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Why the iPad’s user agent string presents a problem
Apple marketed the iPad at launch as an internet device designed for the full web. So why then are they explicitly classifying it as a mobile device?Read the story »
The web on tablets: How the iPad has immediately changed web development
Whether you are for or against it, the iPad has hit, and within days it has changed perspectives on how the web will be developed now and in the near future. Major outlets like The New York Times have modified their development strategies to fit this new user case. Will this be a continuing trend? Will 'iPad friendly' development become a new standard? Or will it all subside and iPad users will still be left with broken pages across the web on their devices? In my opinion, it'll wind up somewhere in the middle.
Why the iPad’s user agent string presents a problem
Note: This post has been getting a fair amount of traffic. I originally posted this directly after launch, and subsequently it contained outdated information from what is now known from the final release of OS 3.2. I originally had left the original post info for the sake of blogging/ journalistic integrity, however after three revisions because of newer info, I decided to strip the clutter of invalid content. Having said my disclaimer, below is the revised new post, and here is the release version of the iPad UA string as of 4/6/10, pulled directly from my 32GB wifi model:
Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B367 Safari/531.21.10
more after the break.
Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t convertible netbook now available
Lenovo announced the new Ideapad S10-3t convertible netbook (engadget) at CES last week, and it is now available for purchase at lenovo.com. Featuring a first of its kind capacitive touchscreen on a convertible netbook, it is priced between $549 and $649, and runs on Intel's new Pinetrail Atom processors with Windows 7 starter or Home Premium.
This offering from Lenovo is likely to be the first of a new trend of convertible capacitive touch Windows 7 netbooks, bridging the gap between the new slate form factor (engadget) and the recent but well established netbook form factor. Windows Touch, the new multi-touch UI built into Windows 7, has been hampered thus far due to minimal hardware support and a non existent touch application sofware library. Hardware appears to be on track for a big year in 2010, but, as with all new and useful hardware technologies, it's useless without solid software to justify it. Hopefully the beta app store announced by Intel for Atom based devices pans out and provides a consolidated place for these new Touch devices to thrive.
If the rumours about the forthcoming Apple tablet device hold true and it runs the iPhone OS rather than full blown OS X, these PC devices will fill a nice niche of their own, blending a mix of full OS flexibility with mobile app convenience. A compromise for most, but something that many business users will lean toward when 'apps' don't always cut it.
Jeff dePascale is a web and mobile applications professional based in Fairfield County, CT.
