With the new HTML5 APIs, features once available only to native apps have become available to browser developers. Combined with adding an icon for the app to the home screen, and the use of HTML5 appcache features, web developers now have a rich array of options for adding native-like behavior to pages and sites which they develop.

Here is a demo on YouTube of a magic-trick type of web page which relies on double-tap detection and handling of orientation-change events to give a truly hands-on effect to the illusion.

The trick can be added to your home screen by navigating to Fliparoo and adding it to your home screen.

I’m excited as the gap between ‘installed’ and web software grows smaller every day!