Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

Chiefie — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 05:10:52 GMT

looks like the future for optimising a website for windows mobile users will be easier... especially the separation of screensize from the UA.

Certainly welcome this.

NOW if only screensize report in UA can also be implemented in all other browsers (i.e. desktop) that will be great!!!!!

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

Derek — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 20:42:41 GMT

That is great information! The new format is good, and I didn't know about the additional UA headers.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

Ken — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:08:46 GMT

Nice work -- and glad you kept the information in the other headers -- we use it to help customers know if they have a Pocket PC or Smartphone (it's hard to tell just by looking with some of the newer devices).

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

Mahadevan — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:54:59 GMT

" In the past, OEMs and mobile operators could change this string". This is true and I faced this problem delivering content to my client. I checked exactly for the USer agent string and it failed and on inspection, i founf that hp added the model number to the String and dopod also added the model.
Then I just checked for the test PPC and Windows Ce and deliverying the content.

Locking the string is one good step.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

maccoy — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:58:09 GMT

Hey guys Is there I can change the HTTP header Accept-language in Pocket IE, is it already possible or you guys will have any plans to add that.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

wallace — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 12:08:05 GMT

One thing I need to remind you is many operators have developed server side codes to recognize the device model by the old style UA-String. And some of them relied on the capability to replace the entire UA-String. This change will fail all those existing codes and a rework is required.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

raybro — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:30:57 GMT

Thanks for the information. We have been using the Windows Mobile 5 emulators and see the connect string as Mozilla/4.0+(compatible;+MSIE+4.01;+Windows+CE;+Smartphone;+176x220) Apparently the .Net mobile controls get confused when the device is really 320x240. Any relief in sight for having the emulator actually use the string that matches the emulated device? Especially in the new format.

Thanks

Ray

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

iemoblog — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 01:04:59 GMT

We are fully aware that some people detect IE Mobile (or try to) on the server. What we found through our testing was that more people did it improperly than correctly, hence most of the focus of this blog entry. We also have need to control this string for a variety of reasons. There will be some rework required by a small minority of operators, and a large contingent of sites.

In the end, though, it's our opinion that the pain inflicted by the change now is worth it. In the large majority of cases, it improves the overall browsing experience, as many of the sites detecting IE Mobile incorrectly considered it IE 4.0, which it isn't...but that was the last time the string had changed.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

iemoblog — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 01:07:33 GMT

Raybro -

Until you get the next release of Windows Mobile, you won't have an emulator build of the browser that will have the new string. You can use the old method and replace the entire key in the registry with the new version copied from the text above. See: http://www.pocketpcmag.com/FORUM/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17223 for details of how to change the string on current/older generations of IE Mobile.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

Ridwaan — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 05:42:47 GMT

i no that with the old method yu can adjust the user agent and it will allow you access webpages with idetification of a desktop PC.

but i am unable to solve a wierd problem on the network with my PPC, when i try to open any website on pIE with user agent string Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320) it opens halfway and stalls on 1kb, the page does not continue loading.

will the new user agent make any positive change on this annoying browsing problem ? or is my problem something else completely ?

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

Younes — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:09:54 GMT

Is there a way to detect if the Smartphone version of IE supports frames from the server-side. I know that SmartPhones with WM 5 and a certain ROM version support frames, but I'm not sure what to look for in the headers (OS Version?)

Thanks,

Younes

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

kdarling — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:05:31 GMT

I understand why you have it lie about the IE version, so that websites will let you in.

It's too bad that had to happen, especially since IEM is more like IE 3.2 or less, in its current state. We watch for IE 6 in our industrial application so we know whether we're dealing with real IE 6 on laptops or Windows CE or not. No way will our IE 6 code run on IEM. We'll have to recode to look for the other clues to see if the IE version is a lie or not.

On another note, what's the effect of the Deepfish browser on IEM development?

For PDA and phone users, I'd rather see Deepfish. For industrial purposes, I'd like to see either IE 6 on WM devices as an option (why not? who does it hurt?), or an IEM that's targeted for writing HTA-like apps.

Thanks,

Kev

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

prc — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:06:28 GMT

I'd also like to be able to control the vertical use of the screen, but can't find a way to either a) determine whether the browser is in full screen mode or b) force the browser into full screen.

It seems that screen.height gives the total screen size, while screen.availHeight gives the height minus the top/bottom bars (regardless if they are visible or not). Is there anyway to find out how much space is actually available?

Related question: is it possible to know (or control) what level of "zoom" the user has selected?

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

kjgerard — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:30:12 GMT

"I'd also like to be able to control the vertical use of the screen, but can't find a way to either a) determine whether the browser is in full screen mode or b) force the browser into full screen."

Please relay if this functionality been determined. That is, the ability to force the Pocket IE browser into full-screen mode.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

noter — Sun, 20 May 2007 13:26:50 GMT

I use ToggleIE to change the referrer on the mobile device. It allows you to change the referrer to Opera, Firefox or IE

http://thinkabdul.com/2007/04/24/togglepie-freeware-to-change-windows-mobile-pocket-internet-explorer-mobile-browser-referreridentifier-string-to-that-of-operamozilla-firefoxie6ie7/

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

iemoblog — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:33:01 GMT

kjgerard,

You can't set or query for full screen mode via an HTML document.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

randeepgabri — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:30:58 GMT

With this new string on MSIE 6.0, how we will find out that it is a PPC or Smartphone.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

iemoblog — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 03:00:06 GMT

randeepgabri,

You can distinguish between PPC or Smartphone using the "UA-OS" HTTP header. It should read something like "Windows CE (Smartphone) - Version 5.2" or "Windows CE (Pocket PC) - Version 5.2".

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

cmpandian — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:52:22 GMT

I have been trying to use the Windows Media control into a HTML page using OBJECT and EMBED tag to play a video clip available in my application server. But I couldn't.

I am using Windows Mobile 5.0 device (PPC Phone edition)

I tried the samples given at the link http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=46BA698A-C00D-4B90-9177-460854F1B57C&displaylang=en

But I am able to play a video providing a link to the video file using ASX entry; Using this method, when I click the URL, the browser will open a Media player and play the video clip that URL is point to. But I want to play a video using embeded media control. How is that possible? Is there any code samples available?

Or Any security issues to embed a windows media player into a HTML page? Any document related to this?

Thanks,

Pandian.

re: Detecting Internet Explorer Mobile's User-Agent on the server

iemoblog — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 21:57:44 GMT

pandian,

The sample seems to work here. Is it really opening the media player, or are you just seeing the video full screen? The sample plays full screen. If you change line 92 in webapp.html to "wmpocx.fullScreen = false;" it should play inline.

IE Mobile Updates for Developers

The Windows Mobile RSS (Reed and Steve Stuff) Feed — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:19:23 GMT

I have touched on this topic in the past, but it seem to be generating quite a few questions on the “make

IE Mobile Updates for Developers

Noticias externas — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:09:54 GMT

I have touched on this topic in the past, but it seem to be generating quite a few questions on the

What's up with ASP.NET Mobile Controls, IE Mobile, and Silverlight?

The Windows Mobile RSS (Reed and Steve Stuff) Feed — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:33:12 GMT

The Web Browsing experience has really heated up for mobile devices over the last year or two.  