I was thinking the link target on the stylesheet would make my css file only load when it loads on a tablet or iphone. But the elements I'm trying to hide are still there. Im currently using (media="handheld")
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" hrf="css/media.css" media="handheld" />
There are too many mobile device models out there to write stylesheets for; you'd be better off adjusting your CSS based on Screen Size.
This is especially helpful for targeting Android Tablets which comes in different sizes.
See this useful tutorial for further explanation:
http://css-tricks.com/resolution-specific-stylesheets/
So, instead of targeting a specific screen dimensions (which would keep changing as more devices are released), you'd want stylesheets that change according to the screen size.
Then you'll add several stylesheets:
<link rel="stylesheet" media="screen and (min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 700px)" href="css/small.css" />
<link rel='stylesheet' media='screen and (min-width: 701px) and (max-width: 900px)' href='css/medium.css' />
etc.
So iPhones would use the small.css, and tablets larger than 700px will use medium.css.
Handheld
is more for devices like PDAs or feature phones than iOS or Android devices. You're much better off using media queries to detect device capabilities and then adjust accordingly. Here's an example article: http://mobile.smashingmagazine.com/2010/07/19/how-to-use-css3-media-queries-to-create-a-mobile-version-of-your-website/