PhoneGap speed vs native iOS 4/5 and Android for GPS / Location Services / Maps

Question

What is the performance trade off of using PhoneGap for developing an application that uses the users maps and gps throughout almost the entire application? The app needs to figure out what is nearby, pick up locations for posts, and embed maps into screens.

Probably unrelated, but the app will also need to use the phone's camera as a key feature.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Phonegap uses the same native APIs, it just abstracts them so that you can write your application in html and javascript.

PhoneGap’s plugins documentation states that all “heavy lifting” should be done on the native side since Javascript is still quite a bit slower while running in the native browser.

It’s safe to assume that the PhoneGap solution is going to take longer given that the Javascript must trigger the native function, wait for the callback, and then build the list in html.

I have some useful links for you..

mobile-framework-comparision

PhoneGap vs native Android and iPhone app performance and features

PhoneGap plugin vs. a native solution in Android

Phonegap app performance vs native app performance

Using Phonegap for Native Application development