html5

HTML5-enabled phones to hit 1 billion in sales in 2013

HTML5-compatible mobile phones will reach sales of 1 billion in 2013, up from just 336 million this year, says research firm Strategy Analytics.

That 1 billion number refers specifically to phones whose mobile browsers fully or at least partially support HTML5, such as the iPhone 4S and Android phones. And it includes some feature phones as well as smartphones.

"We expect almost all smartphones to support HTML5 by 2013 and this makes up the largest chunk of the 1 billion total," Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston told CNET yesterday. "Android, iOS, and other smartphone OSes already support … Read more

New IE10 test version pushes Web standards--and Windows 8

Microsoft released its fourth "platform preview" of Internet Explorer 10 today, adding a collection of new features to what's shaping up to be a surprisingly feisty browser.

The new version supports a number of new features detailed in a blog post by Rob Mauceri, program manager of the IE group. Among the features are support for JavaScript typed arrays, which lets Web apps handle raw data such as files better, and HTML5 video features such as the ability to link to a specific time in a video and to add captions.

"These foundational capabilities are what … Read more

HTML5 will kill mobile apps. No, it won't

Did Apple kick the ball into its own goal with its campaign against Flash?

By forcing Web developers, and ultimately Adobe, out of the Flash business, Apple made HTML5 apps better. That's good for Safari users, but it's also good for users on other Web platforms, like Android. If there's a truly good universal platform for online apps, it stands to reason that the smart developer will build apps for it, since this way the app will be available to the largest number of users. Right?

Furthermore, now that Adobe has HTML5 religion, the company is releasing … Read more

Google HTML converter becomes Flash Pro plug-in

Google has released a plug-in that lets Flash Pro users convert Flash's SWF files into HTML code directly from the Adobe Systems developer tool.

The plug-in links to the Swiffy service Google operates to convert Flash to Web standards including HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Those Web standards let people see the content in a browser without relying on Adobe's Flash Player plug-in.

"The extension enables you to convert your animation to HTML5 with one click," said Esteban de la Canal, a Google programmer, in a blog post … Read more

Friday Poll: Will you miss mobile Flash?

Adobe's announcement this week that it's pulling support for Flash on mobile browsers landed with a distinct thunk. It seemed to validate Steve Jobs' refusal to allow Flash on iOS devices.

There will be one last hurrah with the release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook. After that, Adobe will focus on HTML5 for its mobile development efforts.… Read more

The 404 943: Where can you turn off the Flash real quick? (podcast)

Steve Jobs gets vindicated this morning, as Adobe announced it's killing off Flash support for mobile devices.

We're also talking about the next evolution of New York taxi cabs replete with USB-charging stations, the entire city of Detroit protesting Nickelback, and an Irish airline offering an on-demand television app that will also feature adult channels. Gross or cool? We'll weigh both sides of the divisive argument.

Stream or download today's podcast after the break!… Read more

Adobe: We're ditching Flash Player for mobile

Adobe Systems is indeed scrapping its Flash browser plug-in for mobile devices.

The company says it is abandoning its work on a mobile version of the Flash Player and will now concentrate its mobile software development efforts on HTML5. The announcement this morning confirms earlier reports from last night.

Danny Winokur, vice president and general manager of interactive development at Adobe, said in a blog post:

Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores. We will no longer continue to … Read more

Web-based Kindle format good for comics, kids' books

Amazon has retooled and renamed the format for electronic books, embracing Web technologies and adding better abilities for graphics and complex layouts.

The previous format, Mobi 7, will be replaced by Kindle Format 8, aka KF8, according to an Amazon announcement yesterday.

"As showcased on Kindle Fire, KF8 enables publishers to create great-looking books in categories that require rich formatting and design such as children's picture books, comics & graphic novels, technical and engineering books, and cookbooks," Amazon said in its announcement. "Kindle Format 8 replaces the Mobi format and adds over 150 new formatting capabilities, … Read more

How T-Mobile can help you find apps (Inside Apps)

I've often used this column to talk about how developers can get their apps noticed, so it's appropriate that the issue of discoverability was a key topic at a recent panel that I moderated.

Discoverability, it turns out, is not just a dilemma for small developers but in the minds of wireless and media executives as well. They approach it in many different ways.

Brad Duea, senior vice president of value-added services for T-Mobile USA, said his company's research indicates consumers prefer apps that are preloaded by the carriers. Jim Eadie, senior vice president for digital business … Read more