Most smartphones use modern browser engines that have implementing HTML 5 (or at least partially). Should I start using HTML 5 for my web application ? Where can I find a list of browser engines used by most popular devices (iPhone,Android,etc.) ? My application doesn't have to work on older desktop browsers.
+1
A:
According to this post (iPhone developers abandoning app model for HTML5?), it seems that starting to use HTML 5 is feasible.
Olivier Lalonde
2010-01-13 07:33:34
A:
Unless you only cares iphone, 5 is not well supported for "most" smartphones. If you really want good compatibility on smartphones, you'd better keep with 4.
Francis
2010-01-13 07:34:15
+4
A:
Depending on how commercial/critical your web page is, the answer differs.
If it is CRITICAL that it works on ALL smart-phones, use HTML4, with a view to upgrading it to HTML5.
If it is preferable that it works on most smart-phones HTML5 will be fine. Even where it is not supported, the page will render - it just won't look like you intend. I'm using HTML5 with a couple of additions that help older browsers to render it correctly.
I did a browser test of HTML 5 (with the helpers for older browsers) with the following results:
http://www.stevefenton.co.uk/Content/Blog/Date/200907/Blog/HTML-5-Browser-Test/
Sohnee
2010-01-13 07:58:46
A:
The Wikipedia mobile browsers page has a decent table at the moment.
On the “most popular devices” issue, if you’ve got any information about phones used by your app’s intended audience, that’ll be more valuable than general popularity.
Having said that, I think in general the iPhone’s sales figures are significantly ahead of everyone else, and the iPhone has great HTML5 support. I’d go ahead with HTML5, as I think the other smartphones will either catch up with their HTML5 support, or disappear.
Android’s pretty much the only other smartphone with significant sales, right? I think Google’s keen on HTML5.
Paul D. Waite
2010-01-13 09:17:38