[LINK] Perhaps a 'Red Hat' for mobile HTML5

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

AppMobi open-sources its mobile HTML5 technology

By Ryan Kim, Nov. 22, 2011, <http://gigaom.com/2011/11/22/appmobi-open-
sources-its-mobile-html5-technology/>


HTML5 development tool provider appMobi <http://www.appmobi.com/> is 
putting together a Black Friday deal for programmers as it open-sources 
many key HTML5 technologies that it hopes should help spur on the 
building of more mobile web apps. 

AppMobi will be releasing APIs through GitHub <https://github.com> this 
Friday that will help developers build native-like web apps. 

They include appMobi’s cross-platform device APIs, which support HTML5 
development for both Android and iOS platform; the source code for 
appMobi’s “mobiUs” browser, which allows HTML5 web apps to perform like  
native apps; and DirectCanvas, which helps with enhanced graphic 
rendering for 2D games. 

There are also APIs for a physics engine, offline and dynamic caching, a 
media player, authentication and encryption, augmented reality, bar code 
and QR scanner, and better display support.

AppMobi is trying to help accelerate the market for HTML5 mobile apps and 
at the same time position itself to be a sort of Heroku or Red Hat for 
mobile HTML5.

The goal is to help mobile web developers to narrow the gap between web 
apps and native apps, which still often offer more functionality and 
performance. 

The DirectCanvas API, for example, can help game makers build gaming apps 
that are 5 to 20 times faster than existing mobile web apps. Other APIs 
can help developers access key hardware functions such as a device’s 
camera.

The plan all along for appMobi was to open-source its tools. The move 
will help create not only more HTML5 apps but also more hybrid apps that 
are built for native app platforms but rely a lot on HTML5. 

AppMobi will open-source its iOS XCode and Android Eclipse projects for 
developers who want to extend existing native apps with HTML5 tabs or 
views. That will allow developers, for example, to add JavaScript 
components and web services to native apps. 

But, ultimately, appMobi hopes to push the pendulum all the way toward 
full HTML5 apps that can compete favorably against apps in the Android 
Market and Apple’s App Store.

“We view the core technology of HTML5 as a tide that floats all boats,” 
said Sam Abadir, appMobi’s CTO. “We think the world will do better apps 
with more functionality and a stable HTML5 environment.”

AppMobi hopes to make money through offering a host of back-end services 
for mobile web apps, things like messaging, in-app purchase and 
analytics. It hopes to lead the way with developer tools and services and 
make money off the growth of mobile web apps. 

AppMobi currently has about 27,000 developers, with thousands of apps 
deployed and 40,000 projects under development.

Increasingly, there is more movement toward mobile HTML5 development. 

HTML5 allows developers to build web and native apps on one code base 
using familiar languages for web developers.

Facebook has been encouraging developers to build HTML5 web apps on its 
Facebook Platform. <http://gigaom.com/mobile/html5-key-to-facebooks-
mobile-app-discovery-engagement/>

Abadir said other big players such as manufacturers, carriers and content 
companies are looking hard at building their own web app stores starting 
early next year. That should continue to open up the market for web apps, 
and appMobi is hoping it will be well-positioned to take advantage.

“There will be huge multibillion dollar winners in this HTML5 space, and 
we hope to be one of them,” Abadir said.
--

Cheers,
Stephen