How to start writing apps for iPad, iTouch and android using C #?

Question

Friends, I’m a C # WPF.net developer and have been almost completely working with developing the interface in one language over the past 15 years. The last 7 have been with C #, and I have to admit that I'm ruined.

So the question is: how do I get started and what tools are best to use? I see MonoTouch there, but it looks like it is now called Xamarin. What about Phonegap, Titanium, Appcelorator? Are there others that I have not heard about?

I just want to hack the development of Android and / or iPad / iTouch, but I don’t want to go to my native language. I would like to use my C # skills, preferably WPF, but I don’t know what tools support this for Android / iPad / iTouch development.

Which ones integrate with Visual Studio?

Anyone who has REAL EXPERIENCE with any of the above, or one that I haven’t heard of, please call back and point me in the right direction.

I really appreciate that.

Answer 1

One of the best technologies is Mono for Android / iOS - specifically so that you can navigate 3 platforms by simply encoding them. Of course, the user interface is independent, so you still need to explore each platform. Design patterns, etc. But here

http://xamarin.com/?gclid=CM_agZWFgLYCFUvHtAodeDYADw

Best place to run

Answer 2

Phonegap works with a web view loading the html and javascript application, so you won’t use C #, and the results are usually deleted from your own application.

By contrast, mono touch compiles your C # code so that it can run natively on your mobile platform, and since they implement a wrapper around their own libraries, you seem to be able to write applications as well as if you became family. In your case, I think this will be the best way.

By the way, Mono Touch does not eliminate the need for a mac to develop iOS applications.

Answer 3

If you work in WPF and are familiar with the MVVM template, you will find many js frameworks that use the same approach ( KnockoutJs is a good one), basically this is what you will use if you want to use a cross-platform solution, such as PhoneGap, which is nothing more than a shell for webapp and several apis to access your device.

Personally, I believe that PhoneGap is a good solution only if you want to access the functions of your device in a simple application. As soon as you start adding pages to it, the feeling of lack of responsiveness will make you wonder why you did not become family from the very beginning.

Answer 4

I would go for Xamarin. Xamarin 2.0 has integration with Visual Studio. You can write code for iOS or Android on Visual Studio 2012 (I'm a ReSharper fan :)).