Filed under: Google, iPhone, Browsers, Mobile, Android

WebKit optimized iGoogle gets canned

Androidby Christina Warren (RSS feed) Jan 19th 2009 at 10:15AM



Last January, Google introduce a special iPhone optimized version of its iGoogle page. When Android launched on the T-Mobile G1 in October, its WebKit-based browser (WebKit is what powers Mobile Safari) also offered up the optimized iGoogle interface. Although the G1 and the iPhone are capable of displaying the full iGoogle interface (more or less, there are some issues with certain widgets), the nice thing about the optimized interface was that it really laid sections of the page, and especially news articles and search panes in a really attractive way.

A year later, the optimized version of the site is gone. Instead, iPhone user and Android users get treated to the same crappy mobile iGoogle interface that other phones suffer through.

So much for progress.

On Saturday morning, when the change went into effect, users started asking questions in the iGoogle discussions page withing Google Help. The response from Google employee Paul:

Hey everyone, I have an update for you. We've decided to direct iPhone users to the standard mobile iGoogle page. We've found that people hit iGoogle from lots of different phones -- we want to ensure you'll all see the same version.

Most or all of your existing content should translate over to the standard mobile version. The only exception would be any gadgets that aren't compatible with most mobile browsers.

Needless to say, the masses who love their iGoogle were not assuaged. This brought up a whole list of accusations that Google is saving the special iGoogle interface for Android users only and punishing iPhone users for not buying the Google phone.

This isn't quite true.

I pulled up iGoogle on the T-Mobile G1 on Saturday night, and sure enough, it no longer sports an optimized iGoogle interface either. That isn't to say there isn't a difference: Android users get access to the Gmail widget. BlackBerry, iPhone and presumably any other mobile users do no not (I've only verified on the BlackBerry and the iPhone). After trying to add the Gmail widget multiple times to my iPod touch, I got nothing -- only to see four instances of Gmail when I loaded iGoogle on the G1. Otherwise, the interface is identical.



L. iGoogle on the G1, R. iGoogle on the iPhone

iPhone users can rest a bit easier knowing that there is no widespread conspiracy; Android users get the crappy mobile interface too. They can just access Gmail from said interface.

Thanks for the tip Ben!

Tags: android, google, igoogle, igoogle mobile, IgoogleMobile, iphone, webkit