Introduction to
PhoneGap
The Open Source Cross Platform
Mobile Web App Development Framework
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Background
• Evolution of Mobile Web.
• Formats: WAP, cHTML, mHTML.
• Limited by Phone’s web browser.
• Manufacturer dependent proprietary web
browser.
• WAP: “Where Are the Phones?”
• Limited resources, capabilities & bandwidth.
• Inconsistent form factors (screen size, color
depth, bitmap support, plugin?).
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WAP/cHTML Phones
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Mobile Web Today
• Powerful Smart Phones.
• Powerful full-featured mobile Operating Systems.
• Old Birds: Windows Mobile, Symbian OS,
Blackberry
• Linux Based: iPhone OS, Android, WebOS,
Maemo
• Powerful cross-platform web browsers.
• More bandwidth (3G, WiFi, WiMax).
• More consistent form-factors.
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Smart Phones
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Developing for Mobile Web
• Inconsistency:
• Layout, screen resolution, form factors,
capabilities, bandwidth, plug-in
• Proprietary APIs
• Caveat: Cross platform web browsers (Webkit,
Mozilla, Opera)
• Limited in Scope
• Web browser “Silo”
• Self-contained & away from the rest of the OS
• Secure but quite useless Ph.P
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Native Phone App?
• Learning Curve:
• New SDK, New Language, New Paradigmn
• OS Dependent quirks, limitations, conventions
• Weapon of Choice (which platform?):
• Significant investment in time & money
• Egg in one basket?
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What is PhoneGap?
• Leverages on what we web developers knows best
- HTML & Javascript.
• Gives us access to the phone’s native APIs &
features - Geo-location, Vibration, Accelerometer,
Sound, Contacts, Camera, etc...
• “Wraps the web view with a container. This container
gives the view access to APIs available on the device
that may not be available on the Web view alone”.
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Developing in PhoneGap
1. Create Web Views
• HTML, Javascript, Graphics, etc.
2. Store it in a folder.
3. Compile the Web view into a native app binary file.
• iPhone, Android, Blackberry
• Coming Soon: Nokia (WRT), Windows Mobile,
WebOS
4. Install into device.
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Video
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Some Sample Codes
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Get a Contact
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Geo-Location
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Supported Features
- SQLite Support
- Support for JS Frameworks
- iUI, xUI, Magic Framework, Dashcode,
JQTouch, etc..
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Sample Apps
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Sample Apps
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Sample Apps
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Conclusion
• Things will only get better.
• Active community (Google Groups)
• http://groups.google.com/group/phonegap
• Good wiki documentation
• http://phonegap.pbworks.com/
• Device agnostic
• Completely open source (FREE!)
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Upcoming
• More platforms: Nokia (SymbianOS), Palm
WebOS, Windows Mobile, Nintendo DS?
• Support for OpenGL
• Support for Gecko / Mozilla
• Many more...
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