Twitterific is one of the well known application in the app store for Twitter on iPhone. I installed it and used it for a while until I recently found out about Hahlo, a web based mobile client for Twitter. Awesome!! When using both you do not see which one is web based!

Two requirements need to be met before browser based technologies are capable being a general replacement for applications:
1. They need to be functional offline. The ability to edit a document can’t depend on the availability of a network signal.
2. There needs to be access to core phone features like the phone book, calendar, camera and location.

Those requirements are also valid when you are considering developing a mobile application and you are hesitating between developing a mobile web application or a native application. To which I would add two other points…
3. Needs of updating the application. Mobile web app are much more easily updatable. It takes much more time on a native application.
4. Portability on any device. When well done, a mobile web application can be accessible from the begining to almost any mobile device. Ain’t true for native app obviously.

To sum up… things to think about when developping a mobile web app. vs. a native app:

1. Offline feature.
2. Accessing core feature of the phone.
3. Ease of update.
4. Portability on any device

I’ll end with a quote from Cameron Moll on Twitter:

…and the more I’m convinced well-done mobile web apps pretty much negate the need for iPhone installed apps that do the same.