You’re probably thinking I’m nuts.  Thousands and thousands of apps are available for almost every mobile phone out there.  ”There’s an app for that” is a phrase that’s become commonplace. Surely I’m joking or spewing crazy talk.

But I’m serious.

Let me start by taking you back to the beginning of all things computer. Not mobile, but desktops.  Those boxes that used to sit on our desks.

Back in those days all programs were created to run on the computer.  You had to know how to program for Windows, or Apple, or maybe DOS.  Then along came this thing.  This Internet thing. And ever so slowly programs began moving off the computers and onto this Internet.  Now web app is how we create most stuff for use on the computer.  Think of all the things we used to do only on our box on the desk that we can do online now – balance the books, edit images, create a presentation, edit the report that’s due tomorrow.

Do you see the parallel?  I’m saying our phones are the new desktops.  Now you have to be able to program for iOS or Android if you want to build an app.  But with HTML5 and responsive web design becoming more popular day by day, soon our apps will move to the Internet and away from running only on our phones.

Think of the benefits…

1. - I design one app with one interface. No worries with the quirks of each system’s display.
2. - I’m not affected when Android or iOS goes through a major update that would have affected my app’s performance.
3. - 10% of my users have a Blackberry. Do I spend the money to support them or leave them out in the cold? My web app works for everyone.
4. - Over time the chances an app won’t work on older phones becomes a real concern.  Not for my web app.
5. - No waiting for market approval only to have it rejected based on the whims of someone who doesn’t understand it.

Powerful benefits right there. One exception? Games. They will run much better on the device than in a browser.

I’m not saying this will happen overnight, but I think we’ll see a trend in the next three years of more phone tools being online rather than on phone.

So what do you think? You think I’m off my rocker?  Let me know your thoughts.

UPDATE: LinkedIn has spilled the beans that 95% of its new iPad app is HTML5 pulled from the web.  Not native app code. Thanks LinkedIn for being a great example.  Read the post here.

The problem? Remembering to do it every day. At least long enough to make it a habit. I would start and stop, but never get off the ground. Then I setup a rolling daily email that sends me a chapter every day. No way I can forget now.

Want to join me reading Proverbs every day? Just complete the form below and you’re in. Of course you can unsubscribe anytime.

I setup an account for @tnstorms. The point is to be a central place to share Tennessee (where I live) storm info. Not a big deal on the surface, right?

However, bring in a new tool I found called GroupTweet and it gets more interesting. With GroupTweet I can let anyone post to @tnstorms by starting their tweet with the account handle.  I can also set it to work with a hashtag.

Now we’re talking.  Or tweeting.

Is there a chance for abuse? Sure. But I’m going to trust the world until it proves me wrong. I’ll update with my experience as we move forward. If it works, feed free to try your own state.

If you haven’t already noticed, the new design is 100% responsive.  Serious coders will know what that means, but for everyone else…  it means it will work on a computer AND a tablet like an iPad AND a mobile phone with no changes in code.  The page will adjust to the size of the screen.  Feel free to drag the browser smaller to see what this means. Dang cool.

In my opinion, by summer 2012 responsive design will be a web standard.  I can think of no downside, especially when you can get themes already built and ready to go.

Since it works great on mobile, I’ve included the QR code in the sidebar for you to click and load this site on your smartphone. You know you want to!

Anyway, here you can find out more about me and what I’m up to these days.  If you need more, send me a note here.

Have Fun!