Icenium Reinvents Cross-Platform Mobile Development

Bangalore: Telerik, an end-to-end provider of software application, lifecycle and content management solutions, announced the availability of Icenium, the industry’s first Integrated Cloud Environment (ICE), reinventing cross-platform mobile development. Icenium combines the power and flexibility of the cloud with the convenience of a local development environment, simplifying developers’ ability to write code seamlessly, with unparalleled productivity. With Icenium, developers are no longer tethered to a place, nor are they beholden to a single platform – they are instead free to code on Mac OS X or Windows and target iOS or Android easily. Telerik is advancing mobile app development with a breakthrough alternative that replaces the outmoded IDE approach and offers developers the most technologically advanced tools and modern coding environment.

As the number of platforms and mobile devices of varying shapes and sizes continue to grow exponentially, developers are saddled with having to manage multiple development environments. With Icenium, there is no need to download, configure and manage a myriad of SDKs, compilers, software packages and tools. By exposing SDKs through a cloud service, Icenium has decoupled the coding environment from the platform dependencies, enabling developers to focus on innovation, instead of managing cumbersome, platform-specific development environments.

"Icenium is a great pathway for developers creating hybrid apps – those that look and feel native, are built once, published through app stores and work on multiple platforms," said J. Gerry Purdy, Ph.D., principal analyst, MobileTrax LLC. "It’s a cloud-based development environment that provides what developers need as a service to target the most relevant device platforms available. Icenium is a great step forward for those who want to get to market quickly and cost-effectively with a great app."

Icenium enables developers to use their existing HTML5, CSS and JavaScript skills to create and deploy hybrid applications that run natively on Apple iOS and Google Android mobile platforms. They can also easily leverage device APIs, including those for camera, accelerometer and geolocation – with integrated support for Apache Cordova.

"The Icenium development environment allowed us to take a client’s concept from idea to working hybrid mobile app in nine days! The best part was we leveraged our existing JavaScript and HTML5 skills, accessed native device features like the camera, and exceeded expectations by being able to deploy working versions to both iOS and Android. We’re going to be seeing a lot more Icenium in our mobile development efforts," said Jeff Monteforte, CIO, Access Mobility, Inc.

Helping Mobile Developers Get More Done Faster and Easier

Icenium’s approach to mobile app development combines tools for coding, simulating, debugging, deploying to devices and publishing apps and leverages cloud-based services. Compared to all other existing frameworks, which require the setup and configuration of different development environments for each platform, Icenium requires zero SDKs, making it a snap to be up and running in minutes, because it only requires a web browser. Developers can now build iOS apps without owning xCode or a Mac, and Android apps can be built without Eclipse or the Android SDK.

A subscription provides developers with the complete toolset comprised of Icenium Graphite, an installed version for PCs, and Icenium Mist, the browser-based version. The toolset delivers all of the modern capabilities that developers expect: syntax coloring and formatting, real-time error detection, refactoring, code navigation and integrated version control. Icenium even helps developers cross the finish line with streamlined app publishing assistance and support, replacing the hassles associated with publishing apps to the App Store or Google Play.

Capabilities available within the Icenium environment include:

•    Apache Cordova: enables developers to leverage their existing skills in HTML, CSS and JavaScript to build hybrid applications that run on multiple mobile device platforms.
•    Icenium LiveSync: lets developers review changes made in real-time across all connected devices without having to waste time recompiling for every change and for each device.

•    Icenium Device Simulator: enables developers to immediately see how apps look and behave across multiple device platforms and form factors before actually deploying to physical devices.

•    Icenium Ion: makes deploying and testing apps on any Apple iOS device easy, by eliminating the need for provisioning. Simply scan the project QR code and in seconds, the app is installed and running.

•    Kendo UI Mobile Integration: Telerik’s complete solution for web and mobile development, developers can leverage its unique adaptive rendering to target multiple phone and tablet platforms with a single UI codebase.

"By harnessing the power and flexibility of the cloud, Icenium is helping developers successfully keep up with today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. It delivers unparalleled productivity and efficiency, letting developers focus on designing and coding great apps, rather than managing multiple environments. Icenium is a game changing solution that gives developers the access and ability to innovate quickly and easily, without being tethered to a place or specific platform," noted Doug Seven, executive vice president of Telerik.