In the past two years, touchscreen devices have grown rapidly. iOS and Android devices are causing developers and designers to rethink their web apps to provide a better touchscreen experience.
Mobile web applications have many advantages over native apps, although there are also many design and development challenges. Here is a list of useful frameworks to help with HTML-based webapp development. They support most popular smartphones and tablets.
1. Lungo.js : HTML5 mobile development framework
Lungo.js is the first mobile development framework that uses HTML5 and CSS3 features. It helps developers create applications for iOS, Android, Blackberry and WebOS platforms.
Lungo.js can help users implement HTML5 functions without any web server support, such as WebSQL, Geolocation, History, Device orientation, etc.
2. JO : A Simple HTML5 App Framework
JO can help you create a Web App similar to a native application. JO is an open source free framework that can be used with PhoneGap.
3. Joshfire : A cross-device development framework
Joshfire is an open source cross-device development framework that helps developers create web apps that can run on multiple devices. It uses HTML5 and JavaScript, and allows developers to quickly integrate native applications with specific web applications.
Joshfire allows your application to accept input from devices such as keyboards, mice, touchscreens, remote controls, and more. Joshfire supports Node.JS.
4. Sencha Touch : HTML5-based mobile web development framework
Sencha touch enables developers to create web apps with a native app-like experience. Shencha is the first development framework that uses HTML5, CSS and JavaScript and supports audio/video, local storage, rounded corners, gradient backgrounds and shadows.
5. Baker : HTML5 eBook Framework
Baker is an HTML5 e-book framework for publishing interactive e-books or e-magazines on the iPad or iPhone platform. 6.
Touchy Boilerplate
Touchy Boilerplate is a tool for creating mobile web apps, including HTML templates, Meta tags, etc. Touchy can support dynamic page navigation, fixed page header, scrolling content, browsing history and other functions. Touchy uses jQuery or Zepto.JS.
7. Ripple : Making mobile development and testing easier
Testing mobile apps on different platforms can be a headache. Ripple can help you test and debug your HTML5 mobile application on different platforms. Ripple is a chrome extension. It can simulate details of each device such as user_Agent, Geolocation and many more.
8. RestKit
Restkit is an objective-c development framework designed to simplify and speed up interaction with Restful web services. It provides a concise HTTP request/response API and a powerful object mapping system.
9. HTML5 Compatibility Table
Mobile HTML5 is a table showing how HTML5 features are supported by different devices/platforms. Including Safari, Android, Blackberry, IE, Opera, Firefox, webOS and Symbian.
10. MobileESP : Detect your mobile web visitors
The MobileESP project provides a set of simple, lightweight APIs that allow website developers to detect whether or not a visitor is using a mobile device, or what kind of mobile device they are using.
11. Tiggr
Tiggr is a mobile app creation tool that allows you to quickly create mobile applications. You don't need to write code to create rich mobile apps.