Beginning last week, some of you out there may have noticed that we pushed out a major update to our main site. The redesign was designed to focus on how we can make your reading experience better and more intuitive, while also focusing on the need to cater for all the different screen types and devices that may be used to access the site going forward.
Smartphones, Tablets, Phablets, Laplets, Booklets, there’s a lot of different devices out there which are now connected to the internet, and all of which have their own display sizes. Previously, (apart from when you browsed to the site using a smartphone), we would require you to download our entire, data-heavy frontpage. Ajax animations, JavaScript, CSS styling, the lot.
Today, however, this method simply doesn’t work. As the internet (and the mobile internet) continues to evolve, so does our underlying dependence on ‘data’ — and data, is expensive. From Edge, to 3G, and the upcoming trend of 4G networking, carriers around the world are commanding an ever-increasing price in return for your monthly smartphone and tablet data allowance.
We thought we’d do our part to help you get the most out of that data.
Starting today, you can access our newly revamped mobile site, (which is fully responsive). In addition, mobile site version 2.0 carries over the content detection feature we debuted with the release of version 1.5, ensuring video and image content is optimized and centered in your viewing window at all times.
On the iPad, however, we now give you the choice. If you browse the site in portrait mode, we’ll strip things ‘back to basics’ and only show you what we think you need to see. In this view you’ll see our advertisers (and sponsors), post title, author, the post’s content, relating tags, related posts, post navigation – (so that you can navigate between the previous and next posts), as well as the comment module, should you wish to leave your own thoughts on that particular article.
If you’re on a Wi-Fi connection and would like to experience the whole of RazorianFly, (complete with our animated news ticker), orienting your iPad into landscape mode will display the full, unaltered version of the site, complete with animations, JavaScript, and more. This layout works on Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad and the iPad Mini, as well as other tablets available on the market, such as the ASUS Transformer Prime and Microsoft Surface.
Did we mention it’s all “Retina” ready?
With RazorianFly 5.0, we introduced a “breaking news” mentality to the site by incorporating an animated news ticker. The downside to this, though, was that the ticker had to be manually updated – (yes, it was manual all along!). With the launch of RazorianFly 6.0 we’re building on what we learned with our previous ticker, and adding a little more.
Our new ticker first and foremost highlights the two latest articles to hit our main feed. This gives you an at-a-glance look at the news you need. We’ll then flip this to inform you of the two of the most-popular posts read by our readers in the last week. Finally, we’ll show you the two most-latest comments which readers, like you, have left on the site, as well as the post(s) they actually commented on.
Given time, we believe these three content views will add to your overall reading experience, providing you with an instant overview of the most-important articles which wish to command your attention. We thought long and hard about making this ticker available on mobile devices. However, in the interest of page-load times, decided against it. You’ll find our new news ticker at the top of our desktop site.
We hope you like it!
We introduced RazorianFly Charts as a way to keep a track of the latest on the iTunes Store with the launch of RazorianFly 5.0 last year. With our 6.0 revamp, however, we’re taking charts to the next level.
To start, we’ve added a whole new list of items you can track on Apple’s digital content stores. For instance, we now have a chart for the Top 100 Singles on iTunes, (alongside the Top 100 Albums). We’re also tracking TV Shows, TV Episodes, Movies (and Movie Rentals), iOS Apps, Mac Apps – (and more!)
These charts are mobile friendly, (at least, to an extent). We’re going to be working harder on making them fully so in the coming weeks. Here’s a list of the live-updating iTunes Charts we currently offer for iTunes UK.
Top 100 Paid iOS Apps On iTunes®
Top 100 FREE iOS Apps On iTunes®
Top 100 Grossing iOS Apps On iTunes®
Top 100 Movies On iTunes®
Top 100 Movie Rentals On iTunes®
Top 100 Paid Mac Apps On The Mac App Store
Top 100 FREE Mac Apps On The Mac App Store
Top 100 Albums On iTunes®
Top 100 Songs On iTunes®
Top 100 TV Seasons On iTunes®
Top 100 TV Episodes On iTunes®
Top 100 Books On iTunes®
… And, we’re not stopping there.
On our new frontpage, you’ll notice we’re now keeping a real-time track on the Top 5 iOS Apps making waves on iTunes UK. At the bottom of our frontpage, you’ll also find the Top 12 iPad Apps, complete with direct links. These two embedded charts will update automatically on a daily basis.
In addition to this, over the next 2-3 weeks we aim to extend RazorianFly Charts to cover all major regions, worldwide. Starting … with Japan.
Top 100 Paid iOS Apps On iTunes® Japan
Top 100 FREE iOS Apps On iTunes® Japan
Top 100 Grossing iOS Apps On iTunes® Japan
Top 100 Movies On iTunes® Japan
Top 100 Movie Rentals On iTunes® Japan
Top 100 Paid Mac Apps On The Mac App Store
Top 100 FREE Mac Apps On The Mac App Store
Top 100 Albums On iTunes® Japan
Top 100 Songs On iTunes® Japan
Charts for US, AU, IT, ES, DE, CN, RU will be added shortly.
We also wanted to ensure that elements we place inside our posts flow with the site’s new, responsive layout. One particular element we decided to revamp was our polling system. Previously, we had relied on third-party services, such as PollDaddy, to provide custom polls. With RazorianFly 6.0, however, we decided to scrap this thinking for a custom solution.
Try it today – (below).
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In addition, we’re also introducing an optional social locker module. This won’t be present on all posts we publish, and on which ones we do take advantage of it we’ll be very selective – (2,000 words or more). It also won’t disrupt or hide the “locked” content in our main feed, we’ve made sure of that.
Here it is in action …
This module is responsive, too — (although we’re still working hard on nailing the style of the locker on mobile devices).
With this latest release we’re also introducing responsive alerts. These are designed to be completely non-invasive and can be easily dismissed with a simple tap (or click) of the ‘x’ icon, located to the right of each alert or message.
Try them out below …
These alerts should look great on your smartphone or tablets, and – going forward – we believe they’ll be the perfect way to keep you informed of the little things, (such as a video requiring Adobe Flash, or notification of site maintenance).
The weather is a consistent part of our lives. So, (as an added bonus), we’ve built in a weather module. You can now enter your current location in our new sidebar weather widget and see the most up-to-date weather conditions in your surrounding area. To set your current location simply click or tap the upper 50% of the widget, and enter your location in the rounded text-box that appears. It’s that simple!
Once activated, the widget will also cycle through a list of predefined cities around the world, keeping you up-to-date on the conditions in those regions in as close to real-time as possible.
Look out for columns … they’ll show up, periodically.
Embedded Google Maps, too.
Of course, it’s you, our valued readers, who ultimately have the final say on whether the design and layout we’ve chosen performs its core purpose. We tried to think of everything, and then implement only the best of the ideas which surfaced.
We hope you like the new RazorianFly.com as much as we do.
We’d love to hear what you think. You can send your thoughts in to us at the usual address – tips[at]razorianfly.com. Alternatively, you can leave a comment below, or – (if you’re the social type) – you can also find us on Facebook, Twitter or G+.
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