NELMA.org goes MOBILE

When NELMA released the lumber industry’s first iTunes-downloadable app for the iPhone in January 2010, it was deemed the most innovative way to reach a wide-ranging audience with important reference information.  Full copies of the Grading Rules, the NELMA Buyer’s Guide, Eastern White Pine Grade Photo Sheets, the Monographs, and end-use photos were suddenly available for viewing on the fly literally at one’s finger-tips.  A year after the iPhone introduction, the app was introduced for use on iPads to keep up with the trending tablet usage.

Advance 4 years later and who knew that information reference-type apps such as NELMA’siphone mobile1 would become outmoded so quickly; that apps for the iPhone/iPad would evolve mostly into specific task or entertainment driven portals!  Add the growing market share of android-powered smartphones where a whole new development platform for app creation became necessary to participate.  And yes, Blackberry technology remains in play as well, requiring yet another technology to “app” on their devices.  Something had to give in order to find a more efficient way of making NELMA’s information available more widespread to its mobile, tech-savvy audiences and stay with the technology advancement curve.

So, it’s out with the iPhone/iPad app and in with our Mobile website.  Take a look by simply entering nelma.org on your smartphone’s web browser, any smartphone!  As most have found, the ability to navigate and locate information on a regular website viewed on smartphones can be a very frustrating experience; content area way too large for the screen, super small text size, and limited ability to scroll.

NELMA’s Mobile version optimizes all that, keeping the same useful reference information readily accessible and always up-to-date!  No more app update headaches; no more multiple smartphone versions to deal with!  Just more staying ahead of the Joneses.