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Mobile Applications

The argument against HTML5 – (for now)

The recent controversy surrounding Apple dropping Flash support from some of it’s product range has highlighted numerous shortcomings in the browser plugin, along the lines of performance, reliability and security.

Apple publicly criticised the plugin – recommending  HTML5 to Joe Public instead, but were they right to drop support for Flash, possibly damaging their up to now close relationship with Adobe?

In my opinion no. Here’s why:

HTML5  is still a draft standard and will continue to be so for some time to come. Due to the fact that the HTML5 feature set has not been standardized yet – web browser developers are hampered deciding which HTML5 features to support in their new web browser releases. This means that it may not be possible to view some parts of a webpage coded in HTML5 depending on which web browser and OS you have installed.

Standards also give web developers the assurance that the code they use to design a web page should work across a range of web browsers – in an ideal world that’s the way it should happen. In reality this doesn’t happen – different browsers display webpages differently. OK – but do we need Apple adding another layer of complexity to web developers jobs by forcing them to decide which browser(s) they’ll concentrate their coding and testing efforts on?

Instead of the best all round browser gaining the biggest market share the end user will probably end up suffering – they’ll be forced to choose a browser that supports the most HTML5 features. All because Apple wanted to conserve battery life on their mobile devices…

HTML5 – It should be great – but I don’t think its ready for prime-time just yet.

Flash

Shazam – The music recognition service on your phone

One of my co-workers showed me this app on his iPhone which I was really impressed with.

Shazam is a music recognition app thats being pushed on the big mobile phone platforms at the moment.

Usage couldn’t be simpler just startup the app on your phone and let it record a few seconds of audio. It then sends this clip to Shazams servers and you receive the name of the song back. And it really works!! Even recognising tracks from some of the less well known genres of music like electronic.

Unfortunately Shazam doesn’t have a PC or Mac client available. Why I don’t know? This technology could be really useful for internet radio users. With a “Buy in iTunes” feature integrated into a PC/Mac client it would be indispensable.

They also don’t publicise the fact that the app is available for the Symbian platform – well the N95 and N97 at least. You can find it on the Nokia OVI store here, where its free until the end of November. If you want to continue using the version you’ve installed after that time you’ll have to pay. But there will apparently be another version release after that time – Shazam Lite.

The Blog of Martin Birrane