Mozilla Hopes Web Apps Will Soon Compete With Native Apps

Mozilla states that web apps will soon provide end users with a comparable to native apps experience and will represent better alternative for developers.

“We are aiming at providing all the necessary APIs to build a basic HTML5 phone experience within the next 3-6 months”

Promising Chrome OS isn’t the only browser-based system entering the web app space. Mozilla is also working in this direction and trying to create a new WebAPI that would allow developers to build an “HTML5 phone experience” compatible with all operating systems (Android, Windows Phone, iOS, etc).

According to CNET’s report, Mozilla plans to develop APIs that can interact with address book, contacts list, phone’s dialer, and camera, thus providing you with access to the functionality of native apps, but directly in the browser of your device.

Mozilla is certainly not attempting to develop a fully functional operating system in its WebAPI project, but closely cooperating with Mozilla’s Boot to Gecko project that is aimed at developing a complete, full-blown operating system for interacting with web, it could produce a real alternative to browser-based Chrome OS.

Seemingly, the company is quite determined to implement this project, as CNET claims that Mozilla is hiring full time programmers and intends to produce first results by February.

In recent months there were signs that developers trying to avoid the App Store by creating browser based web application for mobile devices. Seemingly, in such a way they try to avoid sharing profits with Apple and or circumvent approval policies of the App Store to get such benefits as the possibility to release updates without Apple’s approval.