Optimizing your site for iPhone
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Optimizing your site for iPhoneThe much-discussed release of Apple's iPhone spawned plenty of talk about how the device might revolutionize mobile phone technology and Web browsing with its ease of use.
One of the most talked-about attributes of the iPhone is its ability to use Safari to browse the "real" Internet. However, we're beginning to see the arrival of Web sites created to fit the iPhone and companies offering services to make your own business Web site more iPhone compatible, which raises the question: why bother optimizing your site for the iPhone if you're supposed to be able to just surf the "real" Internet with this gadget?
It turns out that although you can use the iPhone's unique "scaling" function to zoom in and take a closer look at Web sites, there are certain things a designer can do to make his site easier to navigate with an iPhone.
For one, iPhone compatible sites are being identified with a unique url separate from the one you would already use for your main Web site, by adding an iphone prefix (iphone.yoursite.com). Companies are also beginning to make their Web sites easier to read by not having columns wider than either the 320 pixel width when held upright (or 480 pixels when held sideways) having the fonts large enough so that zooming in is not necessary and breaking columns up into more appropriately sized blocks. Other points addressed by an iPhone compatible Web site include faster browsing due to a small footprint, enhanced link highlighting to assist in navigation and graphics and buttons that work seamlessly with the iPhone's finger browsing. Web sites that require the use of Flash, SVG or other plugins won't work on the iPhone.
Companies like Cinemagic are offering services to either modify your existing Web site design or create a special Web site that is optimized for the iPhone's integrated Safari browser.
And if you're a little more Web savvy or simply want to forward this to your Web site designer, Apple has launched an iPhone Web Developer site that outlines guidelines and Safari compatibility when making applications for the iPhone and provides guidelines on several topics including use standards and tried-and-true design practices; integrate with phone, mail and maps; optimize for page readability; ensure a great audio and video experience and know what safari supports on iPhone.
Here are some current iPhone optimized Web sites you can peruse through with your Safari browser.
FacebookTappity (search engine of iPhone-friendly Web sites)DailyMotionSkype for iPhoneDigg.com
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Comment by Anonymous on Sunday, July 26, 2009
Nice Post,
I believe companies must look forward to have their websites iPhone compatible and not run after applications. Applications cannot work everywhere, an iPhone app would work only on iPhone and not on blackberry or any other. This is why i think that iPhone compatable websites (like m.digg.com) are a better in comparison to applications. Cost effective, work on every platform, Just a browser needed, and so many benefits. And after some googling this is what i got:'Made for iPhone' websites by SDP Labs makes it even simpler and easier to have a iPhone compatible website.
Hope that helps someone.
Jess