A few weeks ago, I mentioned that we’re getting close to finishing the next version of Pacific NW Portal, codenamed “Newport”. Our plan is to have it ready to go live next month — most likely the week before Christmas.
We are in need of people to help us test out the new Portal, so we can more quickly identify any bugs or glitches that need to be taken care of prior to launch. If you’d like to help us beta test Newport, please drop us a line and let us know.
Newport’s major theme is speed. When we set out to modernize Pacific NW Portal several years ago, we made optimizing performance one of our biggest priorities… and the results really speak for themselves.
One of the things you’ll probably notice about Newport right away is that the site has faster, more predictable load times. The difference is especially noticeable if you’re using a DSL, dialup, or 2G/weak 3G mobile connection.
We’ve also improved usability, accessibility, and compatibility. Interestingly, Newport is the first version of Pacific NW Portal to have been jointly developed from the ground up on multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Kubuntu. Newport is also the first version of the Portal to have undergone thorough testing on mobile platforms, including iOS and BlackBerry OS.
Newport is also jam-packed with new and useful features that we think you’ll enjoy, which make it easier to stay up to date with the news that matters to you.
Again, if you’d like to be among the first to try the new Pacific NW Portal, we invite you to drop us a line and let us know you’re interested in helping us beta test.
3 Comments
let me know when you care about android.
We actually have tested for compatibility with Android. I didn’t reel off very last browser and platform we’re testing on in the post… most of us are either iPhone or BlackBerry users, so those are the mobile platforms that came to mind first.
The new Pacific NW Portal should load just fine in the default Android browser and Firefox for Android. We haven’t tested any other Android browsers yet, like Dolphin — but maybe you could help us. Are you interested in participating in the beta testing?
I am interested in the beta testing.