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Augmented Reality with HTML5

Issue 203

From Issue #203
March 2011

Apr 30, 2011  By Rick Rogers
 in
How far can HTML5 go when writing mobile applications?
So What Does All This Mean

I've shown how to write hybrid applications with HTML5 and Dalvik. It's relatively easy to set things up so JavaScript can call Dalvik methods, and Dalvik can call JavaScript methods. I've shown that you can create rather advanced applications that composite the Dalvik and HTML5 user interfaces so they look like one to the user.

But you could just as easily have written the whole application in Dalvik, so what is the advantage of writing part in HTML5? Here are the advantages:

  1. If you were writing a real application, the HTML5 part would be (relatively) portable to other platforms. You wouldn't have to rewrite it to port to, say, the iPhone. In the example, the HTML5 part is pretty small, but in principle, it could be much larger.

  2. You could have kept the HTML5 part of the application on a remote HTTP server, to be updated whenever the app is run, without requiring the user to download an update.

  3. If your application displayed information from the Web, it could be argued that HTML5 is a more natural place for Web interaction than Dalvik.

Hybrid applications, such as the example here, can be a valid way to create mobile applications that combine the power of HTML5 and the native platform. As long as the platform gives you a way to interact between JavaScript and the native application environment, there really doesn't seem to be any barrier to the kinds of applications you can write.

Compass card graphics adapted from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Compass.svg.

Rick Rogers has been a professional embedded developer for more than 30 years. Now specializing in mobile application software, when Rick isn't writing software for a living, he's writing books and magazine articles like this one. He welcomes feedback on the article at portmobileapps@gmail.com.

______________________

Rick Rogers has been a professional embedded developer for more than 30 years. Now specializing in mobile application software, when Rick isn't writing software for a living, he's writing books and magazine articles like this one.

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Missed the latest developments?

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 06:31.

It's a shame that you seem to have missed this:

http://my.opera.com/core/blog/2011/03/23/webcam-orientation-preview

HTML5 is awesome!

Mathuseo's picture
Submitted by Mathuseo (not verified) on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 05:43.

Absolutely awesome what HTML5 makes possible. As webworker I'm happy about the features that will follow in next years! Nice posting, I will twitter the post here.

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