Mobile Websites?

[Mishcee]

Right now on my 3gs & iPod touch I can only view certain sites, ie ny post, eonline, maybelline, etc in their "mobile format". After some research I found out that is because the Safari version on those products contains a string intheir programing that tells the server you're visiting that you're on a mobile device.

Assuming that the ipad is going to use the iPhone os, will we only be able to see these particular pages in their mobile format?

I hope someone can tell me what they know on this subject because it's a real sticking point for me. I know a lot of people are annoyed about tge "flash" issue, but I think this is way more important. I am a gi-normous apple fan, but they can't tout it as the best way to view the web if all we're going to get in some places is watered down mobile sites.

 

[JohnnyApple]

Right now on my 3gs & iPod touch I can only view certain sites, ie ny post, eonline, maybelline, etc in their "mobile format". After some research I found out that is because the Safari version on those products contains a string intheir programing that tells the server you're visiting that you're on a mobile device.

Assuming that the ipad is going to use the iPhone os, will we only be able to see these particular pages in their mobile format?

I hope someone can tell me what they know on this subject because it's a real sticking point for me. I know a lot of people are annoyed about tge "flash" issue, but I think this is way more important. I am a gi-normous apple fan, but they can't tout it as the best way to view the web if all we're going to get in some places is watered down mobile sites.

I've run into this issue before. The website attempts to force the mobile version on you even when you don't want it. I hope there is a way to switch this off on the iPad since the browsing experience should be very similar to a laptop.

 

[jcaramia]

I would like to know the same, I find it very lame going through the facebook mobile site everytime I click "home."

 

[epb]

Simple - get rid of Safari. Your browser is what identifies you to the web site, and ours says "Safari for iPad", which most sites direct to their mobile version. If you use another browser, you don't get this - with Atomic, you can tell it how to identify itself to avoid compatibility issues.

 

[FrostyFire]

Try Perfect Browser, you can spoof your browser type.

 

[jcaramia]

Weird, it just started going back to normal again...

 

[epb]

Weird, it just started going back to normal again...

They might have updated the site - as the Ipad becomes more prevalent and people complain, webmasters are modifying the code that directs our version of Safari to the mobile site.

 

[jcaramia]

Weird, it just started going back to normal again...

They might have updated the site - as the Ipad becomes more prevalent and people complain, webmasters are modifying the code that directs our version of Safari to the mobile site.

That's what I figured, thanks!

 

[Mishcee]

Hi When I had first gotten my iPad the particular sites I was concerned about, worked, then I had to go back to factory settings (I forget why) & it didn't work after that. So I splurged & bought atomic web browser.
My complaint is, they sold it as the best way to view the web & if you can't view ALL websites in a full format then it's NOT the best way to view the web. I love my iPad, don't get me wrong, but they should have written this version of safari with a string that circumvents the "mobile website". I'm hoping os 4 in the fall will rectify that. (it needs to be done in safari because that is where you're automatically directed when you hit a link in your email, therefore an alternate browser is only a temporary fix.

 

[epb]

My complaint is, they sold it as the best way to view the web & if you can't view ALL websites in a full format then it's NOT the best way to view the web.

This seems to be a common theme among Apple customers - blaming Apple for not controlling the universe. It is not the browser that's doing this, or your ipad, or Steve Jobs, it's the website. It is detecting your browser and sending you to the wrong version of the site because most sites see Safari Mobile and assume iphone. Something they started doing to cater to another Apple product's customer base, in case you hadn't noticed.

And because the iPad is fairly new, I think we can cut the web masters some slack and give them more than a couple of months to fix every web site on the planet to suit 1% of the surfing community that's using a browser no one had heard of 8 weeks ago!