Today is a major milestone in the evolution of the web as an open development platform. Appcelerator's newly unveiled Titanium 1.0 framework lets web developers build native applications for the iPhone and Android phones using nothing but web languages. This means that Titanium applications can leverage any functionality of the iPhone or Android operating systems without going through a browser or WebView. Over 27,000 developers have already started using Titanium with an average of 5,000 new users per month. DZone talked to Scott Schwarzhoff, who was once an independent developer himself and is now Appcelerator's VP of marketing. Your Choices as a Mobile DeveloperMobile developers have traditionally had to decide whether they want to build native apps or web apps for mobile devices. Native apps have most of the advantages in performance and seamless usability. The user experience on a web app can't leverage the relationship between the user and the device in the same way that native apps can. If mobile developers choose to build native apps, the investment is significant. Forrester Research finds that most applications take at least three months to develop working full-time. The cost is between $20k - $150 for each application, and Schwarzhoff says that's a tame estimate. There's also the blaring fact that you are locked into one platform with its own particular SDK. Developing for multiple platforms means you have to learn multiple languages. With the mobile market moving so fast, who knows what the next major platform will be in 5-10 years? Read more: DZone