HTML 5 in Mobile Devices -- Drivers and Restraints

Application stores have played a crucial role in the proliferation of applications for smart phones and other mobile devices. However, web-based mobile applications are challenging the application store model by allowing developers to directly reach the end users. These web-based applications are enhanced by the HTML5 standard, which provides additional capabilities for the use of developers and brings the performance of mobile web applications closer to that of native applications. In this paper, we analyze the potential of HTML5 and identify drivers and restraints that affect the future of the technology.