Embedded Ajax Web 2.0 Optimzed for Mobile Devices

Embedded Ajax
Web 2.0 Optimzed for Mobile Devices
NetFront Browser v3.5 takes Web 2.0 beyond the PC
Takuya Harakawa, Product Manager, Browser Technology Dr. Tomihisa Kamada, Co-founder and CTO ACCESS Co., Ltd.White paper

1. Introduction
Shortly after Tim O’Reilly (the founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media) published his paper What is Web 2.0 [1] in 2005, the term Web 2.0 came to define the next-generation of the Web and the Web also became widely recognized as a next-generation service framework based on the view of the Web as a platform. Today, Web end-users can experience many new and innovative Web services, powered by Web 2.0 applications, which feature rich user-interfaces and advanced functionality accessed via the Web browser on their desktop PCs. It can be said that the most compelling Web 2.0 technology is Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) [2]. Jesse James Garrett of Adaptive Path first introduced the term Ajax in February 2005. Ajax is an open-standard Web development technique that uses a combination of XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript to enable the creation of highly efficient interactive Web applications. Ajax leverages the XMLHttpRequest object to support the asynchronous exchange of data between a web server and a client. The asynchronous exchange of data shifts a significant amount of application functionality from the Web server to the client, which means that Web pages do not have to be completely reloaded for each end-user interaction. Ajax enables Web 2.0 applications like GoogleTM GmailTM, Google Suggest, Google Maps, Amazon’s A9.com search engine and Yahoo!’s Flickr.com to deliver a rich end-user experience with seamless functionality. Running in parallel with the emergence of Ajax is the move in the mobile market away from WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) services and the idiosyncrasies of WML (Wireless Markup Language) and WAP gateways, which do not adhere to global Internet standards. WAP 2.0 [3], the next generation of WAP, is also rapidly becoming a out-of-date solution for mobile due to the growing popularity of mobile browsers that provide modern Internet browsing and the rapid evolution of the mobile environment including faster wireless network technologies and ever more powerful mobile devices. The direct result of this movement away from WAP and toward modern Internet mobile browsing is that Web 2.0 applications stand to become very popular throughout the mobile world ACCESS has been a leading developer of Internet-compatible mobile browser solutions since it first submitted the Compact HTML specification to W3C in 1998. Compact HTML went on to become the basis for NTT DoCoMo’s popular i-modeTM service. To date, ACCESS’ NetFrontTM browser has been deployed in over 300 million devices and the latest version, NetFront v3.5 provides state-of-the-art technologies that bring Web 2.0 to the mobile market. This paper describes the concept and design principles of Embedded Ajax, an Ajax implementation that is optimized for mobile devices. This paper also describes ACCESS’ vision for the optimal Web 2.0 applications for the rapidly growing mobile market.

2. Why Embedded Ajax?
Advanced Web browsers with PC-like browsing capabilities are becoming increasingly popular on mobile devices. This growing popularity means that Web 2.0 applications that use Ajax will also soon become popular throughout the mobile world. It is important to note that Ajax is not only an asynchronous data retrieval technique using XMLHttpRequest, it is also a method for utilizing a narrow bandwidth and limited memory to its maximum extent. In other words, Ajax can reduce the amount of data transferred between a Web server and client device, which, in theory, means that it should be possible to use the same Web 2.0 applications for PCs and for mobile devices. This directly brings into question the need for an “Embedded Ajax” solution specifically adapted for mobile devices. Wouldn’t using Ajax to build Web applications for mobile devices be enough?

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Embedded Ajax

Web Server

Browser Client

Get Page HTML Download Page

Page URL

Ajax Web Application

Page View

Get Data via XMLHttpRequest XML Data

JavaScript Call

JavaScript

Download Data

XXX YYY

There is no need to download the entire page again and again since the end-user can download just the additional value or information that is needed.

Page View (Updated)

Process data and update pages dynamically and seamlessly

Figure 1: Ajax data transfer between server and client

Since there are still constraints and limitations in mobile device hardware and wireless networks, it will be difficult to deliver a PC-like Web 2.0 experience without some considered adjustments. In order to fully leverage the potential of Web 2.0 on mobile devices, it will be necessary to take the PC service model and end-user experience and adapt it for the mobile world while also overcoming the following issues inherent in mobile devices: Limited memory capacity Low-power CPUs (to reduce power consumption) Narrow bandwidth and low-speed networks (compared to PC networks) Limited key input

2.1 Performance
Although Ajax offers a method for the asynchronous retrieval of data required to dynamically run a Web application, the most important functionality is actually the JavaScript bindings with XHTML, CSS and DOM, which perform dynamical display changes and interactions. That is, Ajax requires optimized performance for running complicated JavaScript code on mobile devices. In order to realize this higher level of performance, a mobile device will need not only a highly efficient JavaScript engine, but also a smart framework to run the JavaScript code relevant to Ajax applications such as prototype.js [5] at the highest possible speed.

2.2 Memory Consumption
Memory consumption is another important issue that needs to be carefully considered. Memory management quality has a significant influence on the response and stability of a Web application. For example, on NetFront for mobile devices, the standard version of Google Maps acquires over 100Kbytes of content, and in order to display a map, it requires memory consumption at over 10Mbytes. As you can easily imagine, these requirements are not realistic for the majority of mobile devices currently available. Certainly, downsizing the image itself can reduce the memory consumption required to display an image. However, the potential vulnerabilities of memory leaking by operating DOM via JavaScript must also be considered. In Google’s API [5], it’s recommended to call the GUnload() function on the unload event handler in order to clear unexpected memory leaks. With Embedded Ajax, a smart garbage collecting functionality for the authors of Web applications can be easily created.

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White paper

2.3 Limited Key Input
Many mobile devices have limited key inputs (4-way navigation, enter, cancel, several soft keys, no mouse pointer) relative to desktop PCs. These hardware differences/restrictions create significant difficulties when developing rich Web applications for mobile devices. For example, when Web browsers are implemented on mobile devices, the Right/Left key is assigned to the history operation, so these keys cannot be used to interact with a Web application. This inability to use the Right/Left keys creates a barrier to sharing the same user-interface for a Web application on a PC relative to a mobile device. A different event system needs to be developed to overcome the interface restrictions created by the limited key input on mobile devices, and this can be accomplished with Embedded Ajax.

3. Design Goals
To overcome the performance, memory, and input restrictions on mobile devices ACCESS has developed Embedded Ajax, a new technology for mobile devices based on Ajax that provides enhanced performance and usability for Web 2.0 applications that use Ajax. Embedded Ajax is included in NetFrontTM Browser v3.5, ACCESS’ latest Web browser solution for mobile devices. NetFront Browser v3.5 is scheduled for release in autumn of 2007.

3.1 NetFront Browser v3.5, ACCESS’s Browser for Mobile
NetFront Browser is an optimized browser solution that provides a PC-like Internet browsing experience for embedded devices, especially mobile devices. Unlike downsized desktop browsers, NetFront was originally designed to overcome restrictions like limited CPU speed or limited memory, while offering fast performance and extensive features all within a compact code size that is ideally suited for mobile devices. By including Embedded Ajax, NetFront Browser v3.5 offers the best value for the Web 2.0 mobile ecosystem, including network operators, handset vendors, content providers, and end-users.

With Ajax, data around the display area is pre-downloaded seamlessly, enabling end-users to scroll through contents smoothly and intuitively.

Enjoy looking through catalogs of your choice, and purchase products without transferring any pages. With Ajax, only the actual data value will be sent to the client upon request.

Figure 2: Example of Ajax applications on mobile phone

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Embedded Ajax

3.2 Architecture Overview
ACCESS developed Embedded Ajax to introduce more effective and attractive Web applications with a new, dynamical user-interface framework based on standard Ajax technology. Embedded Ajax incorporates: Optimized extra-DOM operations for Ajax applications Garbage collecting functionalities for JavaScript Alternative virtual key event handling for mobile devices Embedded Ajax embeds and provides the following functionalities introduced by many Ajax utilities including Prototype.js: Extended functionalities for accessing a JavaScript object Functions that support smart coding Embedded Ajax also provides three particular functionalities, in order to achieve high performance and usability for Web 2.0 applications that use Ajax technology on mobile devices. (1) Highly sophisticated garbage collecting system. (2) A function that can invoke garbage collection when a content creator requires. (3) Virtual event handling system for input keys to facilitate the development of Web application for mobile devices.

4. Concluding Remarks
In this paper, we described the concept and design of Embedded Ajax, and also discussed the issues surrounding the introduction of Web 2.0 applications that use Ajax on mobile devices. Then, we presented how Embedded Ajax and NetFront Browser v3.5 can resolve these issues. Embedded Ajax can deliver a fast, flexible, and seamless end-user experience for Web 2.0 applications accessed via mobile devices. ACCESS believes that Embedded Ajax will become the standard, optimized Ajax technology for all mobile devices.

5. References
[1] Tim O’Reilly, What Is Web 2.0, September, 2005 http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html [2] Jesse James Garrett, Ajax: A New approach to Web Applications, February, 2005 http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000385.php [3] Open Mobile Alliance, Wireless Application Protocol http://www.openmobilealliance.org/tech/affiliates/wap/wapindex.html [4] Tomihisa Kamada, Compact HTML for Small Information Appliances, W3C, February, 1998 http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/NOTE-compactHTML-19980209/ [5] Sam Stephenson, Prototype, 2005 http://www.prototypejs.org/ [6] Google, Google Maps API, 2006 http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/

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