Usablenet Inc., a mobile commerce and social commerce technology provider, has introduced a new version of its core m-commerce platform that uses HTML5 to create mobile web pages. Usablenet Mobile 2.0 employs the latest Internet programming language, which many industry experts say holds great promise for m-commerce, to create a richer mobile web experience that can run on all the major mobile operating systems, including Apple Inc.’s iOS, Google Inc.’s Android, Research in Motion’s BlackBerry and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone.

There are big differences between HTML4 and HTML5. HTML5, for instance, enables programmers to cache web site content in the mobile web browser, thus allowing for more robust design because of fewer web server calls for content. The new language allows programmers to access some of the innate features of smartphones, such as a camera or GPS system. The goal of using HTML5 in m-commerce site development, retailers and developers say, is to make an m-commerce site look and feel more like a mobile app.

Usablenet Mobile 2.0 offers a variety of new features. For example, retailers can incorporate scrolling promotions on the home page, expand navigation through collapsible menus and pop-up windows that streamline an m-commerce site experience, add high-resolution image galleries designed for the swiping motion employed by smartphone users, and include GPS functionality that can customize a mobile site experience to a consumer’s location.

Usablenet Mobile 2.0 transmits HTML4 pages along with HTML5 pages for mobile phones that do not support HTML5.

“With the introduction of Usablenet Mobile 2.0, our platform can power advanced features and a rich, app-like experience that users are demanding in the mobile space,” says Nick Taylor, president. “By supporting all mobile devices, we help customers save valuable resources otherwise spent on developing multiple solutions for each mobile operating system on the market.”