One of the main features of the iPhone is its built in browser that is ready to surf real websites, not cut down versions designed for mobile phones. From the Apple marketing material:
“iPhone lets you see web pages the way they were designed to be seen”
However, the popularity of the iPhone has led to an increase in mobile versions of websites that are designed to play nice with the smaller screens and slower connections. This isn’t a new idea but the increase in popularity cannot be denied.
Here’s my list of mobile sites that I visit on my phone:
- m.cnn.com
- m.si.com
- m.flickr.com
- m.youtube.com
- espn.go.com/mobileespn
- google.com/m
- google.com/reader/m/view – Google Reader is one of my absolute favorite applications on the iPhone.
- mobile.fandango.com – I use Fandango to check movie times and locations. You can also buy tickets through the website.
- gasbuddytogo.com – Check for the lowest gas prices in your area
I’ve found that a number of websites are checking your User-Agent and then directing you to the mobile version of their site if you appear to be on a common mobile device.
If this a passing fad? Will common webapps like WordPress come preconfigured with mobile versions in the future?