Maximum PC

Maybe I'm just missing it somewhere but is there a version of the MaxPC website optimized for mobile viewing? I'd sure like a simplified mobile version to access from my smartphone, like Anandtech or Engadget have...

Is this a dated "smart" phone? The new ones browse just like you do on a PC while the old ones (like my old HTC Touch) need simplified pages to be used correctly. I don't think they'll adjust for older phones with web abilities...just my n00b opinion.

It's an iPhone 3G; I don't have any problem viewing the MaxPC site in the web browser. But some other sites (Anandtech, iLounge, Engadget, Digg, etc.) have websites formatted for mobile browsers that read better on a small screen. Usually the website automatically detects I'm on a smartphone and directs me to the mobile page. I'm just surprised that MaxPC doesn't seem to have this.

I think the reformatting of web page was a passing fad.

Honestly, it is more accurate to say that I really hope that it was a passing fad.

A decent mobile browser, like the default browser found on HTC's new phones, can easily handle and display web pages. I can zoom into the text to a comfortable size for reading and the browser reformats the page appropriately. This ability is (relatively) new .. it requires some processing power and some good coding .. and it removes the need for pages formatted for a small screen.

In the end, we don't want to be dependent on the content providers to produce multiple versions of the same page for different modes of consumption. The resources spent on formatting a m.maximumpc.com are better spent producing more content.

Reformatting was necessary when phones were unable to do it on the fly ... and now they are.

I could be wrong, though.

I own an iPhone 3G, and other than it being ridiculously slow, I don't have any issues browsing any site either.

Well, I didn't mean that I have a technical issue with viewing the MaxPC web site on my iPhone, it renders web pages just fine. But try using your iPhone/Android/whatever to visit one of the other sites I mentioned and see if you don't agree it's just faster...sometimes I just want to quickly visit a site to see if anything new and interesting has been posted; it's a lot quicker and easier to get a simplified listing of the new articles than to have to zoom into the full site and pan around. It also loads a lot faster, whether you're on 3G or WiFi. And if I see an interesting article to click on, I'm fine with it taking me to the full web page. You don't have to format the entire site, just a portal page.

Why wouldn't we want the content providers to format their site for mobile devices? (Of course I don't maintain websites; easy for me to say!) The fact of the matter is, I visit AnandTech and Engadget many more times daily than I do MacPC, TechReport, HardOCP, etc., because it is quicker and easier for me to check up on the news using their mobile sites. Same with CNN, MSNBC, Amazon, Digg, iLounge, NewEgg, Expedia, etc., all of which all have mobile sites. But to each their own, maybe I'm just funny that way!

I was kind of hoping someone from the MaxPC staff might step in and say whether or not they plan on ever creating a mobile version...but oh well.

Oh, I understand .. and sites designed for mobile use are faster and cleaner.

As for MPC staffers ... Nedwards might chime in ... he's pretty much the only staff member who pays attention to the forums.

I also have an iPhone 3G and have used it to browse sites that have alternate formats for mobile devices.

My preference is to actually view the full site. It just seems like you lose some features when you view the mobile versions.

Once you get used to doing the two finger zoom in navigating full webpages is quite easy.

Same here. On the mobile versions of the sites everything is big and too sparse and I find myself scrolling waaay too much. Whereas in the full site, to maximize a text box in the page, all I have to do is double-tap.