It wasn’t that long ago that mobiles were for phone calls and computers were the means through which you did your accounts, sent emails and accessed a website. The latest generation of mobile phones has taken the hand-held device into new territory, effectively blurring the lines of division between computer and ‘cell phone’.
Improved capacity, memory, speed, screen quality and wireless reach means you can now access virtually every function and facility that was once the preserve of a computer. This includes emails, work documents, photo albums, computer games and the Internet, but also an absolutely huge and rapidly growing number of programmes specially designed with hand-held devices in mind. Generally known as apps, they are revolutionising the software industry in their own right, and taking the digital revolution in a new direction.
There are apps for anything from World Cup results and match analyses to financial trackers, automatic translators and booking services. In fact, there are thousands of applications to choose from. Some might work better than others, but it is fair to say we’re at the beginning of yet another chapter in the digitalisation of the world. Just twenty years ago few people had a home computer or a mobile phone. Since then we have acquired both, then added a small, portable laptop and now finally taken the miniaturisation to a new level with pocket-sized Smartphones: Blackberrys, iPhones, Android OS devices, etc.
Rimontgó responds
It is believed the social networking and messaging campaign of Barack Obama played an important role in his electoral success. Indeed, such is the growth in e-commerce and Internet usage from hand-held devices that they are expected to outstrip computers by 2013 as a means through which to access websites. Put differently, by 2013 more people will be browsing websites through their mobile phones than through desktop computers.
The buzz around this format is therefore tremendous, but where others talk Rimontgó has a way of getting on with things and effectively leading the way. Websites actually need to be heavily reconfigured to be practical and convenient for use on hand-held phones with their smaller screens and navigation tools. “It’s not a question of reinventing the wheel, but properly reformatting web pages and functions so that they are optimised for mobile phone users,” says Ignacio Artagoitia, head of IT at Inmobiliaria Rimontgó in Valencia.
He and his team have been doing just that, launching a mobile-friendly version of all the company blogs: Reality Sense (English), De Mar a Villa (Spanish), Sinnvolle Realität (German) and Sens du Réel (French). “It makes accessing the site from a mobile device so much more convenient, allowing for faster load times because the content and images are optimised and can open much quicker than when you’re viewing a ‘normal’ website through your phone.”
The other advantages are the sizing and configuration of the text, icons, images, links and other elements that make up a website, which in this case are designed specifically with mobile phones in mind. “Page layout and navigation are therefore also convenient and clear, ready text is easy, without the need to zoom and move the image around as in other blogs, and you won’t need to install an app to browse with the same ease as if you were sitting in front of your computer.” Moreover, the Rimontgó blogs work with all the latest mobile devices – proving once again that when it comes to client convenience Rimontgó like to be at the leading edge of technology.
BIG
