Going Mobile with Pocket PC Thoughts

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/mobile.php' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/mobile.php</a><br /><br /></div>Just a quick update to let everyone know that the mobile page, found on the far left of our navigation under the banner ad, is now complete. On this page you'll find subscription links to our site via AvantGo, Mazingo, links to our XML feed for your RSS clients, and a link to the mobile version of our site. Some of you have figured this out already, but now it's "official". For those of you using AvantGo, please ensure it's pointed at the correct location on our site, or use our official subscription link and delete what you have now. Thanks!<br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> Yes, I know you all want mobile forums, but that's not what this post is about. :D

[Bearjaw]

Hey Jason I went to Avantgo to add your site to my list and I couldnt find it. Its not in the Technology section atleast. I'll keep looking. Jeff

[igreen]

Click on the link in Jason's post...then click on the Avantgo logo. It will take you to the Avantgo page to add the channel.

[griph]

Just a quick update to let everyone know that the mobile page, found on the far left of our navigation under the banner ad, is now complete. On this page you'll find subscription links to our site via AvantGo, Mazingo, links to our XML feed for your RSS clients, and a link to the mobile version of our site. Some of you have figured this out already, but now it's "official". For those of you using AvantGo, please ensure it's pointed at the correct location on our site, or use our official subscription link and delete what you have now. Thanks!

I have noticed this when browsing with my XDA. However - there doesn't appear to be buttons to enable access to Forums, Search, Submit News etc - albeit in full web page format. Can these be added to the Mobile page as trying to access www.pocketpcthoughts.com via a PPC only seems to load the Mobile version. As a work around I have entered the various page addresses manually and then saved these to Favourites.
Regards
Griph

[Bearjaw]

Thanks! Dont I feel dumb! Jeff

[FredMurphy]

You're probably sick of hearing this, but are you planning a mobile version of the forums?

[Jason Dunn]

I have noticed this when browsing with my XDA. However - there doesn't appear to be buttons to enable access to Forums, Search, Submit News etc - albeit in full web page format. Can these be added to the Mobile page as trying to access www.pocketpcthoughts.com via a PPC only seems to load the Mobile version. As a work around I have entered the various page addresses manually and then saved these to Favourites.

Our general line of thinking is that there's no point in adding links from the mobile site to areas of the site that aren't optimized. Until we have a good solution in place for letting people browse the entire site from their Pocket PC, it would be cruel to offer them hope in the form of a link. :wink:

But if you want to get around that, you can click on the DISCUSS link in any of the posts to get into the forums, and browse around all you like.

[Jason Dunn]

You're probably sick of hearing this, but are you planning a mobile version of the forums?

Planning? Yes.
Completed? No.
Will it be free? No.
When will I tell you more? Soon.

Hope that helps a little! :D

[griph]

But if you want to get around that, you can click on the DISCUSS link in any of the posts to get into the forums, and browse around all you like.

I understand Jason - thanks - I have already worked around this by accessing the various pages manually and saving the URL to favourites. What I really wanted to be able to do was to make the decision as to whether to access the full Home page or the mobile Home page by entering the appropriate URL for full or mobile version, rather than have the decision made for me automatically by the browser. But I can live with the system as it is. 8)

regards
Griph

[Fzara]

You're probably sick of hearing this, but are you planning a mobile version of the forums?

Planning? Yes.
Completed? No.
Will it be free? No.
When will I tell you more? Soon.

Hope that helps a little! :D

The mobile forums site wont be free? WHAT!? YOU'RE JOKING! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!?

[Ed Hansberry]

The mobile forums site wont be free? WHAT!? YOU'RE JOKING! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!?
Why would he be joking about spending time and money to make a great value added service for readers and then charging them a small fee for it?

[FredMurphy]

When will I tell you more? Soon.
You'e got your own little NDA going on there. :)

The mobile forums site wont be free? WHAT!? YOU'RE JOKING! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!?
Why would he be joking about spending time and money to make a great value added service for readers and then charging them a small fee for it?

I can't say accessing the forums on a PDA is an essential part of the site, but I think charging for this would be fine. I'd pay for it, probably just because the site as a whole is excellent. The first place I stop in after my own (and sometimes even before).

Bundling it with other premium services on the site may make it easier for some users to justify, but you've probably thought of that already. Good luck with it. And sign me up.

[sweetpete]

jason,

i'm not sure if i'm remembering correctly, but i recall that when you came out with the new layout and the mobile site, you may have mentioned that the browser sniffing code would be made available. i have tried searching, but can't find the reference so i'm starting to doubt it (there were some posts, but i couldn't find any code).

anyway, i'm wondering if i could get the sniffer code to adapt for my own site. if it's possible, ping me with a pm or email (or post it here if you don't mind it being public)

thanks

[Wiggin]

Love getting PPCT on the iPaq to read when on the road. I esp like having the option to dl multiple depths of on-site links, which gives me access to a large number of posts to the threads on the mobile front page. BUT, the format on the threads goes back to PC style... which does make for some challenging reading on the PPC screen. As you plan your mobile version of the Forum pages, please please do away with the Author block being "next to" the reply block, and insert the Author info "above" the reply text. That would be marvy!!! :way to go:

[Mike Wagstaff]

Just to thow my own tuppence in here, adapting any "serious" forum software (e.g. vBulletin, phpBB - what this site uses) for display in PIE, appears to be a veritable mission impossible. Having looked into adapting the vBulletin forum on my own site for PIE users, I can understand why Jason would want some recompense for such a task.

If it was simply a case of redesigning the tables and layout, every Pocket PC site out there would have a PIE-friendly forum by now. They don't, and it's not for lack of trying, unfortunately. :(

[Jason Dunn]

anyway, i'm wondering if i could get the sniffer code to adapt for my own site. if it's possible, ping me with a pm or email (or post it here if you don't mind it being public)

Sure, no problem - sorry I completely forgot about it! This code is courtesy of Fabrizio Fiandanese (http://www.newance.it/), the wizard who makes this site better by the day. :D You can thank him via email if you want: fabrizio @ pocketpcthoughts

Intructions: Simply copy this code on the very top of the index.php of the site and set the target $location variable.

&lt;?
$ua=$_SERVER["HTTP_USER_AGENT"];
$location='pocket/index.php';

if (stristr($ua, "Windows CE") or stristr($ua, "AvantGo") or stristr($ua, "Mazingo") or stristr($ua, "Mobile") or stristr($ua, "T68") or stristr($ua, "Syncalot"))
{
header ("Location: $location");
exit;
}
?>

[Jason Dunn]

The mobile forums site wont be free? WHAT!? YOU'RE JOKING! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!?

Joking? Nope. Right now, for nothing more than your time, Pocket PC Thoughts offers a lot of value to people. My team and I spent a great deal of time working on the site, but advertising is down....way down. It looked like things were getting better there for a while, but it's not. The vast majority of the ads you see on the site are "filler ads".

The mobile forums will be part of a suite of value-added services for subscribers. It's not all nailed in stone yet, but if you value what we do here you'll find it very easy and affordable to subscribe once you see what the added services will be (we're going to make it worth your while). We're not taking away anything we currently offer for free or putting any of our content "behind a wall". This is the same Pocket PC Thoughts you know and love - nothing will change.

The subscriber services will be for people who:

a) want to support the site
b) will benefit from the new services

If you're not one of those people, nothing will change for you. Everything you're using today will remain the same.

Sounds reasonable doesn't it? :D

[gateway]

Mobile forums for clients that use syncing tech causes major headaches :)

Also even viewing a forum via wireless is a headache for the user, they just arnt optimized page size for viewing YET.

Syncing solutions such as Avantgo and Mazingo spider the users site, so if a user has a pda site in this location /pocketpc like Pocket PC thoughts it grabs all the data under this url, how ever when there is a link in that folder to another site or NON PDA formatted page it just causes issues all over the place for users and the end developers.

We also have a solution coming up, but it won’t really work on forms etc, its just not feasible. We have some solutions in mind but will take some time.


Syncalot (http://www.syncalot.com)

[sweetpete]

Thanks mike, jason and fabrizio for helping on the browser sniffing code. mostly i needed the user agents as i don't use php on my site

jason, your plans sound very reaosnable and i'm sure your supporters will all be aboard. i think some people haven't realized yet that the days of "everything for free" on the internet are gone. we have to deal with the realities of today and this is one of them.

[Jonathon Watkins]

It's not all nailed in stone yet,

8O Sounds like a tough job! :lol:

Sounds reasonable doesn't it? :D

It certainly does. Charging for new features and keeping the existing stuff free sounds OK. We trust you to do the right thing. :!: I'll sign up as soon as you give the nod. It's good to know more good stuff is on the way. :D