Reply to: Gmail on iPhone

[The Spartan]

They used to have a similar problem to at a place I worked previously and they went down the HTML5 route, it was ok but the native apps were better

[louie]

I think you have to package it for each ecosystem but in theory you're right. There are other high-profile apps - one of the big newspapers did the same thing - but of course you rely on the device having decent accelerated HTML5 support and that is not what we're used to!

I just developed an IOS app and planned to port it to Android after, almost finished it on IOS and did it natively , kinds wish I had used HTML 5 now. Might do the Android version like that. I suppose you could even reuse it for a full web version and windows mobile etc.

[d000hg]

I think you have to package it for each ecosystem but in theory you're right. There are other high-profile apps - one of the big newspapers did the same thing - but of course you rely on the device having decent accelerated HTML5 support and that is not what we're used to!

[louie]

Sorry but you're wrong. Kindle switched their app from native to HTML5 maybe 6 months ago (it was quite well covered on technical sites), because doing it that way they are not beholden to give Apple a cut on content sales - it uses HTML5 local storage and so on (until Apple decide local storage is limited to 5Mb per app or something).

You can package an HTML5 web-app as a 'real' app so I guess your claim it IS an app is strictly accurate, but missing the point of the actual discussion.

Wonder what the downsides are to using HTML5 this way, if it can behave the same across all mobile OS app stores then it is defo a no brainer.

[d000hg]

I'll rephrase my post.

I downloaded Kindle onto my iPad and iPhone via the app store last weekend.

Yes so did I. But you can get non-app apps into the app-store

[SupremeSpod]

Sorry but you're wrong. Kindle switched their app from native to HTML5 maybe 6 months ago (it was quite well covered on technical sites), because doing it that way they are not beholden to give Apple a cut on content sales - it uses HTML5 local storage and so on (until Apple decide local storage is limited to 5Mb per app or something).

You can package an HTML5 web-app as a 'real' app so I guess your claim it IS an app is strictly accurate, but missing the point of the actual discussion.

I'll rephrase my post.

I downloaded Kindle onto my iPad and iPhone via the app store last weekend.

[d000hg]

Its an app then. The clue is in the name APP store. It way use some web view controls but it's an app.

Sorry but you're wrong. Kindle switched their app from native to HTML5 maybe 6 months ago (it was quite well covered on technical sites), because doing it that way they are not beholden to give Apple a cut on content sales - it uses HTML5 local storage and so on (until Apple decide local storage is limited to 5Mb per app or something).

You can package an HTML5 web-app as a 'real' app so I guess your claim it IS an app is strictly accurate, but missing the point of the actual discussion.

[Platypus]

Thanks all, that was the last block to me taking the plunge into Apple's murky pool

[louie]

Err I downloaded Kindle from the App Store...

Its an app then. The clue is in the name APP store. It way use some web view controls but it's an app.

[SupremeSpod]

I have an iPad not an iPhone but I think it'll be similar...

I wasn't too impressed using the built-in mail app. But the GMail app is very good, although I'm strongly convinced it's really just the mobile web-site wrapped as an app.

Simply going to gmail.com also works pretty well, it gives you their mobile version.

It's downloaded from the app store, mobile apps are accessed through Safari browser.

If you mean it makes use of the web UIWebView control then it probably does. I suppose it makes sense as you can write one version and it should hopefully not need much tweaking for different OS's

HTH

Err I downloaded Kindle from the App Store...

[louie]

How can you tell - the Kindle app is HTML5 for instance not a native app.

It's downloaded from the app store, mobile apps are accessed through Safari browser.

If you mean it makes use of the web UIWebView control then it probably does. I suppose it makes sense as you can write one version and it should hopefully not need much tweaking for different OS's

HTH

[The Spartan]

Inside information

[d000hg]

How can you tell - the Kindle app is HTML5 for instance not a native app.

[The Spartan]

I have an iPad not an iPhone but I think it'll be similar...

I wasn't too impressed using the built-in mail app. But the GMail app is very good, although I'm strongly convinced it's really just the mobile web-site wrapped as an app.

Simply going to gmail.com also works pretty well, it gives you their mobile version.

Nope it's an actual app

[SupremeSpod]

GMail app works well on my iPhone and iPad.