Yesterday, I was going through the PHP Classes site and found this class mobile_user_agent which will predominantly tell you if the user is browsing from a mobile phone. This written class had embedded in it almost all the major mobile based browser details and a clean code for parsing the user agent , mobile manufacturer details and even the screen resolution for some of the models.
However, the data needs to be updated. I mean the class was written somewhere in 2005. There are still further models of phones which are not included into the parsing elements.
I tried to look into the class and do some updating but my coding is weak in preg_match and thought it might be useful to give an update to the community that there is a need for it to get improved.
That said, if any one is interested, i will be able to give the updating user agent strings for some models of phones like (G1 from google, Iphone , BlackBerry).. These were not predominant at that time but now majority of the mobile users browsing the internet are into these phones.
http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/2000.html
The basic package was found here.. on this link
Need for mobile user agent class
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Re: Need for mobile user agent class
forget it. its just not worth it.
there is no way to keep up with the mobile pace this way.
a protocol has to be and i suspect probably will be specified for mobile access and PDAs.
user agent info is a very primitive way to do it. websites protocols just have to wake up
and provide more meaningful interfacing. there are many more (10:1) mobile users than internet users.
there is no way to keep up with the mobile pace this way.
a protocol has to be and i suspect probably will be specified for mobile access and PDAs.
user agent info is a very primitive way to do it. websites protocols just have to wake up
and provide more meaningful interfacing. there are many more (10:1) mobile users than internet users.
Re: Need for mobile user agent class
I agree that the number of mobiles to internet users (10:1) is right. But how many of these mobile users have in built browsers and internet facility? i guess very less. So there is still hope. and yaa its a primitive way to know if the user is from a mobile. There needs to be a standard for them too. I believe this will be taken care in further standards of protocols
Re: Need for mobile user agent class
well, all future mobiles will be allocated their own IP address. presently they are allocated dynamic IP.susrisha wrote:I agree that the number of mobiles to internet users (10:1) is right. But how many of these mobile users have in built browsers and internet facility? i guess very less.
built in browsers and internetworking is standard, much the same ways as wifi is standard on new pcs and notebooks. as i said, this isn't the way to catch up with mobiles.
hope for what exactly ? i am not sure i understand you.susrisha wrote:But how many of these mobile users have in built browsers and internet facility? i guess very less. So there is still hope.
and no one wants a mobile without internet access, even if they do not use it. why i don't know, people are like that. it's a 'just in case' thing. of course if you are talking about previous generation of mobiles, yes they do not have browser and interneting, but then if they do not have internet access capability why on earth you want to bother about mobile user agents in the first place ?
Re: Need for mobile user agent class
Last edited by VladSun on Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Need for mobile user agent class
nice and neat implementation. but for what other than make special cases for web-crippled mobile devices, i don't know.
what i was hoping for, and what i am saying is that mobile user agent class isn't a 'wow' thing for us to use.
if only the mobile manufacturers would allow access to their applicatiomn software, *that* would open up a new industry for servers. even an internet enabled snake game on a nokia would be cool. as of now, just knowing the user coming on to the website is a mobile user is not much worth.
on the other end of the spectrum, mobile manufcaturers are making higher resolution screens and more browser friendly, it will come to a stage mobile experience on a website will be not different from home pc experience, technical and standards wise, only on a much smaller scale. and when it come to this stage, all the effort so to identify and differentiate mobile devices would be just time wasted. it is better therefore, in my opinion, we prepare more meaningful applications for mobile use on server, and that is what i feel severely lacking now.
my own journey into this has been most frustrating, maybe too soon. so i am just letting people know of that.
thanks for the link, very nice library.
what i was hoping for, and what i am saying is that mobile user agent class isn't a 'wow' thing for us to use.
if only the mobile manufacturers would allow access to their applicatiomn software, *that* would open up a new industry for servers. even an internet enabled snake game on a nokia would be cool. as of now, just knowing the user coming on to the website is a mobile user is not much worth.
on the other end of the spectrum, mobile manufcaturers are making higher resolution screens and more browser friendly, it will come to a stage mobile experience on a website will be not different from home pc experience, technical and standards wise, only on a much smaller scale. and when it come to this stage, all the effort so to identify and differentiate mobile devices would be just time wasted. it is better therefore, in my opinion, we prepare more meaningful applications for mobile use on server, and that is what i feel severely lacking now.
my own journey into this has been most frustrating, maybe too soon. so i am just letting people know of that.
thanks for the link, very nice library.