With GPRS and mobile wi-fi connectivity becoming cheaper, more available and mobile connectivity latency becoming bearable, the mobile apps market will collapse, and give way to operator/ISP-billed pay-per-use mobile websites.
The mobile-app market will quickly be relegated to specialized apps such as high-security databases.

Some handset makers (Apple) and mobile platform providers (Google’s Android) though have pushed the envelope in adding newer functionality that uses information from the device OS itself. The perfect example is the accelerometer, which is available for both iPhone and Android application developers. These ‘hard-wired’ features not available to web developers are only going to increase.

With the growing level of interest in all things mobile already, not to mention the number and variety of devices, there will be plenty of room in the market for both mobile websites and platform-specific apps to flourish. But for those out there publishing lists of “iPhone apps”, please, let’s just call them what they really are.

Although it has taken nearly ten years, we do have an HTTP protocol and markup language that works on nearly every phone on the planet. Yes, phones have different screen sizes, color depth, “click-to-call” links, and other key factors, but they mostly speak the same language. Further, you can pair the web site with a technology like DeviceAtlas (www.deviceatlas.com) which will detect the phone make and model for you to allow you to dynamically adapt your site to the specific nears and aspirations of every browser (including the PC ones).

So if you want to easily build applications that work on all devices, look no further than the mobile web. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it works.

Paul Nerger
VP Advanced Services
dotMobi