Mobile Detect and Redirect; You Need It
Friday, August 05 2011 - mobile-phone, 51-degrees, asp-net, tablets, mobile-web
Did you know...
- The Mobile Web is growing faster than the desktop web...
- It's growing faster than the desktop web did during the 1990s...
- There's been a 2000% increase in mobile websites since 2008...
- Nine out of 10 mobile shoppers use the mobile web while in a store...
- Amazon took in >$1 billion via its mobile commerce site in 2010... ?
It's IMPORTANT for YOUR website to instantly detect and redirect mobile visitors to your mobile pages. Otherwise, they get a frustrating experience, know as a "firehose" of information, when they can only view a small screen. Likewise, Tablet devices have some sizing issues.
There are MANY online articles advising businesses about mobile pages, but each business or organization will need a custom solution: Who is your audience? What type of mobile devices do they use? What should your mobile pages feature? Think about it.
In the process of studying this technology, I found "51Degrees," a free, open source .Net software solution that enables rapid development of mobile pages and applications. I then learned more about 51Degrees at a .Net meeting where the Ky. Center for the Arts IT Director spoke, explaining how they use 51Degrees, and noting they are very happy with it.
Below is a photo of some of the .Net developers. Dr. Brian Carter, center, organizes the .Net meetings.
51Degrees uses WURFL as the primary source of device information. WURFL is a Device Description Repository that contains the descriptons of thousands of mobile devices. Basically, it is an XML file plus a set of programming APIs to access the data in real-time environments.
When you are ready to learn more about your mobile web options, contact DAY Communications. Below is a screenshot of the MobiForge test for FastZone.com's mobile page. Since it uses one javascript, it got a "4" rating. If it only featured information and small images, the rating could have been "5." The Test Site tests for standards compliance but the standards are changing as bandwidth becomes less of an issue. However, not all have concluded that bandwidth issues will be resolved optimally.
If FastZone.com were an e-commerce site, a rating on MobiForge may not be as meaningful. People who buy online using their mobile phones normally use smartphones that load scripts quickly.
