Introduction

  • A major issue for our website is that a large percentage of our subscribers refuse to use anything other than a phone. It is to such a degree that some subscribers have told us that they would rather not use the site and not be subscribers if they can’t use the site with a phone.
  • Regarding technical issues, roughly 80% of subscribers who contact us to resolve them have phone-related problems. As soon as they switch to a computer or tablet, these issues go away.

The Reality of the Limitations of a Phone

The site can be used with a phone, but the experience is not as good. Secondly, many of the articles are long and have embedded videos and other things like tables and graphics that must be enlarged to be viewed on a phone.

By requiring that the site only be used through a phone, greatly limits how we can set up the site, the types of articles we can write, and even the type of navigation we can use for the website.

Options for People Who Only Have a Phone

Option #1: Chromebook

As for your comment about not having a computer. Chromebooks can be purchased used on eBay for around $50, which will work fine with our website.

See this link to used Chrombooks.

They run Chrome OS, not Windows, so they are much simpler to use and require much less overhead.

Option #2: Tablet

A second option is an inexpensive tablet. Amazon sells a new one for $74 with an 8-inch screen, although a larger screen tablet of at least 11 inches is preferable. It’s much preferable to read pretty much anything on a tablet like this than a phone. The site also works better on a tablet than on a phone.

Conclusion

  • A phone is designed to fit in your pocket. It was never designed to be the optimal device for reading.
  • If you look at the overall cost and the potential health benefits, a good case can be made for getting a second device with a larger screen. It makes less sense to forgo the information on the site just to avoid purchasing an inexpensive device that not only makes our website much easier to use but also makes other websites easier to use and read.