Christian Heilmann gave a talk on the state of HTML5. He discussed both the promises and realities of HTML5, including performance issues, fragmentation, security concerns, and limitations in accessing hardware. He explained that while native apps aim to provide the best experience for a single environment, web apps strive for broad reach across many devices and contexts. Firefox OS was highlighted as an open HTML5-based platform targeting emerging markets with low-cost phones. Key HTML5 features like the battery status API, web activities, and application manifests were covered.