Developers, ahoy! Nitobi has come up with version 1.0 of its PhoneGap product, which essentially allows software developers to use their existing JavaScript knowledge to create cross-platform mobile apps. PhoneGap currently supports iOS, Android, HP webOS, BlackBerry and Symbian, with support for Windows Phone 7, MeeGo and Samsung bada coming soon. So, how does this all work? Instead of building apps for each platform, a software developer can use PhoneGap's API to create an app, then submit the app to PhoneGap Build, which in turn gives back compiled binaries that are ready to submit to the various app stores out there.
A dream come true? The concept is much like BlackBerry WebWorks in that a software developer can create apps without learning Objective-C, Java or the like. In fact, PhoneGap works hand in hand with BlackBerry WebWorks to extend the functionality of the underlying framework. From there, once an app is built and ready, it is simply a matter of submitting the app to BlackBerry App World and done! PhoneGap also supports all the open frameworks you're used to working with, such as jQuery and Sencha, so there is no looking back. I personally am excited about this product and will eventually try it out -- it seems like a natural step forward when it comes to the development of mobile apps.
