Mobile AJAX
March 17, 2006 10:28 AM
I think rich internet applications are going to bring back some of the lost lustre in mobile web. With the original incarnation of mobile web 'a.k.a' WAP, folks have been left with a distaste for web computing on mobile devices. There were restrictions on user interfaces, data, etc with WAP. I think with mobile AJAX, powerful presentation and user experience are going to make web computing on mobile devices realistic and usable.
I've had some conversations with AJAX vendors and they seem to think AJAX in mobility space is yet to hit big time unlike its signficant impact already in the enterprise world. Some of the negating factors include:
- Lack of standardized browser and browser support for AJAX client requirements for various kinds of devices
- Tooling not available to build such applications
- Disconnected nature of mobile applications adds an extra dimension to these applications and there isn't a complete grasp of the implications yet in the IT industry
- Reduced form factor
AJAX fits well into the disconnected nature of mobile computing with its inherent asynchronicity. I think Mobile AJAX will become a signiifcant competition to currently popular smart client paradigm prevalent in mobile application industry based on native applications written directly to OS/native API like .NET CF, J2ME, etc.
There are already browsers like Opera that are starting to support Mobile AJAX in a cross device way.
An excellent link to Mobile AJAX.
Posted by Himagiri Mukkamala on March 17, 2006 10:28 AM
