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Author Topic:   Anyone heard of Tapatalk?
Admin
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From: EvC Forum
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Message 1 of 11 (794232)
11-11-2016 8:01 PM


I've been planning on eventually taking EvC Forum mobile. I've been researching this off and on and just came across a mobile app called Tapatalk. A couple questions:
  1. Anyone ever used Tapatalk?
  2. Are there any similar/equivalent apps out there?

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

Replies to this message:
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PaulK
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Message 2 of 11 (794236)
11-12-2016 2:52 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Admin
11-11-2016 8:01 PM


I've heard of it, but not much more. As it is the only thing in that area that I have heard of, I rather think it's the big name in that particular field.

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jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 3 of 11 (794240)
11-12-2016 7:25 AM


I've heard of it, downloaded it to a phone but never understood what it is supposed to do or why I should use it.

My Sister's Website: Rose Hill Studios My Website: My Website

  
JonF
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Message 4 of 11 (794242)
11-12-2016 7:44 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Admin
11-11-2016 8:01 PM


I've used it. It is better than a browser for visiting an appropriately coded forum. But I do so very rarely on my phone so I'm not a heavy user.

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Admin
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From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.1


Message 5 of 11 (794407)
11-15-2016 8:51 AM


Thanks for the responses. Maybe I can get some feedback.
There are three ways I can move forward in the mobile space:
  • Implement dBoard apps for both iOS and Android.
  • Take advantage of the Tapatalk app or a competitor.
  • Provide better browser support for mobile devices. This would involve larger buttons and some different formatting. The non-mobile version of the website would remain mostly unchanged.
I'm leaning toward #3. I'd appreciate hearing any opinions people have.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

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jar
Member (Idle past 384 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


(1)
Message 6 of 11 (794408)
11-15-2016 8:57 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by Admin
11-15-2016 8:51 AM


Well, my mobile phone is Microsoft OS and I really don't plan on changing the OS unless forced to.
As I said above, I have TapaTalk on the mobile phone but never found it useful. In addition TapaTalk seems to limit access to many functions of other boards. Lots of folk saying "I can't do that through TapaTalk". That leaves number three as my preferred option BUT I will tell you I almost never access websites using a phone except to check layout and function.

My Sister's Website: Rose Hill Studios My Website: My Website

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Tangle
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Message 7 of 11 (794413)
11-15-2016 10:47 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by Admin
11-15-2016 8:51 AM


Several forii that I belong to harass me to use tapatalk but I'm not interested in yet another app on my phone and tablet.
I will occasionally use my iPhone to read or comment at EVC, but it's not something you would want to use an iPhone for - tapatalk or otherwise. I have to say that EVC is particularly ugly on a small screen so my vote would be optimisation if it's achievable on this kind of site. It's certainly possible to do it better.
I regularly, in fact mostly, use my iPad for EVC and it works fine on it because it's big enough.

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Theodoric
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Message 8 of 11 (794415)
11-15-2016 10:52 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by Admin
11-15-2016 8:51 AM


I also have a Windows phone and I will not be changing. Tapatalk seems to have ended Windows mobile support.
I definitely would rather see you put your effort in mobile browser support. I access the site with my phone and my Surface tablet. The phone is not awful but mobile support would be appreciated.

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RAZD
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Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 9 of 11 (794433)
11-15-2016 3:44 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by Admin
11-15-2016 8:51 AM


Provide better browser support for mobile devices. This would involve larger buttons and some different formatting. The non-mobile version of the website would remain mostly unchanged.
Well, I don't access EvC on my smartphone because the keypad is too small for my old fingers, the copy and paste functions are pathetic, and I don't have access to the saved information on my laptop.
But I do occasionally use my galaxy tablet. My advice would be to ensure buttons are left oriented and have space below them so they aren't lost outside the visible window. I have a bluetooth keyboard for the tablet, so it becomes a mini laptop.
Edited by RAZD, : .

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NoNukes
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Message 10 of 11 (794726)
11-22-2016 6:10 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by Admin
11-15-2016 8:51 AM


Provide better browser support for mobile devices. This would involve larger buttons and some different formatting. The non-mobile version of the website would remain mostly unchanged.
I think your preferred option is the most practical. When I access evc remotely, I use a relatively large tablet (iPad) and the current set up seems to work just fine except that cut and paste are a bit cumbersome.

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Admin
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From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.1


(2)
Message 11 of 11 (794727)
11-22-2016 8:00 AM


Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I wish I had a better picture of what's going on out there. My impression is that people shy away from using smart phones for discussion boards, and even email, preferring text messages. They prefer devices with larger screen sizes like computers for discussions and email, but computer sales and, I assume, computer usage rates are down. If my children and their friends are any indication, email usage by the younger generation is significantly diminished.
Computers aren't going away. Office workers must only very rarely use their smart phone to do their work - they must almost always use computers. But I think fewer and fewer people have computers at home, and those who do are using them less often.
So what's this mean for discussion boards? My own view is that decreased participation here at EvC merely reflects an overall trend in the way the Internet is used. More and more people are using smart devices. And who surfs (explores) the Internet anymore? Most people probably go straight to Facebook or Twitter or Snapchat or any of the other major destination sites.
I think computers and to a lesser degree tablets will be the platforms of choice for discussion boards, which is how I justfity the decision not to put any effort into making EvC provide a satisfactory user experience on smart phones. I'm not sure it's even possible to provide a "satisfactory user experience" on a smart phone when a lot of typing is involved. For one thing there's all the different keyboard screens that are necessary. Typing "[qs]" on a smart device goes like this (this is for an iPad). Each quoted set of letters is a single keystroke:
".?123" - "#+=" - "[" - "ABC" - "q" - "s" - ".?123" - "#+=" - "]"
This is, of course, absurd, but to get a different keyboard layout I would have to write an app, which I've decided not to do. It is the keyboard more than anything else that keeps me from using my tablet for EvC. I do have an external bluetooth keyboard, but it's just as easy to sit down at my computer as it is to dig out the bluetooth keyboard.
So I'll continue to develop under the assumption that the platform of choice for discussion boards is a computer.
I should mention that I did get a note from Google telling me that EvC was being downgraded on searches because it was mobile-unfriendly (text too small, buttons too close together, etc.), and I did make the text larger for mobile. I'll also try to make some other accommodations - being downgraded in Google search has to be taken seriously.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

  
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