mobile app for this forum?

[ksb]

Is there a mobile app for android devices available for this forum?

currently using a mobile app for Fiberglassrv.com but cannot find one for this site. thanks.

[Brian B-P]

FiberglassRV and the Escape Forum use the same software (although at slightly different revisions): vBulletin. It should certainly be possible to use the same app, but I don't know if this forum is set up to support that.

[fudge_brownie]

It would be nice if the forum owners saw fit to offer the mobile app with this forum. It is pretty well tested and seems well accepted on fiberglassrv.

[Janet H]

We have one planned and in the works. Look for an announcement in the next few weeks

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Janet H

We have one planned and in the works. Look for an announcement in the next few weeks

Um....YAY!

And maybe a better set of smileys too?

[KarenH]

I know I'm a Neanderthal when it comes to mobile applications (not even having had a cell phone until I got my trailer and still only using it when camping), but what does an application do that just going to the website doesn't on an Android or any mobile device? I've never had a problem with the site with my Android tablet.

[gbaglo]

I believe the App is tuned to reduce the amount of data that is transmitted, so you can afford to view the site on your data plan.

[fudge_brownie]

The site is OK with a tablet but viewing this site on a phone is not easy. It is all a matter of real estate. The app is not as good as the full web site, they have to cut corners to make it fit. It is great for reading, poor for responding, poor for searching (mostly because there is no Google search option) but it keeps track of what you viewed just like the big site.

I think the reading of posts is easier on the app than the full site, it is easy to flick through the posts with your thumb while holding the phone. Overall I think it is a good experience. Would I want to post a classified using the phone, No!

[Jim Bennett]

The mobile app is set up in a format easier to navigate and view on a phone (no need to zoom). A tablet is larger, thus using the full site version works better than on a phone. I have viewed this site a few times with my phone, and it works, I just end up doing a lot of zooming in.

[Brian B-P]

I agree with the last three posts about the app versus website use. For FiberglassRV, I only use the website on my 10-inch tablet, because I find this app (like most others) unnecessarily limiting; on a phone-sized screen it would be a different situation.

[Brian B-P]

Also, some apps are really just shortcuts to a version of the website optimized for mobile use. I would be happy with that, as long as it does not lock me into using only the mobile site on my tablet.

[KarenH]

Since I don't even have a data plan (phone or otherwise) and use Wi-Fi for my tablet, I'm good to go. But thank you all for the informative response!

[LeonardS]

It certainly is easier to use the zoom function on my iPhone using the full application. On FGRV while using the app on the phone I'm set in using one font size and my eyes sometimes aren't up to it.

That being said, apps are generally way more efficient users of bandwidth and processor resources. They don't have a whole browser running in the background, with all that capability, just for looking at posts.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by LeonardS

That being said, apps are generally way more efficient users of bandwidth and processor resources. They don't have a whole browser running in the background, with all that capability, just for looking at posts.

I doubt that the browser consumes significant processor resources if given nothing excess to display. The advantage of an app is largely that they are typically free of excessive junk (images and other graphics, animated decorations), while web pages are often plagued by junk.

In addition to typically being designed for smaller or lower-resolution display, the "mobile" version of web pages often have the advantage of less extraneous junk. For these forums, I think an optimized-for-mobile web page would work well; there really isn't anything for the app to do other than display what a browser would.

One advantage of an app is that the code is downloaded only when the app is installed (or updated), not every time a page is loaded. Watch for "web apps" (particularly in iOS) which are just web pages (often with a lot of code) running in a browser window without "chrome" (the address bar and other visible evidence of the browser), represented by an icon on your mobile device.

[fudge_brownie]

Any news on the planned app for the Escape forum?

[Route 66]

The Escape forum is on the list to get the Tapatalk app, but it will be a bit longer before it's activated. Sorry for the delay.

[fudge_brownie]

Any news on the app for the Escape Forum?

[Jim Bennett]

It sure would be nice, eh?

Oh, and a new set of nicer smilies, more like the ones at FGRV while we are placing order, too.

[fudge_brownie]

Since this is a forum for people who travel. And travel to out of the way locations without wifi, the only means to read the forum is using a phone with a data connection. I believe it has been well described how difficult the "regular" site is on a phone, a mobile version would be most welcome.

[J Mac]

I will always prefer 'full site' to 'app site'. I can't see what the fuss is all about. The Fibreglass RV site is easier to manage (for me anyway) in full site than in app.