If any of you have visited the Ultima Codex on a mobile device (iOS or Android) recently, you may have noticed the following little informational pop-up in your browser:

Over the last week or so, I’ve been working to get the site’s mobile face evolved to the point that it’s ready for exactly this form of presentation, and I think it’s in a state now that’s worthy of a “v1.0” release.

So yes…you can now add the Ultima Codex as a web-app on your iOS- or Android-powered mobile device. A web-app is kind of like a light version of a full app; it’s a bit of code that lets you access the mobile face of the site without having the browser window wrapped around the view. And it gives you a nice little icon that’ll show up on your mobile’s desktop and in its multitasking pane.

Oh, and it even gets its own splash screen:

So, here’s the basic instructions for installing the web-app on an iOS device. (I’ll see about posting a guide for Android devices later on.)

Step 1: Click the indicated button and select Add to Home Screen.

Step 2: Accept the default app name (or change it, if you want).

Step 3: The web-app should appear, with its own nifty little icon, on your desktop. In other words: that’s all!

And when you bring up the app, you should see the splash screen first, followed by the site’s mobile face without anything so bothersome as a browser address bar or button bar:

At present, only the Ultima Codex proper is included in the app; content posted to other subdomains isn’t displayed yet. We’re working on a solution (which we should be rolling out soon) that will address both that issue and the lack of a good domain-wide RSS feed. Using the app, you can view articles, log in to the site, and post comments, as well as find links to the Ultima fan page on Facebook, the Ultima Codex’s Twitter feed, and the Ultima Dragons Facebook group.

Oh, and if you want that awesome Ultima Forever logo as your desktop background, go here.

Suggestions for additions or improvements to the web-app, meanwhile, can be submitted here.

Note: The prompt to add the web-app to the home screen won’t appear in all mobile browsers. I’ve noticed, for example, that the pop-up prompt does not appear in Chrome for iOS.