HTML5 is not just a replacement for plugins. It also makes the Web a first-class development environment by giving JavaScript programmers a solid foundation for building industrial-strength applications. This practical guide takes you beyond simple site creation and shows you how to build self-contained HTML5 applications that can run on mobile devices and compete with desktop apps.

You’ll learn powerful JavaScript tools for exploiting HTML5 elements, and discover new methods for working with data, such as offline storage and multithreaded processing. Complete with code samples, this book is ideal for experienced JavaScript and mobile developers alike.

• Store session data in the browser with local storage objects
• Save trips to the server: store larger amounts of data with IndexedDB
• Give browsers limited access to a user’s system to read and upload files
• Take your app offline—and speed up page loading when it’s online
• Use Web Workers to create multithreaded applications
• Transfer data between browser and server more efficiently with Web Sockets
• Learn about HTML5 tags for forms, multimedia, graphics, and geolocation

"HTML5 is all the rage these days, but it's more than just a buzzword. Programming HTML5 Applications provides the knowledge to guide you through all the new technologies needed to make modern web applications."

--Ralph Whitbeck, cohost of The Official jQuery Podcast