Why The Future Of Web-Based Mobile Apps May Lie In Javascript, CSS And HTML Applications
Should businesses require both a mobile and website application? Many developers grapple with this question every day. Most developers have concluded that there is dire need to focus on specific platforms such as Android, iPhone or Windows 7. Others have realized that many development tools already exist that allows them to maximize their skillsets, whether it is JavaScript, CSS & HTML or programming languages such as C++ or C. These mobile app tools help in creating native apps that can utilize plenty of mobile device’s native features such as accelerometer, contacts, camera, GPS, etc.
Web-Based Mobile Development Tools:
PhoneGap refers to an open source development structure for creating cross-platform mobile applications using JavaScript, CSS & HTML. It allows developers to exploit the core features of Blackberry, Symbian, Palm, Android, iPhone Smartphones, including vibration, sound, contacts, accelerometer and geo-location. As much as PhoneGap is free, it requires extra software that is specific to the platform under development such as the Android SDK for Android or iPhone SDK for iPhone. Using PhoneGap is great because you don’t have to create an application for each platform.
Other tools such as Rhodes allow you to build native applications for any mobile platform including the Android, Symbian, Blackberry, iPhone and Windows Mobile. Similar to PhoneGap, developers have to compile every platform’s code separately. Rhodes also supports native features of most if not all Smartphones including camera image capture, contacts, and geolocation. Under the MIT License, Rhodes is free.
What About the Portable HTML 5 Web Applications?
Most recently, the prospect of app development using technologies that can work across different platforms excited developers. An incredible tool is iUI (iPhone User Interface Framework). The iUI uses CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. Developers utilize it to come up with web apps that work effortlessly with all browsers with HTML support.
Even though the iUI was designed to build apps with the feel and look of a native app built with iPhone SDK, all web applications created using iUI shall work on all Smartphones with a standard-compliant web browser. Because IUI is relatively new and lacks a User Interface, it requires skill and patience to use. JQTouch and iWebKit are other similar frameworks to iUI.
Will Web Apps Ultimately Become the Standard?
After many years of absence, the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) most recently returned to work or improve HTML 5 specifications. Obviously, its return has brought with it tensions with the WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Working Group). WHATWG is consortium of browser makers that include Apple, Mozilla, and Opera Software.
Almost all major mobile platforms such as Palm’s WebOS, Google’s Android, and Apple’s iOS utilize similar WebKit-based browsers. Therefore, technologies such as CSS 3 and HTML 5 will continue to enjoy improvements. Actually, even Microsoft is joining the fray with support for the HTML 5 upcoming in MSIE 9.
Although it might not be the official standard for the decade, major browser vendors, sites, and services are increasingly supporting HTML 5. For sure, it is here to stay. For more information on mobile app developments, visit mobileaction.co.
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