Tempus Fugit

Mark Jaquith's personal blog

Mobile Version

I’m experimenting with auto-detection of mobile browsers and automatic redirection to a slimmed down version of this site.

Work on the mobile templates is not complete, but I have it up and running. What I really need is some unique text strings that are contained in the HTTP_USER_AGENTs of mobile browsers. I have “PalmOS,” which should get those using Palm Pilots. I’m testing for “AvantGo” which should get Sidekicks as well as a host of other random mobile browsers. And I’m testing for “WAP” which should get some mobile phones. But what I need to know is what other strings I should test for. Particularly, I’d like to know what to use to redirect RIM devices.

If you can offer any help, please leave a comment! If you are using a regular browser and find you are being redirected to the mobile version, leave a commant so and tell me which browser you are using so I can tune the rule. Finally, if you just want to see what it looks like, you can find it at http://txfx.net/mobile/. Note, however, that if you click on any links on the mobile version, you will be directed back to the main version, if you are not using one of the browsers I am checking for. If you are using a mobile browser I support, all WordPress pages starting with http://txfx.net/ get redirected seamlessly to http://txfx.net/mobile/

Comments

  2. Here’s the HTTP_USER_AGENT string received when browsing from my Nextel Blackberry 7510:

    OWG1 UP/4.1.20a UP.Browser/4.1.20a-XXXX UP.Link/4.2.3.5h

    This is using the internal NOL browser, not one of the graphical add-on browsers.

  3. John –
    I considered it, and then just decided to do it myself. But I suppose it would be a good place to look, as I am sure he has a list of mobile agents. Good thinking.

    SWS –
    Thanks for the agent string, I’ll add that one in.

  4. I added in support for some SprintPCS phones.

    If your mobile browser is not being redirected, go to this page to find out your browser’s “user agent” and email it to me. Thanks! As soon as I am happy with the code, I will be sharing it, and everyone who helps out and leaves me with their website URI will get a “thank you” link when I post the code.

  5. Mark, the link to your mobile site in the post is broken. I think you need to remove the quotation from the end of the link.

  7. Redirection and browsing worked fine on my Blackberry 7510, but when I clicked on comments to leave a comment to that effect, I received an error (404). Not entirely sure why though.

  8. Probably just a temporary issue… There have been a few seconds of me-induced downtime over the last few days.

  9. Here is the User Agent list I am currently using (I added in all the ones from Alex King’s version that I was missing):

    array("Elaine/3.0"
    ,"Palm"
    ,"EudoraWeb"
    ,"Blazer"
    ,"AvantGo"
    ,"Windows CE"
    ,"Cellphone"
    ,"Small"
    ,"MMEF20"
    ,"Danger"
    ,"hiptop"
    ,"Proxinet"
    ,"Newt"
    ,"PalmOS"
    ,"NetFront"
    ,"SHARP-TQ-GX10"
    ,"SonyEricsson"
    ,"SymbianOS"
    ,"UP.Browser"
    )

  16. Not much on my mind worth mentioning. What can I say? Today was a total loss, but I don’t care. I’ve just been letting everything happen without me. I can’t be bothered with anything these days. I haven’t been up to anything lately.

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