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Learn the easiest way to use HTML, CSS and JavaScript to build cross-platform mobile apps.

Creators of PhoneGap, a ground-breaking mobile application development framework, will show web developers how to build mobile applications in HTML and JavaScript while still taking advantage of core features of iPhone, Google Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Palm mobile devices. This full-day PhoneGap training session takes place in Seattle on March 11, 2010. Attendees can register at http://mobileappdevtraining5.eventbrite.com/.

PhoneGap gained widespread recognition last year when the project won the LaunchPad competition at Web 2.0 Expo. Since then, hundreds, even thousands, of PhoneGap applications have been built and submitted to the Apple app store and directories.

In the training session, you’ll learn how to use your HTML/JavaScript skills to build app store ready applications for mobile platforms including iPhone, Google Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Palm. At the completion of this course, you’ll be able to:

• Set up your development environment
• Compile for multiple platforms
• Run code in a emulator
• Debug your HTML and JavaScript
• Access native APIs, including location, camera, accelerometer, contacts, and more via JavaScript
• Optimize your JavaScript for mobile devices
• Make security considerations
• Build a mobile application that runs offline
• Use CSS transitions, animations and transforms to create native looking interfaces
• Use the Canvas for advanced graphics
• Use mobile JS libraries, such as XUI and Dashcode to build mobile applications faster

Event Details
March 11, 2010 from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Fee: $499 USD
World Trade Center, 2200 Alaskan Way, Seattle WA
Register: http://mobileappdevtraining5.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you there!

Recently, I started looking at Canvas on Android, and I came across the C5 Canvas Benchmarking test. I tested it on both the Motorola Milestone that I recently bought, and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, and it was pretty surprising. Now, it should be noted that the Motorola Milestone has a TI OMAP3430 processor, and is capable of speeds up to 600 MHz. However, the Xperia X10 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and has a clockspeed of 1.02 GHz. Now, people have been speculating whether this clock speed will make a difference, and I think that when you look at the results, it clearly does.

Now, I don’t think that performance is quite there yet, but you may see more advanced uses of Canvas on mobile web applications in the future.

I recently bought a new phone, the Motorola Milestone from Telus. The Milestone currently features Android 2.0.1, and is the first Canadian phone that actually features Android 2. So, while confirming fixes on the device, I noticed in LogCat that my WebCore wasn’t logging error messages. For those of you who don’t know, on Android 1.x, you could debug your javascript by using adb logcat and grepping for the WebCore errors. This frustrated me, since this wasn’t listed in the API changes. I then decided to sift through the WebView source code, and I found addMessageToConsole.

The method addMessageToConsole is a method that currently exists on the WebChromeClient that can be overriden with your own custom error message. Now, according to the Google Documentation, this is not a public method to be used until Android 2.1. However, I just tested it on my Motorola Milestone, and the method actually works. I’ve included this fix to PhoneGap and you should now be able to go back to debugging your Javascript directly on the device, as opposed to the other methods of using a different browser.

BTW: The code to add it is as follows:


public final class EclairClient extends WebChromeClient
{
private String TAG = "WebErrorLog";
// This is a test of console.log, because we don't have this in Android 2.01
public void addMessageToConsole(String message, int lineNumber, String sourceID)
{
Log.d(TAG, sourceID + ": Line " + Integer.toString(lineNumber) + " : " + message);
}
}


For backwards compatibility with Android 1.6, it’s a good idea to have this class extend a pre-existing WebChromeClient, and to dynamically chose the client you instantiate so you can actually get your application working.