UB Mobile

• Past and present • Demo of UB Mobile 2.0• Technologies used (and not

used)• UB Mobile Advisory Council

Mobile applications

• “Mobile” is a lot of things • Our primary focus has been

on Mobile Applications and Mobile Application Development

Mobile

• We’re in the early stages of the next major disruptive innovation….

• and it’s consumer driven.

Mobile Demand

• 70%+ of UB students own a smart phone

• By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PC's as the most common device to access the Web (Gartner, Inc.)

• E-reader and Tablet usage on the rise

EZ Axess

• June 2011 - UB contracted with EZAxess• quickly establish a mobile presence• enhance our knowledge of mobile technologies• to begin the process of developing a mobile

strategy

• August 2011 live• Mobile Web• iOS native app

EZ Axess

EZ Axess

• We expected to replace EZ Axess within 12-18 months

• We identified two viable options for replacing

UB Mobile 2.0

• In-House development was chosen

• Leverages existing skills sets and UBCMS

• Mobile 2.0 launch is tomorrow• Mobile Web• iOS• Android

Native App vs. Mobile Web

• Native App• An application developed

for a specific platform such as iPhone or Android.• It's typically deployed to a

store (App Store, Android Marketplace), and downloaded by users• Can fully utilize the native

features of the device

Native Apps vs. Mobile Web

• Mobile Web• Application runs in a

mobile browser• No download or

installation• Utilizes our skill sets and

core business• Delivering content with

HTML and CSS Usually built with HTML5 and CSS3.

Native “App” vs. Mobile Web

• So to build Mobile Web, iOS and Android versions, we would need to build 3 versions?• Mobile Web version

(html5/css)• iOS version (Objective C)• Android version (Java)

• Building and maintaining 3 versions in 3 different languages is not sustainable!

Native “App” vs. Mobile Web

• We found a way to deploy all 3 versions and sustain it.

• This approach makes sense for us.

• Not a one-size-fits all approach.

UB Mobile 2.0 demo

UB Mobile Platform

• We built a platform for a mobile web site

• Based on UBCMS (Adobe CQ5)

UB Mobile Platform

• Content management is key• Pages built from standard

content elements:• lists/menus• rich text• images• some small custom HTML

blocks

UB Mobile Platform

• More sophisticated components are mixed into pages as needed:• event viewer• people/departments

search• map viewer

UB Mobile Platform

• Normal CMS features are used for:• access control• activation (author/publish)• content sharing (includes)• RSS feeds• custom development

workflow

jQuery Mobile

• Used jQuery Mobile for “app” look and feel, page transitions

• Used jQuery widget pattern and web services for interactive modules (maps, searches, etc.)

• Would recommend full JS MVC framework

PhoneGap

• Turns mobile web site into native app

• Can load embedded HTML & JS, or from server

• Extensions for native features (camera, GPS, address book, filesystem, etc.)

• Supports iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry and more

PhoneGap Build

• Build platform in the cloud• Otherwise, would have to

build for each platform separately, with native tools (Xcode, Eclipse, etc.)

UB Mobile Advisory Council• Rob Wright (Co-Chair, Enterprise Application Services)• Rebecca Bernstein (Co-Chair, University Communications)• Jeff Smith (University Communications)• Kevin Eye (Enterprise Application Services)• Tim Stegner (University Communications)• Michael Russo (Graduate Education)• John Wood (International Education)• Tim Sodhi (Development and Alumni Relations)• Tom Wendt (Office of the VP for Research)• Lori Chiarilli (University Life & Services)• Dan LaRosa (Undergraduate Admissions)• Kristina Costanzo (Undergraduate Education)• Tom Okon (University Business Services)• Kris Miller (Libraries)• Kathleen Wiater (SMBS)

Thank you!

• mobile.buffalo.edu (Project Website)• m.buffalo.edu (Mobile Web)• Apple App Store (iOS)• Android Marketplace (Android)