General Availability
Following live trials lasting more than 6 months we're delighted to announce version 3 of the 51Degrees device detection solution is fully released.
Available to all, including free Lite users, key improvements include:
- Over 100 times faster device detection
- Reduced memory consumption and faster start up times
- Automatic image optimisation (PHP, Java and .NET)
- Future proof algorithms supporting potentially millions of device combinations
Existing premium device data subscribers not only benefit from the above improvements, but also:
- Device type list property and more physical screen size information
- Enhanced analysis options with integration to Google Analytics, Webtrends, Omniture and many others
New Enterprise Features
We've also been listening to our Enterprise customers and have produced a new offering targeting their needs.
- Daily data file updates
- Monitoring network conditions for each individual user
- Use of javascript to update properties based on the configuration of the device
- Inclusive SLA backed support
A full list of differences between the Lite, Premium and Enterprise data sets can be found here.
Existing Premium subscribers wishing to upgrade to Enterprise should contact the accounts team.
Data Files
May 2014 will be the last month that version 2 formatted device data is released for Lite customers. Premium format device data will be produced in version 2 format until 27th May 2015 after which it will no longer be provided and version 3 will be the only format produced for subscribers. Users of 51Degrees device detection should start planning their upgrade.
Version 3 pattern detection uses a single data format which works equally well with all API technologies. There are no longer separate data file formats for PHP, .NET & Java, C and Python. The trie data file format has been enhanced to support more device combinations and reduce file sizes. Finally the XML format data file has been removed because XML is not an appropriate format for supporting an ever increasing number of device combinations.
API Licencing
Version 3 APIs continue to be licensed under the Mozilla Public Licence 2 allowing free commercial use. Free APIs for PHP, Java, C, Python and .NET are available from all the usual distribution methods. The C APIs are no longer licenced under the Affero General Public License.
Upgrade Process
Most APIs are interface compatible with version 2 simplifying upgrade. The developer documentation on this web site has been updated to explain the differences and provide information on accessing new features.
Any questions concerning upgrading can be raised via comments on this blog post, using our forums or contact us.