Oakland County Launches Touch-Screen Mobile Access
A growing number of Web users now depend on mobile phones, smartphones and similar devices to access information and services online. To better serve the community's needs, Oakland County has enhanced its mobile access service for touch-screen navigation and browsing.
Key features of Oakland County's new Mobile Touch service include:
* No app to download or install
* Open access for popular mobile devices
* Optimized for Blackberry, Droid, iPhone 3, 3GS & 4, iTouch, and more
* Toggle between three access options: Touch-screen, Text-only, or Full web site
* Easy touch-screen navigation & browsing
* One-touch direct phone dialing to County offices (for enabled devices)
* Maps & directions to County parks, golf courses, and offices
* News & recreation information
* Videos & podcasts
* Popular county social network feeds
The Mobile Touch interface is automatically displayed for mobile users visiting Oakland County's public web site www.oakgov.com – nothing to download or install. Within the Mobile Touch environment, users can choose to toggle between three access options: touch-based navigation, a text-only version, or the full web site.
"Technology is integral to everything we do," noted Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. "Our new mobile technologies make Oakland County government more accessible and user-friendly, providing more effective communication with residents, businesses, and the media."
Added Oakland County CIO and deputy county executive Phil Bertolini: "Mobile access is a way for government to help people find information and services wherever they are, on their turf, on their timetable. With so many people now using smartphones as their primary Internet connection, government needs to be ready to provide information and services in that environment."
Mobile Touch content was created based on citizen responses to a public survey in which the most important features were ranked. More information about Mobile Touch is online for traditional browsers at www.oakgov.com/mobile, including a video tour of the new Mobile Touch environment.
Oakland County's original award-winning text-based Mobile Service was launched in November 2006 to extend the County's already robust eGovernment initiative. Consistent use of Mobile Service since then indicates that citizens are adopting this new way of doing business with Oakland County government.
Oakland County was recently ranked one of the most digitally advanced counties in the nation on the Center for Digital Government's 2010 Digital Counties Survey.
(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.
