Web application player Netbiscuits has introduced Tactile, a design and development framework that utilizes web standards and the firm's own cloud SaaS platform. Tactile's USP rests in its option to create HTML5 touch-enabled mobile web apps that render properly no what matter the device, operating system, or country in which the consumer is using their smartphone.
Targeting the programmer market for rich mobile applications (many of which will reside on gesture-driven devices), Netbiscuits is combining what CEO Michael Neidhoefer lists as server-side optimization, client-side optimization, device detection, and responsive design.
"Using next-generation web standards such as HTML5 and CSS3, web apps can be rapidly created without wasting time and resources compensating for browser, operating system, and device fragmentation," said Neidhoefer.
Playing the increasingly common tactic of producing a tool suited to both developers and designers, Tactile works to identify the specific device classes requesting access to content. It then tailors multimedia content from a server and delivers that content (with, as they say, "native look and feel") in formats optimized for a device's specific profile and screen dimensions.
Netbiscuits Tactile delivers four main benefits:
- Tactile Markup replaces a large portion of JavaScript, reducing the size and also potentially reducing the complexity of the code.
- There are a large number of "out of the box," cross platform optimized display and behavior effects and events.
- Device Information Services provide device characteristics from the device and from NB Testing Intelligence to all touch points of a web application.
- Tactile's HTML5 framework allows developers to extend the JavaScript library at all layers — from kernel to UI components — or using CSS Preprocessor capabilities.
