A Comparative Evaluation of HTML5 as a Pervasive Media Platform

This paper introduces the field of pervasive media, the use of pervasive computing to deliver applications and services into peoples’ lives, and the problems of creating and distributing pervasive media applications to mobile phones. It determines the requirements of a development platform for pervasive media applications through analysis of a range of pervasive media applications, including games and tourism based applications. It then evaluates a number of platforms against those requirements, including J2ME and native Smartphone development. The paper then introduces HTML5 and through a description of its features evaluates it against the requirements. Finally it concludes that HTML5 is a good solution to the problems of creating and distributing most pervasive media applications and describes its advantages and disadvantages compared to existing solutions.