Mobile phones are gaining large market share world-wide and so called smartphones are fast becoming the only phones that people buy these days. In USA they currently about 70% of mobile phones are smart ones. In Canada, the percentage must be equivalent. In few years, they might not be any other phones on the market. The top brand is still the iPhone, but the other brands that are all powered by Android OS are taking bigger share from the second ranked BlackBerries. I was a Nokia phone user since my first mobile phone in nineties, but about two years ago I switched the brands and the style. It was not for the ability to store and play the music, but my Web surfing and emailing were my main attractions. To take advantage of these new features, I had to add a data plan to my basic phone plan. For a busy person, it can be a nightmare to try to figure out the best plan and best price. Voice, text messages and data; and how to predict your expected usage? I do care about messaging, but only send and receive email. For me, it is not easy to get accustomed to reading and navigating a small screen and keyboard, when all your life you want is to get bigger keyboard and bigger monitor. There are two main parameters to watch for that can influence users' habits. What type of sites you can download and surf and the corresponding data transfer usage that affects the cost. You have to keep in mind that most plans that I have seen only allow 500 MB transfers per month for a fixed cost. How do you know that you are over the limit and how much it will cost you?
Everywhere you go in public and private places, you can just see people busy with smartphones in their hands. It is obvious to me, what an opportunity it is for business people with Websites that can be seen by so many viewers with Web phones. Texting is still the number one activity. It has reached dramatic proportion and becomes a dangerous activity, when you feel compelled to do it, while driving the car. I was stunned to hear a statement from a mother to her daughter, as she was walking from the house to her car. "Do not text and drive!" An update to the old saying "Do not drink and drive!" If you are part of an older generation, like I am, it is hard to understand what do these younger people have so much to text about? Why with such an urgency that you have to do it behind the wheel? In the same time, I can envy the speed of their typing on the little screens or keyboard. It must be the practice that I do not get. I read my emails on the phone, but hardly ever reply to them right away. Prefer to do it later from my laptop.
Mobile search is the next high use function on smartphone. Search engines have accumulated good statistical background for searches, and once a while, they leak some details about their findings. The mobile searches are prevailing among 18-34 years old Web site audience. I have been witness of many times, how the kids of pre-school age borrow dad's BlackBerry at home to do some mobile searches and visit sites. They all have other computers at home for their use anytime, so the use of smart phone is a selection of choice. There must be a bigger attraction to these hand-held devices, among the kids. Since I belong to the older generation and love web searches. Viewing on my iPhone is only a convenient substitute, when I am out of home or office. I never use the device while driving, but quite a lot, when my car is parked or in many public spaces and I have to wait. In one industry presentation, I read about Search engine Yahoo findings. They let us know that most mobile searches originate at home and start in the early hours of the day. Wow, I would never imagine it! Now, I can see people getting out of bed in the morning, while their Web phone is being charged next to their bed. They quickly reach for the device to check out whatever is most important to them, even before their morning trip to the bathroom. I can envision their usage, but do not fit into the same category myself. Checking morning email on my toy is hardly more convenient and faster than powering up the laptop, even when I am in the morning rush. The Web phone was suggested to me as an upgrade from my phone provider, when my old contract expired. I was not jumping to the idea, but now i am glad for my decision.
A good friend of mine gave a brief, but thoughtful introduction to the web surfing on his phone. He is a dentist and had his professional site just designed. He was driving me in his car and was excited about all his graphics, flash patient's education and who knows what else. He told me that his new site can be accessed from his BlackBerry and proceeded to show me. He typed his web domain into the keyboard and handed the set to me. I saw something colorful, but I could not read anything without my glasses. First I wanted to explore it as much as I could and just do some clicking around the menu. He stopped me immediately, before I could do it. When he told me his reason, it has immediately taken my excitement away. His data plan is too low. When he views this type of web site its eats too much into his monthly data plan. He also said that it takes too long to download it fully. It was his dream website, but clearly not suitable for mobile devices. Why did you get such a site on the first place, I felt like asking him. He was not worrying so much about the gas his car was guzzling, like about his extra data charges. I did not know anything about the existence of mobile website yet, at that time and most likely he did not know either. It made me think. Is just a toy or is there is any practical use for these mobile devices to surf the web? Are all users so hesitant and worrying about these extra charges? Why not have a better design for a website that can be viewed on a web phone with no problem. I was confused about it and not really eager to get web phone myself.
Today the mobile browsers are so good that they will display a miniature image of almost any website, on the little phone screen. I am not a web techie, only a smartphone user. Large PC website looks to me more than like web icons, rather than viewable website. You have to expand it, scroll and read it one section at the time. It is rather slow and not practical solution. When I acquired my first iPhone, I became obsessed with mobile web search and found out about mobi design, by a chance, the first time. These websites contain less of graphics and are designed for the little screen. Designed easy to read, rather than admire graphics. It is a special domain extension that is just like .com, .info or any other one. Mobile website should be created with different standard and objective in mind than those for the desktop computers. You should be able to spot differences right away! You can see attached examples, one image for desktop website, the other one for mobile.
The disadvantage that I have spotted is that the search engines do not rank mobile websites ahead of other domain extensions, when using mobile search. A mobile search means searching your favorite engine from your smartphone. Mobile users should hope for improvements in this regard. Now, when custom searches are also served on PCs your would expect preferential rankings for mobile sites for mobile searches. When you search any engine from a mobile platform, add "mobi" at the end of your search word. This way, all mobile websites, will be ranked ahead of all other domains.
You can find many mobi websites with a right search engines strategy applied from your hand-held platform. Unfortunately, there are far less of theses sites in existence than for desktop platform. That is in spite of the fact that smartphones already outnumber desktops or laptops, world-wide. Their growing pace is very strong. Currently, it should be obvious that an owner of PC website should also have a mobile version, as well. Those website owners who understand the trend and get on the top of it should enjoy a competitive advantage on the Internet. Fast way to get on aboard is to obtain a listing in the existing mobile, commercial, directories. There are already some sites for many cities, including Toronto. No matter what your business or professional category is, an opportunity is there to have a listing, an information page or a link to your mobile website. All websites are in competition with each other for the viewers attention and interest.Instead of competing on the desktop platform, why not on the mobile platform?
I love my smartphone, and use it daily many times. I search "mobi" and view mobile websites. I do not have a business, nor a website, therefore, I do not have any experience with web designs. My views are strictly from the Internet users' side. It is an accounting season now, and I will look for a new accountant, preferably somebody with mobile website or listing in Toronto. It could be very simple, but effective!
Everywhere you go in public and private places, you can just see people busy with smartphones in their hands. It is obvious to me, what an opportunity it is for business people with Websites that can be seen by so many viewers with Web phones. Texting is still the number one activity. It has reached dramatic proportion and becomes a dangerous activity, when you feel compelled to do it, while driving the car. I was stunned to hear a statement from a mother to her daughter, as she was walking from the house to her car. "Do not text and drive!" An update to the old saying "Do not drink and drive!" If you are part of an older generation, like I am, it is hard to understand what do these younger people have so much to text about? Why with such an urgency that you have to do it behind the wheel? In the same time, I can envy the speed of their typing on the little screens or keyboard. It must be the practice that I do not get. I read my emails on the phone, but hardly ever reply to them right away. Prefer to do it later from my laptop.
Mobile search is the next high use function on smartphone. Search engines have accumulated good statistical background for searches, and once a while, they leak some details about their findings. The mobile searches are prevailing among 18-34 years old Web site audience. I have been witness of many times, how the kids of pre-school age borrow dad's BlackBerry at home to do some mobile searches and visit sites. They all have other computers at home for their use anytime, so the use of smart phone is a selection of choice. There must be a bigger attraction to these hand-held devices, among the kids. Since I belong to the older generation and love web searches. Viewing on my iPhone is only a convenient substitute, when I am out of home or office. I never use the device while driving, but quite a lot, when my car is parked or in many public spaces and I have to wait. In one industry presentation, I read about Search engine Yahoo findings. They let us know that most mobile searches originate at home and start in the early hours of the day. Wow, I would never imagine it! Now, I can see people getting out of bed in the morning, while their Web phone is being charged next to their bed. They quickly reach for the device to check out whatever is most important to them, even before their morning trip to the bathroom. I can envision their usage, but do not fit into the same category myself. Checking morning email on my toy is hardly more convenient and faster than powering up the laptop, even when I am in the morning rush. The Web phone was suggested to me as an upgrade from my phone provider, when my old contract expired. I was not jumping to the idea, but now i am glad for my decision.
A good friend of mine gave a brief, but thoughtful introduction to the web surfing on his phone. He is a dentist and had his professional site just designed. He was driving me in his car and was excited about all his graphics, flash patient's education and who knows what else. He told me that his new site can be accessed from his BlackBerry and proceeded to show me. He typed his web domain into the keyboard and handed the set to me. I saw something colorful, but I could not read anything without my glasses. First I wanted to explore it as much as I could and just do some clicking around the menu. He stopped me immediately, before I could do it. When he told me his reason, it has immediately taken my excitement away. His data plan is too low. When he views this type of web site its eats too much into his monthly data plan. He also said that it takes too long to download it fully. It was his dream website, but clearly not suitable for mobile devices. Why did you get such a site on the first place, I felt like asking him. He was not worrying so much about the gas his car was guzzling, like about his extra data charges. I did not know anything about the existence of mobile website yet, at that time and most likely he did not know either. It made me think. Is just a toy or is there is any practical use for these mobile devices to surf the web? Are all users so hesitant and worrying about these extra charges? Why not have a better design for a website that can be viewed on a web phone with no problem. I was confused about it and not really eager to get web phone myself.
Today the mobile browsers are so good that they will display a miniature image of almost any website, on the little phone screen. I am not a web techie, only a smartphone user. Large PC website looks to me more than like web icons, rather than viewable website. You have to expand it, scroll and read it one section at the time. It is rather slow and not practical solution. When I acquired my first iPhone, I became obsessed with mobile web search and found out about mobi design, by a chance, the first time. These websites contain less of graphics and are designed for the little screen. Designed easy to read, rather than admire graphics. It is a special domain extension that is just like .com, .info or any other one. Mobile website should be created with different standard and objective in mind than those for the desktop computers. You should be able to spot differences right away! You can see attached examples, one image for desktop website, the other one for mobile.
You can find many mobi websites with a right search engines strategy applied from your hand-held platform. Unfortunately, there are far less of theses sites in existence than for desktop platform. That is in spite of the fact that smartphones already outnumber desktops or laptops, world-wide. Their growing pace is very strong. Currently, it should be obvious that an owner of PC website should also have a mobile version, as well. Those website owners who understand the trend and get on the top of it should enjoy a competitive advantage on the Internet. Fast way to get on aboard is to obtain a listing in the existing mobile, commercial, directories. There are already some sites for many cities, including Toronto. No matter what your business or professional category is, an opportunity is there to have a listing, an information page or a link to your mobile website. All websites are in competition with each other for the viewers attention and interest.Instead of competing on the desktop platform, why not on the mobile platform?
I love my smartphone, and use it daily many times. I search "mobi" and view mobile websites. I do not have a business, nor a website, therefore, I do not have any experience with web designs. My views are strictly from the Internet users' side. It is an accounting season now, and I will look for a new accountant, preferably somebody with mobile website or listing in Toronto. It could be very simple, but effective!
About the Author:
Use your BlackBerry for mobile search! Click to eToronto.mobi to see tennis school for strokes and more. Online, while on the go. If you are a GTA business get your mobi site with in .mobi Directory for Toronto. Contact our website.
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