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It remains to be seen how long the iPhone app addiction will last, but the mobile web -- what Mr. Outlaw calls "device-agnostic" since it works on any operating system -- will eventually break through when the iPhone buzz dies down and the consumer can get equally rich app experiences on non-Apple operating systems.

"App development is not easily scalable," said Mr. Outlaw. It's expensive and time-intensive to get apps on different phones.

iPhone's slice of the pie will shrink as more feature-phone users sign up for their first smart device.

Right now we're in the Age of the App, but as browsers become more sophisticated, mobile websites will be on the rise and users will barely be able to tell the difference between the app experience and the browser,"

"The mobile web will have to be addressed this year," said Mr. Ting. "If you don't have a mobile website up now, it's going to feel like the year 2000, when brands didn't have websites up."

Don't just re-create a PC website for mobile, but pare down content for exactly what consumers are looking for on that device. "When you're on the phone, it's a different context," he said. "Consumers are snacking on content; they don't want the full experience." Good mobile websites should feel like apps for consumers. New features like drop-down menus and expandable panels are expected soon. The little things, like a mobile site that redirects when a user taps in the web URL, will make mobile-web adoption smoother.

People don't care whether it is a web site or an application. All they care about is they can do "x" simply and pleasantly.

. All they care about is they can do "x" simply and pleasantly.

If you are trying to decide whether you should build an app or a mobile web site, you probably need to step back and think about a bigger problem - why you aren't able (or are unwilling) to build both.

With the release of HTML 5.0 developers will be able to take advantage of GPS, accelerometer, design, etc that will make mobile sites similar to apps in terms of functionality.

A game makes more sense on an app but a shopping site may find a happier home on the mobile web. This is because a mobile web developer has a choice of a number of online payment options for a limited fee. Where an iPhone developer must use iTunes and give up 30% of the revenue.

"mobile touch web" when deployed with the tools that HTML-5 promises to deliver will be the next important phase towards consuming content on demand and further penetration of location based services (including point of purchase)

Engagement may be measured by increased time per session, high frequency of sessions, interactions, and/or some combination thereof.