It just became a whole lot easier for Web developers to create native mobile apps thanks to a new service from Trigger.
Trigger recently unveiled a cross-platform mobile development framework in which developers will only have to write apps once in HTML5 and then they can use the service’s JavaScript API to access native functionality on Android (News – Alert), iOS and desktop browsers and distribute across all devices and their marketplaces.
"Demand for mobile apps, both native and mobile web, is exploding and web developers are looking for ways to benefit from this shift. With Trigger, developers can create rich, native apps using their existing skills," said Co-founder and CEO Amir Nathoo. "With Android activations up to 700,000 per day, the mobile applications market clearly is no longer just about iOS. This shift makes HTML5 extremely important as a cross-platform technology. But native functionality is needed to take advantage of the distribution and revenue opportunities – that’s where Trigger comes in – we make it possible."
With funding raised through AngelList, Trigger has raised $1 million in a seed round of funding from several high-profile investors. Investors include Paul Graham, SV Angel, 500 Startups, Russ Siegelman, Steven Walske, RightVentures, Venture51 and John Taysom.
According to Trigger, its new framework, called Forge, takes a backseat so that Web developers can create applications in customary Web technologies such as HTML, CSS (News – Alert) and JavaScript. Developers can then visit https://trigger.io/forge and use tools available there to build the app as native, with offline access and native functionality. By using Forge, developers are able to take advantage of HTML5’s power and ease while hosting a full native feature set including notifications, camera and file access, and full cross-domain access to enable secure transactions, officials said. Trigger’s debug tool, called Catalyst can then be used to provide a Webkit-style debugger for all platforms.
Those Web developers looking to break into the native app market will get their chance with Trigger as the company is targeting its framework toward developers new to mobile app development. Trigger works with open Web standards and familiar languages.
One private beta customer Airbrake.io recently saw the benefits of Trigger’s platform.
"We faced having to re-build the same features across four or five platforms at once, which would have slowed our productivity to a crawl," said Ben Arent, a web developer at Airbrake. "Rather than hiring developers with different skill sets to work separately on the same features, Trigger enabled us to create Android and iOS apps, and several browser extensions, from one development stream. Every new feature, every debug, we’re only having to deal with one codebase."
Want to learn more about HTML5? Then be sure to attend HTML5 Summit, collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO East 2012taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. HTML5 has the potential to revolutionize user interfaces, challenge the status quo and change the future of both desktop and mobile web experiences. Join fellow web developers, designers, and architects, as well as technology leaders and business strategists who will gather in Miami to learn strategies and tactics to implement and execute HTML5. For more information on registering for the HTML5 Summit click here.
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Carrie Schmelkin is a Web Editor for TMCnet. Previously, she worked as Assistant Editor at the New Canaan Advertiser, a 102-year-old weekly newspaper, covering news and enhancing the publication’s social media initiatives. Carrie holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in English from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves