Google said Tuesday that it’s harnessing HTML5 to deliver Google Voice to Palm webOS and iPhone OS 3.0 and higher smartphones. As the next major revision to the web’s core hypertext markup language, HTML5 introduces a number of new elements and attributes that let developers construct powerful new services with the look and feel of stand-alone mobile apps.
Google, which released an HTML5-based version of its Chrome browser Monday, noted that handset load times and network requests are significantly reduced for web services based on the new hypertext language. “Overall, this results in a much faster and smoother user experience,” a spokesperson said.
A Standardized Interface
Among other things, the latest HTML5 tags deliver new functionality through a standardized interface that can enable voice mail, for example, to be played directly from the Google Voice web page. What’s more, the AppCache stores the HTML, CSS and JavaScript capabilities needed to run the application right in the browser, which means that even when a network connection isn’t present, users will still be able to interact with the app, Google said.
With HTML5, moreover, local databases securely store Google Contacts locally. “So even if you close the browser, Contacts load more quickly after your first use of the web app,” Google’s spokesperson noted.
Even better for Google, Tuesday’s launch of an HTML5-based version of Google Voice means that the search giant need not rely on Apple’s App Store for approval or distribution. It also renders moot the concerns that Apple raised last summer as the reasons why it did not approve the stand-alone version of Google Voice for the iPhone.
“As submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone’s distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone’s core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging,…
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