The NYTimes app is truly trivial. In fact, I expect it actually is a web app with some native stuff around the fringes for transitions, popups, etc. And it fits in the genre of a webapp, where you sit and read pages. That is not a good example.
For truly interactive apps, that are about content creation or the interactivity itself, the web is second class to the native experience. Just the fact that an address bar pops up when you tap the top of the screen should tell you that.
A really good example is gmail. This is the AJAX posterboy, and it has a stellar interface for the web. But it is frankly still second class, even on a desktop. It wins on the desktop because it's free, convenient and because it's good enough, not because it is a paragon of usability compared to the best native mail app. On the iphone, they've tried even harder -- but it's even worse. It feels nowhere as smooth as the native Mail app. It's got features, but it's a crappy experience.
For truly interactive apps, that are about content creation or the interactivity itself, the web is second class to the native experience. Just the fact that an address bar pops up when you tap the top of the screen should tell you that.
A really good example is gmail. This is the AJAX posterboy, and it has a stellar interface for the web. But it is frankly still second class, even on a desktop. It wins on the desktop because it's free, convenient and because it's good enough, not because it is a paragon of usability compared to the best native mail app. On the iphone, they've tried even harder -- but it's even worse. It feels nowhere as smooth as the native Mail app. It's got features, but it's a crappy experience.