“The web version’s built around the HTML5 standard, and something Lars is excited about is that it’s the same code base with only five to ten percent effort to make it work on mobile, by his estimates. A native app has been discussed, and while it would allow access to the camera, address book, and compass (as Latitude has shown, GPS is already web app-friendly), it’d take an “extraordinary amount of work” to build native software vs. just sticking with a web-based solution. We gotta imagine bypassing the app store would be nice at this point, too, but going native is still an option at this point. For the most part, there’s expected to be a feature parity between the desktop and mobile versions, with one key exception: editing. It’s something that’s not quite a part of the HTML5, but the Rasmussens said they work close with the standards body and are hopeful they can fix that.”

As mobile becomes more and more a part of our lives, deployment of apps for all the available handsets will be increasingly important. However, developing native software for a specific device OS rather than using a web platform will be a PAIN. Hopefully, web based apps will gain the ability to use all the device’s features in the future.