What is better a mobile website or a mobile application

In the long run most mobile applications will be browser based or what they are calling web apps. By building a web app (basically a mobile version of the site with additional features) you will be able to limit your development time and have fewer compatibility issues as Eric noted. Granted you won't get the brand recognition of being in the app store but I am sure there will be a marketplace for web apps shortly if there isn't already. ReadWriteWeb did a pretty interesting piece on browser based vs apps a few months ago, its a quick read.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/mobile_app_or_browser-based_site.php

Edit: Looks like there is a web app marketplace, at least for apple http://www.apple.com/webapps/

I agree with Paul. Webapps will slowly overshadow pure play mobile apps. Mobile apps are proprietary and expensive to develop. Although they offer the speed advantage, the ROI on web apps is better. With networks becoming more robust and web interface of handsets getting slicker, the need for mobile apps seems to be diminishing.

Michael Arrington at TechCrunch makes another great point : "Apps are great on mobile phones with small screens. But they are a pain to install and keep synchronized. Eventually having less local software will make sense on phones, too. All you really need is that browser virtual machine and you can pull everything else from the cloud. This is obvious."

In the long term mobile apps will go away in favor of mobile web apps WHEN there's a ubiquitous Internet standard way of handling the device's geospatial data/location services, camera, video, voice, file access, and so on. This is why the HTML 5 and Adobe Flash "war" is so important. Google is supporting both on android and Apple supports HTML 5. Both Google and Apple are authors of the HTML 5 spec. Concerns of Android market share overtaking iPhone aside, google's proliferation of android-based devices only helps apple's cause long term. If developers flock to HTML 5 as the future standard the need for device-specific mobile apps goes away.

Greater reach. An app restricts the number of customers you can appeal to.

Appeal to mobile searchers. Apps need to be downloaded in advance. If customers don't have your app, they can't buy from you, but if you have a mobile-optimised site, they can search and find it on their browsers.

No third party approval required. If you want an app, you'll need to wait for approval before release and before you make adjustments. Having a mobile site means you are unrestrained in your site design and can push out updates and changes whenever you want.

No need to design multiple apps. Eventually other phones will eat into iPhone market share more and more, meaning that you may have to develop apps for several handsets. You can avoid this with a mobile site.

The answer is it depends. Mobile Web works across different platforms and has a broader audience. An App can have faster response time and richer features. Check out this webinar on the topic: http://www.usabilitysciences.com/webinettearchive

The answer is "they are different". Odds are you make the call based on the pros and cons of the two but there is no way of saying one is better than the other on principle.

Let me know if you need help further exploring the topic. I do both.

talk soon,
G

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