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Mobile-friendly forums launched

Jan 24, 2013 at 20:50:21 GMT

SITE NEWS FORUMS

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We're delighted to be able to announce the introduction of mobile-optimized access to our forums. The mobile forums are one of the benefits that have been made possible by the new forums code we introduced in October 2012. This first release of the mobile forums supports the majority of full forum features, including both flat and threaded views - with the last-used format persisting when you next visit. We'll be building on the feature set in the coming months.

The mobile forums have a dedicated posting panel that should make it easier to post from mobile devices. At present this is plain text only and there is no option to edit quoted text if you choose to 'Reply with quote,' but this is just one of the areas in which we plan to expand the site's capabilities in the near future. This will include the ability to upload images from your mobile device.


The forum list should look familiar	Each forum page will show the 30 most recent threads

Alongside the mobile version of the forums is a mobile-optimized version of user profiles - which appears as an option on the main menu - to make it easier to keep track of the comments and forum posts you've made.


The forum can be viewed in either Flat or Threaded view	This is the Threaded view. Note the sticky title bar to simplify navigation.

Comments

Total comments: 103

Is there a way to search the forums from the mobile site? I haven't found a way to do that yet.

0 upvotes

Thanks for this - looks great on a Nokia 920

0 upvotes

I just wish DPR would fix the regular site's forums on Google Chrome (mac), my main web browser. I sent a note via Feedback, but the layout is completely broken and unusable.

Congrats on the new mobile forums. Please fix the forum on Chrome (mac) on the non-mobile site. Thanks.

0 upvotes

We are using the forums on mac chrome without issue, can you PM any more details about the issues? Would be glad to try and troubleshoot with you.

0 upvotes

very nice, but .... the sign for photo in each thread should be added. Not vivible on my HTC S anyway ....

0 upvotes

It's about time. Thanks!

Looks great in portrait mode but the text is far too large in landscape mode (Galaxy S Advance) Might just be my phone though...

0 upvotes

Works nice with the Nexus One using voice input.

0 upvotes

Don't like it with IPad 3.

0 upvotes

You have my appreciation -- the new layout is much easier to use. Thanks.

0 upvotes

Hmm, I see no change on my Nexus 7 unless I use the Dolphin browser and force it to 'iphone' user agent. Chrome and Firefox still look the same as before.

0 upvotes

Go to m.dpreview.com
Works fine on the nexus 7 (using it now).

0 upvotes

If your browser isn't auto-detected as being on a mobile device, you can always tap the "Mobile site" link at the bottom of every page.

0 upvotes

I hope you'd make the title bar a bit thinner. It consumes too much screen space IMO. Thanks!

0 upvotes

PC are becoming obsolete so this is a great change and just in time for me and for my stolen laptop.

0 upvotes

Excellent news, I've been slowly neglecting them because of that.

0 upvotes

Good job: it works with my Android Motorola Razr.

No complains so far. Thanks

0 upvotes

Now we just need a forum optimized for PC users. The combination of font and colors chosen means that the list of topics is very near unreadable. I guess I should be thankful for not wasting my time here anymore :)

Niels

0 upvotes

Good Job! Works excellent on iphone.

Can't expand on the viewed images though... how about you droid users? Does that function work for you?

0 upvotes

it's not currently supported. We will be adding features one at a time. And they'll be tested first :)

2 upvotes

Very Nice. Works well on my Samsung Galaxy S2..

0 upvotes

Nice, Galaxy S3

0 upvotes

Now all dpreview needs is people friendly forums.

5 upvotes

...or more friendly people :-)

1 upvote

Yeah, that's what I meant, Mark!

2 upvotes

And preferably forums using common software so that popular generic forum apps like Tapatalk can be used.

Can't understand why DPR still clings to their antiquated in-house software probably written by Phil Askey back 10+ years ago.

2 upvotes

Thank you for illustrating my point nicely.

2 upvotes

Because I may want to post something on a silly thread about "equivalent aperture on 4/3 cameras" any time of the day, wherever I am, whoever I am with and whatever I'm doing. It's that urgent. Thank you guys.
PS Vodafone wants to thank you on my behalf, too.

1 upvote

? they you have alway has access to the forums via your phone. This one is just a phone version now vs the desktop.
Due to your comment in the first place, im sure you will post a thread like that. you comment right now is half way there.

0 upvotes

«? they you have alway has access». Could you say it again, please, sir?
I'm afraid all this wonderful technology doesn't do much for your spelling and grammar...

Comment edited 9 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Works pretty good on my blackberry 9790.

0 upvotes

Congratulations and many thanks. Works well on my Android phone.
Michael

0 upvotes

Welcome to 2009 DPreview! :-)

2 upvotes

Just testing and to record my hugh appreciation towards this effort from the DPreview team.

This post is made from my itsy bitsy teeny HTC desire C running ICS -- Cheers TKH ت

1 upvote

Tested, it works well on my iPhone.

One thing I really miss: the ability to navigate straight to the last post of a thread (as I usually do on the main site). Very painful when you just want to check the last messages in a long thread, you have to navigate all the way from the beginning each time.

Second: I miss the "picture" icon on threads that I see the main site. I like to check in priority threads containing pictures (isn't photography about taking pictures? :-)) and dońt care much about gear talk.

0 upvotes

Clicking on the time-link to the right of the Forum thread title ("1 hour ago", "2 days ago" etc.) should get you to the latest post there. It works on the computer, I presume it'll work on your mobile too...

0 upvotes

That´s the point, it does not work on the mobile version.

0 upvotes

The mobile version of the forum is welcome.
The text editing on iPhone and iPad is still seriously broken since the introduction of your "improved" editor.

2 upvotes

That's good stuff. I'm not a big mobile user but this will be great for the occasional boring train journey.

0 upvotes

Thanks DPR Team!

The forum looks great on my Asus Transformer. Really easy to use and navigate.

Much appreciated.

0 upvotes

Maybe the inclined user might give a serious feedback on usability at different screen resolutions ?

0 upvotes

The "reply with quote" doesn't work on my iPad2 : I get the same window as with the "reply to" feature : there is no quoted message, just an empty editor window.

By the way : I don't want to use the dumbed down mobile version with a big iPad display, I just want you to disable your damned spellchecker from the desktop version when you detect a mobile device is using it. It shouldn't be that difficult ? Or is it ?

1 upvote

We don't have a spell checker. Your device might do, but there's not a lot we can do about that.

1 upvote

How comes then that I'm only getting these problems when using your text editor : I don't have it in other applications, whether Pages, the mail editor, other forums, not even here at DPreview in the Comments section, but only with your new text editor for the forums ?
I thought that a spellchecker was among the new additions you had announced for the new text editor ?
Anyway, it is extremely noyous and reading these comments I discovered that Android tablets are concerned too.

0 upvotes

Great work folks!

Tried it on my Nokia E71 phone using Opera Mini as a browser and it works like a charm.

1 upvote

It's highly appreciated, altough most of us dream about Tapatalk support. That would be a breakthrough in usability.

1 upvote

Brilliant! I just need smaller fingers so I can input on my weedy mobile keyboard.... :))

0 upvotes

Great!! I've been hoping for this.

0 upvotes

About time, also I tried in desktop view of site to upload some photos using my android phone to gallery and was refused because of adobe flash plugin that is not present on android phones now. That need to be fixed also.

0 upvotes

Agreed. Need to dump flash and move to html5. There are millions of Apple devices that don't support it.

Comment edited 15 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Thank you, DPReview. Now, if only I can learn to type on my tablet.

Comment edited 11 seconds after posting

1 upvote

Unfortunately I have to use a Blackberry and the forum menus do not work - pressing the menu button does nothing.

0 upvotes

Probably the new BB10 will work. Boy does it look awesome too! :)

0 upvotes

Is there a way to know in which post I’m in threaded view? While reading on my PC, the current post is highlighted in black. Not on mobile device. Any advice?

0 upvotes

Looks great, thanks! It is nice to be able to use my phone's speech recognition software To dictate my posts. It is way better than typing on the little useless keypad. But people give me strange looks when I'm talking to my phone.

1 upvote

god damnt I hate "mobile friendly" sites

6 upvotes

Seems a wee bit harsh...

0 upvotes

THIS. Please keep the mobile version optional. I like that DPR allows Desktop version at the bottom. I hate forums that force Mobile view.

3 upvotes

They don't force it. All web sites check and use the "User Agent" that is set in your mobile browser.

You can change this yourself from Android to Desktop or similar in the browser's settings. It's sometimes abbreviated to "UA".

1 upvote

Wow......I never access the site on a desktop, only use my iPhone......in fact I rarely browse the net on my PC at all these days..........the phone is just too handy!

0 upvotes

Well gosh darn it Starshot, don't visit when on your mobile device.

0 upvotes

Me too. And anything digital or that was invented after the Vietnam war. And people.

0 upvotes

Looks nice on the Nexus 4.

0 upvotes

Nice. Much appreciated.

0 upvotes

Awesome! Many thanks

0 upvotes

Thank you with a caveat: Ivam having to use the desktop version for reading, and then switch to the mobile version to reply, due to the massive difference in functionality.

Wouldn't it be a good compromise to fix the desktop edit box so it works for all Android versions 2.3.4+?

I gave no trouble posting comments in your desktop news story comments and private messages so one could surmise it would be if excellent value to your readers (and advertisers) for this to be fixed.

Especially with the preponderance of tablets and large-screen mobile phones, the desktop view will remain highly relevant for mobile devices.

Thank you for the update though, beggars can't be choosers! ;)

0 upvotes

@ Chillgreg
It is not restricted to Android tablets, iPads users have got the same problem : we have to choose between two pains, either the dumbed down version without the damned spellcheckers, or the full and more enjoyable version with the damned spellchecker playing games at you and creating havoc with your writings.
Please DPreview : disable your own spellcheckers when a mobile device is detected on your desktop version.
Tablets owners are the great loosers of the recent site upgrades. And it is going so since several months now.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

What spell checker? I didn't realise DPR had a spell checker. My spelling must be so good it has never needed to alert me :-)

0 upvotes

rrr_hhh, there is no spell checker on the DPR forums, it's on the iPad. I've not really had any problems with the forums on my iPad2 and iOS 6.

0 upvotes

@ Mark B

I'm also using an iPad2 with the last IOS 6. There are no problems with the "comments section", only with the new wysiwyg text editor used for the forums. The problems appeared when they introduced the new text editor, but it isn't yet used for the comments section, if my memory serves me well.
Andy Westlake said there was no spellchecker involved..

So I don't know where the problem lies, but for sure there is a problem.
Try typing the beginning of a sentence, then change your mind and erase the last word : the spellchecker will then play havoc, combining the last remaining word with both the one you erased and the new letters. Sometimes you have to erase things three times before you get what you want. My iPad is becoming less sensitive to the keys and frequently misses I, O, P or H, then aaackkk ! The spellchecker comes into play and introduces a weird word.. Erase it and the nightmare begins again.
I repeat : I don't have any problem with other apps or forums.

0 upvotes

@ Mark B

Which browser are you using ? I'm using Safari.
Or may be that you have disabled your device spellchecker ? I don't want to do that, because the spell checker usually works well with all other apps and because I'm not a native English speaker.

0 upvotes

@ rrr_hhh

I'm using Safari, the spell checker is not disabled.

0 upvotes

Okay -- how do I get it?

0 upvotes

Just visit dpreview.com from your mobile device. It should take you to the mobile site automatically. If not, there's a link to the mobile site at the bottom of every page.

0 upvotes

Thank you, Josh. I should have known.

0 upvotes

Domo arigato.

1 upvote

Excellent, great job guys - looks fantastic :)

0 upvotes

Simply... thank you, thank you, thank you!

0 upvotes

I've been looking forward to this. Thank you.

0 upvotes

I can read the forums on my Nook Color without having to play pinch and spread to make the tiny text readable Thanks!

0 upvotes

Excellent. Great news.

0 upvotes

I might just spend more time on DP Review when 'Nature' calls.

4 upvotes

Good to know. There's a splash-proof version of the site in our development plans for Q2.

13 upvotes

They should branch it off like Connect and brand it Doo Pee Review.

1 upvote

Don't make me wear an o-ring. That's where I draw the line. Good work, guys. Participating in forums is exactly the sort of activity I like doing on my phone.

0 upvotes

@graybalanced lmao lol that's so funny I love it! :D

0 upvotes

Best comment so far. And the replies are not too far behind :)

0 upvotes

Total comments: 103


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