AJAX enables the development of web applications that support dynamic updating of a page rather than entirely refreshing it. Such applications are increasingly popular for desktop computers, according to Opera, but the technology is even more appropriate for mobile phones, where slower network capacity and limited input methods have created barriers for user adoption.
Opera contends that using open standards Web technologies to create mobile applications is significantly easier and more cost efficient than traditional approaches. Web developers can "quickly and affordably" create new mobile applications and exisitng applications can easily be adapted to fit the mobile phone, the company says.
Opera Platform architectureOpera Platform architecture consists of three parts:
- At the lowest level is the Application Player, an extended version of the Opera browser. It provides web applications with access to native phone functionality such as messaging, calendar, battery and signal status.
- Above the Application Player is the Application Framework, which supports interaction between installed web applications. It also offers predefined UI elements, such as menu systems and dialog boxes to ease application development, according to Opera.
- On top of the Application Framework, are the web applications themselves. These are created in established, open standard technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript, Opera says. They have access to the phone's functionality through the Opera Platform DOM (document object model) interface, provided by the Application Player, and communicate with servers using XMLHttpRequest.
A beta version of the Opera Platform SDK supporting Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition and Smartphone Edition is available for free download
here.
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