Android 4.4 KitKat, the browser and the Chrome WebView
Posted by firt in New devices and browsers on November 1st, 2013
Android 4.4 has made a big change in the OS’ internals for HTML5 development: it has replaced its original WebKit-based WebView with modern Chromium. The new Android Browser is also powered by Chromium but it’s not clear yet its future. Besides the good news, not everything looks exciting in these changes, let’s see why. Read the rest of this entry »
Home screen web apps for Android thanks to Chrome 31+
We’ve been dealing with webapps on iOS for a couple of years: websites that after Home Screen installation become a full-featured full screen app from a user’s perspective. Finally, Chrome 31 brings that approach to Android devices: HTML5 apps without the need of packaging and a using the store for distribution.
Safari on iOS 7 and HTML5: problems, changes and new APIs
Posted by firt in General, New devices and browsers on September 18th, 2013
Apple has rolled out iOS 7 with iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C . As expected, Apple has published just 10% of the necessary information for web developers, and I can say without fear of mistake that this is the buggiest Safari version since 1.0. In this post I’ll show you the new APIs and abilities and most of the problems that you will need to deal with right now if you have a website or a webapp. Read the rest of this entry »
Android and the eternal dying mobile browser
Android Browser, one of the most important mobile browsers out there is an eternal dying piece of software. Android hasn’t evolved its default browser since 2011 and this is affecting HTML5 developers, including Cordova/PhoneGap apps, while Google Chrome is replacing it slowly.
Google Glass Browser: HTML5 and Responsive Web Design in your head
Posted by firt in New devices and browsers on July 2nd, 2013
Google Glass has included a web browser. That means a new device factor for web development and Responsive Web Design. In this post, I’ll make a review of the browser and the HTML5 compatibility in the first version.
iOS 7 beta and the new Safari for web developers
Posted by firt in General, New devices and browsers on June 27th, 2013
Apple has released iOS 7 beta, the next generation of the operating system for iPhone and iPad. It includes the first big update to Safari on iOS since 2007 so it comes with some changes that will affect websites and HTML5 webapps. And, as always, every web developer should be aware of what’s new on this platform. Read the rest of this entry »
Background notification hack for iPad and iPhone websites
Mobile browsers may look like desktop browsers, but their behavior sometimes is different and we need to understand them to provide the right user experience. In this post I’ll show you a trick to notify the user about an update while our website is on a background tab. Read the rest of this entry »
Developing for Google Glass: Mirror API, HTML5 and how to change your mind
Posted by firt in General, New devices and browsers on April 16th, 2013
Google Glass is around the corner it’s time to prepare our services for this new device type. Reading the specs for the first time can be a little overwhelming; therefore I’ll try to make a quick go through the Glass app development process, the mirror API and its HTML5 support.
Read the rest of this entry »
BlackBerry 10: the first class HTML5 mobile platform
Posted by firt in General, New devices and browsers on March 25th, 2013
The new BlackBerry Z10 is on sale around the world with a whole new operating system and browser. In this post I’ll go through the important information for web and app developers about one of the most powerful HTML5 platforms available today.
Mission: Impossible – iPad mini detection for HTML5
As you may know, the iPad mini is a new 7.9″ variant of the iPad tablet and one of the biggest questions out there today is how to detect it using server-side or client-side techniques.
I have bad news for you: it seems impossible.
