Telerik announced a big update to its Kendo UI mobile development framework today with the release of several new features, including ASP.Net wrappers and functionality that extends the platform from just mobile devices to tablets as well.

The company added what it calls ‘server-side helpers’ for ASP.NET MVC. Now a developer can write code in his  or her familiar server-side language, and these wrappers will produce the client-side equivalent in JavaScript and CSS. This can be translated into a big productivity boost, not to mention a world of convenience for the app creators.

The second major improvement is what the company calls ‘unique adaptive rendering.’ Kendo UI can automatically optimize an interface to fit the display screen of an iPad or Android tablet perfectly, meaning that the developer doesn’t have to do all that manually. Considering the sheer number of different devices out there, it’s not so hard to see how this adds up to a significant amount of avoidable labor.

“With this release, Kendo UI moves beyond mobile phones to help developers create experiences with HTML5 that look native on the iPad and other tablets,” said Todd Anglin, Vice President, HTML5 Web and Mobile Tools at Telerik. “In addition, we’ve added important updates across the Kendo UI framework, including the first in a series of server-side wrappers that further equip developers to quickly and cost-effectively create advanced apps and mobile sites with HTML5 and JavaScript.”

A few other additions have been made as well. A couple of new view adjustment widgets are available, alongside more data layout options and support for hierarchical and relational data.

This is the latest move from Telerik displaying their love of HTML5 and JavaScript, confident in their ability to save the mobile space from remaining a fragmented and arduous landscape for the developer community.  We’ve seen other programs die off, like Flash, as the mobile sector establishes the new standards for the consumer’s interfacing experience.  As quickly as mobile’s driven off Flash, it’s ushered in the rise of HTML5, and as more frameworks like Telerik support the new standard, more developers and app makers are able to support this burgeoning ecosystem.

Telerik’s really addressing the enterprise with this update, which is steadily adopting HTML5.  One very special capability of Kendo UI is the support for existing languages where most developers have built up their skill sets, including .NET, Java and PHP.

“What [enterprises] want to do is adopt JavaScript runtime but also enable developers to continue using their skills,” explains Anglin.  “We offer skill set wrappers for developers to work with Kendo in their native code.  In runtime it will auto-produce the Kendo UI, so developers get the benefits of Kendo as a productivity maximizer.”

Having already built a foundation around .NET, Telerik is creating a new brand around Kendo UI to demonstrate their broadened support of today’s cross-platform infrastructure.  We’ve seen a few outreach updates from Telerik in recent weeks, including the debut of an iOS app for beta testers.

Contributors: Maria Deutscher