I am playing around with HTML 5 apps according to this tutorial: http://sixrevisions.com/web-development/html5-iphone-app/ It's pretty cool.
Since the product is a HTML5 page, the way to deploy is through browsers, or safari in iPhone. If you would like to access this HTML5 App like native apps, all you have to do is to follow this tutorial: http://browsers.about.com/od/howtousemobilebrowser1/ss/iphonehomeicons.htm An you will have a icon and splash screen just like any other native app.
However, non-IT users tend to download apps from AppStores. It's hard to change their habit. I am wondering if there is a way to tell safari to conduct "Add to Home Screen" directly once the HTML5 app is loaded in iPhone/Android?
If so, the deployment can be simple and strait-forward: just visit the URL. (Or something like that.)
Check this out. This gives a very clear indication to your users as to how to install the app.
If it was automatic, that would be a huge security hole. Just think if a user went to a bad website, then the website installed like 50 apps on the users phone. Not a good thing.
The only way to "install" a webapp without using the app-store and a uiwebview is through manually doing so.
EDIT:
See another question of mine for more information and links: