Mobile Widgets Definition

We define Mobile Widgets as:

• a client-side mobile web application
• stored on a mobile device and run from there without the need to connect to the web
• executed in a run-time environment
• preferably treated like a native application by the
• web standards, namely (x)HTML, CSS and JavaScript are used to implement the application
• widgets usually contain a manifest file describing name, version and additional properties of the widget for the host OS and run-time environment
• typically widgets are zipped, then renamed to something else depending on the engine they are targeted at

While it seems common to see widgets as “single purpose applications” and simplified extensions to existing/full-fledged services, we see widgets (as defined above) as complete applications.

Basically those things:

1. they are executed within an run-time environment and
2. web standards are used to implement them
3. which brings the potential to create truly portable applications
4. due to a ubiquitous availability of run-time environments and related standards.