Android's Potential With HTML5

HTML5 is the latest standard for HTML. The previous version of HTML, HTML 4.01, came in 1999, and the internet has changed significantly since then. HTML5 was designed to replace both HTML 4, XHTML, and the HTML DOM Level 2. It was specially designed to deliver rich content without the need for additional plugins.

"There is a huge gap between the leaders and the rest of the market players for both smartphones and feature phones," says Simon Baker, program manager for mobile handsets at IDC CEMA. "As a continent, Africa requires a very significant commitment in terms of local offices and resources in order to build out a presence and logistical capabilities across so many countries. Samsung, with its broad range of consumer electronics products and unwavering ambition, has been able to achieve just that, in the same vein as Nokia did before it."

While the task is seemingly putting off smaller players, Hamza Saleem, a senior research analyst for mobile devices at IDC MEA believes there is room for nimble regional brands that pick just a few countries on which to focus. "They can source Android smartphones at very competitive prices from a host of Chinese manufacturing plants and launch them under their own brands," says Saleem. "The most prominent such brand is Tecno. It started off with relatively simple phones but is now offering more sophisticated smartphones and is very active in West and East Africa.

According to IDC, Samsung currently dominates the African smartphone market, recording 52.1% unit share for Q2 2013. This represents the fourth quarter in a row that the South Korean giant's market share has hovered around the 50% mark. BlackBerry trailed way behind with 17.8% share of the market's volume. The vendor's position improved by almost three percentage points on the previous quarter as the brand still retains a high level of popularity in the Africa region due to its cheaper data packages.

The current version delivers everything from animation to graphics, music to movies, and can also be used to build complicated web applications. HTML5 is also cross-platform. It is designed to work whether you are using a PC, or a Tablet, a Smartphone, or a Smart TV.