Overview

 

The Particle Platform is an open and extensible cross-platform end-to-end solution that enables developers to create native applications for smartphone platforms as well as HTML5 web applications. It allows developers to code in modern object-oriented languages like Java and ActionScript3, while working in the popular Eclipse IDE with a robust WYSIWYG front-end to manage User Interface design on various devices.

 

Mobile software development has become an increasingly complex task with the evolution of the mobile market and its diverse operating systems, programming languages and hardware requirements. Working on only a single platform, a small team of content developers and QA engineers can develop and test applications quickly and efficiently. But as the team tries to support new platforms, the complexity grows exponentially: multiple operating systems, multiple languages, and multiple UI form factors. The process rapidly becomes unscalable.

 

The Particle Platform was built to contend with 3 levels of fragmentation that plague the mobile software development world today:

 

Operating System Fragmentation. Each smartphone operating system has its own application model and unique set of facilities forcing application developers to start from scratch for each system. The Particle Core runtime provides a rich abstract API that hides the complexity of underlying operating systems and provides a set of platform neutral abstract services.

 

Language Fragmentation. Application developers can program their applications in either Java or ActionScript3 and let the Particle Platform translate the application code to the appropriate language for each target device. This eliminates the need to learn multiple languages and to port applications from one language to other. The patent-pending Particle translator is actually operating at the source code level, not simply wrapping the application in native code.

 

User Interface Fragmentation. Application developers have to deal with different screen sizes, form factors, and input methods even if they are developing applications for a single OS platform (such as the iPad and iPhone.) The complexity and fragmentation of interface management shoots up with a mix of platforms. The Particle IDE includes a number of tools that make it easy for developers to deal with user interface fragmentation, like a sophisticated drag-and-drop canvas and rapid prototyping.

 

Supported Target Platforms:

 

  • iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod)
  • Android
  • Windows Phone 7
  • HTML5
  • Flash
  • J2SE
  • BlackBerry*
  • WebOS*
  • J2ME*
  • Symbian*
  • Win32**

 

* Legacy support, please contact your beta liaison for information on how to target these devices.

** This platform is primarily for application testing.

 

Supported Input Languages:

  • Java
  • AS3
  • C# (coming soon)

 

Supported Development Platforms:

  • Windows
  • Mac
  • Linux (coming soon)