This document discusses hybrid mobile app development and provides examples of 10 hybrid apps that demonstrate advanced features like non-linear layouts, maps, 360 degree views, video playback, and e-commerce functionality. These examples are intended to dispel common misbeliefs about hybrid apps being slow, less beautiful than native apps, or just web sites distributed in app stores. While these apps showcase the capabilities of hybrid development, the document also notes that poorly developed hybrid apps often have no architectural reasoning, fail to consider performance with things like DOM reflows, or have JavaScript memory issues.

1. These mobile apps will let you
totally rethink
hybrid app development
Ivano Malavolta
DISIM | University of L’Aquila

2. Introduction
How many times have you heard claims like these?
PhoneGap apps are slow...
Native apps are more beautiful than web apps...
Hybrid apps are simply web sites distributed in the app stores...
Native apps are better than hybrid apps: they can save data, they can manage files, etc.
etc.

3. Introduction
In this presentation I will try to rebalance those (mis)-beliefs by showing
10 REAL EXAMPLES
REAL EXAMPLES
OF HYBRID APPLICATIONS
IN THE APP STORES
NOW

4. Frascati Scienza
Non-linear layouts
In-app RSS feed reader
QR code scanning
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/frascati-scienza-scienziati/id686974321?mt=8
Maps

5. Lancia Y
panoramic, first-person views of
interiors with accelerometer
360° rotation with zoom
smooth flippable chapters
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/lancia-ypsilon/id433904305?mt=8

6. Feedly News Reader
swipe-based navigation among
articles
swipable menus for
options, saved articles and search
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/feedly-your-google-reader/id396069556?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devhd.feedly&hl=it

7. Khan Academy
fast search
with auto-complete
video support with bookmarks
and automatic sync between text and video stream
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/khan-academy/id469863705?mt=8

8. Rormix
In-line video playing
Search with suggestions
Styled menus
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rormix-discover-emerging-music/id700740840?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rormix

9. Evernote
Contents visualization
with animations
Text editor with attachments and
images markup
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rormix

10. Amazon
Full e-commerce features
native-like dynamic tooltips
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/amazon-mobile/id335187483?mt=8

11. Linkedin
Scrollable upper menu
with smooth navigation
All the features of the official
LinkedIn platform available
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/linkedin/id288429040?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.linkedin.android

12. Musixmatch
Sync between played song
and its lyrics
Audio recording
https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/musixmatch-lyrics-player/id448278467?mt=8

13. POP
Draw on canvas + dynamic events
"Classical" side menu
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pop-prototyping-on-paper/id555647796?mt=8
Sharing via social networks
and email

14. Conclusion
Those apps are really good, but in my experience I also saw A LOT of poorly
developed apps
Main traits (of failure):
•
•
•
no separation of concerns, no architectural reasoning
no reasoning about performance (many many many DOM reflows and queries)
Javascript code can have memory issues too

15. Contact
Ivano Malavolta | DISIM
+ 39 380 70 21 600
iivanoo
ivano.malavolta@univaq.it
www.ivanomalavolta.com