Today, if you want to make a full time income, it's inadequate to simply have a job. You need at least 2 or 3 different sources of income to ensure you are able to pay all of your bills in the event something unfortunate happens. Technology has evolved so much that in recent years many people have found another method to earn money: they develop mobile applications. Many entrepreneurs have made a term for themselves by developing mobile apps, and if you're thinking about learning how to develop mobile apps yourself, keep reading this article.

Mobile app development is just a rapidly growing industry because people are finding more methods to earn money through their smartphones. Each day the number of active users keeps growing. Below are a few numbers which will illustrate just how big the is becoming:

- How many smartphone users worldwide is expected to achieve 1 billion in 2014 ( source ).

- Based on statistics there were nearly 35 million iPhone developers as of December 2010 ( source ). This figure shows a rise of 25% over the previous year's figures!

If you intend to develop mobile apps then you'll need several things before you start. This will additionally apply to any kind of development, nevertheless you especially need these:

- Skills and knowledge – You'll have to know how to code, and you'll also should try to learn about design concepts like UX (User Experience) and Deniz Guney HCI (Human Computer Interaction).

- Some type of computer – Obviously! Ideally it should be a laptop/netbook that runs Windows or Mac OSX since most computers nowadays run one of these brilliant operating systems. However, if your skills are adequate then you could be able to produce an app on Linux as well.

- A smartphone – It's not necessary for developing apps, however it will surely help because you can test them on your device. If you don't have a smartphone then you might always use a friend's or a family member's device.

- An IDE – A computer software development kit (or IDE - Integrated Development Environment) is essential to produce applications for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms. Popular IDEs include Xcode , Eclipse and Visual Studio.

- The developer license – You can develop apps without paying anything, but if you wish to publish them on app stores then you'll need to cover the annual fee which will be currently $99 for Apple App Store and Google Play Developer Console. Several payment methods are available, including bank cards, PayPal and wire transfer from your own bank account.