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Google has stated that it currently isn't using Android on any tablets, hinting that it will have a tablet-centric OS soon.

Although Gingerbread and Honeycomb have been strongly tipped to be tablet-friendly versions of Android, this is the first time Google has confirmed Froyo isn't a platform for iPad rivals.

"The [Samsung] Galaxy Tab is kind of like a large phone' said Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google.

"Android is an open platform. We saw at IFA 2010 all sorts of devices running Android, so it already running on tablets.

Android Market not for tablets

"But the way Android Market works is it's not going to be available on tablets that don't allow devices and applications to run correctly.

"Which devices do, and which don't will be unit specific, but Froyo is not optimised for use on tablets.

If you want Android market on that platform, the apps just wouldn't run, [Froyo] is just not designed for that form factor.

"We want to make sure that we're going to create a application distribution mechanism for the Android market, to ensure our users have right experience."

This echoes comments made by Archos to TechRadar at IFA, stating that Google is looking for the 'wow factor' with it's tablet platform, with custom animations and UIs, so it could be that we'll be seeing a whole different breed of Android devices to take on the iPad.

Google has announced it will be bringing out Google Maps 4.5 for Android today, complete with satellite navigation for walkers.

Speaking at a small Google Mobile event in London, Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile at Google announced that the new update will be available in 'just a few hours'.

Google wanted to offer walkers the same free and easy way to find their ways around cities that cars are afforded, and has come up with a number of feet-friendly features:

"We had the idea that people are now navigating using Google Maps, getting turn by turn navigation in your car, so now we're launching a walking version of that."

Hilly

"The new version of Google Maps will choose routes that are pedestrian only, such as not going down very hilly roads if there's an easy way to get around.

"It will also turn on satellite view automatically, which is really helpful for getting your bearings so you can know what's around immediately.

"You can also mute navigation voice guidance; sometimes you might not want Google telling you to turn left when on the street, so you can turn it right down, and it will vibrate every time you need to look at it and get a new instruction."

Enhance!

Google will also be bringing new features to Streetview on the mobile, where 3D animations and interaction will be offered.

Users can zoom around the map by clicking on almost any part of the picture, and it will zoom there in a much slicker way than before.

Android lovers can search for the new update in a few hours, so keep your eyes peeled for Google Maps 4.5 on your handset.

Google has confirmed the number of applications on the Android Market, following a lot of speculation over the actual number.

Hugo Barra, director of products for mobile for Google, said that not only are there over 180,000 developers now creating applications for the Google Mobile portal, but there are now 80,000 applications on offer too.

This still pales in comparison to the Apple App Store number, which is well over 230,000, but it shows the growing interest in Google's platforms.

Map happy

Barra also confirmed that there are now over 100 million active users of Google Maps for mobile.

This isn't just confined to the Android platform, but includes iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Java-based platforms too.

Google has promised new voice functions will be unveiled for Europe in the near future, which means things like StreetView controlled by voice shouldn't be too far away.

ARM is predicting that mobile phones powered by its new high end Cortex A15 will be on sale two years after the chip was announced.

Eric Schorn, VP of marketing for ARM's processor division, told TechRadar that the two year time frame was based on past timelines:

"We should be seeing [ARM Cortex A15-powered] smartphones by the tail end of 2012, inside handsets on the store shelves.

"Essentially we're looking at a two year time frame from when we first announce [the A15] and past releases usually indicate a two to three year time frame."

Enhance!

He also said that ARM is hoping to have chips based on its Cortex A9 dual-core architecture on the shop floors before Christmas, meaning we could see such things from the likes of the HTC Desire HD.

However, the new Cortex A15 won't be running at 2.5GHz, despite that being possible with the new chips, as Schorn said this would only be for larger devices like cell towers where cooling was less of an issue:

"With mobile phones, there's a different trade off in operating frequency due to the battery life, so they [mobile phones] are not quite in that 2.5GHz category.

"However, the users will experience a much faster experience, one that's quicker, more efficient and able to surf the web for longer."

The iPhone's camera has been given something of an overhaul in the new iOS 4.1 update, and it's been given a thorough testing.

The iPhone's camera now can shoot in HDR, which takes multiple exposures for each photo, providing the best version of the picture.

The chaps over at PhotoRadar, also part of Future Publishing like TechRadar, have been out and about and tested the new feature.

Enhance!

The camera does indeed improve the quality of the photos, according to the test shots, and will help make the iPhone 4's 5MP camera even more desirable.

Head on over to PhotoRadar to see the full iPhone 4 HDR comparison - and some nice buildings and leaves and such.

Apple has finally made the iOS 4.1 update available to (select) iPhone owners, bringing a couple of enhanced features.

Game Center is the most exciting new addition, bringing the chance to compete against others across the world – or 'experience social gaming', as Apple puts it.

iTunes Ping – another social feature from the Apple-ites – is available too, allowing you to share the things you love with unsuspecting buddies who may or may not care.

On the hardware side, the camera's getting some more love already, with HDR photography being added with the iOS 4.1 update.

Enhance!

This means the phone takes multiple shots at once, helping you get the right 'light intensity' in photos.

The video zone has also been tinkered with, insofar as you can now upload HD video to MobileMe and YouTube directly from your iPhone 4.

Click and plug and accept and wait over on iTunes with your iPhone, and you'll be the proud owner of a +0.1 newer iPhone. Unless you downloaded iOS 4.02, in which case it will only be 0.08 better. Sorry.

Opera has announced a new version of its Opera Mini browser for Windows Mobile handsets, offering a greater range of features.

Opera Mini 5.1 has already been downloaded countless times on Android, BlackBerry and Java-based feature phones, but now comes to Microsoft's platform.

If you're the proud/angry and frustrated owner of a phone running Windows Mobile 6 series, 5 series or even 2003 SE, then you can now download the new browser.

Of course Opera Mobile is also available, but this version installs less software onto your handset.

Enhance!

You can now set Opera Mini as the default browser on your WM handset, as well as use the accelerometer in your phone to automatically switch orientation when you tilt the phone.

Phones with higher resolution displays are now also supported as well as improved page layout and rendering, so things will look that little bit clearer.

Plus you've still got the benefits of Opera Mini present on all devices - namely the compression technology that it claims speeds up web browsing and data compression, meaning more MB for your money.

It's available to download today - just navigate to m.opera.com in your phone's browser to get the optimised version for your phone.

T-Mobile has announced the arrival of the G2, its latest 'with Google' handset, made by HTC – looking very much like the rumoured Desire Z.

Currently only available in the US, the T-Mobile G2 is the first smartphone specifically designed for T-Mobile's new HSPA+ network2, which means super speedy downloads using the US' 4G network.

However, of more interest is that this phone has been pictured in numerous spy shots as the HTC Vision – which is likely to become the HTC Desire Z, the phone tipped to be launched later this month.

The T-Mobile G2 is (shockingly) the direct successor of the T-Mobile G1, which was the first Android phone on the market way back in October 2008.

The T-Mobile G2 has been given a large 3.7-inch screen which has a hinge design that opens to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard.

Android 2.2

It has been built on Android 2.2 and offers the usual seven customisable Home screen panels, including a dedicated panel with one-click access to Google apps, such as Android Market.

As it's 2.2, Flash player is enabled and the phone packs 4GB internal memory with an 8GB microSD card included, with support for cards up to 32GB.

There's also a 3.5mm jack and Swype pre-installed, which is a bit of a bonus.

Chip-wise, the T-Mobile G2 is powered by a Snapdragon MSM7230, which offers an 800MHz CPU speed.

There's is also HD video shooting on board, with the G2 having a 720p HD video capabilities and a 5MP camera, complete with LED flash and autofocus.

The T-Mobile G2 has also been optimised with Voice Actions, so you can shout orders at your phone and it should obey.

Current T-Mobile customers in the US will get exclusive access to preorder the G2 starting later this month.

There is no UK release date for the T-Mobile G2 just yet, but we will keep you posted as soon as we get further details.

UPDATE: The phone contains both Google Voice and Voice Actions. Google Voice will transcribe voicemail to text, while Voice Actions will allow you to search using your voice.

ARM has announced the new Cortex A15 MPCore processor that it claims could see smartphones running at 2.5GHz speeds.

Tipped for use in the tablet, large-screen portable computers and home entertainment systems, as well as phones, ARM believes that this new core will help improve the next generation of gadgets.

It's claiming up to five times improved performance over today's smartphone processors without diminishing battery consumption, enabling functionality like 3D navigation, augmented reality, high speed internet connections and HD video recording – all from your mobile phone or tablet.

The Cortex A15 follows in the footsteps of ARM's successful Cortex A-Series, with a number of manufacturers using the Cortex A8 for high end smartphones, such as the Nokia N900.

Quantum leap

Samsung, ST Ericsson and Texas Instruments all helped shaped the functionality of the processor as they look to deliver more powerful chips:

"The market's demand for more functionality and connectivity with low power consumption requires ever more advanced processor, system and chip design," said Yiwan Wong, VP of SoC marketing, system LSI Division, Samsung Electronics.

"We believe this new Cortex-A15 MPCore processor core from ARM, with its quantum leap in processing capabilities, will successfully enable many next-generation electronic products and redefine the level of experience consumers will demand from their smartphones and mobile computing devices."

As an advanced lead partner and first licensee of the Cortex-A15 MPCore processor, we look forward to leveraging the Cortex-A15 core to deliver industry-leading processors that will provide the high performance demanded by the next generation of connected devices, all within a low power envelope," said Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit, TI.

"When pairing the Cortex-A15 MPCore processor with TI's SmartReflex 3 technology, future OMAP applications processors will yield a 60 percent reduction in power, enabling TI to continue delivering the industry's most energy-efficient, high-performing solutions."

The new ARM Cortex A15 is available for licensing from today, and in 32nm and 28nm manufacture, as well as future size specifications.

Qualcomm has confirmed to TechRadar that it will be adding in support for its augmented reality framework for Android phones in the near future.

Jay Wright, director of business development for Qualcomm's corporate R&D, was showcasing the power of the company's augmented reality technology, and told us that it would be available to developers in a few weeks.

"We're adding it into our SDK, which will be available on Qualcomm's developer page.

"This could mean adding 3D content to existing apps or games, and we'll continue to evolve the technology as well."

But which one is strut F-6?

Wright envisages multiple opportunities with Qualcomm's augmented reality (which uses a phone camera to overlay objects or information onto the screen).

"If you need to see how to change oil on your car, or put together or fix Ikea furniture, then you could just hold up your phone and see the instructions on the screen," he added.

Although the apps developed are essentially out of Qualcomm's hands once the SDK is released, Wright believes greater augmented reality could be on the Android market in 2010, as already developers working with the tech in private beta have new applications in the pipeline.

Samsung has stated that it doesn't believe that the Apple iPad is stronger in any area than the forthcoming Galaxy Tab.

Speaking at a recent mobile question and answer session, Samsung's head of product planning, WP Hong said that he 'didn't see any features [on the Galaxy Tab] that were weaker than the Apple iPad.'

"Its advantages are: communications features, something we have that doesn't exist in the iPad, and we expect consumers to enjoy video chat.

Lighter is better

"In terms of weight, consumer research tells us that a [lighter] weight is very critical to enjoy the experience."

This is a good thing for Samsung, seeing as the Galaxy Tab is almost half as heavy as the iPad.

"When you want to send a message, one finger operation is very important. In addition, Android fundamentally has access to many applications that Google are providing, in addition to what Samsung is planning too, such as on the media and music experience.

"But the most important thing for the Galaxy Tab is portability. It has the capability to support voice, so wherever or whenever you are you can make a call."

Living room device

DJ Lee, mobile global sales and marketing added that other tablets on the market (ie only Apple's) lack portability:

"Previous tablets are seen more as 'living room devices', because people are putting them on a table or on their lap, and have to use two hands to hold.

"This means their device is defined as living room, where ours is on the go."

There may be a key difference in terms of strength between the iPad and Galaxy Tab, though – if the rumoured £600+ tag comes for Samsung's tablet then Apple will have a big advantage over its Korean rival.

And Samsung will be hoping we forget the time that it said that the (then new) Jet is a 'better handset than the iPhone.'

Three has announced it will also be carrying the Samsung Galaxy Tab in the UK.

The network joins Vodafone as official stockists of the new Android tablet, but oddly will only be offering it on SIM only, one month rolling deals.

Customers will be able to get 1GB of data with 100 network minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB of data for £10 a month, or bump that up to 300 minutes for an extra £5.

Lite surfing

Data only plans are available too, with 5GB for £15 the most attractive option, although surfing snackers can drop down to 1GB for £7.50.

More important is the UK price though - a host of online resellers have the Samsung Galaxy Tab as costing over £600, although that price might change before launch.

With the UK release date of the Samsung Galaxy Tab set for October, at least we won't have to wait too long to find the answer - but surely the seven inch-screened device will be cheaper than the iPad?

Qualcomm has announced that its new 1.5GHz Snapdragon processors will be in devices by early 2011.

Speaking at Qualcomm's 2010 innovation exhibition, CEO and Chairman of Qualcomm Dr Paul Jacobs confirmed that both dual-core and 1.5GHz processors would be landing in the near future.

When asked when the faster chips would actually be landing in devices, Jacobs confirmed it would happen 'in the early part of 2011'.

Getting ready to rumble

Given that a number of phones are released at the end of Q1/the beginning of Q2, we should start seeing ultra-fast, low power devices in the near future.

One manufacturer that isn't likely to be part of the launch is LG, which recently announced it will be using Nvidia's Tegra 2 chips in its smartphones as it looks to the next generation of mobile handsets.

Qualcomm also confirmed that the first LTE phones, bringing faster speeds and higher bandwidth, powered by its 4G chips will be coming next year, with some 'data devices' appearing in 2010.

Virgin Media has announced that it is now offering the Sony Ericsson Spiro, and has the exclusive on the 'Spring Green' coloured version of the phone.

The Walkman branded phone is offered on PAYG, and will cost £49.99 when bought with £10 of airtime.

Customers trading in an old mobile phone can also take advantage of Virgin Media's £100 airtime offer.

2MP camera

The Spiro brings a fairly low grade set of specs including a 2MP camera, pre-installed Facebook and Twitter apps and an FM radio.

The phone has a 2GB SD card thrown in – and can take cards up to 16GB.

Of course, for many people Spring Green is very close to the wild cabbage that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall gets over-excited about, although technically speaking, fact fans, it's precisely halfway between cyan and green, we're told.

So if you like green and white phones and are in the market for a sub £50 PAYG option then this is now available from Virgin Media.

Nokia has confirmed that its eagerly-anticipated N8 smartphone will go on sale 'this month' with a sim-free UK price of £429.

The date of 23 September has already been outed, but Nokia has now formally announced the UK release date timeframe.

"The much-anticipated Nokia N8 will be on-sale at the Nokia Online Shop for £429 SIM free or on contract from £35 per month," said Nokia's release.

And a store near you...

The Nokia N8 will also be apparently also be available from the likes of Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange, Phones4u, T-Mobile, Tesco Phone Shops, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone from Friday 1 October. Phew.

Mark Loughran, General Manager, Nokia UK, says, "The Nokia N8 is a great multitasker, packed with market leading innovations, which include the best picture and video capability available on a smartphone.

"The Nokia N8 is perfect for creating and sharing great content in high definition, using HDMI out to connect to your TV as well as hot-USB swap.

"We're making it fun and easy to capture and share memorable moments on the go."

Nokia's long-awaited Meego platform, its tie-in with Intel, has been shown off in multiple pictures.

The new screenshots show off a new operating system that takes its cues from Nokia's Maemo system (used on the N900) the iPhone's iOS 4 system and the Palm Pre's WebOS.

The official MeeGo blog brought the pictures to the world, showing elements like a variety of ways to perform most tasks, such as unlocking the screen or multi-tasking.

An iPhone-like grid of icons was to be expected, as was multiple home screens, so we're glad to see Nokia getting the basics right here.

Blurring for focus

Maemo's way of doing things is apparent too, where the focus is maintained on certain elements of the screen by blurring out the backgrounds.

A huge number of gestures are detailed in the developers specifications, such as double long press tapping - which sounds like it could get a little confusing.

But we're still hopeful that Nokia will turn the corner - if Meego lands on devices in the near future (such as on the N9, if it turns out to be real) we might FINALLY see Nokia closer to the sharp end of the smartphone market.

Nike has announced a new version of its Nike+ app - but only for the iPhone 4 and other iOS 4 enabled devices that feature GPS.

It ditches the need for a sensor in your shoe, and adds in the much-needed support for GPS tracking.

A number of other apps out there, notably the Adidas MiCoach application, have had such functionality in for a while, and offer better accuracy when tracking run speed and distance.

The new Nike+ app curiously doesn't support the new Polar Wearlink+ transmitter, which was designed to supply heartrate information to the application - so users which forked out for the band will likely be irked they can't hear their 'power zone' or whatever lingo they use.

Fancy features

However, there are a raft of new fancy features in the Nike+ App: a colour-coded pace tracker allows you to see how fast you were running over your route (brought to you using Google Maps).

'Challenge Me' also allows you to race your best, longest or fastest runs and get a gold medal should you kick them into touch - complete with a manly roar at the end.

The Nike+ App does cost to buy though, which is a shame as the first iteration was free - you'll need to fork out £1.19 for the pleasure of hearing Paula Radcliffe at the end of particularly decent run.

LG has announced a deal with Nvidia to bring its powerful Tegra 2 processor to its mobile phone range later this year.

LG is promising that the Tegra 2 chips will be part of its Optimus range of mobile phones, with a UK release date set for Q4 of this year.

The Tegra 2 chips will see the first handsets with dual core CPUs, as well as low-power GPUs for better graphical reproduction and 1080p video processing to boot.

Not only will the dual-core processors help increase battery life, web browsing will be up to two times faster and gaming performance will be five times quicker, compared to today's 1GHz offerings, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon.

An Xbox in your pocket

LG is also promising 'console-quality' gaming and 3D capabilities, so we could see 3D phones in 2010, which has been much-rumoured for some time.

When Nvidia first launched its Tegra 2 chips earlier this year, they were tipped for use in the tablet market only - so it's interesting to see they've already moved to smartphones.

"LG is committed to making its Optimus Series smart devices the de facto standard in speed and graphics performance," said Chang Ma, Vice President of Marketing Strategy Team for LG.

"We selected Nvidia because it is the visual computing leader and has a long history of creating amazing consumer experiences."

LG is set to release both the Optimus One Android handset and the Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 in Q4 this year, so we could see a sneaky bit of Tegra 2 in there as well, although we'd expect it's more likely to debut in new Optimus phones.

Orange and T-Mobile will offer massively improved network coverage to its users as part of its new Everything Everywhere merger.

From 5 October users can sign up to gain access to both networks, meaning coverage in areas where they might previously have had none.

UPDATE: It appears T-Mobile users will only get access to Orange's 2G network, according to T-Mob's forums, so no data unfortunately. We assume it's the same the other around as well, so we'll have to wait until next year until data may be included as well.

The upgrade will be offered at no extra cost, and if the extra signal on offer were to be created by building new cell towers, it would mean billions of pounds' worth of investment.

Better than ever before

"From next month, we will give almost half of the British population the opportunity to use their phones in more places than ever before," said Tom Alexander, CEO of Everything Everywhere.

"As well as continuing to benefit from their existing network, Orange customers will be able to make calls and send texts on the T-Mobile network and T-Mobile customers will be able to do the same using the Orange network."

Improved signal

From next year, the deal will see customers' phones switching to whichever signal is strongest, meaning improved data and better call quality. Orange is also introducing HD voice in the near future.

Alexander has also outlined his vision of a 'multinet' future as Everything Everywhere seeks to give consumers "access what they want, when they want, at the touch of a button.

"It will all be possible due to a complex system of interweaving multiple networks, bringing mobile, WiFi and fixed technologies together to act as a super network."

And if that's not the beginning of a real-life version of SkyNet, we don't know what is...

One of the continuing criticisms of Apple's iPhone is the inability to load apps that haven't been through the App Store's opaque approval process - unless you're prepared to jailbreak.

For many developers, Android presents a more open environment, with fewer potential barriers to entry. However, stories of the riches from Apple's platform make it a tempting proposition anyway.

It's often forgotten that the iPhone supports web apps, which face none of the restrictions imposed by the App Store. However, discoverability can be a problem for applications from small developers if they're not presented front and centre.

OpenAppMkt is an app store that aims to bring fully functional apps, built using open web standards, to the iPhone - with no hassle over approval.

Though entirely web-based, it acts much like the App Store. Go to it via a desktop browser, and it appears similar to the iTunes-bases App Store. Access it on your iPhone, however, and it's a simpler, optimised version. Using the built-in option in Safari, you can add it to your Home screen and access it as easily as Apple's own store.

Familiar categories

You can then browse through familiar categories, including utilities, navigation, games, entertainment and many others. Tap the price button to buy (most are free, but those that aren't can be purchased with debit or credit cards). Follow the simple instructions to install the apps and then access them from the Home screen as if you'd bought them from the App Store - no Apple approval required.

"The mobile web has been largely ignored by developers in favour of native platforms, like Apple and Android, due to the ability to reach users on those native app stores," Teck Chia, CEO of OpenAppMkt, told TechRadar.

"This is despite the fact that, with HTML5, the open web is a better platform for many categories of apps."

Though the iPhone has supported web apps since before the creation of the App Store, they've failed to gain the attention of the wider, mainstream audience in the same way the native apps have. With not only all the attention, but a lot of the money, going on native apps, web apps needed something to push them to the forefront.

MOBILE MARKET: The store is accessible from your iPhone's Home screen, as are all the apps available

Clear advantages

"For most categories of apps, we think the web platform offers clear advantages over native platforms. Most developers already know this on the desktop," Chia explains.

"We've all seen apps transition from native to the web before on the desktop. I think the same thing is going to happen on mobile.

"The motivation [for OpenAppMkt] was to solve the two missing pieces of the mobile web, which are distribution and monetisation."

In fact, the OpenAppMkt actually offers a more generous amount to developers from paid apps than Apple: 80 per cent goes to the creator, rather than the App Store's 70 per cent. However, that extra cut for the developer isn't just an attempt to get one over on Apple - the open nature of the OpenAppMkt means it doesn't need to bring in as much money to be sustainable.

"Our intent was more about giving back to the developer as much as possible, rather than undercutting Apple. We can cover our costs with 20 per cent because we didn't need to hire people to vet and approve each app that gets submitted," Chia told us.

When asked exactly what the 'Open' in OpenAppMkt meant, Chia explained: "'Open' refers to the open web. Our marketplace works very much like the open web, in the sense that it's free to list and publish your web app, and it's curated by the community.

"The submission process is entirely self-service and there's no approval process. When a developer publishes an app, it's instantly available in our app store."

While the Android Market is open, we've still seen Google exercise its right to remove apps, and even remotely delete them. "The only hard rule we have is that we will remove apps that violate laws, or those that have been flagged by many as being harmful or deceiving," Chia added.

When you have native apps running from the device, there's no worry that if the store goes down, your apps cease to function. Chia points out that users are protected here: "All apps are hosted by the developers. We merely act as a proxy to authenticate, process payments and then pass payment information to the app in a safe and private manner."

Many apps will also work when offline. Though the YouTube app is fairly pointless without an internet connection, drawing tool 2B works perfectly once added to your Home screen, regardless of whether you're in a big city or down a cave.

Beating Apple at its own game?

It has been suggested that OpenAppMkt is a way to 'get around' the App Store approval process, and get onto the iPhone without going through Apple. With Google Voice available through OpenAppMkt, but not on the App Store, it's an easy conclusion to come to, but Chia says that this isn't its true purpose.

"We didn't start OpenAppMkt [intending] to 'route around' Apple. We started it to provide a better and familiar platform for mobile developers, and more app choices for end-users," he explains.

"We included Google's web apps in our app store ourselves, and it's analogous to linking to any website on the open web."

Because a link is all that's necessary to make web apps available, OpenAppMkt includes some free ones itself, like Google's array of web apps, and then enables developers to "claim" them if they wish, so they can monetise them. Because of this, the store is like a combination of app market and web aggregator.

OPEN TUBE: The YouTube web app is renowned for being even better than the iPhone's native version

With OpenAppMkt aiming for launch on the iPad and Android next, it has the potential to become the first truly cross-platform app store because the apps themselves don't rely on proprietary code.

However, even though open web standards are at the core of the experience, there are still differences between the devices and operating systems. For example, using some iOS-specific tags, a web app can be made to launch with a splash screen to hide loading times, or can be set to launch with the URL bar hidden (OpenAppMkt apps do both of these).

Obviously, this code won't work on Android phones, so will small niggling differences like these serve to get in the way of users' experiences with web apps? Chia actually sees opportunity for OpenAppMkt in this case, saying that one way the store can add value to apps "is to bridge those differences for developers, so they don't have to worry about them".

Cool HTML5 apps

Though the BBC's Erik Huggers suggested that HTML5 is "starting to sail off course", Chia has no such concerns. "HTML5 is more capable than most developers realise," he said. "It's slowly gaining mindshare, and I'm confident that we'll be seeing a lot of cool apps built with HTML5."

Google seems to be equally confident in web apps, with the Chrome Web Store set to open later this year. Though the search giant is capable of totally eclipsing smaller developers, Chia is confident that OpenAppMkt and Google's store can coexist, and that another outlet for web apps can only be a good thing.

"The Chrome web store is more focused on desktop apps. We are fully focused on mobile apps. We feel that the more places a developer can distribute their apps, the better it is for the entire ecosystem.

"We want developers to realize that they can distribute and monetise their apps on the open web today. We will consider OpenAppMkt to be successful if developers are able to build substantial businesses on the mobile web."