TOPIC: Hotspots on mobile devices

I have been contemplating using Hotspots for a new site I plan to build. I'm an existing HS license holder, as I was using it on a previous website. I'm familiar with it, have already paid for it, and some of its functions lend itself to what I'd like to do. However, I just checked out the Hotspots demo site using an android phone (Samsung Galaxy S3) and also a HP Touchpad. On the former, once scrolled away from the collapsing sidebar menu, it seemed impossible to get it to reappear.

On the touchpad it was impossible to collapse the menu, as well as being impossible to move the map around. It doesn't appear to be truly responsive on either device and shows different problems on both.

My upcoming project is one that is being built for mobile devices just as much as it is PCs. Its taken me long enough to figure it out, but the web isn't about computer access anymore - it's about device access, and that trend won't go away. So my questions are:

- Is either or both of the problems mention have anything to do with the way the demo page was set up?

- Or are either or both symptoms simply part and parcel of Hotspots and that I should not expect good mobile device performance?

- Are these issues something that you have planned to address in a future update?

Hey Josh,
On my wp7.5 I'm able to open the menu zoom in and out of the map. With that said - we don't have a responsive template there. On my localhost I run the standard joomla template and it looks fine. We'll also have to bootstrap hotspots and this will most probably make it feel very good on tablets.

Now the thing is - it is true that the internet is not anymore about PCs, but I don't think that it is about mobile sites as well. People are used to just starting an app for a map application. If you type maps.google.com in your browser on a mobile device you won't get the same experience as you have on the pc - you'll have to start the app.

With that said I think that the correct way to address this would be to offer an app for hotspots. The version in the mobile browser should still work, but an app will offer the full experience users are used on their phones.

Kind regards,
Daniel

I'll be very interested to check out the Bootstrap enabled version of HS for sure. Is that something that you're waiting on Joomla 3 for?

I agree that web access is no more about device access than PC, but nor is it about PC access over devices. Right now I'd say its split, with the trend not-so gradually leaning towards devices.

Regarding your example of what to try, well, I did exactly as you suggested even before you suggested it - I did compare hotspots on both above mentioned devices against maps.google.com. While it wasn't perfect either, it was actually easier to use (some of the issues I noted on hotspots did not apply).

An app may be one way around it... but that requires action on the end user part (I say that as someone who religiously avoids downloading apps), whereas true responsive loading without losing too much functionality really wouldn't.

But yes... very interested to see what Bootstrap can do for HS