As 2010 draws to a close it’s worth looking back at some of the bigger developments in mobile devices. In terms of hardware, the launch of the iPad was the clear highlight, while for developers Sencha’s June release of their new application development framework using HTML5 and Javascript has been one of the more significant leaps forward.

Callled Sencha Touch, the framework is the first HTML5-based mobile application framework, and is targeted at WebKit browser-based mobile devices. Accordingly, developers can write applications for the iPad and iPhone and Google Android systems, with RIM for Blackberry to be added in the near future, all from the one framework.

When installed to the home screen (in the case of iPhone users) Sencha Mobile Touch applications run almost identically to a native application. All the source code is stored on the actual device, with only live data sent across the wire, minimising 3G and GPRS data expenses for the user. We don’t need to bother with the processes around submitting applications to the Apple store either, as they can be easily installed from a link sent via SMS or email, or just linked to from a mobile website.

The fact that the applications are javascript based also means upgrading the application is simply a matter of updating the production environment.

Importantly, clients don’t need to pay for multiple native versions for Apple, Android and Blackberry Torch, which hugely reduces the cost of development. To ensure Sencha Touch grabs a significant slice of market share, the commercial version is also now available for free download from http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/