F

flyty

I'm New Here
Any mobile app for the vansairforce forums and website planned in the near future?

An app for the android phone would be great!

[ed. If you can figure out a way for it to display the advertiers over on the left side - the folks who help pay for my family's food, I'd be happy to entertain the idea. dr]
 
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I don't get the need or desire for an app? I am not that familiar with Androids but I have been reading the forum for over 3 years now on an iPhone and just recently on the iPad. The forum works exactly the same using the Safari web browser on both devices as it does using Internet Explorer or Firefox on the computer. Granted there are times when I attempt to click on "Today's Post" with my fat finger and accidentally click on the add below it or the "Advertise in here!" link (Doug, it would be great if you could make that "Today's Posts" bigger or move it somewhere so this would not happen when using a touch screen). That is pretty much my only complaint about using the touch screen functionality on the forums. [ed. I just added a hard return after that line - you should have some more space now. dr]

Given my personal experience I have to ask, what would an APP do that you are currently not able to do in the smart phone provided web browser?
 
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Small issue.

I have a small issue that a app might fix... Or maybe I just have something set incorrectly. When I try to search on my iPhone after I type the first letter in the search window the screen zooms into a spot at the top of the page (above and to the left of the window) I have to pinch the screen back down and zoom back on the search window. It does this for the first three letters and then will hold the window. I found a work around by going to the advanced search screen. I have saved this screen as an icon (next to the VAF forum icon on my home page) and just go directly to the advanced search screen to search.
 
RVbySDI said:
[ed. I just added a hard return after that line - you should have some more space now. dr][/I]
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Thanks Doug, that does look like it will make a difference. I will give it a try the next time I am able to view the forums with the iPhone/iPad.
 
flyty said:
[ed. If you can figure out a way for it to display the advertiers over on the left side - the folks who help pay for my family's food, I'd be happy to entertain the idea. dr]
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Doug, why not like every iPhone app that has adverts? They show as a 2 or 3 line banner at the bottom, rotating every few seconds. Apparently those apps make money with that. Or, charge something for an advert-free app, also common. Make it a yearly subscription model for no adverts. Reasonably priced it would sell, and a free app with the banner ads would also be popular.
 
This thread has surfaced "a few times". The revenue model for VAF is a trident and advertisers enjoy A LOAD of traffic by us readers/writers.

DR - would something like what is at the top of rv-1.org work ? .. just a thought.
 
With more and more of us using smartphones and tablets to access the Internet, apps are here to stay and are the way forward. Apps are more user friendly for finger use and small screen layout than using a conventional website. They also have the potential to raise some cash. I would not be opposed to purchasing a VAF app for around the 99c to $2.00 mark. If you are not convinced, check out the 'Controller.com' app. It is great and way better to use than the website.
 
Why?

RVbySDI said:
I don't get the need or desire for an app?... snip... Given my personal experience I have to ask, what would an APP do that you are currently not able to do in the smart phone provided web browser?
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Me either... I visit frequently when stuck in boring meetings where I'm not on the agenda. My Evo (Android type) handles the internet beautifully. :) I zoom in and out... works great for me. What am I missing? :eek:

DJ
 
Buggsy2 said:
Doug, why not (snip) charge something for an advert-free app?
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DR has promised (on his Donations page) that he will never put a paywall on VAF (paywall requires a subscription fee to be paid prior to accessing the website). I can see how this may paint DR into a corner in the future. After all, since DR gets his family income from advertisers and VAF donations, he has to protect his revenue stream. It's difficult to imagine a smartphone app that would display ads in such a way that advertisers will be satisfied.
 
Remag said:
Maybe the ones who don't like apps are the ones still flying with steam gauges :)
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Umm, I am not sure if your post is intended to elicit someone to change their minds about supporting an APP for this site but I don't think this would be an effective approach.

The point I and others are making is that we do not see any DIFFERENT functionality that would be provided by an APP that is not already being provided simply by accessing this site via a web browser. However, if you are convinced there would be something more substantial that could be accomplished by developing an APP for Vansairforce.net perhaps you can build one and present it to Doug for his approval. If you work in the IT world you should be aware of the skill set required to build and maintain an APP of any type. If you do not work in the IT world I would hope you have the sense to realize that it does take a substantial amount of effort, skill, dedication to build and maintain any APP. It takes resources and Doug has made many comments in the past defining what resources he has at his disposal. If I recall correctly, I do believe he has a staff that includes: Doug, Doug's Ego, Doug's Id, and Doug's Superego. That is really not a large staff if you think about it now is it?

Oh, and by the way, this is what I fly with:
9500%2520ROP%2520over%2520MS.jpg


Can't say I see a steam gauge anywhere whenever I fly. :roll eyes:


[ed. What Steve said.... (surfing the forums on my iPhone here at the hangar)...and I bet the next iPhones will have even more screen size from here on out. Google 'edge to edge iPhone 5 screen'....it'll happen sooner or later, and there won't be that much diff between an iPad and iPhone. Full browser runs just fine on iPads right now. IMHO. dr]
 
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The reason I asked if there was an App was because I find myself almost exclusively using my phone for the internet now. Apps are great because they fit the specific format of the phone/device. This leads to faster navigation/loading of the pages as well as eliminates the need to adjust the page to the phone by zooming in and out all of the time. It also decreases the data that needs to be transmitted to your device and it's a lot easier to post on the forums. I understand that it takes considerable knowledge and time to create apps and I was simply wondering if this had already been done. Maybe there are some very tech saavy people on the forums would would know how to do this as well as maintain the advertisor's space. Thanks.

Ty
 
Steve, I'm not sure how long you have been doing this Internet thing but a smiley face like this -> :) means it a joke, tongue in cheek as they say. For the record, I have more steam gauges in my plane than glass.

In response to your post, just because there is an app for a website, doesn't mean you have to use it. You can still go through life using the website if you wish. I haven't met Doug, but he seems like a very clever fellow so he will invariably do what is best for him and I'm certainally good with that.

Whether you like it or not, the future is smart devices and apps. Someone smarter than me will make a way to Advertise with one. When the iPad first came out, I said, "What a useless device, I can't ever imagine using one". Now I'm typing this post on one. I fligh plan with it, get weather info with it, view inflight weather radar with it and all through apps which are way easier to use than the web based pages. The main advantage is that we type with our fingers and don't Have a mouse. Apps just structure things better. Don't take my word for it, just download the the Controller.com app and compare it to the website version. Try it on your iPhone!
 
flyty said:
The reason I asked if there was an App was because I find myself almost exclusively using my phone for the internet now.
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Same here. Since I've had my iPhone, my desktop internet usage has dropped to near nothing. I don't come here often on the iPhone because the screen is too small to easily view the site.

John
 
RVNineA said:
...I don't come here often on the iPhone because the screen is too small to easily view the site.

John
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I am of that certain age where it is a bit hard to read the posts on this site with the iPhone held vertically. Turning the phone sideways as well as double clicking in the text box to make the text fill the screen makes all the difference. Maybe obvious, but if you haven't tried it I recommend you do. Just a slight hassle.
 
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