1page

O’Reilly Media, Inc. 3/9/2012 2 I ♥ The Mobile Web It’s estimated that there will be one billion HTML5-capable phones sold in 2013. The ground swell of support for HTML5 over native is here and today’s developers are flipping their priorities to now put mobile development first — which is why this chapter comes first [note: it may actually be second technically speaking]. Whether you’re an HTML5, W3C Standards lovin’, Open Web expert or just coming fresh off HTML 1, this chapter will equip you with the latest code, trends, and market research to guide you on making the right decision for your next mobile web project. The Mobile Web refers to browser-based applications created for mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, which are (at some point) connected wirelessly. Since 2008, the web has shifted towards focusing on mobile browsers, which are delivering an overall better quality of life for today’s web developers and users. However, this better quality of life is sometimes short lived after you go around testing your new mobile web app on the myriad of devices and browsers. There is a huge question of “What is supported and which HTML5 features should I build my app with?”. This chapter tries to answer the tough questions we are all faced with as mobile web developers. Those questions which will have a profound impact on your new initiative for years to come. So what are you waiting for? Level up! Mobile First First, let’s get our priorities straight. Prioritizing mobile design and development over the desktop was once laughable. In just a few years, mobile first has taken over, giving web developers a breath of fresh air in terms of HTML5 based APIs towards hardware access on mobile devices. Apart from the obvious, there are multiple reasons for thinking mobile first: • Developing sites for constrained devices and resolutions will force you to create more fluid/flexible content. 1