Embarcadero has announced HTML5 Builder for the visual design of standalone mobile or end-to-end web applications. Somewhat clouded by the firm's usual generous use of descriptive adjectives and superlatives, this new offering actually supports multiple operating systems and is impressively deployable to both web servers and app stores.

While perhaps not the "development revolution" that Embarcadero's marketing department would have it be, the firm is clearly cognizant of the current enterprise struggle to "mobile-enable" corporate websites and create apps for all key platforms.

With HTML5 Builder, developers can create an end-to-end web or mobile application once using a single codebase of standard web technologies and target multiple mobile operating systems (web, iOS, Android, Blackberry Windows Phone), theoretically reducing the time for multi-platform development.

"HTML5 Builder is a complete development solution designed to support all popular devices, browsers, and servers using standard web technologies, enabling developers to build web and mobile applications with a single effort," said Michael Swindell, senior vice president of marketing and product management at Embarcadero.

The Fastest Path To The Mobile World

Swindell goes on to emphasize that "the fastest path to the mobile world" is using common, standards-based web technology (HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript), which is embraced across all OS and platform vendors.

Unlike standalone frameworks or basic HTML editors, HTML5 Builder is a complete, visual Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to build web and mobile apps. For industrial strength dynamic content, HTML5 Builder includes integrated support for PHP server side methods and all popular database servers.

"With HTML5 Builder, developers create visually spectacular apps using a single HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript codebase. They more rapidly build better looking apps with jQuery mobile theming, User Interface styles, Visual CSS3 animation tools, and drag-and-drop components such as Canvas, Geolocation, and Audio/Video," said the company.

HTML5 Builder is available as a standalone web and mobile solution or bundled in the new RAD Studio XE3.