Publishing an app without going via apple?

[Pete Marsh]

The further I delve into the exciting world of appery, the more TLAs I learn.

It seems that I may need a Mobile App Manager (MAM) as well as a MDM.

A US company called Antenna Software crop up a lot in my research - anybody used them/hate them/recommend an alternative to them?

Also, a lot of the products deliver and install apple apps - do the vendors have to buy licenses from apple to do this i.e. they're a front end/management system for apple technology? I don't mind if that's the case (it's our customers who wind up paying), just wondering.

[yasockie]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned HTML5 Webapps yet - you can install them to your home screen on both iOS and Android and its very easy to deploy updates that way. It should also be very easy to produce one since your manuals are either already in HTML or can be converted to it very easily.

PM me if you need any help setting that up.

[russell]

Tech docs should be HTML, you can then add the web page to the home screen so,you get a nice little app button, think you can also control the icon similar to favicon type thing. To create an actual app for tech docs is using the wrong technology.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned HTML5 Webapps yet - you can install them to your home screen on both iOS and Android and its very easy to deploy updates that way. It should also be very easy to produce one since your manuals are either already in HTML or can be converted to it very easily.

PM me if you need any help setting that up.

[Pete Marsh]

Final call for nominations for Mobile App Managers (MAM)...

I'm almost at the stage of contacting folk who can host and manage our apps and thought I'd ask one last time if anyone here could recommend any MAMs.

So far I'm looking at Maas360, Antenna, and at a push, the native app stores like Apple Enterprise and Google Play (was Android Market).

Any more for any more? Esp UK based co's.

[d000hg]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned HTML5 Webapps yet

<cough>

I think the only way to do the latter would be to make it into an HTML5 app.

...

I've not come across these things before... is the basic principle they run an enterprise store so you can just give them the app to host?

[Pete Marsh]

<cough>

I've not come across these things before... is the basic principle they run an enterprise store so you can just give them the app to host?

Well we've not tried it yet so I'm only going on the website blurb, but in principle if I write an app, then we can hire an hosting service like Antenna (google antenna app hosting) and they host a the app for us. They also update them for us. I think such companies can do the mobile device manager (MDM) thing whereby the app can be remotely 'killed' if an employee leaves etc.

Like wxman's example of a 25 ipad 'fleet' and its custom apps being managed remotely for £3.50 pm per device.

[d000hg]

Sounds pretty cool. I discussed doing a private iPad app with a potential plan B client and was similarly concerned about setting up the infrastructure.

[Pete Marsh]

Sounds pretty cool. I discussed doing a private iPad app with a potential plan B client and was similarly concerned about setting up the infrastructure.

Yes, I don't think our corporate clients would be too impressed if we suggested deploying their android apps via Google Play! The MDM vendors allow the app and it's data to be deleted if the phone or tablet gets nicked/lost.