Create It

Building Your Application

Once your design is complete, you're ready to start coding. Whether you're new to app development, or a long-time Web dev but new to the mobile space, or an experienced device programmer, we can help you build your app! devCentral offers a variety of development tools and references, community resources, and development support options. Depending on the type of application you're building, here are some pointers to get you started.

Downloadable Applications

There are several platform technologies and device SDKs available for developing mobile downloads. You will need to get specifications for your target devices to ensure that your application runs successfully on all of them.

Downloadable applications can be written natively for devices using open OS development environments (such as Windows Mobile or BlackBerry), but Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) is most widely used for third party content. Java ME is a standardized development platform used on phones and other portable devices, with published tools and a very large developer community. Almost all AT&T phones support Java ME. Any developer can write an application in Java ME with the expectation that AT&T subscribers will be able to download it to their devices.

On devices with proprietary, or "closed," operating systems, the device manufacturer specifies the target root location for downloaded Java ME apps (typically a folder called "Games and Applications" or something similar), and the application will have access to a fixed series of phone features and information. For example, the OS defines the way in which downloaded applications access information such as location coordinates from the GPS chip. Access to some phone information will require a signed certificate.

Browse Applications

A browse application requires an open data connection to a remote server. Users can browse Internet sites from their phones. You will need to understand the wireless network technologies used by AT&T, as well as how to optimize your code to ensure runtime efficiency on the network. The majority of Internet-enabled devices on AT&T's wireless network use Wireless Application Protocol 2.0 (WAP 2.0).

Security across wireless networks has become increasingly important for all members of the mobile community, be they wireless carriers, content providers, or consumers. Help protect your code and your customers by making sure your application conforms to AT&T's code signing policies.

Finally, you can boost the user experience in your browse application while making it run more efficiently by coding it to detect the user's device and to identify and store user information from session to session.

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