Cyberdo

As most people with a smartphone would know these days, the Internet is going mobile. Many more people access websites these days from a mobile phone, PDA or Tablet device (like the iPad) then from a computer at a desk. This brings about a whole new set of challenges for those who create websites and for business owners who want the online face of their business to be presentable whether it’s being viewed on a desktop, an iPad or phone.

Just as there are many different screensizes for computer monitors, there are numerous screen sizes on mobile devices, meaning that a website which has been designed to suit a particular screen size, will be unlikely to display correctly on other devices or screen sizes. Furthermore, varying levels of support for web technologies across browsers (different phone platforms support different web browsers) means that functionality which works on one device may be rendered useless on another (JavaScript menus for example).

These issues are compounded by differences between software and hardware providers, a classic example being the rift between Adobe and Apple who have failed to agree on the viewing rights for Flash technology on mobile devices (which has been the defacto standard for animating websites for almost 2 decades). This means that if your website uses Flash to display some or all of your site, users on Apple iPhone or iPads won’t be able to see those parts of your site.

Fortunately the good news is that it’s relatively easy to create a version of your site for mobile browsers. Essentially this can be done by stripping back all the non-essential graphics and text which mobile users don’t necessarily need to see, and presenting them instead with a more concise version of your site. Many businesses are going this way, or alternatively providing mobile applications for specific platforms that re-create the core functionality of the site.

While a specific mobile platform application (i.e. iPhone app, Android app etc…) may be overkill for a small, business this can be the way to go if you have a very clear set of functionality that cannot easily be reproduced with web technology on smartphones. Otherwise, developing a mobile version of your site is often the simpler solution.

Cyberdo is currently offering a Mobile Testing Service in which we test your website on a range of mobile devices and platforms (iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Nokia) and provide you a report with screenshots showing what your site looks like on these phones. The report also contains recommendations on how to improve your site for viewing on mobiles (if need be) and a quote (if desired) for implementing these recommendations. Contact Us today to take advantage of this service.

Click the Buy Now button below to take advantage of this service. Cost is $149 if you register and pay before December 1st or $199 after that date.