I would like to create a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android (don’t need other platforms for now). I am a web developer, so building something using web technologies is great, but the end result must also be as native like as possible (the user shouldn’t notice) the difference.
The application is not complex, it has a few screens with simple stuff like lists, toolbars, tab bars, transitions, etc.
I’ve researched a lot and the best solution so far for me looks Sencha Touch and PhoneGap.
What do you recommend?
Edit: I think that many things have changed over the last year so I think that many resources and other Stack Overflow questions 😉 are old now, that’s why I’m asking this.
A good option for mobile web development of simple apps is jQuery Mobile + Phonegap. If you are a web programmer, you will feel right at home. Both projects are actively developed so things are just getting better.
You first develop your app in a browser (Webkit, e.g. Safari) and then use Phonegap to put this web app on a mobile device.
Android
For creating Android apps, you don’t even need other tools, you can just upload a zip file of your app to Phonegap Build (an online service) that will compile your app into an .ipk file, which you can just upload to Google Play! Easy.
iOS
For iOS it is a little harder, but still manageable. Here, Phonegap have created an iOS project, which you can open in Xcode, then drop your files in and publish the app to App Store. The process is harder, since you have to first take care of all the developer certificates, provisioning profiles, etc., so be prepared for some hair pulling!