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51Degrees.mobi introduces simple mobile device detection for PHP developers

Engineering

5/4/2012 9:48 AM

Device Detection Mobile PHP News

51Degrees.mobi, the leading provider of device detection and web optimization solutions, has expanded its portfolio to include PHP. The PHP scripting language is powerful and flexible, making it a popular choice for web site developers. Around a third of all websites currently use PHP.

This means even more developers and site owners can now discover whether the visiting device is a tablet, whether it's a smart phone, what the screen size is – and they can then adjust the online content accordingly.

Unlike other device detection solutions, 51Degrees.mobi does not require cloud services or external plug-ins and is free for commercial use.

There are just four straightforward implementation steps:

1: Download the file, which is available as a free beta via 51Degrees by searching sourceforge.net or github.com for 51Degrees.mobi.

2: Unzip the contents of the file into your PHP project folder.

3: Add a single line of code to your PHP file.

4: Discover what each device accessing your web site is (tablet, mobile, desktop, etc) and what it is capable of, enabling customised content and formatting to be applied to the resulting web page.

The 51Degrees.mobi PHP code is licensed under the Mozilla Public Licence 2.0 and is supported by a ‘freemium' business model, which means there's no charge for basic device detection – even for commercial use!

This new self-contained 51Degrees.mobi for PHP solution means developers can start using mobile device detection within three minutes.

51Degrees.mobi for PHP is being released as a beta, giving developers the ability to offer feedback that shapes the final product. Plug-ins will be available for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and CodeIgniter, with others planned for the future. The Premium version of device data will also offer the option of automatic updates when new handsets are released.

James Rosewell, CEO of 51Degrees.mobi, said “It's never been easier to add mobile device detection to a web site. Our four steps take less than three minutes to implement: simply download, unzip, include and go mobile!”

“Cloud services introduce an unnecessary additional complexity and, ultimately, offer a poor technical solution for any web site requiring device detection. The new beta version of 51Degrees.mobi for PHP demonstrates how it's possible to detect mobile devices quickly, efficiently and - with our Lite product - for free. The result is a better experience for web site owners and for their online visitors. If you're a web site owner, tell your developer to visit our PHP downloads page and let them show you how easy it is to get started.”

About 51Degrees.mobi:

51Degrees.mobi provides a portfolio of technologies that extend an organisation's existing online skills and investment to work on mobile devices as well. It delivers cost-effective, risk-free device detection, web optimisation and mobile analytics solutions enabling developers to maximise the customer's experience of using a smaller screen. With over 25 years' management expertise in developing and managing mobile web services, 51Degrees.mobi is used by 10,000s of websites and supports over 180 million devices visits every month. The company is headquartered in the UK and also has offices in India.