Changing of the (handheld devices) guard
February 16, 2009
When designing a web page, it used to be necessary to have a separate style sheet to accommodate handheld devices. Usually this was called handheld.css and linked in the header. I’m just wondering; is that really necessary anymore? New handheld devices like the iPhone seem to render web pages from the same .css file that any other browser uses.
I don’t have an iPhone yet. What about Webs?
I think in maybe a year or so we will be there though.
What mobile device DO you have?
I have no idea what that means.
I have a Palm Centro. It still does the old way of mobile browsing. Which sucks. But I can load Opera Mini on it which can use newer technology and is pretty cool.
Gerry – it’s an extra design step web designers take to accommodate early web-connecting mobile devices like old Palm Pilots. They wouldn’t render web pages in their whole layout so a special design filter was needed. I’m proposing we do away with that because devices are no longer being made that require it. I think.
Webs – I had no idea it was possible to put a modern browser on a Palm! That IS cool.
Going forward, I have a hard time visualizing any device being competitive which does not match the iPhone in browser rendering.
I have a BlackBerry and I do fine, except for the occasional page which requires Opera Mini.
Well, I now have an iPod touch thanks to Mrs. Dram. The browser can reder standard websites fine, but that doesn’t make the site just as useful on the iPod as on a full computer.
Some sites design iPod-specific designs with reduced content to make navigation and readibility better.
Palm Clie TH55, with an original issue browser and built in WiFi so connectivity is free wherever it’s free; I’m still relying on skweezer, google/palm and Making Light’s PDA-friendly lighter version myself.
Hey, once Apple or someone gives up insisting I use their little PDA as a telephone and commit to a contract for lots of crap on it and it’s as good a book reader as the Clie TH55, I’ll consider changing.
Lots of us out there. People gawk at my TH55 lately, “what’s that? really big screen, wow!” and I grin and say “it’s full of BOOKS” and walk on.
Hank, you can get an iPod Touch for cheaper than a iPhone and it’s just a PDA, so no contract or nuttin. It plays music, videos, surfs the web, and has access to iPhone’s app store which is pretty sweet. There is a free eReader app for it from the app store which allows you to access all kinds of eReader websites. Some with free books and some with paid. I know the iPod screen aint as large as some eReaders, like the Kindle, but the zoom function is sweet and makes it pretty functional.
I got my wife one awhile back and we both love it.