Re: What Is an iPhone Microsite?

At 24 Jun 2008 21:29:09 -0700 4phun wrote:
> Enter the iPhone Microsite
> We’re beginning to see the arrival of websites formatted specifically
> to fit the iPhone’s small screen and unique configuration.


In the pre-iPhone days we called them "WAP sites." ;-)

> In
> addition, we’re seeing techniques developed that make iPhone
> compatible websites capable of visually displaying and selling
> products, over secure satellite connections, and accessed by mobile
> iPhones from anywhere in the world.

Wow! Websites that sell stuff? I wonder if that'll catch on?

> The unique websites that make this all
> possible are called iPhone microsites. Below is an introduction to
> some of the features and capabilities of iPhone microsites.
>



Gee, Vic, you didn't quote the interesting bit:

"One of the most talked-about features of the iPhone has been its ability
to use Safari to browse the 'real' Internet. However, until recently, this
appealing idea has proven to be LESS THAN REWARDING [emphasis mine] insofar
as the larger pixel configuration used by most websites designed to display
information on a full screen did not translate well to the iPhone's
different shape and size. Because of that, the iPhone's ability to see and
access data and pictures on most websites was PLAGUED BY PROBLEMS [mine
again] and content which was hard to read and interact with - until now..."

I'm not knocking the iPhone's "real" browser- just agreeing that a good
rendering engine isn't the be-all end-all solution to mobile browsing. A
4" screen can't display the information of a typical website without
zooming or panning or whatever. Knock the pre-iPhone browsing experience
all you like, but there was nothing inherently wrong with the idea of
reformatting a web page to make it readable on a small screen. On my
Windows Mobile device, I have two browsers- I use IE Mobile (which
reformats pages rather ugly) to fit in one column, and Opera Mini, which
displays the "real web" iPhone style and lets you zoom in for detail. I
rarely use OM except when IE just can't render a site usably. OM is much
"prettier" but IE is generally more useful for quickly getting the
information needed. Particularly when using a mobile-formatted websi....
er, um, I mean a "microsite."

> Long article
> http://iphonemicrosites.com/articles...one-microsite/

It's not an article- it's a sales pitch. They're developers trying
to sell you tools to create mobile sites, hoping that naming them after the
iPhone will get someone to notice them (hey, it worked!)- from a portion
you didn't quote: "The most successful and helpful company in the field is
iPhone Microsites LLC..." [Note URL of link you supplied] "It offers
complete microsite development packages that are surprisingly inexpensive."

Instead of dumbphone-formatted WAP sites, these "iPhone Microsites" are 320
pixels wide and can contain (gasp!) graphics and images.

We used to call those "PDA formatted sites" in the days before converged
devices.

I guess, as they say, there really is nothing new under the sun...