HTML5 IS AN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SLOWLY MAKING HEADWAYS IN THE MOBILE APPLICATION MARKET AND ORGANISATIONS ARE ONLY NOW BEGINNING TO LEARN OF ITS BENEFITS. SO WHY IS HTML5 THE WAY TO GO?
HMTL5 is a new programming language that allows for cross-platform mobile application development. This means that an application does not need to be developed for each specific device such as an iPhone or Android-based devices to be compatible – it will naturally work across different mobile platforms and browsers. Updates are automatically deployed to users without the need for installation on their part; allowing organisations to continually improve their applications without impacting on the user experience. The caveat however, is that the user must be connected to the internet.
“This new technology is maturing at a rapid rate, so much so that the landscape six months ago was completely different to how it is now. From a pragmatic perspective, HTML5 will be the way of the future,” commented Kareem Tawansi, CEO of software development provider, Solentive Software.
“There are still challenges to be faced with HTML5 such as the limitation to access device capabilities such as GPS. However, there are solutions emerging such as frameworks like PhoneGap to allow access to specific hardware on devices and caching facilities to allow an application to access data while it’s not connected. These technologies are fairly new and will require a reasonable amount of research and design consideration while planning the development of a new application,” continued Kareem.
“In some cases, HTML5 is not a suitable option as there are significant differences between the various hardware platforms. In these cases, a native application development or a hybrid of HTML5 would be more appropriate,” concluded Kareem.