Introducing KickConnect Mobile v1

It’s alive!

Story time… A long time ago, I thought the pinnacle of being a software developer was being a mobile developer. Microsoft had just released their new Windows Phone, and I was in LOVE with this device. All the Apple products out there (at the time) made me sick. They were SO boring! And they were really just status symbols in my opinion. Of course, I thought Microsoft was on to something. So I started to develop my first app and thus began my journey to the top of the software development career path! I won’t go into all the details, however, I created about 6 mobile apps, but my first app (MyOilChange) was my most popular, and I still have a fondness for it even today.

Fast forward a few years later, we all know that Microsoft pulled the plug on their Windows Phone, and that was the end of my mobile developer career. Until just a few weeks ago…

KickConnect needs an app to go along with the website. Some would argue that the website should really be an app; however, I disagree. UserEntry screens really needs a keyboard. They are prone to mistakes without it. But I do agree that the website needs a mobile component.

The following video is the beginning of that app. I did a little research, and it really came down to React Native, Ionic, and Flutter. I have serious issues with React. It’s dumb I know, but the fact is I’m never going to choose React. I chose Flutter because it wasn’t Facebook, and I’m firmly in Team Google’s camp. I also realize this could be another repeat of my allegiance to Microsoft from years ago. However, my first couple of weeks with Flutter have been really entertaining. I’m not an expert in it (yet), but I can see why people like it!

My app right now is really simple. Login Screen (using my KickConnect API), then a Main screen that displays the logged in user information and the classes/events already based by location (again using the API). It’s SUPER SIMPLE and covers about 80% of what I’m envisioning for the public side of KickConnect. I’m sure this will grow and become more refined. I’m still learning the basics, but icons and color scheming are up next.

Enjoy my 1st mobile app since about 2015!