Mobile Platforms to Go the HTML-5 Way?

The key advantages of HTML5 app stores are cross-device portability and a buy-once-use- everywhere application model.

Aug. 17, 2011

HTML5 is to be a game-changer according to some who see it take over most mobile platforms. The question, however, is what its real impact to the mobile industry will be.

Background: Web vs. Apps

In today’s world of apps, the web seems to have taken a seat in the back row. However, many industry observers are predicting a comeback with HTML5 advancements, the proliferation of smartphones and ubiquitous backing by both telcos and Internet players. Is the web as we know it about to change?

First Things First: What is The Web?

Firstly, the web is a language for creating interactive, navigable content, which consists of three main parts: HTML, the language used to define the static text and images, CSS, the language defining styling and presentational elements and JavaScript, the language describing the interactions and animations.

Secondly, the web is a paradigm for open, unfettered access to content that is not under the control of any single entity. When single vendors like Apple and Google control apps distribution, the web seems to challenge the status quo.

Web pages differ from mobile apps in many ways today.

From Web 1.0 to the Mobile Web

The web has gone through two major phases. Web 1.0 was the era of the dumb terminals and static web pages. The first generation of the web assumed all intelligence was in the network; the device had to issue a simple request to fetch a page and then present it on the screen.

Web 2.0 is the era of smarter terminals and interactive pages. In this second generation, designed around the ‘read-write web,’ the user is not just a consumer but also an editor, curator and producer of content. Web 2.0 helped create today’s phenomena of Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and nano-publishing.

Though it started as an outsider to the web, the mobile industry has been rapidly catching up since the early WAP days. Apple’s WebKit browser engine is now the common ‘circuitry’ behind more than 500 million devices shipped to date by all major smartphone vendors. Opera, the mobile browser vendor, counts over 100 million monthly active users on its Mobile and Mini browsers.

In the manufacturer camp, smartphones are likely to reach well into sub-$100 retail price points this year. Operators are deploying solutions for optimization of content delivery, facilitating efficient use of the network while browsing the web.

Mobile industry initiatives such as the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) are pushing the envelope for web applications, aka widgets, while EU-funded initiatives like webinos aim to use the web as a medium for deploying applications across mobile, PC, TV and automotive screens.

HTML5 as a Technology Change

The hype surrounding HTML5 has peaked this year. HTML5 promises to push the capabilities of web applications to the point of making web apps as engaging as Flash applications and as integrated with the device as mobile applications. HTML5 introduces several technology improvements in these domains by adding off-line storage, 2D graphics capabilities, video/audio streaming, geo-location, access to the phone’s camera and sensors, as well as user interface tools.

HTML5 promises to push the capabilities of web applications to the point of making web apps as engaging as Flash applications and as integrated with the device as mobile applications.

This next generation of web languages in the form of HTML5 is being standardized by the W3C and the WHAT working group who are driving forward web apps as equal citizens to mobile applications.

Yet, HTML5 is still work in progress and even standards bodies show fragmented approaches to HTML5 completion. The W3C expects official completion of the HTML5 set of standards in 2014. In parallel, WHAT has taken a different approach to completion and is now working on ‘HTML’ as a continually evolving set of specifications.

Despite the adoption of the WebKit engine as a de-facto standard, HTML5 implementation on mobile devices is both fragmented and incomplete.

Independent studies have shown that every mobile WebKit implementation is slightly different. In addition, the leading smartphone platforms show inadequate HTML5 support – some devices show partial HTML5 support (at best 2 out of 3 HTML5 features supported), while some others are lagging further behind.

Much like history has shown with the PC browser wars of the 1990s and the Java ME fragmentation of the 2000s, mobile browser fragmentation in 2010s will be driven by the need to differentiate (‘embrace and extend’) and the varying speeds among vendors in implementing the latest WebKit engine.

What about HTML5 app stores? Already a number of start-ups such as have proposed app stores focused on web apps. The key advantages of HTML5 app stores are cross-device portability and a buy-once-use- everywhere application model.

Unfortunately, supply does not always imply demand. HTML5 app stores cannot deliver a business model change if there is no demand. Firstly, users care about availability of popular content (Angry Birds, Skype, Facebook) most of which are not available as web apps, often due to HTML technology limitations. Secondly, users care about choosing among hundreds of thousands of apps, which is currently a 2-horse race (Apple and Google), with the web lagging far behind in terms of the number of apps. Thirdly, users are becoming loyal to their smartphone platform (Android, iOS, BlackBerry), where the native app store dominates.

How to Compete in a Software World

HTML5 introduces several technology innovations. However, HTML5 remains a technology change that is not designed to solve discovery, distribution or monetization problems – in other words, it is not designed to change the business model.

Operators can act as the matchmakers between developers and end-users by helping developers take the right apps to the right users through featured placements, social graph-based recommendations and segment targeting. Similarly, handset makers can act as on-device retailers, connecting the developers to the right audience in the right region, through white space across the handset real estate.

What will be changing the business model of the web are the innovations introduced in the apps economy – where content is created with semantic tagging (description, category, user ratings), discovered via web stores (much like app stores), distributed within walled gardens (Facebook), and monetized through micro-payments (much like apps). We call this web 3.0. 

The question is how the mobile industry can leverage on the web and the native platforms that dominate the apps world. The trick here is not to compete, but to leverage on the network effects of the platforms where handset makers/ network operators can position themselves as a new generation of over-the-top players.

For example, operators can act as the matchmakers between developers and end-users by helping developers take the right apps to the right users through featured placements, social graph-based recommendations and segment targeting. Similarly, handset makers can act as on-device retailers, connecting the developers to the right audience in the right region, through white space across the handset real estate.

This is also where we believe WAC has the best chances of success by helping operators reposition as over-the-top players on top of the app stores. That is, by helping developers reach out to users with ubiquitous billing, quality assurance, content curation, local content deals, privacy and security assurance. It can also help extend app stores away from the virtual and into the physical retail space.

At the same time, network operators and handset makers can help drive the web into a viable alternative for native platforms in many ways. They can push the development of WebKit towards better bandwidth management and closer integration with hardware multimedia acceleration. Moreover, the mobile industry can sponsor the development of better cross-platform tools that allow HTML and JavaScript developers to target multiple native platforms and mass-market browsers.

No matter how telcos decide to compete in the software world, they need to adopt agile development methods and move at software speeds to catch-up with the platform players in controlling the last mile to the consumer.

The future of connected web and devices is going to surprise us – much like how applications turned telcos’ economics upside down. As Bill Gates once famously said, “we always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten”.

The web is going to be a game changer, but not the way we expect.

Adapted from HTML5 and What it Means for the Mobile Industry, Andreas Constantinou, 06 Jun, 2011

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The Milk for iPad is here!

Big news for the iPad-ownin’ folks who at the same time enjoy managing their tasks using Remember The Milk. The popular task management service has finally released an iOS application that fully takes advantage of the big screen Apple’s tablet rocks.

When compared to the iPhone application, the iPad version looks easier to use, resembling the web interface. In that sense, you will see all of your tasks in one place, or if you really have tons of tasks in RTM, be able to easily browse and search through them.

Included in the deal are support for gestures, syncing with the web service and RTM used on other devices, Smart List support, ability to sort tasks by different criteria and so on. I find gestures to be especially interesting – for instance you can tap tasks with two fingers to quickly complete or postpone tasks (pull down to reveal the Complete button, pull up to reveal the Postpone button).

Finally, like the iPhone app, RTM for iPad also comes in two flavors: Free and Pro. In the free version, you’ll be able to sync manually once every 24 hours with the Remember The Milk servers, whereas the Pro version comes with unlimited syncing. Moreover, push notifications are also available for the Pro users, only. Either way — even if you’re not a Pro user — you can download Remember The Milk for your iOS-powered device for free.

For more informations about iPad Applications Development, iPad Developers, Hire your  iPad Programmers, log onto http://www.dckap.com

Source: http://www.intomobile.com

Apple Event Live: Apple Releases new iPad 2

On March 2, Apple invited many media members to announce it’s plans to reveal a new iPad. Today, at the Yerba Buena Center of the Arts in San Francisco, Californa- Apple announced the release of the new iPad, known as the Apple iPad 2 during the event.

Surprisingly, as we had expected Steve Jobs was also present at the event. The event started with Steve jobs on stage with a few update on the company’s achievements.

Steve Jobs said, “We’ve been working on this project for a while, and just didn’t want to miss this.”

He explained iBooks and how more than 100 million books had been downloaded in less than a year, the App Store that surpassed 2 billion dollars paid out to developers, and a many, many other achievements.

“In 2001, we had the iPod. In 2007, we had the iPhone. In 2010, the iPad.” At the event, Steve Jobs said, “When we introduced the iPad, we said it was our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device. People laughed at us for calling it magical — but it’s turned out to be magical. People didn’t necessarily agree with the price — but ask our competitors now 2010 was the year of the iPad. We sold nearly 15 million iPads in 2010.”

Then Steve Jobs went on to announce the biggest announcement. We are GOING to release the new iPad 2. Yes, the iPad 2 that uses a new dramatically faster chip known as the A5. The CUP is 2x faster and includes graphics 9x faster. Additionally, the power consumption is the same as that of an A4 chip.

The iPad two also has 2 built-in cameras as we had also expected- front and rear cameras. As well as a built in gyroscope. The second generation of the iPad is dramatically thinner 1/3inch, or 33% thinner than the previous model. Steve jobs also explained that the iPad 2 is actually tinner than the iPhone 4.

The iPad 2 is also ligher- from 1.5 pounds down to 1.3 pounds. It is available in WHITE as well. Jobs said, “we’re going to be shipping white from day one!” From day one, the iPad 2 will support AT&T and Verizion.

Just last year, Apple had also unveiled the original iPad at the Yerba Buena Center as well. The venue had also hosted numerous other Apple product announcements over the years. Till date, Apple has sold over more than 15 million Apple iPads in less than a year. This event, as expected was certainly a ‘big deal’ for many of us.


Apple has marked up the date for the new iPad 2 release on March 11!  Prices for the iPad will be the same exact as the ones for the previous model.

For more informations about iPad Applications Development, iPad Developers, Hire your  iPad Programmers, log onto http://www.dckap.com

Source: http://www.iphonestalk.com