News Release:: W3C Issues Best Practices to Create Smarter Mobile Web

W3C Issues Best Practices to Create Smarter Mobile Web Applications

http://www.w3.org/ -- 14 December 2010 -- W3C today announced a new 
standard that will make it easier for developers and content providers 
to create dynamic mobile Web applications. The Mobile Web Application 
Best Practices, published as a W3C Recommendation, offers practical 
advice from many mobile Web stakeholders for the easy development and 
the deployment of mobile Web applications that work across many platforms.

“I am very excited about this document, which I've already used myself 
to ensure that the W3C Cheat Sheet, a mobile Web application, works not 
just on mobile devices, but on all devices,” said Dominique 
Hazaël-Massieux, W3C Mobile Web Initiative Lead. “These guidelines 
include sound advice from real-world Web apps developers, telcos, and 
browser vendors.”

Mobile Web Applications Have a Bright Future

Application designers value the ability to write code once and have it 
work in multiple environments. The rapid growth of the market for mobile 
applications has increased the appeal of using the Web as development 
platform on these devices as well; that point is made in a white paper 
from a GIA analyst. Web applications are already replacing native 
applications in many computers, and we expect a similar trend on mobile 
devices in the near future since the Web platform addresses the 
fragmentation issues so familiar to mobile developers. The Web also 
makes it fast and easy to deploy and update applications without 
requiring any intervention of the user, and enables seamless integration 
of cloud-based services. Users, too, recognize the value of Web-based 
applications.

Clear Guidelines for Full Integration in W3C's Open Web Platform

With the ongoing work in the HTML5, CSS3, SVG, and WAI-ARIA Working 
Groups, the Web is catching up quickly with the ability to build a 
superior user interface. This concerted work drives innovations and new 
usages that only the Web platform enables. W3C is creating an even more 
powerful platform for developers, including better hardware and sensors 
integration. The Web Applications, Web Notifications, Web Events, Device 
APIs and Policy, and Geolocation Working Groups are bringing a wealth of 
JavaScript APIs that will reduce the gap between Web and native 
applications in the coming months and years.

Mobile Web Application Best Practices offers guidance on which Web 
technologies are particularly relevant on mobile devices. The guidelines 
also indicate how to design Web applications that are responsive to 
their usage context, while sparing the network and optimizing response 
time to significantly boost the overall mobile user experience.

Participation by the Mobile Industry

The Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) Working Group participants, 
including key leaders from the mobile industry, are declaring their 
support for today's set of published mobile Web application guidelines. 
The group is composed of: AT&T, The Boeing Company, China Unicom, China 
Electronics Standardization Institute, Deutsche Telekom, Electronics and 
Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Fundación ONCE, France 
Telecom, Google, HP, MobileAware, Mobile Web 2.0 Forum, Nokia, Novarra, 
Openwave Systems, Opera Software, Rochester Institute of Technology, SK 
Telecom, Telefónica de España, University of Manchester, Vishwak 
Solutions, Vodafone, Volantis and invited experts.

Support from the MobiWebApp project, part of the European Union's 7th 
Research Framework Programme (FP7/2010-2012), enables W3C to continue to 
actively develop extensive test suites and online training courses in 
this area.

EDITOR's NOTES:
===============

Web Resources:
--------------
This press release:
   - in English: http://www.w3.org/2010/12/mwabp-pr.html.en
   - in other languages: http://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2010#x2010-mwabp

Testimonials of support by MobileAware
    http://www.w3.org/2010/12/mwabp-testimonials

The Mobile Web Application Best Practices (MWABP):
    http://www.w3.org/TR/mwabp/

MWABP cards:
    http://www.w3.org/2010/09/MWABP/

The W3C cheatsheet:
    http://www.w3.org/2009/cheatsheet/

The MobiWebApp EU project:
    http://mobiwebapp.eu/

Media Contacts:
---------------
Contact Americas, Australia —
     Ian Jacobs, <ij@w3.org>, +1.718.260.9447
Contact Europe, Africa and the Middle East —
     Marie-Claire Forgue, <mcf@w3.org>, +33 6 76 86 33 41

About the World Wide Web Consortium:
-----------------------------------
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where 
Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to 
develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the 
creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term 
growth for the Web. Over 300 organizations are Members of the 
Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and 
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European 
Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) 
headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan, and has additional 
Offices worldwide. For more information see http://www.w3.org/

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Received on Tuesday, 14 December 2010 15:33:48 UTC