Produce Web Pages for Optimal Performance on Handheld Computers
Handheld computers seem to be everywhere and it is common for
most business professionals to own and utilize one. The
increasing number of handheld device users also made many
companies aware of some of the possibilities that are not yet
exploited to their full potential. The connection between the
palm pilots and the internet came naturally, and many companies
who owned websites found out that the handheld device is a niche
market worthy of investment.
Handheld devices are small and light and their portability is
far greater than that of a laptop. Various tools are now
available for users to download a web page to their organizer
and browse through it offline. The most common form of
connecting is by downloading the HTML files from the website and
using them on the palm pilot. There are several advantages to
using web resources on a handheld device: you and your business
partners can synchronize data precisely, get fast and accurate
information 24 hours a day, and you can send you clients updated
news and events regarding your company.
When optimizing your site for handheld computer downloads,
remember to aim for the essential information and remove any
"clutter". This mainly refers to important strings of data or
information that is accessed most frequently. It is valuable to
know your precise target audience and fine tune your website to
fit their needs. As a general rule, the information you feel the
need to highlight on your website should also receive the best
handheld device optimization.
Remember that the memory and storage capacity of handheld
computers is low. Try to channel vital information without
excess words, tables or graphics. There is a big change from
your 21" computer screen to the small organizer screen. Keep
that in mind and organize information by relevancy rather than
aesthetic concerns. If you have to use images, make sure they
fit the small device screen, as scrolling down to see an image
is often annoying. Also remember that graphics take longer to
download than plain text.
Of course, when you have dozens of pages of information that you
find relevant to organize and reduce to handheld computer
specifications, some cuts will have to be made. Try to keep the
application for the handheld device screen compact, without
excessive scrolling. Instead, use links to facilitate access to
various parts of the information. Setting and respecting a basic
and logical hierarchy is essential as this will allow your users
to navigate intuitively and without having to spend a lot of
time looking for a particular piece of information.
Some final efforts should be put in optimizing the text for the
handheld computer. Keep in mind that the most frequent fonts
used by handheld devices are from the Latin 1 set of characters.
The accompanying graphics should also be reworked from the ones
you have. Sometimes, however, a simple resize will not produce
good results, and pixel by pixel manipulation might be required.
However, with a little time and effort your website can offer
some of the best-optimized pages for handheld computers.