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Dec. 2, 2008 7:48 a.m. Xceler8x HalfDork

Site works well! I'm on a blackberry 8120.

Check out blackberries along with the iPhone. Tim may be a bit biased being an Apple lover and all. :)

I really like my BB. Also, if durability is an issue the iPhone may not be the best bet.

Tim, you did a great job! Thanks for listening!

(doh! While posting this I ran into an error. The posting box went a little wonky by cutting me off after a certain letter count. So, ok...the iPhone may be more compatible with more websites. I haven't had this problem on other sites so maybe it's due to Beta status.)
Dec. 2, 2008 8:24 a.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork

The m- site worked fine on my Treo 650, the only thing is that a "Menu" bar superimposed itself over the top banner...but at 155kb per page w/ pics I'm going to make sure my unlimited GPRS was activated this month before I try it again

That said, this is just in time for my unlimited GPRS package! :D
Dec. 2, 2008 11:12 a.m. belteshazzar Dork

alfadriver wrote:

Although, there's still too much graphic fluff at the top of the page, when viewed as one column. "default" is a little better- you can see the tabs clearer. But still too much stuff at the top.

You should get a real PDA and check the site out- my screen is almost as big as a iPhone. Very cool- thanks!

Eric

Bingo.
Dec. 2, 2008 11:56 a.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

I have no idea what you're talking about with tabs, "default" columns and too much stuff at the top. But like I said, it hasn't--and won't be--tested on every device out there.

I know it works pretty well in mobile Opera and mobile Safari, and I'm not even remotely surprised to hear some Mobile version of IE is making a complete mess of it.
Dec. 2, 2008 12:05 p.m. Duke Dork

Tim Baxter wrote:

iPhone. All other mobile devices wish they were iPhones. The lead is that big.

But when is the iPhone ever going to be available for anything but AT&T? Verizon are the only people that offer decent network coverage around here.
Dec. 2, 2008 12:12 p.m. alfadriver Reader

Tim Baxter wrote:

I have no idea what you're talking about with tabs, "default" columns and too much stuff at the top. But like I said, it hasn't--and won't be--tested on every device out there.

I know it works pretty well in mobile Opera and mobile Safari, and I'm not even remotely surprised to hear some Mobile version of IE is making a complete mess of it.

Try a phone with Windows Mobile, and use IE to read it. On the menu tab on the bottom, one of the options is View- One Column, Default, or Desktop. Since there are many new phones running WM6, it would be pretty common to see this form.

Basically, there is i-Safari, and a few using Opera, and the rest WM6/IE.

Not saying that it doesn't look good, but just be aware that it's a common format.

And my issue really is the size of the buttons for "subscribe" and "try a free issue" at the top of the page. In my viewer, the "try a free issue" button is almost as large as the GRM logo just above it (height, not width).

E-
Dec. 2, 2008 12:18 p.m. alfadriver Reader

Just noticed another thing. On the quoted part of a post- outside of where it says "person wrote:"- there's no indication of where the quote ends.

BTW, I do want to make it clear, tim, this totally rocks. SOOOO much better than trying to fish through the original format (which is cool for a real computer) while on the road with my PDA.

E-
Dec. 2, 2008 12:32 p.m. driver109x Reader

Cool! It worked on my samsung flipshot (verizon). It's a little wierd but I guess I can get use to it. I need a better phone for this.
Dec. 2, 2008 12:32 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

alfadriver wrote:

Try a phone with Windows Mobile, and use IE to read it. On the menu tab on the bottom, one of the options is View- One Column, Default, or Desktop. Since there are many new phones running WM6, it would be pretty common to see this form.

Unless an IE phone turns up in my hands (unlikely), it's going to be tough. Statistically, IE's a blip. Most phones are using either Opera or mobile Safari (all Nokias, for example).

Bu again, there's just no way to really test on every device, and no time to do so even if they WERE all available. Gotta just shoot for the middle.

And my issue really is the size of the buttons for "subscribe" and "try a free issue" at the top of the page. In my viewer, the "try a free issue" button is almost as large as the GRM logo just above it (height, not width).

Ahh. That's on purpose. Most of the buttons are oversized to better accomodate touch-screen devices.
Dec. 2, 2008 12:37 p.m. Josh Reader

Looks great in mobile safari. Much better than the zoom&pan fest that the full site was. Hopefully it will keep me logged in better as well.

Tim, I've been curious about this since I got the iPhone. I have found it pretty frustrating to use with any kind of forums, both for page width reasons, and because I never stay logged in. Its awful to write out a long post, then see it disappear because I have lost my login before submitting it. Is this happening because of the way the phone handles cookies, or because of the way the sites work? In other words, can I expect this to improve as sites get adapted to mobile devices, or is it just endemic to the phone? I am asking this in your general capacity as a web guy, not in specific regard to this site. This is my first post on the mobile version of the site, so I'm not sure yet if it works better :). Here's hoping I don't lose this post when I hit the button...
Dec. 2, 2008 12:43 p.m. Josh Reader

Btw, one suggestion - great idea to offer larger buttons to accomodate my fat fingers. However, I'd much rather have an oversized "next page" button at the bottom of a thread than the oversized "free issue" button at the top .
Dec. 2, 2008 12:52 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

Josh, I'm sure that'll happen. There's plenty of buttons that haven't been super-sized but probably will be.. next page is high on the list. Remember though, that the mobile thing is a side project.

As for the login thing... that sounds like a cookies or session issue. Cookies in general have always seemed to me like voodoo. Here's what I know (or think I know).

You can store user info in a cookie, in a session, or in some combination of both. The site and cookie have to match. Subdomains can screw that up, so it's possible, for example, that grassrootsmotorsports.com, www.grassrootsmotorsports.com, and m.grassrootsmotorsports.com to all be completely oblivious to your login status on each other. Then you get into how long the site or browser stores the cookie or session. It's really a mess.
Dec. 2, 2008 1:14 p.m. bludroptop Dork

Tim Baxter wrote:

As for the login thing... that sounds like a cookies or session issue. Cookies in general have always seemed to me like voodoo. Here's what I know (or think I know).

You can store user info in a cookie, in a session, or in some combination of both. The site and cookie have to match. Subdomains can screw that up, so it's possible, for example, that grassrootsmotorsports.com, www.grassrootsmotorsports.com, and m.grassrootsmotorsports.com to all be completely oblivious to your login status on each other. Then you get into how long the site or browser stores the cookie or session. It's really a mess.

Ain't that the truth! Unrelated to the mobile site (which BTW is working better on my Treo today), you might remember all the trouble I was having staying logged in when you rolled out the new site. It went away for a while but it is back since the latest round of changes went live.

I've just adapted - clear temp files every time before logging in.
Dec. 2, 2008 1:14 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

Hmmm.. you shouldn't have to do that. Once, maybe, definitely not every time.
Dec. 4, 2008 7:11 p.m. dan_efi New Reader

Tim, I want to say thanks for the great addition. Mobile version works really good on my Samsung u740 with OperaMini 4.2 (tricked into working in landscape mode ). I honestly was never expecting a mobile GRM to be launched, and trudged through the conventional site without complaining.
Dec. 4, 2008 7:32 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor

To tell the truth, I kinda just wanted to see how hard it would be and got carried away

I'm sure there's some rough edges, but I'm glad it's working pretty well for most of ya'll.
Dec. 4, 2008 7:36 p.m. internetautomart SuperDork

my phone is so old it doesn't have internet.
Dec. 4, 2008 7:56 p.m. minimac Dork

internetautomart wrote:

my phone is so old it doesn't have internet.

I think you got your phone and computer mixed up.

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