Mobile Web Apps

What are they?

Design and code an app once that runs in the web browser. Use standardized HTML5 and JavaScript to use the same native functionality.

Why?

The big reason is that the Web is not going away; mobile web apps are growing faster than native apps.

(from readWriteWeb.com)

Mobile Web Apps Are Dead

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/google-app-store/

Benefits:

- Cross platform solution. Code with standards-based HTML5 and Javascript

- Users can continue the experience at home on their TVs, in the office with their laptops, and on the bus on their mobile device

- Store data in the cloud so it is all in one centralized place

- No need to update code when new mobile OS comes out

- No more arbitrary rejections from Apple

Cons:

- Have to use JavaScript

- Might not have access to all hardware (see phonegap and sencha for solutions to this)

- Probably need a new way to make money

     -Can't really sell JavaScript because people can steal it

     -Do micropayments for content

Mobile Web Apps vs Native Device Apps

http://www.slideshare.net/csskarma/native-device-vs-mobile-web-applications-3553486

This is a great presentation about the differences. A must read.

What about stores?

http://uxebu.com/blog/2010/02/26/mobile-web-%E2%80%93-does-the-adult-industry-point-the-way-again/

A bit about the difference between mobile web apps and native ones. Also has a discussion and links to a new store that features HTML5 apps to download.

How to break in?

Games, games, games. There are almost no mobile web app games, even though the majority of apps are games!

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/mobile_app_or_browser-based_site.php

GO HERE!!!! this is a great article with some awesome charts and statistics about how and why mobile web is the way to go!

There are probably other ways...just explore some of the new toolkits and get on board with their development.

Links/resources

Tools:

phonegap - http://www.phonegap.com/about

"PhoneGap is an open source development framework for building cross-platform mobile apps. Build apps in HTML and JavaScript and still take advantage of core features in iPhone/iTouch, iPad, Google Android, Palm, Symbian and Blackberry SDKs." (from their website)

sencha - http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/

"Sencha Touch allows you to develop web apps that look and feel native
on Apple iOS and Google Android touchscreen devices."

mobile javascript - http://www.slideshare.net/brianleroux/mobile-javascript

A slide show about how you can use pure Javascript to go mobile..but its probably a better bet to use one of the tools listed above.

JavaScript ToolKits:

dojo - http://dojotoolkit.org/

Probably the most powerful JavaScript framework that provides an amazing build system and a lot of great features. Not sure about the mobile support yet, but with the backing of some big companies

jQuery Mobile - http://jquerymobile.com/

jQuery is one of the most popular JS frameworks. The mobile project is still under development, but it looks real impressive!

Tutorials:

HTML Geolocation tutorial - http://mobile.tutsplus.com/tutorials/html5/html5-geolocation/

A pretty nifty tutorial about using Geolocation from the browser (not native to the device.) This is something you can do without using phonegap above....they also talk about the accuracy of the method, etc.

Misc. HTML5

http://www.chromeexperiments.com/