AppDate: Barcelona’s best apps

Last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona saw hundreds of manufactures and developers display their latest mobile innovations. SEAN BACHER rounds up some of the most interesting app contributions.

AppMachine Pro

AppMachine allows non-technical users to build apps without having to write a single line of code. The app is built by the user dragging and dropping design elements in a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface. The code is then automatically created by AppMachine. The newly released Pro version is aimed at professional app developers, allowing them to create their own design elements and app features which can be saved and used in other apps.

Platform: Web-based

Stockists: Start building apps by clicking here.

Expect to pay: R1 500 per month with a 30-day trial.

Don’t Panic: Mobile Developer’s Guide to the Galaxy

Sponsored by PayPal, SAP and Twilio, Mobile Developer’s Guide to the Galaxy is a booklet published by German-based Enough Software and handed out free at MWC. It guides developers through requirements, resources, procedures and even monetisation for each of the mobile application operation systems. It includes Android, BlackBerry Java Apps, BlackBerry 10, Firefox OS, iOS, Java ME (J2ME), Tizen, Windows Phone and Windows RT. The authors say that, despite having to dump the likes of webOS and Symbian along the way, the new edition covers more apps environments than ever before.

Stockists: Order a hard copy or download a digital version at http://www.enough.de

Expect to pay: A free download.

Foodpanda/hellofood for Nokia Lumia and Asha smartphones

Foodpanda/hellofood is a global food delivery app and can now be downloaded to Nokia Lumia and Asha smartphones. The app contains menus from over 22 000 major restaurant franchises around the world. Once registered and logged in, tourists in foreign countries can place food orders without having to leave their hotel rooms.

Platform: Windows Phone 8 and Nokia Asha. The app is already available for iOS and Android.

Stockists: Visit the store linked to your device.

Expect to pay: A free download.

Opera Max

The Opera Max app is a data savings app that compresses data across applications on a mobile device. The app is able to compress video, text and images, allowing the user to get the most out of a data plan.

Platform: Android

Stockists: Click here to download the app. Opera is releasing the app in batches, so users need to register and will be notified once the app is available in their country.

Expect to pay: A free download.

Toca Pet Doctor

Toca Pet Doctor lets children nurture up to 15 animals to health by feeding them antibiotics, giving them fresh food and water and injecting vaccines into them. Once the animal has fully recovered, it returns to the wild and another sick animal arrives at the vet yhis time with a more serious injury that requires more care and attention.

Platform: iOS

Stockists: Click here to download the app.

Expect to pay: R35

* Sean Bacher is editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @SeanBacher