Develop Reference

Building a hybrid app, where to start?

I know it's kind of an 'open' question to ask but I simply don't know where to start. Let me first tell you a bit of my experience/background so you know the level I'm at:
Build cd-roms with Lingo back in the days
Started web/front end development in the HTML3.2 era and kinda left off when XHTML was hot
Worked with Javascript 1.2 up till around 1.6 and later started working with Jquery
Actionscript up to 2.0, building websites and games
Did quite a bit of PHP/mySQL development. Build custom CMS' and later Drupal module development
All this was during internships or as a freelancer, everthing self thought by the help of books and such
So now I'm stuck with this idea to build myself an app. I've decided it should be an hybrid app as my target audience is very small but 60% is iOS and I don't want to leave out Android. Also I've been getting familiar with HTML5/CSS3 and started working on components for my app.
The basic concept for the app is that it's a layer on top of Google functionality: profile, calendar, circles and hangouts. Users will (eventually I hope) be able to create events for other users to rsvp to, they will be able to add eachother as buddies and chat about the events. A small step functionality wise but a huge step for me :)
I'm thinking of using the Crosswalk project for the Android version to counter the biggest issues around hybrid app development.
I've been reading up for the last months in preparation and the more I read the less I seem to know. Here's the stuff I think I should know more about;
Node.js
Gulp.js
Dev environment to work in (I once worked in Homesite, later Dreamweaver - don't laugh)
Packaging tools, etc etc.
Crosswalk project
Now I am not looking for some drag and drop software package to build an app in 3 days. I don't want to take the easy route per se, I don't mind a bit of a learning curve. I work on a Win8 machine, I know this isn't optimal but I can't change this.
Now where should I start? I was thinking NPM myself but you guys might think otherwise. Any good books on the stuff you think I need to learn to get me going?
Thanx for the advice!

I can share my experience with Cordova.
I work like full-stack developer and i'm quite expert to build responsive website, so the natural step to approach mobile dev was try Cordova.
First You can start to build HTML document totally responsive and try as webpage on your target devices.
A cool stuff, targeting mobile devices, is that You can use new CSS3 directive, without worry for compatibility with old browser.
First I installed Cordova following this tutorial.
https://ccoenraets.github.io/cordova-tutorial/create-cordova-project.html
Opening the folder /www on your project you can edit your app like a website, and you can also debug with the browser like a normal site.
To enhance the feature you will find a lot of plugins ready on github to extends the native functionality at the Cordova/phonegap project.
I suggest you also to build using onsen http://onsen.io/ a framework that let you use mobile UI easily.
Last tip that i can give you, if you target Android is try your apps on virtual machine, i use Genymotion https://www.genymotion.com/ that is much more fast then SD<
Good luck with your first app!

As you can imagine, there are a lot of framework where you can start.
Looking on your skills, maybe is better to use JS/HTML/css stack, but in this case, you will create an hybrid app in a webview.
In my opinion, webview applications quality it's only acceptable, but because of his productivity, in some cases could be the best decision.
Another good alternative is react-native. This framework allows to create a native application using javascript. React has his own markup language, is very similar to html. JS code is executed on native device using an embedder javascript engine, instead of webview, so, performances and experience can be compared to native applications.
And, at the end, my alternative, a framework I've made to write native UI and share business logic for each platforms. You can take a look on aj-framework https://github.com/bfortunato/aj-framework

Is developing an application for Android using Lua only possible?

So I read this article on Mobile Orchard and, as I'm planning on having my first steps in Android development, it got me thinking: is it possible to develop for Android in Lua only? I Googled the topic but found no definitive answer. I know Java is the "base style" for Android but for the coding newbie which I am (elementary Python, basic C++), Lua seems somehow clearer and more friendly. Then here goes my question: can one develop an Android app using Lua only? If so, could you please show me some directions to move from here?

I've been developing a mobile application in Lua to control robots remotely from iOS and Android phones. The app is in pure Lua and runs on top of Mosync platform using MobileLua. There is still some plumbing required, but it's not too complex.
I also have a debugger and a Lua IDE (ZeroBraneStudio) that support debugging of Lua scripts running remotely (including MobileLua scripts running on Android or iOS devices). I provide a demo app you can use as a client to run simple scripts and check remote debugging in action.
[Update] If you are interested in more game oriented options, there are several available: (1) already mentioned Corona SDK, (2) Moai, and (3) Gideros Mobile. There is also Marmalade Quick and Cocos2d-x Lua bindings (for example, quick-cocos2d-x). All these toolkits/frameworks allow to develop in Lua.
Here is a detailed comparison of Moai vs. Corona.

I know this is an older question, but just to correct some misinformation (in the comments) for people who come later, Corona SDK (as of spring 2013) has a Starter Edition which is free -- no splash screen or anything. The main difference between it and the "Pro" version is you can't do in-app purchases in the Starter Edition. But you can use it to create apps for sale, etc. No expiration date on it or anything.
And in answer to the original question, learning Java may allow you to write Android apps, but if you then also want to target iOS you don't have any great options. By choosing something that's cross-platform from the beginning you can target Android or iOS or both. Lua (in any of the flavors already mentioned) is a great base language to learn for mobile development.

The question is what kind of app do you want to build and what skills do you have. If you are already familiar with JavaScript there is Phonegap/Cordova. If you are building games there are a number of frameworks for 2D and 3D which use Lua. Some are free, others have licensing fees but are worth it if it provides a solution to your problem. All have pros and cons. For example I'm not sure if I would want to build an RSS reader in a game framework. Java is just another language, I would recommend just learning Java and the Android framework to start and knowing what is there before adding another application specific framework layer on top.

Corona SDK allows you to write iOS and Android apps in Lua. Its very easy to learn, but its not free.
Edit:
I saw you posted that you found Corona just after I sent my post...

You can try http://scormpool.com/luastudio
Develop and run code on your device including iOS, Android, Mac, Win.
Exporter can help you to make standalone app on listed above platforms.

This may not be useful to the OP, however for other people interested in using lua to write their apps, I'd share my thoughts. So to answer the question:
Yes, you can use only lua to write apps for android using LuaJava from the kepler project (though I don't believe its being maintained anymore). You can create and manipulate Java objects seemlessly, and interact with the Android APIs through lua. You can even create UI elements dynamically using just lua. However, a small amount of java bootstrap code is needed to start the lua VM from your app. The AndroLua project is a great place to start for Android. The creator has done a lot of work making lua work with Android and packaging it all into an app. From experience I can say it works great! However, I would in no way recommend this to a beginner, as it requires a lot of knowledge about java and lua to make things work, meaning more work not less.
For AndroLua, just clone the repo and use that as a base for your own app. Last time I used it, I just imported it into android-studio, and after fixing a few problems with my own setup, had it compiling and running on my device.

If only pure Lua then the answer is no.. unless you want to use a lot of libraries
If you want to make little Android app/games then use a game engine, learning is a step by step process, don't dive straight into the hard part.

Android: PhoneGap vs Webview

I have been researching PhoneGap and I'm now at an impasse and need some advice. I know that PhoneGap essentially 'converts' html5,css,JS sites to 'apps' for distribution, which leads me to my question:
Why wouldn't one simply utilize a webview within an activity to do the same thing and keep the app native?

The advantage of PhoneGap is that it provides APIs that enable your HTML/javascript to interact with the phone (e.g. camera, accelerometer, media etc.)
These APIs are standard across multiple devices (iOS, Android, WinPhone, Blackberry etc.). So you can write one set of HTML/javascript and deploy to multiple platforms.
If you just created a WebView you would not have the PhoneGap APIs and you would need to build containers on each platform you were interested in.

Good question I have searched me too, because we went in Phonegap solution and I think it is a wrong way for us.
The long story:
That is very true if you write once a UI with web developer skills than not needed to know native language and it compile, and ready for testing.
Web developers are more so higher the demand => developer price even cheaper.
When the client want a Milestone 1 for his great idea it will ask a few company, freelancers about development price and time. If is a very basic application version with Phonegap you will have the less development cost( off if your web dev skills are the same laver as platform dev skills) with webView at second place and last one the native.
The client is satisfied with app result buit with Phonegap and want to get more investors so it will make a presentation, where they are asking more features.
At Milestone 2 you will add a few features. Some are easy command line install and you get it, some aren't. Maybe you will be unlucky as you want a combination of 2 existing plugin with a few extras. The conclusion will be: you have to develop a plugin. At this point is already a very big sign of interrogation which is cheaper: the Phonegap + Phonegap plugin or a WebView. If you need 5 existing plugin and your has a little modification, than still Phonegap. But if you need only 1 plugin, only yours, than the web view is the proper way. There are also cases which makes the Phonegap stucture useless. Also there is a problem with version control system under Phonegap if you develop web files, and native code too: some are regenerating at each build time some not. Still is expensiver the native platform. Now the required features are developed. The client will make a demo for investors, where will be visible execution speed with this new features. Or here they will require optimisation, runtime speed-up or after publish to market they will see some are running with low end phones and not the ultimate, which ws used at demos and they will decide to go to Milestone 3 : speed up.
At optimisation, speed up (Milestone 3) you will decide as you need native GUI. After all GUI developed with web now you will need to throw out at fence and implement the side, maybe some parts need even NDK to speed up. No way to be good here with Phonegap. But you have hired web developers, or contracted that company. Now go back to that company , developers which can make native code. They will not start from 0, so they need to analyse the code, refactor and your development price will go up at least with 50% as you would start it from 0 with native.

Good Question, you still could use webview for that but you won't be able to access native functions like ringtone, camera, and all that, however, the app done that way will be regarded as a native app.

Cross-platform and good performance mobile application for iPhone and Android

I need to develop an Application for both iPhone and Android platforms. I am looking for a cross-platform development frameworks. The important factors need to be taken into consideration are :
The App will be running in intranet environment (with NO internet
connection).
Drag and drop features will be available in this App.
Needs to use the barcode reader library.
Needs to use map (it will probably be a custom map)
Receives Push notifications (currently I have mqtt in mind, since
there is not internet connection)
If possible I only want to maintain only one source code for both platforms. I have done some research and I found 2 frameworks which are PhoneGap and Mono(touch and droid).
PhoneGap seems to be slow.
Mono need two code base for 2 platforms, only the libraries can be
shared (correct me if I am wrong). This is my another worries about mono: http://redth.info/2010/04/09/is-monotouch-now-dead-in-the-water-what-does-apples-new-iphone-developer-agreement-mean
I know the native is the best but for the sake of maintenance and reusing our developer talent (which are C#, HTML, JavaScript) we need to find out the second best option.
Note : Please bear in mind the first 5 features listed on top for your answer.
Thanks in advance.
UPDATE:
After exploring a few more tools, I like the performance of Appcelerator as well. But writing the whole app in JavaScript looks very messy to me and can't use OOP. And the extra package size of (5~7 MB) is also something to take note for frequent releases environment. I like to hear from you guys as well. I will be updating our decision in coming few weeks.

This recent article here may be helpful. It contains a rundown of several new cross platform mobile frameworks including Mono, Appcelerator Titanium, Rhodes, PhoneGap, MoSync and Moai.
From reading your requirements I'd say that either MoSync or Titanium might be the best fit for you. Apart from PhoneGap, which is really just a web app running inside a mobile browser (and might be the reason you thought it was slow), they all generate native UI code apps.

You may want to look into this article comparing 5 different cross-platform mobile development tools.
This Wikipedia article may be helpful as well.

go for http://www.appcelerator.com/
They first compile code in native code so performance is like native and they have barcode reader, push notification (via urban airship) too...

How about doing a hybrid application, using a mixture of native code and HTML5. Write native code for all the IO, and heavy lifting, and for the GUI use jQuery or similar in a web control embedded in your app. Android has a web control that allows you to interact with javascript. I assume you can do the same with Apple. I'm trying to do something similar myself using Monodroid, and its looking very promising, although I discovered Monodroid does not have native Javascript interface yet.

Just so you know, we were using Appcelerator at my last company, and the performance for Android was less than desirable. Our lead developer found the Mono products, and hasn't looked back.

Appcelerator vs Android SDK

I have been looking at appcelerator it seems pretty fine! Without a doubt, one of the advantages of appcelerator is its support for multi-platform. I am interested in building an android app and maybe a iphone app later on. So it is not crucial to support multiple platforms at the moment.
If you disregard supporting multiple platforms and just focus on android development. Is appcelerator still advantageous? Does it lack any features of "Android sdk"?
(When I say "Andorid sdk" I mean development with Eclipse with native Android sdk, if it makes any sense)

We looked at Appcelerator when starting our Android project. We knew we would have to do an iOS client next, so Appcelerator was enticing.
We decided not to go that route because it doesn't support all the native features of each device.
For example, we decided early on that our user interface in Android would need a widget. No support for that in Appcelerator, as it's specific to Android. [This was a few months back -you may want to check again].
Compromising on the user interface was too much for us. We decided to go with C/C++ for the app logic and use Android SDK for the user interface.
Our apps now have two pieces: C/C++ as much as possible to the "brains" and the native (Android/Cocoa Touch) for the UI to take advantage of the UI experience.
Works of course for platforms that can integrate C/C++.
The parting advice: design your user interface first, then find a tool that can implement it. Users have high expectations of the UI in portable devices. Compromising on it early on may be the KOD for your project.
[EDIT] Every so often I see an upvote for this question. I would like to update with what we learned in the past two years:
Using C/C++ for the common parts of our application has paid off. It does require a slightly more complicated build process, but the savings are gigantic if the piece of code being shared is complex (as in our case).
For the user interface piece we are beginning to look into hybrid apps (some UI elements in HTML). There are still debates out there about HTML interfaces (Facebook and LinkedIn are two that move to native code for the UI), but also some reports that when chosen carefully it works. There is a great talk from Flipoard on that; with slides here.
UPDATE Oct/2014
In March/2014 Smashing Magazine published an excellent article comparing native iOS, native Android, PhongeGap (Cordova) and Appcelerator Titanium. They show the development of a simple app in each environment.
This is the last part of the series. At the top of this part there are links to the previous parts of the series and at the bottom there is the comparison of the approaches. There are also interesting comments from readers at the end.
UPDATE May/2015
Still get an upvote for this question every so often, so I would like to share what we have done since I wrote the first part of the answer.
We are now working on a project that also has a web client. We have now the iOS client, the Android client, plus the web client.
JavaScript is the natural choice for the web client.
Since we want to share as much code (at the business logic layer) across these clients, it means we need to find a way to run the JavaScript code in iOS and Android.
And that's what we ended up doing.
This is a summary of how we handle it:
For all clients: all data structures are defined with Google's protobuf. This allows to automatically generate the serialization/deserialization code for iOS and Android.
iOS: run the JavaScript code with the help of JavaScriptCore (a good overview here).
Android: run the JavaScript code with the help of Google's V8 engine.
The bridge between JavaScript and the iOS/Android layer can be a bottleneck, especially the serialization of the objects. We had to optimize a few things and learned a few lessons to stay out of trouble.
Generally the experience has been positive. We saved significant amount of time by sharing the code across all clients.
If I had to start another project like this one (that requires sharing code with web and mobile clients), I would also take a look at what Google did for inbox. It wasn't available when we started. Looks promising.
UPDATE August/2015
And the world keeps turning...
I would also take a good look at React Native if I had to start a new mobile app now.
It's based on JavaScript, bridging web and mobile development more easily.
There is a great tutorial in Ray Wenderlich's site.
UPDATE February 2016
My shortlist for cross-platform development is down to two:
ionic
React Native
I've been paying more attention to ionic because our web app uses AngularJS and so does ionic (Cordova + AngularJS). React Native will force the team to learn another framework (of course the argument is the opposite if your web app uses React).
Nevertheless, I'd seriously consider React Native, even having to learn another framework, because of the reported performance and look-and-feel of the app. From React Native's site:
With React Native, you can use the standard platform components such
as UITabBar on iOS and Drawer on Android
If you are starting now, I recommend you take the time to at a minimum complete their tutorials so you get a better feeling of each framework. Each tutorial can be complete in one to two hours:
ionic tutorial
React Native tutorial
For a simpler approach: Smashing Magazine just published (at the time I wrote this update) a good article showing how to use the native navigation elements to make the app feel (well...) native, while using web views to render the content. The article goes into the details of how to make the HTML/CSS usable in the mobile devices (it's not just pushing the HTML/CSS you already have).

If you only focus on develop apps for Android platform, I recommend you should use native Android (Eclipse + Android SDK as you said) instead Titanium.
Reason: Titanium is suitable if
You want to develop apps quicly, or
Your apps is simple, or
You see Java is so difficult (maybe :p ), so you choose the easier (Javascript of Titanium).
And here is the reasons why you should use native Android instead Titanium:
You want to develop a complex app, or
You want to customize app appearance. It's very important. Imaging you make an app for client, and they need their app to be customized for more eye-catching. Choosing Titanium means you must use their control, which lacks of ability to customize. It'd be better if using native Android that you can customize everything you want.

that is a very difficult question to answer without any specifics regarding the requirements of the application.
I would suggest you take a quick look at the API documentation of Appcelerator to see what the framework provides and also take a moment to list the basic requirements of your application and then determine what tool will be best for your project.

I think you are onto a good start using Appcelerator, since it uses JavaScript, etc. Easy to learn, but good examples. It will also enable you to use the same code and reach iPhone,iPad apps. Learning to use just the Android SDK is more complicated. Even then you still need to develop later iPhone etc apps. If you come from a web background this makes sense. There are good video's for quick learning. Good Luck

My experiences with Appcelerator seem to suggest they are more of an iOS shop. Their toolset for Android is, IMHO, quite lacking. ADT supports visual UI building and debugging on device, which Titanium Studio does not. There has been a bug filed about this for several months now, and it continues to be delayed. If your focus is Android, use Google ADT or MOTODEV Studio for Android. These IDEs are quite nice and are used by professionals.
The above answer presents a great way to develop mobile apps. DO NOT COMPROMISE ON A HIGH-QUALITY USER EXPERIENCE.

Lacking of bluetooth support is a huge deficiency for Appcelerator and no one gives a clue about roadmap.
edit : appcelerator now have BT support in Tizen 3.1

Well, in the new version of appcelerator (APPCELERATORSTUDIO 4.0) you can have alloy projects, and something like css files for your UI (tss), so in fact they are really customizable.
Greatings

Appcelerator has a lot of support and it really easy to use. It supports 100% of native api calls now. They have really good documentation too.