Mobile Applications
In the Midst of It
For many years I’ve designed and developed websites, videos, printed media, and web banner ads supporting, showcasing, and promoting mobile applications. All projects for HOVR, ActivePackets and M7 Networks involved mobile games or mobile utilities.
An Early Design: Off-Road Racing
In 2005, amidst a series of trade show booths, Flash tutorials and Sprint's Game Lobby, M7 assigned the task of designing an interface for a simple mobile application for purchasing themes. A series of screens based on rough wireframes were developed to outline the user's journey through the purchase.
HOVR and ActivePackets
The next year I began building HOVR's mobile games website, then a mobile game emulator for the PC, and concept designs for a game called Blingster, pictured on the right.
Around that time their sister company ActivePackets requested complete design sets for new applications called EMS Responder and SmarterShopper.
Mobile Website Development
Up until this time I was just a designer...which is fine with me. But getting my hands grubby with the greasy gears under the hood is kind of a turn-on. So when Joe at Venture Seeds approached me in late 2008 about creating both a regular website and mobile site for Emotitones, I was quite interested.
After a few rounds of concept designs we zeroed in on the striking dark look seen here on the left. A set of screens were rendered. Then I began coding a demo which would be used to pitch the idea for funding.
Building a mobile website is just like a regular website, but very small, and replete with a host of unique issues and considerations.
Technical Considerations
The original demo was written to work on a Blackberry. The code started with XHTML 1.0 Strict — which is a pretty standard doctype — and basic semantic markup. In later version XHTML Mobile 1.0 was employed for improved compatibility. What worked on one phone often didn't work on others. And you know how different smartphones, PDS, iPhones, Androids and Blackberries are — to name only a few. Support for HTML tags and CSS vary widely on mobile browsers. Eventually all the bugs were worked out and the project launched.
Moving Forward...
A couple of mobile applications projects are currently in the works. But of course they won't be put up here on Kanoa.net until they're officially released.
In the meantime I'd be happy to discuss your mobile project with you!
EMS RESPONDER
EMS Responder enables emergency personnel in the field to report situations with written, recorded and photographic data.
HOVR MOBILE GAME EMULATOR
HOVR's emulator allows users to play mobile games on their PC.
SMARTERSHOPPER by ACTIVEPACKETS
A comparison shopping application developed by ActivePackets.
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