I caught this a while back, but didn’t have time to blog immediately: handsetdetection.com

Due to the sheer number of features offered across mobile devices today (does the device support Flash Lite? Java? does it support screen savers? etc etc) … whether to transcode (simplify websites) for non-PC portable and mobile devices, or to offer up specific mobile versions for sites that cater to targets is a huge challenge.

Essentially, handsetdetection.com is a (free) service that is providing developers with a convenient way to detect and “sniff out” handset capabilities.

This is done via a simple API (XML/JSON interfaces) from an impressive and comprehensive handset database of about 7000 devices. Awesome!

Here is what they are offering, specifically:

Handset Detection allows you to build websites which adapt to the browsing device!

The mobile web is exploding, however most websites look terrible on mobile phones. With handset detection your website can now look great on any cell phone (mobile phone) or portable device.

You can also use Handset Detection to detect phone capabilities for ringtones, wallpapers, java games and any mobile content. Or, just learn which mobile devices are accessing your website.

How does it work ?

Its so easy, your customers will be enjoying your new mobile friendly site in no time.

Make a quick Web Services call. Get a swag of details about the cell phone (mobile phone).
With this knowledge you decide how to present your content. Simple !
Features:

- Over 7000 devices : Including, Vendor, Model, Screen Size, Device Capabilities and more.
- Geolocation featuring : City, Country, Longitude, Latitude, ISP/Carrier and Company.
- Device reporting and webmetrics.
- Simple API using XML or JSON.
- Examples with Full API docs.
- Who does this benefit ?

Handset detection is relevant to anyone that wants to serve content specifically tailored to cell phones and portable devices. The list includes CMS companies, ad serving companies, mobile game developers, mobile operators, web design agencies and you!

This reminds me of browserhawk, which was a product I used back in Web 1.0 days to do desktop browser detection for major trafficked websites.

It’s amazing how well Mobile Web has picked up within the last year. I remember vividly talking with Adobe about Mobile Web just a year ago, and popularity to browse across devices, was very niche here in the US (well, I told people I was browsing websites and they gave me strange looks!).

Among many factors, I think it’s obvious the iPhone mobile web browsing experience had a significant role in the adoption of the evolution of the Mobile Web and what we are seeing today. Mobile Web = Mainstream

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 am and is filed under Handsets, Mobile, Mobile Design, Mobile Developer, Mobile Device, Mobile Web, Mobile Web 2.0, handsetdetection.com. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.