At Dogtown Media, we specialize in mobile app development, grounded with expert knowledge in the internet of things, fintech, medical tech and user interface design. We are determined to take on your next project and create an app that will help your business grow.

Clutch, a company that publishes unbiased reviews of B2B companies, has featured us once again in a recent press release of top California mobile app development companies.  We’re excited to share that we have been featured highly in their directory list of the top mobile app developers in California. This honor adds to our previous recognition as a top California Mobile App Development Company on DesignRush.

Clutch’s ranking algorithm takes many pieces of information into account when displaying companies on their directory pages; the most important part of Clutch’s ranking algorithm is client reviews. To date, we have received over 20 positive reviews. Our clients aren’t shy to share their successes with Clutch:

“Dogtown Media developed a solution for a project considered impossible to do in the tech world.”

“They were extremely responsive and supportive and I never felt like I was working on anything on my own.”

“Their work has made my life easier by automating features in the app that I was doing manually.”

In addition to our feature on Clutch, we were also mentioned on their sister-site, The Manifest.  We are pleased to announce that we were listed as one of the top mobile app development companies in the world on The Manifest.

Here at Dogtown Media, we are ready to improve your business by creating vital apps that will allow your business to access your consumers at all times.  Our team will work directly with your business to assess how to stand apart from competitors as well. We look forward to taking on your next project!

Each year, Clutch publishes a press release naming the top service providers within certain industries. We’re proud to announce that Clutch has named Dogtown Media among the world’s leading mobile app developers this year.

We’ve also been listed on Clutch’s sister website, The Manifest, a B2B news website that helps buyers through the process of selecting a vendor. Manifest also ranked Dogtown as one of the top app development companies in the world.

Founded in 2011, Clutch is a Washington, D.C.-based research firm that leverages unparalleled market insight to determine the leaders across numerous industries. With unbiased case studies, industry trend analysis, and business market comparisons, Clutch’s data-driven platform allows clients to find and connect with top-tier companies who can solve difficult challenges.

Clutch’s directories adhere to this meticulous, data-centric approach; it’s organized to list the most credible firms first. Credibility is gained by attaining client testimonials and market presence. Essentially, the directories allow potential buyers and clients in need of partnerships to visualize their different options with a holistic perspective of each company.

Check out some of the reviews we’ve received so far below!

Webdam is a digital asset management software company. We re-developed their platform from the ground up. Here’s what they had to say:

“Dogtown Media’s work was a massive improvement from the previous app version and received high praise from customers… They were extremely responsive and supportive, and I never felt like I was working on anything on my own.”

We also got the opportunity to help the University of Oklahoma improve its app with more student-centric functionalities and geolocation capabilities. Here’s their feedback:

Another client required an app for the University of Oklahoma. Here’s what they had to say:

“Dogtown Media’s expert team inspires confidence throughout the project by communicating clearly from the start. They bring creative ideas to the table at a reasonable value… Their work has made my life easier by automating features in the app that I was doing manually.”

The past few weeks have been surreal for Dogtown Media. Recently, we made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies in the United States for the second year in a row. Not long after, we were honored again by being included on Clutch’s list!

Both are incredible awards we couldn’t have imagined attaining when we first started developing in L.A. in 2011. We’d like to give a big thanks to Clutch, Inc., our team, clients, and community — none of this would be possible without you.

From humble beginnings as a mobile app developer in Los Angeles, we’re extremely proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far and we’re also very excited to see where the future takes us. We can’t wait to create more amazing mobile experiences for the world to enjoy.

If you have an idea but don’t know where to begin, reach out anytime — if you can dream it, we can build it!

Here at Dogtown Media, we’re passionate about computer science education reform. It’s not just that we want to prepare the next generation of mobile app developers — it’s much bigger than that. Without more access to computer science education, Americans risk falling behind as innovators and major players in the world economy. There are currently half a million computing jobs in America with nobody to fill them, and by 2024, that number is expected to surpass one million. The American education system has been slow to address this problem; only a quarter of American schools offer a class that focuses on computer science, leaving much of our children to discover coding on their own. And that’s not to mention the millions of adults now eager to learn coding who were unable to learn it during their schooling years.

So what can be done? The mobile app developer community can try to influence politics (and Dogtown Media pushed for computer science reform in the capital at this year’s AppCon), but it can also do what it does best and try to solve the problem on its own, in its own way. That’s where an app like Py comes in. Developed by two computer science majors, one a recent graduate (congratulations!), Py teaches users the basics of coding, currently offering around 10 free courses that use gamification elements to draw in learners. The app was recently featured in the App Store and has recently been released for Android devices.

Py’s fun but intensive curriculum focuses on the building blocks future developers need to build a website or an app, teaching the basics of Javascript, HTML, Python and Swift. Additionally, it provides practical advice, like how to handle an interview for a coding job (something many New York City mobile app developers probably wish they had back when they were starting out). The app is one of Y Combinator’s startup darlings this summer, and it has also received backing from the Yale Venture Creation Program, who has chipped in $100K to help Py’s mission of promoting and democratizing coding education. There are plans for intermediate and advance courses in the future, and a monetization plan too, of course, that would unlock new courses and offer “live mentoring” from experts in software engineering. While there are many other learn-to-code apps out there, Py seems very promising in its early stages. If the American education system won’t step up and teach computer science, leave it to startups to step in and fill the need.

Every year, the Washington, D.C.-based research firm Clutch releases their findings on the best mobile app developers in various major markets. The criteria include the company’s specific areas of focus, experience, client satisfaction, industry recognition, and market presence. Clutch’s analysts perform highly detailed client interviews to really get a feel for what each app development company brings to the table. To make the Clutch top ten is a big distinction, a sign that you’re doing the kind of work that clients love. This year, Dogtown Media is honored to make Clutch’s list as one of the top ten mobile app developers in Los Angeles.

There’s some stiff competition among L.A. mobile app developers, so everyone at Dogtown Media’s offices is really proud to rise above the rest of the pack. We take every element of app development seriously, from concept, UX and UI design, and coding to monetization, marketing, and distribution. That’s why it’s such a thrill to be recognized for our technical know-how, customer satisfaction, and dedication. With a nearly even split between projects for small business, midmarket, and enterprise clients, we have experience developing apps on a variety of scales. But no matter how big the project is, we always approach it with the same amount of attention and passion.

According to Clutch analyst Amber Dewey, “The leading companies in our research have proven their ability to handle projects of any size and complexity, and create impressive mobile apps and custom software solutions that help push each client’s business further, whether it be internally or in the marketplace.” That sounds about right. While Dogtown Media is glad to be hailed as one of the finest mobile app developers in the city, we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We’re going to keep up the hard work so that we make next year’s list too.

According to a study from Inside Higher Ed, coding bootcamps have major economic barriers that are stopping low-income students from enrolling.

The result: most coding bootcamp graduates are already members of the middle class, going against President Obama’s recent praise for bootcamps as a “ticket into the middle class.”

iPhone app development companies need more engineers, and today’s uncertain job market has left many nine-to-fivers unhappy with their prospect in traditional businesses, leading to a mass migration towards digital fields.

However, most of those workers making the migration to app development already had relatively mid-range salaries, with an average of around $46,600. Among those enrolled, over 70% already had undergraduate degrees. So what’s holding back the low-income students who stand to benefit most from a high-skill high-demand career path like app development?

Part of that problem is related to the barriers that keep low-income workers from entering college in general: high cost, full-time requirements, and cultural bias. But while most for-profit universities (and state universities, for that matter) get around this obstacle by implementing a borderline-predatory loan system to cover student living expenses, coding bootcamps rely on students and their families to cover tuition and living expenses up front.

With many of the best coding bootcamps located in major tech hubs like San Francisco and NYC, the cost of rent for six months is nothing to be scoffed at.

Taking off six months to a year from work isn’t a realistic possibility for many aspiring Chicago iPhone app developers. The solution, clearly, is some sort of financing. The question is, will tech be able to succeed where traditional education has failed?

Massive student loan default and consumer disappointment in a system that traps low-income workers in crippling debt has unleashed an unprecedented backlash against the education system. Some bootcamps have taken strides to fix this problem by taking tuition as a percentage of student salaries once placed in a job. What other disruptive funding concepts will tech be able to offer to the broken technical education system?

Computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education are something we feel very strongly about at Dogtown Media. Many members of our mobile app development team are involved in tech education advocacy — our CEO Marc Fischer even teaches app development at Santa Monica college, and has spoken to student groups on the issue as well as judged youth coding competitions.

Long story short: getting young people involved in tech is a huge part of our mission as mobile app developers.

The growth of tech in the US has one major weak point: the lack of qualified candidates to fill positions at mobile app development companies. As of last year, the average salary for coders was a staggering $99,530. Meanwhile, projections estimate that there will be over 1 million unfilled positions by 2024.

Multiply that salary by a million, and you can start to understand why the government should be worried about the current lack of STEM and tech development-specific education available to students on the pre-college level. We need more coders and mobile app developers here in Los Angeles, and we need them yesterday — so where’s the educational infrastructure to make it happen?

The answer is complicated, but the short answer is this: politicians are listening and they want tech to grow just as much as we do. Especially on the local level, representatives around the country are taking an interest in mobile development like never before. And they have good reason to; study after study has shown the immensely positive affects the tech industry can have on local economies, drawing in talented young people and pumping new cashflow into existing businesses.

We’re headed to AppCon 2016 this coming week, and we’re looking forward to what may be our best opportunity yet to have a positive impact on tech education policy in the US. We’ll be meeting other prominent tech companies from around the country to consult with elected officials about mobile app development issues like encryption, trade, and most importantly education.

It’s our hope that making the needs of mobile app development companies clear to Capitol Hill will nudge us one step closer to a future where tech education is a stronger part of middle and high-school public education. It’s not a question of if they’ll listen — it’s just a question of how fast we can work together to make it happen.

U.S. President Barack Obama became the first sitting chief executive in American history to write computer code, when he put together several lines of Javascript during a recent Hour of Code session. The Hour of Code program, an educational initiative supported by many of the world’s leading technology companies, is designed to “demystify” the computer coding process through hour-long tutorials. The tutorials teach students the basics of coding, providing them with the foundation to learn more if it piques their interest.

During his session, Obama put together a short piece of code that created the shape of a square on the computer screen. While his efforts were far from advanced, they did bring a great deal of publicity to the Hour of Code initiative. Currently, the Hour of Code program is building towards a stated goal of reaching 100 million students around the world. Workshops are available at the elementary school, middle school and high school levels.

The program isn’t intended to turn a newbie into an iPhone app developer overnight. Rather, it simply addresses the widespread perception that computer code is insurmountably difficult to learn, and is something meant only for genius-level math and science wizards. The Hour of Code program’s main mandate is that anyone is capable of learning how to code.

Chicago iPhone app development, and mobile software development the world over, relies on new generations of programmers bringing creative and innovative ideas to the industry. If you’re a software professional looking to contribute to your community, check out the Hour of Code program to see if there are any available spaces for you to volunteer your time and expertise for the benefit of students.

iOS 8 Swift Xcode

Apple made a surprise announcement this past Monday at the company’s annual Worldwide Development Conference by unveiling Swift, a new programming language which is expected to supplant Objective-C, the current standard. The company also confirmed that Swift and Objective-C will share LLVM complier and runtime, allowing them to operate simultaneously within the same piece of software.

According to Apple, Swift will unify the procedural and object-oriented positions of the programming language. However, there are several key differences between Swift and Objective-C, including syntactic divergences and the inclusion of numerous variable types, including optional types and tuples. Swift will also allow programmers to enact remainder operations on floating-point numbers, and it also supports Objective-C’s current Cocoa and Cocoa Touch capabilities.

Additional key features of Swift include:

• Closures with function pointers for unification
• Multiple return values
• Tuples
• Quick, accurate iteration capabilities over ranges and collections
• Structs for supporting protocols, methods and extensions
• Map and filter programming patterns

Apple also said that Swift was designed specifically to improve safety and security, and that it will be fully integrated into the company’s Xcode IDE update. It will also include an interactive feature called Playground, which will allow developers to view the effects of code edits in real time. Swift will also be supported by Xcode’s signature debugging console.

This announcement is big news for iPhone app developers. Swift will be faster, with complex object sorts running almost four times faster than Python, while Objective-C is just 2.8 times faster than Python. The new language is also designed for superior simplicity, as Objective-C was notoriously difficult for new developers and programmers to learn.

What’s more is that iPad app developers in Chicago and around the world will also benefit from improved accessibility. Early reviews of the language’s documentation indicate that it will make developing apps for Apple platforms easier and more intuitive.