Browser Based Applications:
These are applications built for mobile browsing. They can be accessed by entering the particular URL in mobile browser. Often, the URL start with 'm' (Eg: m.google.com). For these type of applications, no install or uninstall, or even software upgrade is needed, as all the user has to do here is access the site URL on his mobile browser.
While building a mobile browser based website, certain aspects should be kept in mind such designing the layout, UI components and functions made available to user. Mobile browser would normally be a subset to the web browser, and as the screen on which user would view the mobile site will be much smaller as that of a desktop/ laptop system, hence cluttering the UI with lot of links, images, buttons and any other component, and providing a lot of functionality which may not really be needed when the user is on the move, would lead to depreciation in usage of that browser based application. This would be very unoptimal and non user friendly as the user will be lost while using this browser.
Additionally, since this would be a browser based application, the local system database cant be accessed to store much information, and hence a lot of time will be consumed when user would try to access any page which has a lot of UI components. This would again lead to reduction in usage of that application. For example, in case user wants to access mobile version of a financial site, he would definitely expect good performance speed, else he may not be able to perform the transactions at the desired price, for stock prices may vary any instant.
Pre Installed Applications
These are the mobile applications which are shipped as in built software with the mobile device. Some of the examples are applications without which one cannot imagine a mobile phone: Native phone book, SMS/Email Client and so on.
There is another category, which adds on to the device to accelerate device sales. They can be some specific application built for a mobile device manufacturer, for a particular handset model (For Eg: The yahoo messenger is pre shipped with many devices). In such case, if the device with which these applications are to be shipped are not ready yet, then a device prototype is used to develop and test these.
Normally the OS of the prototype is not very stable, which makes the testing and development difficult. Its critical to make sure these applications work fine and are of supreme quality before being shipped with handsets, as these can neither be installed, nor uninstalled. However, these applications can be upgraded, but this mostly is an auto upgrade. After being shipped with device, if the application has to be deleted, the device ROM would be needed to be erased. This would make it painful for user to go for that handset, and would definitely affect the sales of handsets negatively, instead of accelerating it.
Installable Applications
These are applications whose executable files/packages can be downloaded/received by wireless/wired media. How these executable files are received in device can be platform/device specific. They can be installed and uninstalled from the device. Upgrades for these applications can be done based on application/platform design.
The various sources from which the executable files can be received are:
1. Mobile App Store
2. Over The Air (OTA)
3. Transfer via wired media like USB cable from the system.
4. Transfer via wireless media like BlueTooth and InfraRed.
They can deal with local device database, can store information there, which can be helpful in faster execution of the application. However, one must be careful with file size of the application, if it consumes too much memory, then it may lead to user's dissatisfaction, and further to reduced usage of the application.
*Please Note: Contents of this article have been presented at Software Testing conference at indicThreads in March 2010
Software Testing by Indira Pai is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
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