Abstract: An offline support system operates to record a plurality of request/response pairs exchanged between an application and a web service. The system determines if a current request from the application can be communicated to the web service. Upon a positive determination, the current request is passed to the web service. Upon a negative determination, a most recent recorded request/response pair having a request matching the current request is identified. The response from the identified pair is passed to the application as if it were a response to the current request.

Abstract: A method for initiating a help feature includes detecting and making a first determination as to whether a first interaction with a surface associated with a user interface matches a predetermined first gesture. Following a positive first determination, a second interaction is detected and a second determination is made as to whether a second interaction with the surface matches a predetermined second gesture. Following a positive second determination, one of a plurality of controls presented in the user interface that corresponds to the second interaction is identified. A help feature corresponding to the identified control is caused to be displayed.

Abstract: Automatic application updates can be achieved by an application she executing on a mobile device. Upon startup when executed by a processing resource of the mobile device, the application shell attempts a connection to a developer service using a communication feature of the mobile device. Following a successful attempt, the application shell obtains non-native functional code for the application shell from the developer service via the connection. Following an unsuccessful attempt, the application shell obtains non-native functional code cached by the mobile device. However obtained, the application shell hosts the functional code such that, via the application shell, the functional code accesses a mobile device feature and provides a primary application function.

Abstract: An offline support system operates to record a plurality of request/response pairs exchanged between an application and a web service. The system determines if a current request from the application can be communicated to the web service. Upon a positive determination, the current request is passed to the web service. Upon a negative determination, a most recent recorded request/response pair having a request matching the current request is identified. The response from the identified pair is passed to the application as if it were a response to the current request.