Quill Depot Posted January 17, 2013 #2 Posted January 17, 2013 Wat is so special? Not like it's an app or anything. I don't get this technology, iPhone, Android.
SevenEleven Posted January 18, 2013 #5 Posted January 18, 2013 Wat is so special? Not like it's an app or anything. I don't get this technology, iPhone, Android. Well if you had an Android phone, you would know that the already existing site didn't work properly with the browser.
poughkipsee Posted January 18, 2013 #6 Posted January 18, 2013 Sweet! I love this stuff. Bus Time + Subway Time = awesomeness
CenSin Posted January 18, 2013 #7 Posted January 18, 2013 http://onthego.mta.info/ Really? An entirely new URL for a specific platform and browser? Why not use the User Agent string to detect the operating system and browser and respond to the query appropriately?
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted January 18, 2013 Author #8 Posted January 18, 2013 Really? An entirely new URL for a specific platform and browser? Why not use the User Agent string to detect the operating system and browser and respond to the query appropriately? Actually iPhones can use the site as well. They should've just had this site before rather than creating an app for iPhones first and nothing for Androids. With this site you actually have everything you need if you're on the go which is actually great. If you need a MetroCard for example and you're not near a subway, you tap that link and then you can simply use your location to pull up stores nearby that carry the Metrocard that you need.
CenSin Posted January 18, 2013 #9 Posted January 18, 2013 Actually iPhones can use the site as well. They should've just had this site before rather than creating an app for iPhones first and nothing for Androids. With this site you actually have everything you need if you're on the go which is actually great. If you need a MetroCard for example and you're not near a subway, you tap that link and then you can simply use your location to pull up stores nearby that carry the Metrocard that you need. It's a website; it obviously works with any device. The problem is the inflexibility that it causes to designate a specific URL for smartphones. For example, I use Firefox and I have a few MTA links bookmarked. These bookmarks are synced so that I see the same items on my desktop and mobile browser. Having two links to bookmark for the same end-purpose now makes me clutter up my bookmarks list. Twice the amount of memory (on the computer and in my brain) used for one task. They need to have one URL for all devices—desktop, smartphone, tablet, console, etc. The MTA's site is already dynamically generated (or so it appears to be);conditionally outputting parts of the page based on the browser and operating system being used is trivial. EDIT: I also find it amusing that "onthego" adds 8 additional characters to the URL that I have to type when typing is more difficult on a smartphone than a desktop.
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted January 19, 2013 Author #10 Posted January 19, 2013 It's a website; it obviously works with any device. The problem is the inflexibility that it causes to designate a specific URL for smartphones. For example, I use Firefox and I have a few MTA links bookmarked. These bookmarks are synced so that I see the same items on my desktop and mobile browser. Having two links to bookmark for the same end-purpose now makes me clutter up my bookmarks list. Twice the amount of memory (on the computer and in my brain) used for one task. They need to have one URL for all devices—desktop, smartphone, tablet, console, etc. The MTA's site is already dynamically generated (or so it appears to be);conditionally outputting parts of the page based on the browser and operating system being used is trivial. EDIT: I also find it amusing that "onthego" adds 8 additional characters to the URL that I have to type when typing is more difficult on a smartphone than a desktop. Not necessarily the case...
CenSin Posted January 19, 2013 #11 Posted January 19, 2013 Not necessarily the case... By "works," I mean it can be loaded. Try putting an APK (an Android app file) in an iPhone; the iPhone will not even know what it is. An website on the other hand, is cross-platform (since any platform with a browser can use it), provided the developers wire the logic and style it correctly to make it user-friendly. The MTA site has always worked with smartphones; it just wasn't user-friendly. Visit Microsoft.com on your mobile device. You have the same URL in the address bar shown for the desktop, smartphone, and tablet. It's one website with adaptable formatting.
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted January 19, 2013 Author #12 Posted January 19, 2013 By "works," I mean it can be loaded. Try putting an APK (an Android app file) in an iPhone; the iPhone will not even know what it is. An website on the other hand, is cross-platform (since any platform with a browser can use it), provided the developers wire the logic and style it correctly to make it user-friendly. The MTA site has always worked with smartphones; it just wasn't user-friendly. Visit Microsoft.com on your mobile device. You have the same URL in the address bar shown for the desktop, smartphone, and tablet. It's one website with adaptable formatting. That was my point... I meant that the links aren't always user friendly for smartphones. I've been complaining to the Bus Time team to add a scrollbar to their desktop version when used on Androids so that I can fully use the desktop version on my phone and they keep asking why I can't just use the mobile version? I told them that the whole purpose of a smartphone is to enjoy the full features of the phone and the mobile version is much more of a hassle.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.