An obvious place to try this is with reference material. In the same way that Google Maps redefined the atlas and Wikipedia redefined the encyclopedia, a truly native mobile app can do a lot to improve on the “user interface” of a traditional reference book. Our first experiment with this is a mobile reference on HTML; rather than prepare a revision of the previous printed “pocket reference” format, we’ve created an innovative mobile app that makes it much quicker and easier to access practical information about specific HTML elements.

via A New Take on the “Pocket Reference” — Public Beta of new O’Reilly Mobile HTML App – O’Reilly Labs.

I’ve just given this web app a try. The neat thing about it is it acts just like an iPhone app, and is nippy to boot. Given the choice of a web site or an app, I’d take the open web. But generally speaking web apps have a bit of catching up to do. This is a good start.

I also like the way the content is presented. Bonus points for the Elements by Task section.

However, with all that said, I don’t really see a use for it from a reference point of view. The thing is, if I’m looking up HTML elements, there’s a bloody good chance I’m going to be at a keyboard typing in some HTML. And given the choice of fiddling with my iPhone or performing a quick search in my desktop browser, the browser wins every time. For now you can’t beat the desktop keyboard for input. Perhaps I’m being short-sighted here. Maybe with a bit of voice control it would be handy to have it appear on the little screen on my desk.