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We have got a request from a client to develop an app for the iPad. Just wanting to know if anyone else has done this recently and what techniques you used.

Communication from the mobile devices to the Jade database would be best with web services. But I have heard that the Jade web services are not suitable for this and using Joob would be better. That would mean going from:

Jade > Joob > Mobile device

I would rather just go with:

Jade > Mobile device

But maybe that would be too hard as we would want to design it not only using iPads but for the Android market for phones as well.

Hoping someone out there has done this recently with some helpful advice

Take a look at this:

http://www.phonegap.com/

It allows you to design a web app and then convert it to a native iOS/Andoid etc. app.

It depends on the nature of your application and how much data would flow, but the standard way would be to use web services. Personally I wouldn't, unless the webservice is to be available to other applications that is developed by a third party. I would go with a simpler data transfer format such a JSON, or even roll your own, depending on how complicated it is. I would also avoid JOOB unless it provides you with other value - it's seems off from an architectural point of view to have that in as an additional layer when it's not necessary.

I would recommend looking into using Sencha Touch coupled with PhoneGap. If you do it this way, then the communication to JADE can be done using HTTP(S) communication using IIS and jadehttp.dll to a multi-workers JADE farm for processing. If you are familiar with these technologies it'll make development on a potentially new platform easier. Using PhoneGap you will also have a native app running on all major mobile platforms form a single development (that's the theory anyway). Nice. It will also allow you to more easily provide a web app using the same development (though keep in mind that Sencha Touch only runs on Webkit browsers at the moment).

JoobMobile!
http://www.joobworld.com/mobile