View Full Version : App for mobile use?
Black Dog
11-28-2010, 11:20 PM
Are there any plans to make this forum more user-friendly to mobile devices?
I've finally gotten up with modern technology. FaceBook and Twitter work well on the phone. I've been to S&B a couple times and it's a bit of a pain with constant screen resizing. Another forum (also vBulletin) uses something called Tapatalk. It works great!
Being new to this stuff is there something else I should be looking at, app-wise?
I've floated the idea of Tapatalk to individuals before and only gotten a tepid response. So it's been on the back burner, at least until someone actually asked for it. I'll take another look at it.
Okay, try it now. I don't have a smartphone to test all the functionality, so I'm going to count on you guys to let me know how it's working.
Tapatalk is a mobile forum app for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Nokia. Tapatalk supports vBulletin, phpBB, IPB and SMF forums and forum owner can activate this service for free. Tapatalk supports all the usual forum functions plus full screen image viewing, image upload, caching (less reload), private messaging, all these features are accessible in just a few simple taps.
Showing New and Unread Thread with Avatar and Number of reply:
http://184.72.239.143/mu/77ec8c55-d161-2949.jpg
Images are thread are converted to thumbnail and allow full-screen viewing
http://184.72.239.143/mu/77ec8c55-d19e-1d77.jpg
Ability to see Who's Online and what they are doing:
http://184.72.239.143/mu/77ec8c55-d1b3-cbe1.jpg
Ability to search by topics and posts:
http://184.72.239.143/mu/77ec8c55-d1cd-05b1.jpg
Ability to upload images directly from Android and iPhone!:
http://184.72.239.143/mu/77ec8c55-d44e-0fbc.jpg
Check out http://www.tapatalk.com for more information!
Black Dog
11-29-2010, 06:33 AM
It's awesome! Much easier.
Thanks, Tony :)
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Black Dog
11-29-2010, 07:08 AM
I should mention that there is a $2.99 charge for users to download the Tapatalk app. Totally worth it if you're a regular poster, though. I've heard that there is a free trial version but haven't seen it myself. My understanding is the trial version only allows you to read, not post.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Chutney Daftcraft
11-29-2010, 08:53 AM
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
That's an HTC EVO, isn't it?
Black Dog
11-29-2010, 10:07 AM
It is. I love it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
I looked at them.. but could not justify the extra $10 a month charge.... combined with lack of a 4G network in this area...
It is. I love it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Black Dog
11-29-2010, 11:12 AM
Yeah, I understand the issue with the extra fee. I didn't get it for 4G obviously but for the features. As for the fee, I want from my single account Verizon plan to a family plan on Sprint which is costing me about 80 bucks a month less than before, including the fee. So to me it was worth it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Chutney Daftcraft
11-29-2010, 11:56 AM
4G works well in Leesburg and Reston.
Also, you can set your internet browser to behave like a PC instead of a mobile device. In other words, shannondale.org/forum looks the same on my phone as it does on my laptop.
Black Dog
11-29-2010, 12:30 PM
I think the browser on this thing behaves pretty much like a PC. But even though the screen is big for a phone and viewing websites is quite doable, it does take a lot of resizing to spend much time on a forum. Tapatalk makes it much easier.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
I am a happy EVO user too. I don't use all the features it has because I haven't learned them but essentially it is my laptop.
Blackdog - go to Radio Shack and get the heavy duty screen protector and the rubberish case. It keeps the phone from sliding all around.
Chutney Daftcraft
11-30-2010, 04:33 PM
If taken care of properly, you shouldn't need a screen protector on the phone at all. It's made of tempered glass.
I've had mine since they came out in June. Not a scratch on the screen yet, and I use the hell out of this phone. In fact, there are a few scratches on the sides and back of the phone that were caused by.... the protective case! I'm serious.
Sent from my PC36100 using Vagitext for vBulletin
Chutney Daftcraft
11-30-2010, 07:46 PM
I am a happy EVO user too. I don't use all the features it has because I haven't learned them but essentially it is my laptop.
Oh, just wait until you get bored and play in the android market. While waiting for thanksgiving dinner, topics of old school toys came up. My nieces were confused about them, so I downloaded a speak-n-spell, an etch-a-sketch, and Super Mario Brothers (for myself) for free. I also downloaded a Super Mario Brothers soundboard and assigned the sounds from that game to my phone. Be careful of the apps tho, don't download the one's that have less than 4 stars.
I have to say this phone is the greatest toy I have ever owned.
Black Dog
11-30-2010, 08:10 PM
Blackdog - go to Radio Shack and get the heavy duty screen protector and the rubberish case. It keeps the phone from sliding all around.
I got the Seidio Innocase Rugged (http://www.amazon.com/Seidio-Innocase-Rugged-Holster-Combo/dp/B003SNIRCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291165371&sr=8-1). It comes with a screen protector and the rest of it seems pretty tough. It's a 3-part case that consists of the standard Innocase II with a silicone cover over that and a 'skeleton' that keeps the silicone in place. Also a belt holster that faces the screen inward so it won't get damaged. I think the only better case out there might be the Otterbox. I'm hard on things like this so needed the extra protection. It also makes the phone easier for me to hold since the silicone gives it some grip. I've only had one drop on concrete so far. It bounced a couple times but the phone is fine.
Actually, if your phone uses the 'new' Gorilla Glass, you can forget screen protectors. I know our new Samsung Captivate ($600, still on sale for just 1 cent! (http://wireless.amazon.com/Samsung-Captivate-Android-Phone-AT/dp/B003TLMQG8/ref=sh_br_ph_1)) uses it.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/1962-glass-could-be-Cornings-apf-978849301.html?x=0
http://vimeo.com/8602963
I know against all advice I took the insurance policy because of the price of the phone, the Android market, etc. I wanted to be sure things weren't going to go wrong with the phone or if I broke or lost it.
Chutney Daftcraft
12-01-2010, 11:45 AM
I took the insurance out on it, too. At ten a month, it will be 240 dollars during the 2 year contract, or 40 more than I paid.
No deductible because I got it from Best Buy. It's worth it to me, because I do NOT want to spend 600 bucks replacing it if something should happen to it while under contract. But I would spend 200 and buy another one if I broke it, so I figured it's better than nothing.
Insurance on cell phones is a vast subject all it's own. Bottom line, they offer it because they make a profit on it. If nothing happens to it in two years, you pay double for it. So what if they had offered it for half price with no insurance? Oh wait, they did. Makes my head hurt. Especially when ours only cost $0.01.
Chutney Daftcraft
12-01-2010, 03:31 PM
The problem with the 1 cent phone is that it's actually 250 dollars, you get the discount because you sign an agreement. Once you're in an agreement period, you can't sign another until you are eligible to. Therefore, to replace that 1 cent cell phone would cost you much money.
I normally would not have done it, as I never cared about my cell phones in the past. I could always replace them with a 'free and clear' used one off ebay for a decent price. I know that will not be the case for the EVO for quite a while, so I went ahead and did it. Mine is a no questions asked policy, so I can walk into their store, hit it with a hammer right in front of them, and they'll issue me a new or 'reconditioned' one.
Spending 440 for this phone is better to me than the chance of spending 200, then spending 500 on a replacement for it.
Not quite. Since we had to add a data plan for the smartphone, it's $25*24 or $600 - exactly the full retail price. I have no idea why America still allows these types of price coverups when every other country on the planet is smart enough to outlaw them.
Anyway, I think we'll go with the Safeware warranty. $6.17/mo ($148/2 years), $50 deductible, $500 coverage, any failure/damage/theft/loss.
kkrapf
12-02-2010, 05:24 AM
Great app rec, Tony. I'd stopped using the forum on my iPod because the resizing was such a pain. Tapatalk seems to work great.
As a user who damaged two phones last year, I now know what a hassle it is and how expensive it is to replace a phone when you are not in a renewal period.
PS I should have purchased my insurance through Radio Shack but I would have had to pay the whole contract price up front and I just didn't have the cash.
Great app rec, Tony. I'd stopped using the forum on my iPod because the resizing was such a pain. Tapatalk seems to work great.Actually it was Black Dog that finally came out and asked for it, so credit where it's due. FWIW, the new version of Vbulletin is building in a mobile version so it may not be necessary to use Tapatalk too much longer; we'll see.
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