Ads Manager. Without mentioning it, it is hard to tell they are not built upon native SDK and instead are built on React Native.

The “core�?need for using web technologies in native mobile application development is to build applications with a powerful performance and native-feeling UI. And the most promising part of React Native just lies on it – perhaps it can help lead us to this new stage of mobile application development.

Leo Shi is the Mobile Tech Lead at Logic Solutions. He participates in the entire development process of iOS and Android mobile applications, and web-based mobile apps.

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Source: Apple

At its “Spring Forward�?event on March 9, Apple showed off the much-anticipated Apple Watch and unveiled three exciting new products – Apple’s ResearchKit, the new MacBook, and HBO Now on Apple TV. Here is a rundown of the big announcements.

Apple Watch

Source: Apple

Apple has been hard at work improving and refining the Apple Watch since its initial announcement in September and the announcement of its software development kit.

Functionally, the Watch doesn’t seem to have changed much since it was first introduced. Users can make and take calls, read and send messages, make payments with Apple Pay, control their music, track workouts and activity levels, and even unlock their hotel rooms. At the event, Apple emphasized the watch’s notification feature, which alerts users of breaking news, social media updates, scheduled events, etc. It includes the new “Taptic Engine�?to provide haptic feedback when an alert or notification is received. Haptic feedback technology uses forces or vibrations to convey information to the user (e.g. when a game controller shudders when your character dies). For the Watch, the Taptic Engine vibrates the watch when notifications are received, and creates a tiny noise to go with the vibration to make the illusion of a mechanical watch even more realistic. Siri has also been integrated into the Watch.

The Watch has been designed to work with the iPhone (and most likely only the iPhone…sorry, Android users). Any messages or calls made with the Watch will sync with your phone. Its battery lasts up to 18 hours.

Apple Watch Sport, with a lightweight band and an aluminum case, will start at $349. The standard Apple Watch with a stainless steel case starts at $549 and can run up to $1099 depending on the band selection. The Apple Watch Edition, with an 18-karat gold band and case in either yellow or rose gold, will start at $10,000.

Apple will take pre-orders starting April 10, and the Watch will be available on April 24.

Apple ResearchKit

Source: Apple

Finding and recruiting volunteers is one of the biggest obstacles to scientific research. Small sample sizes are more vulnerable to inaccuracy, and samples that lack diversity make it difficult to generalize the world population.

Apple’s new ResearchKit is an iOS software framework designed to benefit medical research by making it easy for people to volunteer to join research studies. Researchers can design and build medical testing apps, sign up volunteers that are far from their physical lab, and record data more quickly and efficiently than before.

Source: Apple

Tests designed with ResearchKit use the iPhone’s sensors to record data. Volunteers can sign consent forms on the device’s touch screen, which can now also sense people’s tapping rhythm and detect inconsistencies that may be an indication of a disease, such as Parkinson’s.

The device’s microphone can track fluctuations in a person’s voice and the phone’s accelerometer can compare a person’s walk, gait, and balance against a healthy person’s baseline. There is no doubt that when Apple Watch becomes available to the public, researchers will be able to create tests that use the device to measure heart rate and heart rhythm, and track physical activity.

And don’t worry, users can decide how the data is shared and Apple won’t see it.

So far researchers have used   ResearchKit to create tests for  Parkinson’s, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and breast cancer. You can download these tests from  the App Store. ResearchKit itself is open source and will be available next month.

New MacBook

Source: Apple

It’s the lightest Mac ever. Weighing in at only 2 lbs, the new MacBook has a 12�?Retina display and is only 13.1mm thick, 24% thinner than the 11�?MacBook Air. It has a new keyboard mechanism that allows keys to be 40% thinner with a 17% larger clickable surface area and hopefully offers a “stronger�?type of click. LEDs are now under every key so that the keyboard produces a uniform glow.

The new pressure-sensitive Force Touch trackpad can detect how much pressure a user applies to the surface. It can tell the difference between a light tap and a deep press, which opens up a world of possibility and function. For example, pressing down deeply on the trackpad after clicking can bring up new shortcuts to everyday apps, such as a Wikipedia entry of a highlighted word, or it can fast-forward through a Quicktime movie.

Source: Apple

The MacBook is fanless to provide silent(er?) operation. And, thanks to a new contoured design, the MacBook battery packs itself into a smaller space and will last up to nine hours. The USB-C port allows the laptop to compact 5 ports into one – power, USB data transfer, Display Port, HDMI, and VGA.

The new MacBook starts at $1299 and starts shipping April 10.

HBO Now on Apple TV

Source: Apple

Starting in April, Apple will offer an HBO video streaming service on Apple TV, iPhones, and iPads called HBO Now. This deal is available exclusively only in the U.S. and you don’t need a cable subscription, simply an online subscription.

Source: Apple

To sign up, viewers register through the new app on a compatible Apple device. However, once registered customers can access HBO programming on both Apple devices and PCs.

Apple has an exclusive three-month right to sell access to HBO Now, after which HBO will presumably open up the service to other companies.

The HBO Now online subscription costs $14.99/month, with a free month for new subscribers. To sweeten the deal, Apple has cut the price of the Apple TV from $99 to $69.

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Jennifer Pan is a marketing coordinator at Logic Solutions. If you want to get her attention, try talking to her about d20s, (board) games, sci-fi and geeky references, or cute animal videos…or all of them at once. Just don’t bring up her uncanny ability to roll natural 1s.

The post Apple Watch, MacBook, ResearchKit, and HBO Now Are Coming in April appeared first on 雷技信息科技（上海）有限公司.

Look closely and you’ll see wearables everywhere: on a commuter’s wrist boarding a train, around an athlete’s chest at the gym and so on. If you haven’t seen them yet, you’re about to see a lot more of them.

Download this wearable devices price chart >>

 

 

With the impending release of Apple’s iWatch, Morgan Stanley predicts the company to sell between 30 and 60 million iWatches in the first year alone.

So, just what are wearables? Okay, I’m sorry for this, but I went to Wikipedia for a concise definition: “Wearable technology, tech togs, or fashion electronics are clothing and accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies.�?/p>

Popular examples include Fitbit, a fitness band users wear on their wrist to track calories spent, steps, distance walked, etc. Google Glass, an eyeglass-like device, has been grabbing headlines for not only its robust functionality but also the public’s skepticism. You can download our PDF for a brief snapshot of other wearables on the market and their prices.

Wearables still are a technology for early adopters, which means there are plenty of detractors. Some question privacy concerns, bars in San Francisco banned Google Glass, while others can question safety concerns, pointing to the million Fitbits that were recently recalled for causing rashes.

Despite these obstacles, it doesn’t look like much will slow the march of wearable tech. Juniper research predicted the market to jump from its current $2 billion value to $19 billion by 2018. Some doctors are experimenting with Google Glass in the operating room, and even the best-selling author David Sedaris can’t help but gush about his Fitbit.

The market and the technology are evolving so fast that it’s hard to truly know what the landscape will be like in six months, let alone 2018. For example, Pebble Steel sold like hot cakes earlier this year, but the introduction Android Wear has many users considering bolting for Android-powered devices. Is there another groundbreaking technology around the corner that could flip the wearables market its head? It’s definitely possible in such a young field. For now, approach wearables with caution for the present but allow yourself to be wildly optimistic for the future.

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Pierce Courchaine is a marketing coordinator at Logic Solutions. When he’s not in the office, he’s rumbling around the country in a 1996 Honda Civic he lovingly named Martha. Martha’s air conditioning doesn’t work anymore, her power locks failed, her back left window doesn’t open and her 106 horsepower has made for some heart-pounding races against Vespas. For some reason, he’s the only one who can see what’s special about her.

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