Device Fragmentation

Device fragmentation means that devices come in many forms. The main factors for the diversity are hardware, software, user preferences and localization and environment.

Hardware

Hardware differences are quite obvious. The size of the screen is the most significant single factor which affects to the browsing experience. Beside the physical size also the resolution of the screen matters. The resolution defines how many pixels fits to the screen. Other diversity factors which relate to screen and hardware are for example color depth, brightness and orientation. Screen size being the most obvious hardware factor there are many underlaying factors that affect too. Processing speed and memory size are familiar from PC environment. The lack of querty keyboard is a hardware issue which is often neglected when designing form that require user input. Touch screen and integrated camera are new phenomena in mobile devices which add diversity. Very important part of web surfing is of course the connection speed. The advantage that mobile devices have to access internet anywhere is often degraded by low connection speed. Connection capabilites are another hardware issue. The list goes on, but the main point stays the same, hardware in mobile devices varies and it affects the way content is shown in them.

Software

Software diversity among mobile devices multiplies the complexity caused by hardware diversity. Different browser softwares handle webpages differently. For example Opera mini browsers use proxy to scale images and Apple iPhone scales web page to fit screen and allow user to zoom content. Some browsers break the site structure if it does not fit the screen while others let users scroll. Beside browser software also other application capabilities vary. Java API standards (MIDP, DoJa, JTWI, etc.), Multimedia suppports (mp3, streaming, etc.) etc. Many web site publishers are unaware of the diversity issues. But if good usability is an important issue, the software diversity cannot be ignored.

User-preferences and Localization

Users can modify phone settings which affect browsing. Some prevent the browser from downloading images to minimize phone bills. Some might use a proxy to mobilize the web page. Many of these actions can not be detected by server side software and they need to be taken into account in the content design. However localization features can be detected. For example which character encoding is supported by the phone or which mark-up is preferred can be detected.

Environment

Usually environment factors means such a things that developer can not take into account. In the mobile web ecosystem such factors are most commonly proxys, gateways or operator network characteristics which affect the user experience in mobile web. Nowadays some wireless operators use a content proxy in their network. The proxy then makes changes to the websites or add operator commercials on top of the sites. This is called operator intervention. When proxy is in the operator network it can not be switched of by the user. Other proxies which are located in the internet are usually user selected. Both of these cases can be detected with a server side detection software.