HTML5 App Development Agency - Develop and distribute your application once
Creating an HTML5 app is innovative and breaks new ground and there are clear benefits. Firstly, an HTML5 Web App allows publishers to publish changes and new features immediately. There is no extended release process through an app store and users are always on the latest version.
Secondly, developing multiple ‘native’ apps for various products is logistically and financially unmanageable. By having one core codebase, customers can roll out web app onto multiple platforms at once.
An HTML5 example
In this demo we determine if your handset has client side geo location capabilities to retrieve your location (of course only after a request for permission). Once we get your geolocation we will display your position on google map.
Supported platforms
* iOS
* Android
* Blackberry OS
* Browsers with Google Gears support (Android, Windows Mobile)
* Nokia Web Run-Time (Nokia N97,...)
* webOS Application Platform (Palm Pre)
* Torch Mobile Iris Browser
* Mozilla Geode
Why HTML5 can be cheaper and scalable
We believe that in many cases, native apps are simply a bridging solution while web technologies catch up and are able to provide the rich user experience demanded on new platforms. As these improve we expect to see more HTML5 apps and fewer native apps, but there is always likely to be a market for native apps for specific brands or when deeper integration with the hardware or super fast performance are required (games are the most obvious example).
What is the difference between HTML5 and native apps?
HTML5 is a catch-all term used to describe the latest generation of web standards, which comprise HTML, CSS, and JavaScript along with several dozen other technologies. These technologies are evolutions of earlier versions and inherit a lot of good practice from twenty years of the web like accessibility, security and compatibility. As they are not owned by any one corporation, they are universally well supported.
Native apps are built using the preferred technology of one specific platform and operating device, so Apple, Android and Blackberry devices all have different technologies to work with. Native Apps can access phone's native features like GPS, camera, file system (for storage) etc. and use all of them to build a great user experience.
Native apps and HTML5 apps differ not just in how they are made but how they are accessed. An HTML5 app is simply a website – you visit it in your browser, and you’re done. A native app must be downloaded and installed on the device, generally through an app store like the Apple App Store or Google’s Android Market. These app stores are controlled by their owner and may apply charges, rules and policies which are never a constraint with HTML5, distributed purely via the web.
How is the process of developing an HTML5 app different from creating a native app?
HTML5 development is an extension of web development for desktop websites. It uses the same tools and techniques but has a far larger variety of devices to test on. This means the we can iterate, test and redeploy much more quickly than the development cycles for a native application. Development was much faster and more efficient and we were able to quickly gain feedback on functionality.
Native app development is generally easier as it is designed for one platform and libraries of frameworks, components and templates are available from the platform (Apple, Google, RIM or Microsoft). The tools used in native app development are generally those that belong to the same family as the platform itself, so Android development typically involves the Java development environment Eclipse. Apple iOS development would favour Apple’s own development tools such as XCode, and Windows Phone development would require Microsoft Visual Studio. Web development is completely different because there is no vendor-specific platform, so there are a huge variety of tools and technologies that developers can use, and it’s simply a case of using whichever ones you prefer.