Swirt, question about creating a .mobi site

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egoodell

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Swirt,
Is it possible to create a .mobi site using my Dreamweaver? It is about 5 years old. I may have to buy the update?
My research so far tells me to "keep it simple, stupid" and not make it more than 12o pixels wide.
Riki
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other.
 
Check to see if it has a mobile template. My Dreamweaver 8 does..
catlady said:
Check to see if it has a mobile template. My Dreamweaver 8 does.
Ooh mine is so old I have Dreamweaver 4.0. I may have to upgrade, but thanks, I'll look!
Riki
.
You don't need a template...you can just create your own. Here's a site with some ideas and info
Here is the code mine created when I chose it: So you just fill in the information. easy right??? HA HA. DOn't ask me...I haven't a clue.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE wml PUBLIC "-//WAPFORUM//DTD WML 1.3//EN" "http://www.wapforum.org/DTD/wml13.dtd">
<wml>
<card></card>
</wml>
See if this site helps you any:
http://www.webpagefx.com/design-build-mobile-web-site.html
 
Check to see if it has a mobile template. My Dreamweaver 8 does..
catlady said:
Check to see if it has a mobile template. My Dreamweaver 8 does.
Ooh mine is so old I have Dreamweaver 4.0. I may have to upgrade, but thanks, I'll look!
Riki
.
You don't need a template...you can just create your own. Here's a site with some ideas and info
Here is the code mine created when I chose it: So you just fill in the information. easy right??? HA HA. DOn't ask me...I haven't a clue.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE wml PUBLIC "-//WAPFORUM//DTD WML 1.3//EN" "http://www.wapforum.org/DTD/wml13.dtd">
<wml>
<card></card>
</wml>
See if this site helps you any:
http://www.webpagefx.com/design-build-mobile-web-site.html
.
I don't believe that doctype is allowed in .mobi I am pretty sure .mobi requires xhtml instead of xml.
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
.
egoodell said:
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
Just so I make sure I am addressing the right thing, point me to what you are calling an iphone domain. (there are a few things that might be creating confusion)
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
.
egoodell said:
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
Just so I make sure I am addressing the right thing, point me to what you are calling an iphone domain. (there are a few things that might be creating confusion)
.
swirt said:
Just so I make sure I am addressing the right thing, point me to what you are calling an iphone domain. (there are a few things that might be creating confusion)
SInce I don't have a phone that shows any of this stuff I have not a clue. I do know that I have for example the domaine
iphonecharlottesvillewine tours.com
and
virginiawinetours.mobi
So I thought I should create a website and point them both to it. I think my website host said this could be done, but I'm still trying to figure it all out
Riki


 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
.
egoodell said:
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
Just so I make sure I am addressing the right thing, point me to what you are calling an iphone domain. (there are a few things that might be creating confusion)
.
Okay, my web host gave me this one as an example
[FONT=&quot]http://www.bramptoninn.mobi[/FONT]
I don't know if iphone websites are the same - I'm talking about creating a website like this for my iphone and mobi domains
RIki
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
.
Partly that's my point. If half your customers are using iphones or some equivalent, they don't really need a special site, they can use your current site ... though it would be better if your current site. The iphone and many of its competitors have fully functioning browsers so they don't really need special sites just for them.
Long term you would be better off just tuning your main site to eliminate as many browser width issues as you can so that your main site works best with all of the possible browsers. That way you only have one site to maintain, one site to promote, one site to get seen by anyone who is looking for you or what you have to offer.
Technically you could develop a .mobi site and also a bunch of other sites and point them all at your .mobi site, but the question would really be "why?"
Cell phone are in a way different than desktop/laptop browsers. In the the realm of personal computers, designers still have to contend with 800x600 screens because a few people still use them. Screen sizes have a way of persisting a while due partly to people who don't upgrade often, and partly to people who even if they have a large high res monitor still set it to 800x600 because they need that for visual reasons.
When cell phones with browsers first entered the marketplace they had 60 x 90 screens or 120 x 200 The first people to have them were early adopters. When the iphones and iphone variants hit the market the early adopters were still the ones that grabbed them, and their old phones went by-by. There is not a collection of ludites wandering around surfing on the old 120x200 screens the way there are still people using 800x600 computers. The turnover for new phones is much more rapid. There are probably a bunch of reasons why the turnover is faster: phones are more prone to damage, phones are used as status symbols, cell providers encourage you to trade-in or upgrade your phone every year or 2, the cost of a cutting edge phone is much less than a cutting edge computer...and the list goes on.
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
.
Partly that's my point. If half your customers are using iphones or some equivalent, they don't really need a special site, they can use your current site ... though it would be better if your current site. The iphone and many of its competitors have fully functioning browsers so they don't really need special sites just for them.
Long term you would be better off just tuning your main site to eliminate as many browser width issues as you can so that your main site works best with all of the possible browsers. That way you only have one site to maintain, one site to promote, one site to get seen by anyone who is looking for you or what you have to offer.
Technically you could develop a .mobi site and also a bunch of other sites and point them all at your .mobi site, but the question would really be "why?"
Cell phone are in a way different than desktop/laptop browsers. In the the realm of personal computers, designers still have to contend with 800x600 screens because a few people still use them. Screen sizes have a way of persisting a while due partly to people who don't upgrade often, and partly to people who even if they have a large high res monitor still set it to 800x600 because they need that for visual reasons.
When cell phones with browsers first entered the marketplace they had 60 x 90 screens or 120 x 200 The first people to have them were early adopters. When the iphones and iphone variants hit the market the early adopters were still the ones that grabbed them, and their old phones went by-by. There is not a collection of ludites wandering around surfing on the old 120x200 screens the way there are still people using 800x600 computers. The turnover for new phones is much more rapid. There are probably a bunch of reasons why the turnover is faster: phones are more prone to damage, phones are used as status symbols, cell providers encourage you to trade-in or upgrade your phone every year or 2, the cost of a cutting edge phone is much less than a cutting edge computer...and the list goes on.
.
Okay that makes sense. So now my questions are
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
Thanks for your advice,
RIki
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
.
egoodell said:
It looks like there are free tutorials online to creat iphone websites. So is .mobi no longer? If I create a iphone web page will the other mobile devices be able to show it?
RIki
Just so I make sure I am addressing the right thing, point me to what you are calling an iphone domain. (there are a few things that might be creating confusion)
.
swirt said:
Just so I make sure I am addressing the right thing, point me to what you are calling an iphone domain. (there are a few things that might be creating confusion)
SInce I don't have a phone that shows any of this stuff I have not a clue. I do know that I have for example the domaine
iphonecharlottesvillewine tours.com
and
virginiawinetours.mobi
So I thought I should create a website and point them both to it. I think my website host said this could be done, but I'm still trying to figure it all out
Riki


.
SInce I don't have a phone that shows any of this stuff I have not a clue. I do know that I have for example the domaine
iphonecharlottesvillewine tours.com
and
virginiawinetours.mobi
iphonecharlottesville .... .com is not an iphone domain, it is simply an ordinary domain that happens to have the word iphone. That won't help with anything unless you are trying to sell iphone gear in charlottesville. ;) It is not like it would be specially promoted to iphone users or anything like that.
The .mobi domain is specifically for phones, but as you can see by the example your webmaster gave, it is kind of dated. It is designed for little screens in that it is predominantly text only with only a few photos that anywhere else would be considered thumbnails (165x124). It includes directions (iphones and their competitors have built in GPS that tie into google or other search engines).
Somebody using an iphone or one of its competitors would be very unhappy with the experience on that .mobi site. It would be too simplistic for what their phones are capable of. In 2007 when that .mobi site was built, it was a decent idea....in 2009, it's time has come and gone.
So I thought I should create a website and point them both to it. I think my website host said this could be done, but I'm still trying to figure it all out
Yes you could build a .mobi compatitible site and point both of your domain names at it. That is not really a problem as long as the site meets the requirements for .mobi But what you end up with is "slim" site that you still have to update separately. The other issue is promoting it. Just like an ordinary site, the "build it and they will come" approach doesn't get you very far. You'd still need to obtain links to those domains in order for them to amount to anything that would show up. Also if you redirected the iphonecwt domain to the .mobi domain correctly (301) then the iphonecwt domain essentially ceases to exist.
The smoothest option if you did develop a .mobi site is to have your webmaster sniff the user agent (what the person is using) and if they are on a mobile device redirect them invisibly to the .mobi while all otehr user agents would get see your main site. But as I said, an iphone user using a .mobi site is probably not going to be a happy camper.
If you still decide that you have to have a site specifically for mobile users, it would be a good idea to borrow someones iphone (or ipod touch), even just for a few minutes so that you can try out the browser on a few sites so you get an idea of what does and does not work well. Building blindly for a phone browser you have never used will probably not turn out well.
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
.
Partly that's my point. If half your customers are using iphones or some equivalent, they don't really need a special site, they can use your current site ... though it would be better if your current site. The iphone and many of its competitors have fully functioning browsers so they don't really need special sites just for them.
Long term you would be better off just tuning your main site to eliminate as many browser width issues as you can so that your main site works best with all of the possible browsers. That way you only have one site to maintain, one site to promote, one site to get seen by anyone who is looking for you or what you have to offer.
Technically you could develop a .mobi site and also a bunch of other sites and point them all at your .mobi site, but the question would really be "why?"
Cell phone are in a way different than desktop/laptop browsers. In the the realm of personal computers, designers still have to contend with 800x600 screens because a few people still use them. Screen sizes have a way of persisting a while due partly to people who don't upgrade often, and partly to people who even if they have a large high res monitor still set it to 800x600 because they need that for visual reasons.
When cell phones with browsers first entered the marketplace they had 60 x 90 screens or 120 x 200 The first people to have them were early adopters. When the iphones and iphone variants hit the market the early adopters were still the ones that grabbed them, and their old phones went by-by. There is not a collection of ludites wandering around surfing on the old 120x200 screens the way there are still people using 800x600 computers. The turnover for new phones is much more rapid. There are probably a bunch of reasons why the turnover is faster: phones are more prone to damage, phones are used as status symbols, cell providers encourage you to trade-in or upgrade your phone every year or 2, the cost of a cutting edge phone is much less than a cutting edge computer...and the list goes on.
.
Okay that makes sense. So now my questions are
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
Thanks for your advice,
RIki
.
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Ideally your website should be fluid in design so it expands to fill any container it is given. Don't force a specific width. In general though keep images less than 300 pixels in their longest dimension. Use them as thumbnails and allow them to open up the larger version if clicked.
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
There are a few emulators out there. None of them are all that great because they are almost all outdated already. Here is one that works pretty well, but even that is on a smaller screen than most of the new web enabled cell phones.
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/
The best way is to shmooz up a friend that has one or go into your cell store and play for a bit.
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
.
Partly that's my point. If half your customers are using iphones or some equivalent, they don't really need a special site, they can use your current site ... though it would be better if your current site. The iphone and many of its competitors have fully functioning browsers so they don't really need special sites just for them.
Long term you would be better off just tuning your main site to eliminate as many browser width issues as you can so that your main site works best with all of the possible browsers. That way you only have one site to maintain, one site to promote, one site to get seen by anyone who is looking for you or what you have to offer.
Technically you could develop a .mobi site and also a bunch of other sites and point them all at your .mobi site, but the question would really be "why?"
Cell phone are in a way different than desktop/laptop browsers. In the the realm of personal computers, designers still have to contend with 800x600 screens because a few people still use them. Screen sizes have a way of persisting a while due partly to people who don't upgrade often, and partly to people who even if they have a large high res monitor still set it to 800x600 because they need that for visual reasons.
When cell phones with browsers first entered the marketplace they had 60 x 90 screens or 120 x 200 The first people to have them were early adopters. When the iphones and iphone variants hit the market the early adopters were still the ones that grabbed them, and their old phones went by-by. There is not a collection of ludites wandering around surfing on the old 120x200 screens the way there are still people using 800x600 computers. The turnover for new phones is much more rapid. There are probably a bunch of reasons why the turnover is faster: phones are more prone to damage, phones are used as status symbols, cell providers encourage you to trade-in or upgrade your phone every year or 2, the cost of a cutting edge phone is much less than a cutting edge computer...and the list goes on.
.
Okay that makes sense. So now my questions are
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
Thanks for your advice,
RIki
.
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Ideally your website should be fluid in design so it expands to fill any container it is given. Don't force a specific width. In general though keep images less than 300 pixels in their longest dimension. Use them as thumbnails and allow them to open up the larger version if clicked.
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
There are a few emulators out there. None of them are all that great because they are almost all outdated already. Here is one that works pretty well, but even that is on a smaller screen than most of the new web enabled cell phones.
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/
The best way is to shmooz up a friend that has one or go into your cell store and play for a bit.
.
That helps a lot!!!! Thank you!!!!
Riki
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
.
Partly that's my point. If half your customers are using iphones or some equivalent, they don't really need a special site, they can use your current site ... though it would be better if your current site. The iphone and many of its competitors have fully functioning browsers so they don't really need special sites just for them.
Long term you would be better off just tuning your main site to eliminate as many browser width issues as you can so that your main site works best with all of the possible browsers. That way you only have one site to maintain, one site to promote, one site to get seen by anyone who is looking for you or what you have to offer.
Technically you could develop a .mobi site and also a bunch of other sites and point them all at your .mobi site, but the question would really be "why?"
Cell phone are in a way different than desktop/laptop browsers. In the the realm of personal computers, designers still have to contend with 800x600 screens because a few people still use them. Screen sizes have a way of persisting a while due partly to people who don't upgrade often, and partly to people who even if they have a large high res monitor still set it to 800x600 because they need that for visual reasons.
When cell phones with browsers first entered the marketplace they had 60 x 90 screens or 120 x 200 The first people to have them were early adopters. When the iphones and iphone variants hit the market the early adopters were still the ones that grabbed them, and their old phones went by-by. There is not a collection of ludites wandering around surfing on the old 120x200 screens the way there are still people using 800x600 computers. The turnover for new phones is much more rapid. There are probably a bunch of reasons why the turnover is faster: phones are more prone to damage, phones are used as status symbols, cell providers encourage you to trade-in or upgrade your phone every year or 2, the cost of a cutting edge phone is much less than a cutting edge computer...and the list goes on.
.
Okay that makes sense. So now my questions are
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
Thanks for your advice,
RIki
.
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Ideally your website should be fluid in design so it expands to fill any container it is given. Don't force a specific width. In general though keep images less than 300 pixels in their longest dimension. Use them as thumbnails and allow them to open up the larger version if clicked.
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
There are a few emulators out there. None of them are all that great because they are almost all outdated already. Here is one that works pretty well, but even that is on a smaller screen than most of the new web enabled cell phones.
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/
The best way is to shmooz up a friend that has one or go into your cell store and play for a bit.
.
swirt said:
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/
My website looks pretty good on this emulator. I use CSS is that why? Does this mean I'm good to go?
 
It's possible (it just has to produce valid xhtml, which at 5 years out, it should be able to do), but I wouldn't bother. The iphone and all the other modern smartphones out there pretty much killed off .mobi before the insanity took hold.
The idea of .mobi was to have sites specifically designed for web phones, which at the time had very limited browsers. .mobi domains were controlled, meaning that you site had to pass inspection for the requirements of .mobi phones. Then the iphone and all the others came along that had pretty powerful, useable browsers that do just fine without needing the .mobi regulations.
Combine that with stylesheets that can be written specifically for phones, printers... gives the publisher (you) the ability to tailor your existing site to cell phones without having to create a completely separate site. Combine that with server side scripting that can sniff what kind of browser is being used and deliver a custom version of the website. There are just better ways to have a mobile website than to build a completely separate site.
The .mobi concept pretty much violates a concept in publishing known as as single sourcing. You don't want multiple copies of stuff to maintain, because more often than not, one becomes out of sync with the other..
So now I'm confused. I want to make a simple mobile site since half our customers use these phones to do everything. I think they will help with our last minute bookers for the tours.
I have bought iphone domaines and had already purchased .mobi domaine.
I thought they both could be pointed to the same site by my webmaster.
I thought I could create one site for both iphone and.mobi
RIki
.
Partly that's my point. If half your customers are using iphones or some equivalent, they don't really need a special site, they can use your current site ... though it would be better if your current site. The iphone and many of its competitors have fully functioning browsers so they don't really need special sites just for them.
Long term you would be better off just tuning your main site to eliminate as many browser width issues as you can so that your main site works best with all of the possible browsers. That way you only have one site to maintain, one site to promote, one site to get seen by anyone who is looking for you or what you have to offer.
Technically you could develop a .mobi site and also a bunch of other sites and point them all at your .mobi site, but the question would really be "why?"
Cell phone are in a way different than desktop/laptop browsers. In the the realm of personal computers, designers still have to contend with 800x600 screens because a few people still use them. Screen sizes have a way of persisting a while due partly to people who don't upgrade often, and partly to people who even if they have a large high res monitor still set it to 800x600 because they need that for visual reasons.
When cell phones with browsers first entered the marketplace they had 60 x 90 screens or 120 x 200 The first people to have them were early adopters. When the iphones and iphone variants hit the market the early adopters were still the ones that grabbed them, and their old phones went by-by. There is not a collection of ludites wandering around surfing on the old 120x200 screens the way there are still people using 800x600 computers. The turnover for new phones is much more rapid. There are probably a bunch of reasons why the turnover is faster: phones are more prone to damage, phones are used as status symbols, cell providers encourage you to trade-in or upgrade your phone every year or 2, the cost of a cutting edge phone is much less than a cutting edge computer...and the list goes on.
.
Okay that makes sense. So now my questions are
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
Thanks for your advice,
RIki
.
How wide should my website be to work on a cell phone
Ideally your website should be fluid in design so it expands to fill any container it is given. Don't force a specific width. In general though keep images less than 300 pixels in their longest dimension. Use them as thumbnails and allow them to open up the larger version if clicked.
Is there somewhere on the web where I can go to look at my site and have it show me what it looks like on a cell phone.
There are a few emulators out there. None of them are all that great because they are almost all outdated already. Here is one that works pretty well, but even that is on a smaller screen than most of the new web enabled cell phones.
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/
The best way is to shmooz up a friend that has one or go into your cell store and play for a bit.
.
swirt said:
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/
My website looks pretty good on this emulator. I use CSS is that why? Does this mean I'm good to go?
.
Proud Texan said:
My website looks pretty good on this emulator. I use CSS is that why? Does this mean I'm good to go?
Mobile browsers support a lot of css but not all of it ... for that matter not all desktop/laptop browsers support all of it or in the same way. Whether CSS or Tables as long as you aren't forcing wide widths on the text components most will play out just fine on the newer phone browsers. But yes, CSS is usually more effective at it than tables. Plus with CSS you can add in some style definitions that are specific to mobile that might make the experience even better. (for example making it display your header as a percent when viewed on a phone so that it doesn't create so much empty space..which would make it so the site wouldn't seem so far zoomed out ... minor stuff)
In general though I would say if you are happy with the way it performs in the simulator, then it will do equally as well if not better on most of the newer phones.
 
I prefer to just use subdomains rather than .mobi domains. I just create a subdomain on the main website domain, like m.website.com or mobile.website.com. Why get a .mobi at all?
 
I prefer to just use subdomains rather than .mobi domains. I just create a subdomain on the main website domain, like using just m as the subdomain or mobile as the subdomain. Why get a .mobi at all?
 
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