Reaching AE and the AED by Cell Phone
- By Thomas McKinney
The mobile site home page, also known as Search Home.
By Bruce and Tom McKinney
A great database is no greater than its accessibility. For more than ten years databases of books have been evolving online and for the past five the AED, the largest source of past book, manuscript and ephemera auction records, has been building. Today, in the AED, there are more than 1.6 million full text records and the volume always increasing. Access has been via computer and internet connection. This month we are adding cell phone access as a standard feature for all research and premium memberships.
Books have always had a subtle sedentary bias. Where there are books there are almost always chairs and desks because contemplation and research are a natural part of the consideration of collectible material. And it's easy to think of the limited range of motion of information about books as a given but its not and cell phone access proves that you can travel a thousand miles and still access information to inform your decisions about appropriate valuation, rarity and relative availability while strolling distant aisles, perusing shelves and examining specific copies of interest. Every book person on the planet has wondered about items and made a note to look them up later. Using this service while browsing a shop, a show, an auction or even while discussing a particular book over lunch, the American Exchange Database is now fully accessible to those with appropriate cell phones. It's as simple as dialing up.
Cell phones are quickly evolving. The newest technology employs 2G and 3G interfaces that allow phones that are internet enabled to get online. From there it depends on how specific sites are configured. Most can be viewed but only a few are configured to be easily searched by employing separate simplified cell phone access pages. We provide this and expect cell phone access to become a useful tool for AE members. If you are an AE research or premium member and have an internet enabled cell phone you'll want to try it out.
Web-enabled phones are not going to replace computers as the preferred way to view online sites but there are going to be times when such access is worth its weight in gold. Say for the moment that you see something in the auction rooms or in a shop that's appealing but you aren't absolutely certain of its value. With this service you look it up on the spot to confirm value and rarity.
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Reaching AE and the AED by Cell Phone
- By Thomas McKinney
The detailed description of an item in Books for Sale. Notice the path links highlighted by a red box at the top of the image.
Here is some technical information.
The Searches: All searches in the AED, Books for Sale and upcoming Live Auctions employ sequential keyword logic so Washington Virginia Martha quickly narrows selected records to a manageable group for review.
Technical Explanation: The mobile Americana Exchange website is not a full replica of the regular site. It is stripped down and features what we think will be most useful to our on-the-go members. The services available are all search-based: the AE Database, upcoming Live Auctions and Books for Sale. In creating the mobile site, simplicity and ease of use was the number one priority, and therefore extra features and frills have been left out.
Before we begin, let me first say that each mobile user may have a slightly different experience than the next. The phones people carry vary, and most phone companies have their own phone operating system with browser. While, I can't explain step-by-step how to access the Internet on every phone on the market, here is a list of support sites for various phone makers where you can find help on how to connect to the Internet, and information on general web-browsing.
Also, phone service plans don't automatically come with Internet service. If you don't already have it, you'll need to sign up for it with your service provider.
Once your phone is setup for internet use, and you’ve familiarized yourself with the use of it, load the AE’s mobile site by simple navigating to americanaexchange.com on your phone’s web browser. The site will automatically load the site’s mobile version. You’ll come to a simple login page. Once logged in, the mobile homepage will load, allowing for three different searches: AE Database, upcoming Live Auctions and Books for Sale.
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Reaching AE and the AED by Cell Phone
- By Thomas McKinney
An example results page from a search in AED
First type in a keyword (for any kind of search), and then below "Search in:", you will find a dropdown menu which is by default set to "Live Auctions." This menu has the three options of Live Auctions, Books for Sale, and AE Database.
Throughout the site, you will find at the top of each page a path of where you are. For instance, after doing a search in Live Auction, you will see: "Search Home->Auction Search." This works in effect like a back button. Clicking "Search Home" will bring you back to the homepage where you may continue with your searches.
Searching AE Database
Searching the AE Database will result in a page of results (given there are results) similar to the results pages for searches in Live Auctions and Books for Sale. The first link for a record is for the record's bibliographic source, which will take you an information page for the source. The second link, "Details," will take you to a detailed record.
Searching Live Auctions
After inputting a term, and searching in Live Auctions, a results page will load. Assuming there is at least one result for your search, listings will be displayed. The first link for any given lot is the name of the auction the lot belongs to. Clicking this link will take you to that auction for browsing. The second link is "Lot Details." This link will take you to a detailed record of the lot.
Searching Books for Sale
Searching in Books for Sale is essentially the exact same experience as searching in Live Auctions except that the "Details" link is the only one for each result. Clicking "Details" will show you the description, price and contact information for the seller. From there, if you're interested in the item, "Click here to purchase or inquire about this book" will allow you to take further action.
The Future
As of now, the features made live this September are essentially the first step in what will probably become a more complete mobile site. Based on customer demand, other features from the regular site can be added, and, as mobile technology improves, it will become easier and easier for full websites to be accessed wirelessly. We're stepping into new territory, and we want this to be as simple and painless as possible. With that in mind, we realize members will have questions. Cell phones can be confusing and web access is a relatively new phenomena. As you have questions, email us at mwizard@mail.americanaexchange.com. If you are ambitious enough to try this you'll have our complete support.
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