Rhomobile Announces Rhodes 2.1

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Rhomobile today announced Rhodes 2.1, the newest version of the industry's most powerful smartphone app development framework for building native applications for all major smartphones (iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian). Rhodes 2.1 offers barcode recognition for all popular linear barcodes and QR 2D barcodes direct from the camera on the device. It also provides signature capture capability. These two features make Rhodes a great choice for field service and other industrial applications. 

Another major enhancement in Rhodes 2.1 is embedding a version of jQTouch (modified for optimal operation on Android). jQTouch combined with the separate CSS stylesheets optimized for each smartphone operating system provide slick animated transitions between screens and an overall enhanced native user interface.  Rhodes is the only framework with an "app generator" and all generated apps start with the optimized stylesheets and jQTouch-based transitions. A training video for the jQTouch based transitions can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/14128522

Rhodes 2.1 is free under the MIT license and is available now at: http://rhomobile.com/products/rhodes/

The addition of jQTouch provides developers with an easy way to implement sleek GUI's, animated transitions and themes in a mobile app.

"The enhanced native user interface featured in Rhodes 2.1 allowed for a slick and modern design for our newly launched mobile app, 2Know, which integrates geosocial networks all in one place," said Alberto Padilla Luengas, Founder of INNKU. "Additionally, since the Rhodes framework is cross-platform we were able to build for both the iPhone and Android platform using a single code base and with unimaginable productivity." 

Features included in Rhodes 2.1 enable a smartphone to serve as an integral part in activities that once required a stand-alone device. For example, with tracking apps created by using Rhodes 2.1, delivery drivers can use their smartphone to capture customer signatures. Leveraging the smartphone's built in camera, retailers can scan barcodes and automatically update inventory lists, capture pricing information and product details and more. A training video on adding barcode and signature capture is here: http://vimeo.com/13830534

Rhodes is the only cross-platform framework that supports all major devices, including Windows Mobile – a mainstay in logistical, field service, merchandising and warehousing fields. Rhodes is also the only framework that features push-based sync, a capability required by today's mobile workforce. Rhodes integration with RhoSync make it possible for developers to add true sync to their mobile app, making data accessible to users even when they are offline and disconnected.

"Rhodes 2.1 represents the latest in a host of significant new features that have been built into Rhodes since the launch of Rhodes 2.0," said Adam Blum, CEO of Rhomobile. "From our inclusion of the metadata framework which supports flexible integration with enterprise application backends to barcode capture we will continue to add features necessary for seamless enterprise mobile deployments."

The Rhodes smartphone app framework reduces development time by up to five times for a single OS as developers can use their web development skills and code in HTML, Javascript and Ruby instead of in Objective-C or other complex native device OS language.

Rhodes 2.1 Features:

• NEW: Signature capture
• NEW: Barcode capture
• NEW: Integrated jQTouch Optimized for Android
• EXCLUSIVE: Metadata framework
• EXCLUSIVE: Model View Controller for mobile app development
• EXCLUSIVE: Object Relational Manager (ORM)
• EXCLUSIVE: Support for all devices
• EXCLUSIVE: Support for Push Synchronized Data on all platforms
• Native mapping across all devices
• Optimized native styling for all smartphones
• Built from the ground up to leverage smartphones in the enterprise
• Allows developers to write app interface in Ruby and HTML and simultaneously build native apps (not web apps) for all smartphones
• Supports iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android
• Allows users to work with synced local data for rapid access and ease of operation when disconnected or offline
• App provisioning via RhoHub, the only hosted Development as a Service for Mobile
• Makes developers five times more productive for even a single smartphone OS
• Built-in tools for test-driven development
• Interactive debugger (Android/iPhone emulators)
• Full access to device capabilities: GPS, audio and video, PIM contacts, native mapping, camera

Availability

The Rhodes framework is free under the MIT License. Rhodes 2.1 is available at http://rhomobile.com/products/rhodes/. Tutorials and other documentation can be viewed at http://Rhomobile.com/docs. 

About Rhomobile

Rhomobile Inc. offers the world's leading only open source framework for enterprise mobility. Founded in 2008, the company's award winning software has thousands of active developers and is ideal for independent software vendors, system integrators and enterprises of all sizes. Rhomobile offers a comprehensive, modern, highly adaptable, and low cost solution for today's smartphone app developer. Rhomobile, headquartered in San Jose, CA, is a privately held company with backing from vSpring Capital. For more information, please visit www.Rhomobile.com.

Rhomobile, Rhodes and RhoSync are registered trademarks of Rhomobile, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Rhomobile