As a BlackBerry programmer, I’m quite used to seeing Web pages that don’t look very good on my BlackBerry, even on the very latest models. Still, when I got an email promoting Nasty Dirty Money I was surprised to see an essentially blank screen show up in my mobile web browser when I clicked the link. It looks fine on my desktop, but not on the BlackBerry. Oops.
As more and more people use smartphones and other mobile devices for reading email and web surfing, especially phones like the BlackBerry and the iPhone, ensuring that your web pages look half-decent on these devices is becoming a priority.
The thing is, it’s not that hard to do if you’re creating your pages using proper HTML or XHTML with a modern web design tool. Creating web page with Microsoft Word or some other non-web tool is a big mistake.
What if you can’t change the way your page behaves? There’s still a solution: configure your web server to send mobile browsers to a different, simpler version of the landing page. It takes a bit of technical know-how to do this, I agree, but it can be done and once you’ve figured out how to do it you can replicate the process across all your sites. (If you’re running WordPress, there are even plugins that can do it for you.)
Nasty Dirty Money needs to do more to get my money!
>>> “The thing is, it’s not that hard to do if you’re creating your pages using proper HTML or XHTML with a modern web design tool. Creating web page with Microsoft Word or some other non-web tool is a big mistake.” <<<
Eric,
You shouldn’t need a “tool” to make compliant pages. What is it about pages created with those tools that make them display properly? Or, conversely, what is it about Word-created pages that prevent them from displaying?
Is it the doc type? Is it the use of CSS instead of tables? Is the difference due to fixed vs. liquid page widths? There must be easily identified reasons for it.
Johnny
Oh my, you’ve never looked at the HTML created by Microsoft Word? It’s a sight to behold… It’s so bad that someone created a tool called the demoroniser to fix it up!
I haven’t looked to closely at what the problem is in this specific case. Yes, depending on large tables is one common problem. So is making a page that requires JavaScript to work (it’s common to disable JS or use a stripped down version of it on mobile platforms).
Eric
I think making sure that the pages on your website are compatible with smart phones makes good business sence .
You want your website visitors to be able to see the content regardless of what the are using.
Considering the technology today and the fact that more and more people tend to use “smart” phones when they travel or are not close to a laptop or PC, having your pages adjusted for blackberry is quite useful specially if you have a blog with good content.
I was reading a survey a few days ago about how many people use “smart” phones to surf the net from the total approximate owners of a mobile phone and the percentage was around 21.7% or 21.3% can’t remember exactly.
Still the percentage is pretty high and it doesn’t hurt to have your pages “trimmed” for these phones.
More visitors = better.
There isn’t really a need for that much know-how for that sort. All you have to do is pay attention and follow the guidelines and you’ll be ready to go. However a better approach to it is to make the site compatible to both mobile and pc alike, it’s not that hard and it can maintain cool look to it as well. That is if we’re talking about a more practical site without bulking it up with crap. Just short, simple and to the point hehe.
Oh my, you’ve never looked at the HTML created by Microsoft Word? It’s a sight to behold… It’s so bad that someone created a tool called the demoroniser to fix it up!
ITS TRUE ERIC!
I totally agree, I get something like 5% of my traffic from mobile devices, it is considerable.
Considering the technology today and the fact that more and more people tend to use “smart†phones when they travel or are not close to a laptop or PC, having your pages adjusted for blackberry is quite useful specially if you have a blog with good content.
It is good idea to configure web server to send mobile browsers to a simpler, lighter version of a landing page. This thing is useful for only those sites who find mobile audience. It can be useful for blogs, mail sites and some niche sites, because normal people don’t use smart phones and iphone. It is used by particular niche people.