Most people are well aware that Qt includes WebKit integration, and has included it since Qt 4.4.
This week at Mobile World Congress we are showing what people can do with Qt WebKit and the technologies commonly referred to as HTML5 on mobile devices. The demo we have features a range of apps, including my favourite – a game about a platform jumping Norwegian guy, complete with Norwegian knitware.
With the Qt SDK 1.1, developers will be have some simple, powerful tools to use to Qt to create HTML5 apps for Qt platforms such as Symbian.
There are some exciting opportunities created by this.
Because HTML5 is becoming ubiquitous, developers can reuse web code from their Qt HTML5 application for any modern web-enabled platform.
Since we are wrapping web code in a Qt shell, the powerful Qt WebKit API can expose unique application specific features easily to the web environment. A good example of this (which you’ll see in our demo video) is sensors readings on a Symbian device.
With Qt SDK 1.1, developers can use Qt Creator to simulate their HTML5 apps on the desktop in the Qt Simulator.
Qt Creator also understands JavaScript, HTML and CSS so it highlights syntax and allows code blocks to be expanded and collapsed, which helps developers work more efficiently.
Developers can then deploy their complete app including web code to a Qt supported device for testing.
Once the final version of the Qt SDK 1.1 arrives, developers will be able to submit these apps to Ovi store, just as they would submit other types of Qt apps.
I’ve been showing the demo for several days at MWC, and people have been really impressed by the native-like performance, and many of our visitors are very interested in the possibilities of Qt WebKit and HTML5.
A lot of people have asked about the source code for our demo app, and I am happy to say we will share the code soon on Gitorious. Keep an eye on Qt Labs for a post announcing the code being available.
We filmed a video of the demo while we were at the show. Enjoy.
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Nice. I like the game. Looking for the code to play a little
Do you plan to make QtGecko too?
I’m already making use the QtWebkit functionality and find it very good, but still a few grey areas in the HTML5 arena, especially in the Video department. For example basics like looping a video or seeking to a specific position.
To the Qt engineers! YOU ROCKS!!! Keep going forward
nice!
So qt gone mobile only? What about desktop improvements?
WOW. Just WOW
Are you trying to get the old news with a lot of comments on Elop and the new strategy to disappear with posting a lot of news?
The good thing is that I have worked a bit with Qt – and it still works (so it is nice to work with) – and I don’t believe Qt is dead. However your strategy definitely won’t be any help to Qt.
In the strategy I simply don’t understand:
a) What Nokia would do on a (unrealistic) success with WP7?
Probably MS won’t keep paying you for putting Windows on your Phones! Can they take whatever profit they want from you?
b) Why it would be so terrible to bet on both WP7 and MeeGo?
Ok, you release one or two MeeGo-phones (but it does not explain …)
c) Why Elop is allowed to talk negative about MeeGo and your own Phone with MeeGo (and Qt). (They guy is talking negative on a product that Nokia is trying to sell, come f*cking on!) What is the reason for that?
d) How can the board accept (c) at all ?!
e) what role Qt now has in Nokia. What will you do with it?
(Green is close to Mr. Nobody here. Elop is in charge and sees Qt as and he might just consider himself an MS-guy temporarily hired by Nokia)
You must know that Qt has a high value (otherwise I would advice a sell). How will you use this value? You can’t really stop Qt (Then KDE Free Qt Foundation then might release it under BSD!) – and if you slow it too much – some will fork a GPL/LGPL version. You might try to break Qt apart slowly, but no matter how Qt gets out of your hands and you will lose money. (Unless you sell … – but I think you a too afraid to sell – for a good reason … )
f) What is so good for Nokia with this MS-deal?
(You give MS everything and get an OS that have been selling real bad on its own …)
g) Why Elop is trustworthy of making it. Shares or not – he might already have an agreement with MS on a possible future there … Why does the board trust him?
h) What you will do if MeeGo ends up a success?
Nokia had every reason to be a part of a possible MeeGo success, but with Elops talks Intel surely gets most of the credit. Even the gold partner AMD can probably take more credit than you.
i) What Nokia can do if WP7 become (limited) success but other counties can provide WP7 on cheaper hardware? Your strength must be in the software – where Elop does not see it – since he only sees MS. What is the plan, Nokia?
j) Why the Nokia board can accept a 20~25% drop in their marked-value with this new (stupid) strategy … (Maybe MS even bought some shares not to make it drop further. If I had shares in Nokia I would sell, sell, sell. It is still at least 25% overrated.)
Damn – I have made many errors in the above. (Probably because I am still very upset!) Hopefully most of it is understandable.
What is the target of this technology? Slowly dying Symbian?
@Thorbjørn very relevant issues. It would be nice to have some answers to your questions from the Nokia board, but I think that you’ll never have them. Someone should ask the board, at least they’ll feel uncomfortable… which would be the sign that something’s wrong…
Anyway Qt is a really great framework, big up for the Qt-team
Is Qt is going to be available for WP7 or I* devices?
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http://www.technobits.net – Always remain technically updated
@Thorbjørn, good questions. In additon to that I just can’t understand how you can do that without having an alternative up your sleeves now.
Come on, who knows what’s gonna happen in one or two years when Winphone is finally ready. Who knows, mabe the 200 Euro IPhone is on the market by then. Or somebody has come up with a decent MeeGo phone. Or Google has implemented another incredible feature for Android. Since I don’t believe this Elop guy is dumb, there is only one possible answer left: he does it on purpose.
So… Guy is jumping platforms… Any of them burning by any chance?
@Jonathan: I know, video support is currently experimental and we’re working on it.
@George, @Ctac: We’ll continue to work on Qt on many platforms, not just Symbian.
@Aamir Maniar: we have no plans to do that.
@Thorbjørn, @Sylv: I don’t have anything new to add to what Aron, Daniel and Rich (in his video) already said in this blog.
@Shmerl: No
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go to hell nokia!
stupid company.
Right QT stand demoing Html5 anyone else see the problem here.
This is not QT being a back end to HTML5 site. Instead its just QT acting as a limited browser running a HTML5 page.
Are you trying to say QT is dead and we should now code in HTML5 since you cannot get QT onto WP7?
If HTML5 is going to be the way forwards. When can I expect to see normal QT to HTML5 site? QT to Nacl will be interesting as well.
Hate Nokia
@oiaohm: This demo was one of more than dozen Qt demos that we had in Barcelona, demonstrating different parts of Qt in different environments, most of them not using WebKit or HTML5.
In this demo, we have two great technologies, Qt and HTML5, playing nicely together. I see the fact that you might be able to reuse the web code across platforms a benefit, not a problem. The fact that you can extend the web environment with Qt code is another great benefit of this approach. So I don’t really see the problem here.
Henry Haverinen. Just call it still wondering were the exact path of QT will be. I am worried what effects Nokia support of WP7 are going to cause.
Do you have a page with those demos on.
Newsflash: Qt is available *NOW* (as alpha) on Android.
The project is called Necessitas and it’s not endorsed by Nokia nor another company.
So how long until QtWebkit is actually usable on Symbian? Memory issues, the lack of multitouch, selection gestures and co. really kill all this fancy *moderated* in real life.
Yes, I’m talking about 4.6.3, which is the only way for production environments at this moment.
The sources of the demo are now available, please see the Qt Labs for details: http://labs.qt.nokia.com/2011/02/22/update-on-the-jumping-norwegian-guy-and-the-qt-web-runtime-project/
@Karma: Deploying Qt 4.7 based apps on Symbian will be a major leap forward for WebKit based apps too, and it will be possible once we release the final version of Qt SDK 1.1, which we’re expecting to do soon. The official schedule estimate isn’t very specific: during the current half of 2011.
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