Kony Studio: A mobile app development platform

Kony Studio from Kony Inc. is a mobile app development platform used for the creation of native and cross-platform mobile apps for Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows devices. The platform offers a number of mobile app development tools and features to aid developers with their native and cross-platform app development needs.

The most useful of the platform's tools is its JavaScript code editor, which powers Kony Studio's app development abilities. It allows developers to build cross-platform mobile apps using a single codebase. Rather than a drag-and-drop interface, Kony Studio allows developers to write and manipulate JavaScript code directly, giving them the freedom to customize and build apps the way they want based on device requirements and user experience, without relying on the mobile app development platform to create the coding for them. This may increase developers' workloads slightly, but it also gives them full control over the app's performance.

Using a single JavaScript codebase for cross-platform development cuts down significantly on build and implementation timelines, and allows developers to focus their efforts on building the best application possible, without worrying about replicating the application multiple times for specific operating system requirements. It also gives developers the freedom to deploy as a native app, a Web app or a hybrid app because of JavaScript's association with CSS3 and HTML5. And the use of a single codebase translates to faster publication to places such as the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as well as faster deployment to employees in the case of enterprise apps.

To ensure that an app built with the platform offers an optimal user experience, Kony Studio provides developers with APIs for native-like functionality, and static and animated widgets for native-like appearance. This includes 2D and 3D animation APIs for functions such as drag, rotate and scroll; it also includes control over widget placement for items like home screens. These device APIs and widgets give developers the freedom to build their apps, without worrying about whether or not the apps' custom features and appearance will translate across different mobile operating systems.

Kony Studio includes an auto preview tool that lets developers preview the app on phones, tablets and desktops. It also allows developers to share apps with reviewers or testers through the cloud. The mobile app development platform features a built-in, multi-edge native and Web debugging tool that lets developers diagnose and fix problem coding quickly.

Kony Studio is best suited for use by large development teams looking to develop enterprise applications. The platform is offered as a standalone software as a service (SaaS) product, but is also available as the primary development environment in Kony's Mobility Platform, which is marketed as a complete platform for application lifecycle management. If using Studio as a standalone SaaS product, the platform integrates with several other proprietary Kony development tools, including MobileFabric for mobile backend as a service needs.

Pricing and licensing information is available by contacting Kony. The company offers a free 90-day trial of the platform, available on its website.