Do you want an iphone app? I think this is the only way to go

cedivad

Active member

I've a crazy idea:
xF pays some external developer to deploy an (example) iphone app. App must be brand-able from the final admin and he must receive the source code too.
Let's see you pay the app 2000€, that is a month of work of a great coder.
You than resell the app to us (50€ each?), we brand it and we use it with our users.

Crazy?
 
I understand what you are saying, my post was mostly how I personally feel about it. I doubt I will ever both making a mobile skin for my site if it doesn't come default with the product. That said, I don't think it will hurt to have it, for those who desire. As long as there's a switch in the mobile style to go to normal style (and remembers it).
I wouldn't use it on my blog, unless wordpress comes with it included.

A dedicated iPhone app for the site to browse xenforo sites, .. feels overkill. A default browser will do, and if the product comes with a mobile skin for those who prefer that, ... to be it.
 
Not all phones have perfectly capable browsers. Some of those mobile browsers are quite neutered -.-
Ok, I've not tried them all, so I'll take your word for it. I just assumed that they've all caught up by now. Either way.
iPhone app = only iDevices can use it and it has to be installed through the app store. Updates etc. must be approved by Apple.
Mobile style/skin = iDevices, Android phones, Nokias and so on, can use it. There is no isntallation, no approval process, instant updates.

To me, that makes it clear.
 
I completely agree.
I want to browse the site as I browse it on my computer.
Steve Jobs sold it as "computer in your pocket", so I don't need a mobile skin.
I want the full experience. A (paid) app isn't really needed I think.

Really? I totally feel the opposite. Don't you think the Facebook App on an iPhone is amazingly userfriendly compared to browse the Facebook site in your Safari on the iPhone? I mean, the huge benefits are so obvious? I never get why people think browsing on the original site (not a mobile version) through iPhone's Safari is great. What are the actual benefits? I see none.

It is exactly what Kier is saying:

Not that XenForo renders badly on mobile devices, on the contrary it renders very well (see here) but many of the UI elements are not designed for touch interaction, and therefore may be expecting hover operations or may be too small to effectively click without zooming in.

I have plans and designs for a mobile skin, though I can't say when it will debut at this point.

I have to disagree with you on this point. Things that work well on the desktop do not necessarily work well on small-screen, touch-interface devices.

XenForo was designed for a desktop UI, and while I get almost perfect rendering of its pages on my iPhone, it does not represent a great browsing experience as special considerations need to be made for the minimum size of clickable controls etc.
 
I hate facebook, I browse it using touch.facebook.com - I don't know why their main site isn't their iPad version of it .. but, I've deactivated my facebook.
 
Floris; post: 18400 said:
I hate facebook, I browse it using touch.facebook.com.

Exactly, when you browse to Facebook.com on your iPhone Safari, Facebook recognizes that you are browsing through your iPhone and presents you with the mobile version of their site, optimized for a good mobile browsing experience. So you are not browsing it as you would on your desktop, which is a very good thing when it comes the usability on a mobile device. This is what xenForo needs, definitely. How many years have we requested this for vBulletin? It is still not delivered! :mad: Look at Invision: http://www.invisionpower.com/suite/iphone ... they even provide a dedicated iPhone app.

I understand the big benefit of a general mobile skin compared to brand specific Apps. But... you can get Push notifications on your iPhone when browsing just a mobile skin for example? Can you easily just make a picture with your iPhone and upload it in 3 secs to your xenForo (future) Photoalbums, using the mobile version of the site? Obviously, there are also great pros of a dedicated App compared to a mobile style. However, I would be very, very pleased if xenForo could start with a mobile style. I don't know how a forum platform can do without to be honest in today's internet world, which is so much more mobile then a few years ago. Browsing through Safari on your iPhone without any dedicated mobile skin is just... not the way it should or is meant to be IMHO. Especially when it comes to a site powered by forum software, which has so many user functions that are just not designed to be used on a tiny little screen with you having to zoom in and out all the freakin' time as the enduser.
 
Exactly, when you browse to Facebook.com on your iPhone Safari, Facebook recognizes that you are browsing through your iPhone and presents you with the mobile version of their site, optimized for a good mobile browsing experience. So you are not browsing it as you would on your desktop, which is a very good thing when it comes the usability on a mobile device. This is what xenForo needs, definitely. How many years have we requested this for vBulletin? It is still not delivered! :mad: Look at Invision: http://www.invisionpower.com/suite/iphone ... they even provide a dedicated iPhone app.

I understand the big benefit of a general mobile skin compared to brand specific Apps. But... you can get Push notifications on your iPhone when browsing just a mobile skin for example? Can you easily just make a picture with your iPhone and upload it in 3 secs to your xenForo (future) Photoalbums, using the mobile version of the site? Obviously, there are also great pros of a dedicated App compared to a mobile style. However, I would be very, very pleased if xenForo could start with a mobile style. I don't know how a forum platform can do without to be honest in today's internet world, which is so much more mobile then a few years ago. Browsing through Safari on your iPhone without any dedicated mobile skin is just... not the way it should or is meant to be IMHO. Especially when it comes to a site powered by forum software, which has so many user functions that are just not designed to be used on a tiny little screen with you having to zoom in and out all the freakin' time as the enduser.

I noticed tapatalk signed up on this site, so its likely that they'll be creating an iPhone application.

I prefer mobile styles honestly; I don't want my users to have to pay to view my site, and I'm doing my best to support as much mobile browsing as possible when we're ready to launch.
 
It's possible someone might completely redesign XenForo with iWebkit for the iPhone/iPod/iPad. I'd just say look forward to that, instead of expecting a iPhone app on the first set of releases. :)
A future iPhone app though would be great.
 
I believe he means the Tap-A-Talk application, as he seems to use vBulletin? Site owners can install the Tap-A-Talk addon free, but the app is like $2.99 or something of that sort.

Ah, thanks. No, we need something integrated from xenForo itself, obviously. A mobile skin is the preferred start and maybe/hopefully we will see an dedicated App aswell in the future.
 
Ah, thanks. No, we need something integrated from xenForo itself, obviously. A mobile skin is the preferred start and maybe/hopefully we will see an dedicated App aswell in the future.

I know my partner for my newest project will possibly do one for Android, not sure if he will for iPhone.

EDIT: Thats for our site, I don't know if he'd do one for XF in general, because its mostly for our media features.
 
However, I would be very, very pleased if xenForo could start with a mobile style. I don't know how a forum platform can do without to be honest in today's internet world, which is so much more mobile then a few years ago. Browsing through Safari on your iPhone without any dedicated mobile skin is just... not the way it should or is meant to be IMHO. Especially when it comes to a site powered by forum software, which has so many user functions that are just not designed to be used on a tiny little screen with you having to zoom in and out all the freakin' time as the enduser.

This is what it looks like in a real-world practice when you want to use xenForo in portrait mode on an iPhone:

Actually, it doesn't. That screenshot of Kier is 'zoomed in' much much bigger then what it looks like on your Iphone in the real world. I mean, it looks quite nice yes in practice, but it is simply hard to read when you use your iPhone in Portrait mode and double click (so it automatically zooms in to fit on the screen) on the posting area. Almost unreadable (especially with bad eyesight), because the fontsize is too small. It is much better readable and almost only usable that way in Landscape mode, actually.

I think it's obvious why there needs to be a mobile style.

This is what it more or less (it's a little sharper on the Phone) looks in real life:

iphone-screenshot-xenforo-real-life-example-png.514


Do you think this is convenient reading?

I think we've made our point ;).
 
There were a few Window Mobile users, and I think a few mentioned Blackberry.

Often though, when you talk about App stores, its lately been Appel v. Android.

November 2010, Microsoft rolling out the new Windows Mobile (7.0). :rolleyes:

I will probabally buy, unless iPhone can sync with Outlook correctly. Sad part is I actually use all my applications (office suite, games, adobe), camera, surf the net and sync with my computer via Bluetooth on my 4 year old Windows Mobile Smart Phone. I probably the only one in the world who actually still uses the darn thing, but it refuses to die. :confused:
 
November 2010, Microsoft rolling out the new Windows Mobile (7.0). :rolleyes:

I will probabally buy because I actually use all my applications (office suite, games, adobe), camera, surf the net and sync with my computer via Bluetooth on my 4 year old Windows Mobile Smart Phone. I probably the only one in the world who actually still uses the darn thing, but it refuses to die. :confused:

The GUI I saw of WP7 is pretty uh.. iPhone-ish.

I wasn't all that impressed by it, but I'll wait to try it.
 
The GUI I saw of WP7 is pretty uh.. iPhone-ish.

I wasn't all that impressed by it, but I'll wait to try it.

I don't care what it looks like. All I care about is if a product can actually make my life more productive. We will see, I have been eying the iPhone and Droid for a few years now before I make my final decision. :cool:
 
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