HTML5 for the Development of Personalized Multi-Platform Applications

Abstract

As mobile devices grow more integrated into the everyday life of the general public, there is an increased benefit to be gained from utilizing personalized applications. One of the biggest challenges in developing for these mobile devices is the variation between the supported tools and languages for each platform. The HTML5 standard is supported by every modern platforms, which allows these problems to be circumvented. HTML5 includes several new features and APIs that allow for development of complex web applications, including functionality for personalization. These factors provide great incentive for using HTML5 in the development of multi-platform personalized applications.A prototype application was developed in order to examine the process and product of developing a personalized multi-platform application with HTML5. The results show that although there are many benefits to choosing HTML5 for this purpose, extensive testing is still required in order to prevent platform-specific issues and bugs, as well as to ensure a consistent user experience on all devices. While HTML5 lacks access to certain device features, it is a great choice when these are not required. However, HTML5 is still in development, and the W3C has plans for adding APIs for these features, which bodes well for the future of personalized web applications.