My big beef with website mobile apps is the lack of tabs. The ability to open a new page in a new tab - something I take for granted in both desktop and mobile browsers - is simply missing from every site-specific mobile app I've seen.
It's not just ubergeeks who use tabs either. I see my non-techie friends use them too.
Besides tabs, there are things like bookmarks and the hope (not always fulfilled) of being able to change the text size so I can read it more easily.
StackExchange is a good example. I tried their mobile app, and it was such an impoverished experience compared to viewing their mobile site in a browser. I didn't see anything their app did for me that the mobile site didn't do as well or better. I had to wonder what was the point?
Google Maps? Sure, I'll use the app. But a website app? Forget it.
It all comes down to what the developer for that app chooses to support. I'm sure there are a number of native applications, regardless of the platform, which look or perform poorly as well.
For a web app to really stand out from the web site it is coming from, it should offer some sort of benefit to the end user that could not be found on the site itself.
It's not just ubergeeks who use tabs either. I see my non-techie friends use them too.
Besides tabs, there are things like bookmarks and the hope (not always fulfilled) of being able to change the text size so I can read it more easily.
StackExchange is a good example. I tried their mobile app, and it was such an impoverished experience compared to viewing their mobile site in a browser. I didn't see anything their app did for me that the mobile site didn't do as well or better. I had to wonder what was the point?
Google Maps? Sure, I'll use the app. But a website app? Forget it.