Handheld computers seem to be everywhere and it is common for most business professionals to own and utilize one. The increasing number of handheld device users also made many companies aware of some of the possibilities that are not yet exploited to their full potential. The connection between the palm pilots and the internet came naturally, and many companies who owned websites found out that the handheld device is a niche market worthy of investment.
Handheld devices are small and light and their portability is far greater than that of a laptop. Various tools are now available for users to download a web page to their organizer and browse through it offline. The most common form of connecting is by downloading the HTML files from the website and using them on the palm pilot. There are several advantages to using web resources on a handheld device: you and your business partners can synchronize data precisely, get fast and accurate information 24 hours a day, and you can send you clients updated news and events regarding your company.
When optimizing your site for handheld computer downloads, remember to aim for the essential information and remove any "clutter". This mainly refers to important strings of data or information that is accessed most frequently. It is valuable to know your precise target audience and fine tune your website to fit their needs. As a general rule, the information you feel the need to highlight on your website should also receive the best handheld device optimization.
Remember that the memory and storage capacity of handheld computers is low. Try to channel vital information without excess words, tables or graphics. There is a big change from your 21" computer screen to the small organizer screen. Keep that in mind and organize information by relevancy rather than aesthetic concerns. If you have to use images, make sure they fit the small device screen, as scrolling down to see an image is often annoying. Also remember that graphics take longer to download than plain text.
Of course, when you have dozens of pages of information that you find relevant to organize and reduce to handheld computer specifications, some cuts will have to be made. Try to keep the application for the handheld device screen compact, without excessive scrolling. Instead, use links to facilitate access to various parts of the information. Setting and respecting a basic and logical hierarchy is essential as this will allow your users to navigate intuitively and without having to spend a lot of time looking for a particular piece of information.
Some final efforts should be put in optimizing the text for the handheld computer. Keep in mind that the most frequent fonts used by handheld devices are from the Latin 1 set of characters. The accompanying graphics should also be reworked from the ones you have. Sometimes, however, a simple resize will not produce good results, and pixel by pixel manipulation might be required. However, with a little time and effort your website can offer some of the best-optimized pages for handheld computers.
About the Author
George Anderson is a handheld computer software developer