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Analysis - Few performers, for mobile web browsers do not offer the user experience of a native application. But the ongoing work, particularly around HTML5, could provide new weapons for browsers that find themselves and a central place. At stake: more openness, more flexibility and savings in terms of development. Dominique Hazael-Massieux W3C gives us some clues.
With his famous duet iPhone + App Store, Apple has imposed a standard for mobile applications. Standard sung by competition. Thus, unlike the fixed Web, any application on smartphone runs independently outside the browser.
Such an approach suited to developers in light of the overwhelming dominance of the iPhone on the smartphone market. The explosion in the number of applications available on the App Store is a clear proof.
But the market has changed with the rise of Android, which became in a few months the second mobile platform market. Not to mention the appearance of other OS as Bada (Samsung) or Windows Phone 7 (Microsoft).
Consequently, the development work becomes nightmarish and it is almost impossible for a publisher of content to be present on different platforms at the same moment.Surtout be present on the iPhone is no longer enough to be visible due to the decrease gradual market share.
Web Apps: a pragmatic approach
Still, the extra burden imposed by the multiplication of shower OS ambitions. For many, it is now to find an alternative to be everywhere without exploding budget.
This is in fact returning to basics, using the Web browser as a receptacle applications and therefore to develop Web Apps and Web applications.
Only problem, the current mobile browsers, too limited, does not achieve this goal. But things could change rather quickly, thanks to the rapid development of HTML 5.
This standard makes it possible to integrate many functions (drag and drop, AV, GPS, voice recognition, forms ...), previously reserved for native applications, the Web browser.
This is certainly the stated goal by the W3C, the standards body to nonprofit charged with promoting the compatibility of the World Wide Web technologies. "Our ambition is to ensure that the Web becomes a platform for mobile development. There are a lot of waiting around for that, "explains Businessmobile.fr, Dominique Hazael-Massieux, head of mobile operations for the W3C.
True to his sense of openness, the consortium believes that this approach multiplies the benefits "for developers to rely on a universal platform is much more affordable than other development languages on mobile. For users, this is true riches to access the Web, "says the expert.
However, to support a browser functions as rich as that provided by native applications, not for tomorrow even though things are progressing.
Mobile Web browsers increasingly rich
"Geolocation is now integrated into the browser, which can offer many services. Now, the W3C is working on the integration of speech recognition (still experimental), address book, and access to hardware components of the phone as the camera, accelerometer, gyroscope or microphone. Some of these bricks could be operational in 2011, "explains Dominique Hazael-Massieux.
The Web Apps could therefore grow on this land. A field that seems highly interested actors in the value chain. Developers and publishers will be able to achieve very significant savings while providing multi-platform presence through a standardized development.
But it is mainly the handset manufacturers and operators that could reverse the balance of power. Today they are highly dependent on Google and Apple, and had virtually no opportunity of windfall applications.
They seek to develop their own application portal (WAC initiative) and watch closely the development of Web Apps which would allow them to take control of this lucrative market. "Operators are closely and concretely involved in our work because they know that it is strategic for them. This is the value of their pipes, "said the expert.
Another winner in this story: the opening. Certainly, Web Apps will bypass the closed models to Apple, roundly denounced by Tim Berners-Lee, co-inventor of the Web and W3C chair.
For him, the current model of application stores is a threat to network neutrality. "This way of smartphone apps rather than web applications is worrying because the proposed content is not part of the Web", causing the de facto establishment of a parallel Web access but closed.
Source: www.businessmobile.fr / Olivier Chicheportiche
The vision of Domus Technology
Web apps are actually the least interactive with native functions of the smartphone, but we think the business model of native applications is a short-term business.
At Domus Technology, parrions us since the beginning of the web apps for several reasons: cross-platform deployment, functional architecture, ease of updating, no application installations ... bcp benefits ...
Moreover this model is in complete contradiction with the spirit of the web and trends of cloud computing or web services.
in our industry, we face competition from a native application and added value to our front web application is of the order of the gadget ...
We remain convinced that web applications are the techno-economic model most suitable for long-term business model.
