Msycdo

At the end of last month Mozilla, the creators of the popular Firefox browser, announced they were developing their own operating system for mobiles and tablets. The news got us thinking about the so-called “browser wars” and what effect that had on developers; we also had to consider what the battle of the mobile market would hold.

Currently, our flagship application, shineLight, is only available on Apple’s iOS devices, which is something we’re not too happy about. We make our website available across multiple platforms, including mobile devices, so why should our applications be any different?

Prior to the iPhone, there were some very capable devices already available. The problem with early smartphones and PDAs was that they were expensive to the general market, the technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today, and that led to complicated and unfriendly interfaces.

Apple’s iPhone introduced an excellent user experience, all you had to do was touch the screen with your finger. You didn’t need to type on a keyboard, nor did you have to use a stylus. Other manufacturers have realised the importance of being easy to use, and we’re sure Mozilla will be no different. The competition really excites us to see who can push the boundaries the most.

There are Apple (iOS), Google (Android), RIM (Blackberry) and Microsoft (Windows Mobile), amongst others, already developing operating systems for mobile devices that we will need to support. Whilst it means we will need to invest more development time to support all these platforms, it gives our Clients the flexibility to use devices they already own and keep their own costs down.

We strive to meet our Clients’ needs, and each Client is different. With the variety of devices available to them, we’re confident that there will be a device that can fit into their budget if they don’t already own a compatible device. It’s this flexibility that makes developing for multiple devices worthwhile. We’re very much looking forward to see what Mozilla will create.