Mobile Web

The number of mobile web clients is increasing constantly and has already exceeded the number of their desktop predecessors. The following paper offers a survey of the current trends in the field of smart mobile devices, particularly with regard to the wide spectrum of the available hardware and software equipment and the corresponding operating systems. The main focus is on the advantages and limitations of such devices, especially when used as web clients. Modern mobile devices offer many new functionalities, such as location and orientation awareness, unlimited web access, intuitive touch-screen user interfaces, etc. This enables the development of new intelligent and adaptable solutions that completely change the way of communication and interaction with the web. The paper also mentions specific methods of using the devices in mobile environments that require robust and custom-made user interfaces. Special attention is given to the so-called responsive web enabling a unified design of contents for a broad range of devices with various levels of performance and screen resolutions. Also included is a short presentation of the current and future standards in the field of web and web technologies.