We have a web application and we have created phone applications (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry) to be partners on the site. The usual workflow is that an existing user of the site receives the application for the phone, and then connects their existing credentials in the phone application, and they are disconnected and working, but more often we see users who download the application, then (and this to anyone not to surprise) they donโt read the help screen, which explains that they need to go and get credentials on the website, and therefore cannot connect to an application that requires registration to manage their content. This is a giant disclaimer.
So, we know that we need to establish the workflows of registering users in a phone application.
Besides the obvious decision to duplicate our registration page on a mobile device, does anyone know a better solution for identifying a phone? For example, on the desktop, we also use Facebook Connect as an authentication server, and users like it. I am looking for what is simple that we can implement on major smartphone platforms.
Clarifying Note:
I should add here that this registration mechanism is likely to be; and it would be desirable if this happened to go hand in hand with a common authentication / authorization mechanism, such as the Facebook mechanism mentioned below.
Another place I spend is to see if there is an openId solution that does not require a popup browser.