Hey guys. I am new to mobile development. I have created a web app which is nearing completion and am looking into developing andriod and iphone apps for it. Ive been trying to read up on best practices and stuff and am having a harder time finding information then I had thought.
For now, I have a simple question about how to best handle authentication. In my mind when the user launches the mobile app they would either log in or sign up initially. Either way, their credentials would be stored on the mobile device so they would not have to do so again.
Then my plan is to have the mobile app authenticate with these credentials to the web app via HTTPS and receive a token. This token would expire in an hour and the mobile app would have to re-authenticate. This token would then be used when performing authenticated calls to the web application API.
Is this a sound concept? This is my first time getting into this type of development, my previous experience is mainly just self contained web applications with no APIs or third party calls to it.
If anyone has any suggested reading or links to offer me to help me get a good grasp on how to best tackle this, feel free to share. I appreciate any and all help.
I assume I will develop the app, poorly at first, then have to re-develop it once Ive learned from all my mistakes the first go around. Id like to avoid that...but chances are, thats my fate Thanks for any advice, tips or what not you can give.
So lot of topics about it.
Dear xda community,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself ...
My name is Tibor, (almost) 22 years old and I study media computer science in third Semester, so I'm not a novice programmer, which is also due to the fact that I am programming often and lovingly.
Now to my problem. I downloaded the Android SDK with all the trimmings because I have already been working with Android for a year. Since I am studying at the Technical University of Dresden and this system uses an enrollment which calls itself "jExam" and there's no app for it until today to go get one's test results, or to register or unregister for exercises, etc., I decided to tackle this probably unlikely serious matter.
The website looks like that you need to login first and foremost, and then comes in an overview.
I would like to implement this overview, and the respective content into the app. But since I am an absolute beginner in the App Development scene (someone with basic knowledge of Java!), I rely on help from the community.
Now I would like to know how it is possible first of all to transfer the data of my "login form" to the server and then later retrieve everything?
I would appreciate active participation on your part
Best regards, Tibor
(sorry for my bad english, I actually am from Germany)
I work in IT at an educational institution and I've recently been placed in charge of a new 'mobile' initiative with the goal of making our campus mobile device friendly for students and staff. At this point I'm investigating Device Management software and would like to hear from anyone who has experience in this area.
Google lead me to some promising looking open source software by Funambol. Can anyone provide some feedback about this or any similar solution?
Requirements:
1) Must be hosted in house. We cannot store any data on third party servers.
2) Must support multiple platforms (Android, iOS and BB are a must... windows not so much).
3) Must adhere to industry standards, such as the Open Mobile Alliance.
I would love to hear about your experience with implementing Device Management solutions. If you have information that you cannot share on a public forum, please PM me so I can send you my email address.
just wondering if you got any of your questions answered? I am in similar situation as you are for my company...
Have not heard anything yet, but I did spend a bit of time playing with Funambol before getting sidetracked with another project. Looks like it might do the trick, but it seems to lack the 'polish' that is expected of enterprise solutions. Being a proponent of open source I really want to give Funambol a serious run, but since my company is in bed with Dell I suspect we'll end up using their MDM solutions.
It'll be a few months before I have the cycles to get back on this project, but I'll try to keep this thread updated.
Device Management (DM) is one way to provision a device. Provisioning is updating the device after manufacture. This may or may not include bootstrapping a device. When an OEM or Operator bootstraps a device after manufacture, or makes any other update (except a firmware update) it is provisioning the device. When an OEM bootstraps a device during manufacture it is not provisioning.
Funambol DM not ready for Enterprise
I've had a bit more time to look into Funambol as a Device Management (DM) solution and determined that it is not going to work. They have a Device Sync (DS) solution that works well for backing up contacts/files/etc., but their DM system is incomplete. You have to compile the client software yourself and even then many of the key features are not yet implemented, such as remote lock and wipe. Funambol is something I plan to try at home, but cannot recommend it for business.
Take a look at this MDM report from Gartner. It is a very thorough examination of several of the top MDM solutions available today and might help you make a choice based on your requirements.
I'm in a similar situation and just evaluated Sybase Afaria.
http://www.sybase.com/products/mobileenterprise/afaria
It has a lot of features and as I've tested it, everything worked as it should - but the management website is just horrible. Afaik Sybase is aware of this issue and is working on a new management site.
Best Features: Working with Samsung and Motorola - means deep integration into its Systems, Touchdown integration.
MDM Solution
DeviceMax MDM can be a on-site solution where the hardware can be installed at the client’s server or a cloud based solution where the hardware is on the Kochar cloud and minimal integration with the client's network is required. It is a customized solution that can be either used as a licensed software or a managed service by the Enterprise. For managed service configurations, we can remotely support device diagnostics and even provide the end user service desk support for Enterprise.
MDM Solutions
We started using the Meraki MDM for our enterprise wide solution, but I highly recommend checking out Prey Project for personal or small scale use.
Question about Prey project
In reference to your recommendation of prey project, I see how they help with security of devices but how does it install the image of the tablet after a user uses it? I am looking for an MDM solution for an academic setting. Thanks.
Re: Question about Prey project
snpohrte said:
In reference to your recommendation of prey project, I see how they help with security of devices but how does it install the image of the tablet after a user uses it? I am looking for an MDM solution for an academic setting. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if I understand what you mean by "install the image of the tablet"... do you mean install the PreyProject client application on a user's device after they have taken it outside of your physical control? As far as I know, all MDM solutions require the client to be installed before any remote administration can be done on the device. You could email your users a link to the app with instructions on how to install/configure it?
I'm not sure if PreyProject is the best solution for deployments of more than a few devices. It might work if each user wants to administer their own devices, but if you are in a scenario where a few IT people need to manage/maintain a fleet of mobile devices then something like the Meraki MDM solution is more suitable.
Hope this answers your question... if not then please clarify your query.
Regards,
Mobile Device Management
With increasing number of Smartphone’s and smart devices used within the organizations, Mobile device management (MDM) has become a vital discipline for IT departments. IT people are putting their focus towards mobile device management support where they will manage the mobile devices. Mobile device management solutions offer the security to the enterprises with full control on them. With mobile device management solutions you can configure your devices over the air, implement the corporate policies, wipe or lock the whole device etc. Nowadays organizations need MDM solutions that fully manage and organize all the devices and applications. It helps to give the whole picture of the mobile environment. It also analyzes the whole report and find out the gaps to resolve it. It also helps to get the critical device information.
I created a thread over at the MS Surface Support forums and yesterday a forums admin posted there saying that MS is now working on API access for the OEMs so they can write clients.
Exciting news that at least MS is saying something about it.
Agreed. It would also be good if it's something that anybody can code against, not just huge companies (my company uses OpenVPN, and while the official devs may or may not care about porting it, *somebody* would if it were possible).
Hi!
(Disclaimer: I do not have a degree in CS or SE yet, and my knowledge stems from high school and some freelance work. I have coded a few programs and an app before, Though I might have some methods / ideas that would look horrible to you. If such is the case - Please tell me! I am still learning and might sometimes go a certain rout which works but is completely "wrong" regarding coding standards. (For instance: I have a note taking app which saves its content in a text file, which i am pretty sure is not how any other app works)).
My question:
I am in the process of coding an Android app, which needs as a part of the service it provides to send certain messages (text only) to the app users PC (one way).
I would like to use some sort of central service, since in my understanding of routers and IP i'd have to have the user set up port forwarding if his PC is behind a router (which'd be complicated for most users) (If this is untrue and using an IP based solution would be better/simpler then please explain how so).
The first solution i have devised (Which i would very much like to avoid) is to use a third party service (such as Pushbullet) as a means to transfer the messages without paying for any services myself. This is less convenient since (to my understanding) I'd have to name the app "X for Pushbullet" and might have some legal trouble, and also would be dependent on a third party.
The second solution I've thought of would be to host (as in pay monthly for hosting on a server) an online DB with usernames and messages (the message table containing a column for what user sent the message as well), and a local program (written in C# or Python probably) on the target PCs which searches the DB every X interval for new messages for X username. This seems like it would work, though probably isn't the most graceful way to go about it.
Would really like to hear how a more experienced programmer would tackle this problem!
Thanks a lot in advance!