Anyone browsing on a tablet or smartphone?

[Wayne]

I'm just curious re: title, because I've installed Tapatalk on one of my other forums and it's been a hoot.. Makes it much faster and easier to use the site from my iPad than trying to scroll around in a browser.

I'd be happy to install it here (probably will) but was just curious how many of you would be interested, if you don't already use your tablet or smart device to read the site like I do.

Wayne

 

[faethor]

WinPhone7, SurfaceRT, and iPad all in use for Whyzzat reading throughout the month...

 

[Wayne]

Welp, too late to stop me <insert evil laugh here>

Tapatalk installed -- mostly because I'll use it (a lot) and anything that helps get me here more often and more easily is a good thing eh?

 

[Wayne]

If you haven't tried the tapatalk app, or the HD version I use, give it a shot...

 

[Glaucus]

Nice. I just browsed here using chrome on my phone and right away it informed me about tapatalk. Tapatalk costs $2.99 on google play so instead i installed an app called Convo. Using it right now. Well done Wayne.

 

[Glaucus]

and anything that helps get me here more often and more easily is a good thing eh?

Ya, that's EXACTLY what I need too.

But seriously, you should make it your New Years Resolution to spend more time here.

 

[Wayne]

But seriously, you should make it your New Years Resolution to spend more time here.

I guess that's my fault. Mea Culpa.

When this site was built, we were all over on Amiga.org disrupting the happiness with all the politics, guns, and religion so I thought it'd be fun to save all you guys from the geekfest. 10 years later and I find that I personally don't have a lot of interest in either politics (I've gone burned out), gun control (I'm a weapons enthusiast, but more apathetic out of economic necessity), or religion (which -- as an apathist -- really starts pushing buttons...)

So, unless you guys are Apple-using, VW-driving, motorcyclists, I guess I'm screwed...

(That being said, at least the low volume of traffic here is some of the more intelligent I've found on da intarwebs lately).

Wayne

 

[ltstanfo]

iPad or iPhone 4 here.

Lee

 

[the_leander]

I am, btw glaucus tapatalk has a hd beta available for free that is better than what you're using. When it comes out of beta on the 14th it'll be on sale for $0.69 for the first day....

 

[Glaucus]

Thanks Leander. I actually quickly gave up on Convo, it needs a lot more work. I ended up purchasing Tapatalk, the regular version. I'll install Tapatalk HD on my tablet and hope to time the purchase to get that sale price. Not sure why they need a separate "HD" version for tablets. Anyway, it seems to work nice and now I can post on whyzzat while sitting on the throne! Awesome!

 

[the_leander]

Not sure why they need a separate "HD" version for tablets. Anyway, it seems to work nice and now I can post on whyzzat while sitting on the throne! Awesome!

Presumably to rig it to make better use of the screen real estate? You can poll for resolution but presumably it'd be a chore to list and keep upto date by device which is a tab and which is a phone...

Speaking of android devices, I picked up a huawei ascend g300 just before Xmas... I have to say that ics runs much more smoothly and stably than the last firmware archos barfed out for my G9 tab... Bloody shocking.

As to the last, lol!

 

[Glaucus]

Nah, you shouldn't have to write a single line of code to check for what type of device you're running on. I'm guessing they just didn't write the original app using proper standards (which I'm guilty of with my app). More likely, the HD version targets newer version of Android, taking full advantage of the action bar, fragments and other nice things (which can also be done in a single apk, but does get a little bit tedious). But as far as layouts go, all your layouts are xml files and you'd put the tablet layout in the tablet folder and the phone layout in the phone folder (it's a little more complicated than that, but only in terminology) and Android automatically loads the one required for the device that it's on. That's why Google releases only one apk for things like GMail, Currents, Google+ and even Chrome - there's no special HD version for any of these and they all look radically different on a tablet compared to a phone.

http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html

 

[Robert]

If you haven't tried the tapatalk app, or the HD version I use, give it a shot...

I just browsed to the site with an Android phone and was redirected to the play store, where Tapatalk is two quid. Not that keen to try it, I'm afraid.

 

[Wayne]

Thanks Leander. I actually quickly gave up on Convo, it needs a lot more work. I ended up purchasing Tapatalk, the regular version. I'll install Tapatalk HD on my tablet and hope to time the purchase to get that sale price. Not sure why they need a separate "HD" version for tablets. Anyway, it seems to work nice and now I can post on whyzzat while sitting on the throne! Awesome!

I gotta say, the HD version on the iPad is much nicer... There are some things I wish I could do like have a "my stuff" button to show me instantly all the threads and forums I'm subscribed to, but hey, give em time.

 

[Wayne]

I just browsed to the site with an Android phone and was redirected to the play store, where Tapatalk is two quid. Not that keen to try it, I'm afraid.

Wow.. Android wants you to pay $2 for a free iPad app? That's funny.

BTW, the use of tapatalk isn't a forced thing. Just hit "cancel" (presuming it works the same on the lesser Android OS) and it'll bring you to the site. Annoying, yes, but much less annoying than using something like tapatalk (or any other) app versus using the browser on a forum site.

 

[Robert]

Wow.. Android wants you to pay $2 for a free iPad app? That's funny.

I'm not sure Android wants you to do that, rather the developer does. At least that's what I would have thought.

BTW, the use of tapatalk isn't a forced thing. Just hit "cancel" (presuming it works the same on the lesser Android OS) and it'll bring you to the site. Annoying, yes, but much less annoying than using something like tapatalk (or any other) app versus using the browser on a forum site.

Yeah, that's exactly what I did. I posted that from my 'phone. Back on the laptop now though.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

I've been playing with the Tapatalk HD on and off (and paid $.99 for it) but I'm not sure I like it that much. I still find myself coming here by browser mostly even on the tablet.
I like the alerts for changes to subscribed threads - but I don't like that clicking on an alert only takes you to that thread and clicking the < button in the top left then takes you out of Tapatalk instead of up in the forum view making it difficult to see new threads and get in on them.
I also don't like the way that Tapatalk looks like it forwards web links in pages through tapatalk servers. That's just creepy.

 

[Glaucus]

I haven't noticed the tapatalk server links issue. I'll have to check that.

I installed it on my tablet, but I tend to use it more on my phone. Same issues here. Overall, not bad and it's likely to change (hopefully for the better). Did you give it a review on the play store? That's the best place to list your grievances (or perhaps the developer himself which is actually a nice luxury you don't get with big brand software).