When will we see fix for mobile broswer issue?

[anon(167668)]

Correction: changing that piece of code will solve the problem entirely.

We will just have to agree to disagree. But for the life of me I cannot understand your position. Google could solve this on its own in probably less time than it's taken us to write these posts. But instead you want literally the entire internet to change to accommodate the xoom. Just baffling.

I don't think you understand how HTML headers work. It identifies the type of device you're running on. The "fix" would be to fabricate the device you're using. For example, the 'desktop' UAstring option in the debug menu makes the xoom pretend it's a Mac. The issue is that sites are just scanning for "Android", not if it's a cell phone or not. This issue will get fixed when Honeycomb becomes more popular with other devices released.

 

[slinky317]

why are you having to change this sovoften. I browse for hours without issues. i use stock and ipad uastring. And It isn't a bug. Please refrain from using that terminalogy when addressing this issue which is lack of user knowledge. The zoom requires different dimensions from other browsers/devices. Because of this websites aren't optimized to recogognize the difference android mobile and android tablet. Hence why all websites come up as mobile. Until web developers start designing their CSS to adjust to the different platforms, like they did with iPhone and Ipad you are going to experience this. Your best bet is to set it to Ipad for now. Flash will load where html5 doesn't.

Um, it definitely is a bug. When the browser crashes or shuts down and you load the debug menu, it says that the UA String is still set to Desktop even though it's rendering mobile sites. Bug.

If you haven't crashed yet then you must be really lucky, as I tried to reply to this post three times (trying both Android and Desktop UA Strings) and it crashed each time until now.

The XOOM has issues, and there's really no reason why it should default to the Android UA String when it has the power to display the full site without a problem.

 

[anon(167668)]

If the browser needs to be loaded again the debug mode must be re-engaged before any of the debug settings take hold. It's not a bug, it's just how it's set up.

 

[Dunbar]

I don't think you understand how HTML headers work. It identifies the type of device you're running on. The "fix" would be to fabricate the device you're using. For example, the 'desktop' UAstring option in the debug menu makes the xoom pretend it's a Mac. The issue is that sites are just scanning for "Android", not if it's a cell phone or not. This issue will get fixed when Honeycomb becomes more popular with other devices released.

Everything you say may be true. This does not change the fact that a simple menu setting would solve this without having to wait for honeycomb to get more popular.

Generally I am the type of person who likes to know the details of a problem. But in circumstances like this, I don't care. There is an easy fix that does not involve waiting. Google needs to get this done fast. Otherwise they are simply reinforcing the negative stereotypes sourrounding android tablets.

 

[anon(167668)]

There is an easy fix. Set about:debug as your home page and just push Enter when you have to load up the browser.

 

[anon(167668)]

Also, browser spoofing is considered bad form, and Google tries to follow W3C guidelines, so there's that too.

 

[Drew2u]

There is an easy fix. Set about:debug as your home page and just push Enter when you have to load up the browser.

That won't do anything for getting into desktop mode, though, if the browser has been closed and you are following a link from a tweet or email. By default the browser will go to mobile mode.

And it's not a "fix" ... it's a workaround.

 

[anon(167668)]

That won't do anything for getting into desktop mode, though, if the browser has been closed and you are following a link from a tweet or email. By default the browser will go to mobile mode.

And it's not a "fix" ... it's a workaround.

The only true fix is for web developers to differentiate Honeycomb and Android Mobile browsers. They're the ones forcing Honeycomb to use a mobile site. Google adding in UA spoofing is no fix either; it's still just a workaround.

 

[Drew2u]

The only true fix is for web developers to differentiate Honeycomb and Android Mobile browsers. They're the ones forcing Honeycomb to use a mobile site. Google adding in UA spoofing is no fix either; it's still just a workaround.

Yes, I've seen you post this many times.

I've never asked for a "fix" - I want the option to easily choose which sites will be in mobile and which in desktop mode. See my earlier post. I think it's important that on mobile devices, with expensive 3G (and soon 4G) data rates that consumers have the choice of how much data they consume. If your solution is implemented, all sites will essentially be in desktop mode, and that's not what I want. I want choice.

 

[anon(167668)]

What you want shouldn't be implemented on the browser level, it should be something that individual websites do.

 

[Drew2u]

What you want shouldn't be implemented on the browser level, it should be something that individual websites do.

In your opinion.

In my opinion, it should be at the browser level so I can choose to default to mobile mode but optionally specify select sites to open in desktop mode.

If I went with what you want, I'd have no control over a goo.gl or bit.ly link I open from a Tweet or email - I wouldn't know if it's taking me to a mobile or desktop version of a site. If what I want is implemented, I get what I want.

Nice chatting with you - you won't convince me, I won't convince you, and I need some sleepy time now. G'night!

 

[deezus]

I am having an issue with a website that ends in. Aspx. The web address is WL May and when I log in it display research page wrong. Does anyone know how to fix this? I have tried to set ua to desktop but that doesn't fix it

Help

 

[Dunbar]

Ok, I'm going to take one more crack at this:

I don't care that web developers are the ones who should be making web pages load in full view on the Xoom;

I don't care that browser spoofing is "bad form" and against W3C guidelines;

I don't care that web developers may fix this issue in the future if honeycomb becomes more popular;

I don't care if the browser's inability to automatically display full web pages is considered a bug or not;

I don't care if web developers adapt their pages for apple devices and not android devices.

ALL I care about is that the Xoom be able to automatically load the full version of web pages, which it clearly was designed to do.

I am a consumer. The Xoom was designed for people like me (and you). Motorola (and Google's) top priority should be to make using the Xoom better for the consumer. I paid a significant amount of money to Motorola, not web developers, for this device. Motorola/Google can easily fix this issue themselves. What's more, they have a duty to fix this.

Anybody who argues otherwise has lost sight of the ultimate purpose of devices like the Xoom. Will adding a menu setting to permanently set the Xoom to desktop mode completely fix the problems of Xoom's users? Yes? Then do it, because any other considerations are irrelevant.

 

[88 FLUX]

Ok, I'm going to take one more crack at this:

I don't care that web developers are the ones who should be making web pages load in full view on the Xoom;

I don't care that browser spoofing is "bad form" and against W3C guidelines;

I don't care that web developers may fix this issue in the future if honeycomb becomes more popular;

I don't care if the browser's inability to automatically display full web pages is considered a bug or not;

I don't care if web developers adapt their pages for apple devices and not android devices.

ALL I care about is that the Xoom be able to automatically load the full version of web pages, which it clearly was designed to do.

I am a consumer. The Xoom was designed for people like me (and you). Motorola (and Google's) top priority should be to make using the Xoom better for the consumer. I paid a significant amount of money to Motorola, not web developers, for this device. Motorola/Google can easily fix this issue themselves. What's more, they have a duty to fix this.

Anybody who argues otherwise has lost sight of the ultimate purpose of devices like the Xoom. Will adding a menu setting to permanently set the Xoom to desktop mode completely fix the problems of Xoom's users? Yes? Then do it, because any other considerations are irrelevant.

I agree with you 100%. A device isn't supplying "desktop-like browsing" if it requires the developers of all sites to specifically reconfigure their sites to recognize the difference between the "Android" and "Android Mobile" user agents. I fully agree that there should be a menu option (probably under advanced so it doesn't confuse people who don't know what they're doing) that says "Browser Mode" with the options "Mobile" and "Desktop" that allows the change to stay what you set it to at all times without having to occasionally re-enable debugging.

 

[SquintySteam]

Ok, I'm going to take one more crack at this:

I don't care that web developers are the ones who should be making web pages load in full view on the Xoom;

I don't care that browser spoofing is "bad form" and against W3C guidelines;

I don't care that web developers may fix this issue in the future if honeycomb becomes more popular;

I don't care if the browser's inability to automatically display full web pages is considered a bug or not;

I don't care if web developers adapt their pages for apple devices and not android devices.

ALL I care about is that the Xoom be able to automatically load the full version of web pages, which it clearly was designed to do.

I am a consumer. The Xoom was designed for people like me (and you). Motorola (and Google's) top priority should be to make using the Xoom better for the consumer. I paid a significant amount of money to Motorola, not web developers, for this device. Motorola/Google can easily fix this issue themselves. What's more, they have a duty to fix this.

Anybody who argues otherwise has lost sight of the ultimate purpose of devices like the Xoom. Will adding a menu setting to permanently set the Xoom to desktop mode completely fix the problems of Xoom's users? Yes? Then do it, because any other considerations are irrelevant.

I don't understand your issue with loading a different browser to accomplish what you want. like Dolphin. Why is this a bad thing?

 

[88 FLUX]

I don't understand your issue with loading a different browser to accomplish what you want. like Dolphin. Why is this a bad thing?

Because "use a third party browser" does not solve the issue at hand. Not everyone is "techy" and knows why they can't see the desktop versions by default. For them, they are thinking "what the hell? I have this huge screen 'mobile computer' and I am getting stretched out mobile sites?" Your "use a different browser" logic is as helpful as Steve Jobs' "just don't hold it that way" logic from Antennagate.

Yes, I could solve the issue on my Xoom by using a different browser. But this does not solve the issue (or even come close) for the mass of consumers.

 

[Dunbar]

I don't understand your issue with loading a different browser to accomplish what you want. like Dolphin. Why is this a bad thing?

Simply put: I like the default browser better than any of the other browsers.

Ock has a great point though. People put down Android because it is not as simple to use as iOS. This is actually true, although honestly I don't think learning to use Honeycomb is all that complex. But an issue like this will definitely harm the average user.

 

[SquintySteam]

I would love to have an option that lets me persistently set the UA string in the default browser and I hope Google eventually gets around to it. I would also like all the applications I download from the market to be part of the base OS but they aren't. I know there are going to be applications I add to my device to make it do the things I want, the way I want.

The mass of consumers are buying iPads, not Xooms, so I don't care if it's easy for them to use.

If there wasn't a solution to the problem stated, I'd be more inclined to be on the "fix the browser" bandwagon. Right now it's just a nice to have.

 

[88 FLUX]

The mass of consumers are buying iPads, not Xooms, so I don't care if it's easy for them to use.

This line of yours made me laugh. Based on that alone, please don't ever join the product development workforce.

So what you're saying is that since "the mass of consumers are buying iPads" that there should be no incentive or reasoning for other manufacturers to make their product catered to the mass market? I mean yeah, that is so true, why would anyone want their product to work in the interest of the average consumer (A.K.A. the non-techy who don't even know what a UAString is).

Bottom line, the standard consumer wants to be able to purchase a "tablet computer" and go to Yahoo! to see Yahoo!, not an insanely stretched out version of the mobile page designed for 3" to 4" screens. (Yahoo was just used for example purposes without any actual testing).

But you're absolutely right, that shouldn't be given to the Xoom. Because consumers aren't buying the Xoom. They only buy the iPad. So true. Why does the Xoom even exist? Why make other tablets that work when the iPad is already around? Go iPad...

 

[tom504]

I set my default home page as about:debug

I still ended up going back to Dolphin since it does a better job on some sites with embedded video