First came the mobile phone. Then it got smarter and you could send short text messages to friends. Before that thrill subsided, you now learn that your cellular phone can be used to access news, stock prices, restaurant guides or anything else you dream up, without having to be in front of your computer.
What they - meaning the tech gurus who currently dictate the norms in our world today - are also saying, is that the phone is just an interim device that will merge with Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) and other wireless devices, resulting in the creation of one smart device that will help you do everything -- including working remotely, accessing mail, doing banking and shopping.
With even more recent developments like Bluetooth, your device may even start checking your refrigerator for current stock, placing an order with the local supermarket, getting payments and deliveries organised - all while you're off playing golf somewhere.
The question, then, is less about future possibilities, than about technology that will emerge as a global standard. This will to a large extent, depend upon the acceptability by consumers in different markets, and also by major players in the global wireless technology scene.
At present, among mobile service enabling technologies, WAP (short for Wireless Application Protocol) is the most prevalent. Though it is said to be only a platform for the next generation technology, it is currently used by major players including the leading trio -- Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola. The technology is promoted through the WAP Forum (www.wapforum.org), that administers the worldwide WAP specification process.
So, what is WAP?
WAP is an open global standard for mobile solutions that connects mobile terminals to the Internet. WAP-based technology permits the design of interactive, real-time mobile services, Internet communication and advanced telephony services specifically for digital mobile phones, pagers, personal digital assistants and other wireless terminals.
Handheld digital wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, smartphones and communicators, from low to high-end, can all support WAP, its purpose being mainly to enable easy and fast delivery of relevant information and services to users.
WAP is a communications protocol and application environment that can be built on any operating system including PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS etc. It also provides service interoperability between different device families.
According to statistics, there will be one billion WAP phones with built-in browsers, within the next three years. For a complete introduction to WAP, its formation, philosophy and updates, head to GSM World (www.gsmworld.com), an authority on global systems for communications.
Links on WAP
Mobile Yahoo
The Yahoo Web site enabled for mobile devices.
WAP: Your guide to the wireless Internet
Includes WAP site reviews and lots more.
WAP Resources
For the latest developments in WAP technology.
Phone.com
Site connecting mobile devices around the world.
A mobile Internet world
Several web sites, today, have customised information specifically for WAP users. Just like HTML is used to enable content on the Internet, the wireless world uses WML (Wireless Mark-up Language), which is a rough sub-set of XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language). Most sites, therefore, have to be rewritten in WML from the ground up, in order to make the information readable by WAP browsers.
Companies like Yahoo.com have customised portals that are designed for access by WAP enabled mobile phones. These sites offer a variety of services including travel services, email checking, calendars, schedulers, trading information, traffic status, news, stock quotes, and loads more. Value additions include free WAP browsers and homepages.
Most of these sites also have demo sections with online simulators for tours on to how to navigate their site using a mobile phone.
Indian WAP Sites
Rediff Mobile
Offers news and services, restaurant guides, stock quotes etc.
India Wapjag
Portal offering a WAP browser and the latest wireless news.
OyeWap
Featuring e-mail, travel guides, stock updates, emergency numbers, horoscope, people finder, games, music and more.
WAP Way
Promises to bring an online search, shopping, movie and restaurant reservations, train and flight timings, stock quotes, etc. to your mobile gizmos. Also lets you download a WAP browser.
Wabot
Services include email checking, trading information, traffic status, along with WAP products, corporate solutions, a quick start guide and even a WAP FAQ.
Waphoria
Get news, stock quotes and free email on your WAP-enabled mobile phone.
NetXcell
Provides cellphone users short messaging and WAP services, and net access to users of personal digital assistants or PDAs.
The Future
The power and utility of WAP is well accepted. Over 350 firms have already joined the WAP Forum and have accepted this technology, giving it a good chance of bringing mobile Internet to the masses. However, the pitfalls of WAP have also given rise to questions about it being a global standard.
Firstly, users have found WAP phones disappointing because of their real time Internet experience using PC (with graphics, video, sound). Some of the flaws observed include tiny screens that limit the amount of content. Secondly, only text based information with limited characters can be displayed. Then there is a limited key pad functionality, low bandwidth, poor quality of content and the cost factor -- a WAP enabled phone in India costs anywhere between Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000.
It takes anywhere between one to two minutes to connect to the Internet using a WAP phone. Mobile phone service providers today believe that the current WAP phone is an interim product and will be replaced by GPRS phones in the near future.
GPRS or General Packet Radio Service uses a higher bandwidth, making use of music, visuals and colour graphics, in line with PCs. It is a data network that uses existing radio base stations linked to a new network based on 'packet technology' and will connect mobiles to the Internet in over twice the speed of ISDN.
In India, the WAP market is at a nascent stage, and consumer knowledge is still limited. Growth here, it is predicted, will be markedly slow. The current craze for the WAP phones is predicted to subside with new services as consumers upgrade to GPRS phones, though not immediately. WAP services and sites will also change to GPRS.
GPRS phones also get rid of the worries of high dial up costs, by providing an 'always on' packet based Net access, charging on a per-packet basis.
This critique also argues that the WAP protocol does not comply with standards necessary for it to be accepted on globally.
With the increasing use of XML standard, mobile surfing is predicted to be a far more enriching experience. As content creation using XML becomes universal, all sites will become much more accessible and current constraints of WAP-enabled sites may disappear. However, it is almost universally believed that WAP is only a transition to a better, more efficient and widely accepted global standard.
Other developments
Bluetooth: Riding the WAP platform, this is a computing, networking and telecommunication industry specification that enables mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices to talk to each other using radio waves. It has been estimated that by 2005, the Bluetooth wireless technology will be a built-in feature in over 670 million products.
Then there's i-mode, with WAP like services, offered by the Japanese wireless carrier, NTT DoCoMo, It allows continuous and low priced access to the Web, and has had over 9.5 million subscribers since its introduction in February 1999, making it the world's most successful mobile internet service. Roughly 10,000 Websites have been specially formatted so that they be download quickly and look enticing on I-mode phone screens.
3-G is also a generic term for the next big step in mobile technology development. The formal standard for 3-G is the IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications 2000) backed by different developer communities. W-CDMA is backed by Ericsson, Nokia and Japanese manufacturers, while CDMA-2000 is backed by US vendors Qualcomm and Lucent.
Finally, Universal Mobile Telephone Systems (UMTS) will soon allow users to access information through voice recognition technology. What happens next? We can simply wait and watch while IT breaks all limits.
All we need is patience. Tomorrow is another day, remember?
More links
Google Wap
Google's search service on a mobile phone. Get access to its entire database. Also converts html pages to WML on the fly.
Wap Fast
One of the largest databases of WAP sites online.
Complete WAP Glossary
3G, Bluetooth, CDMA, GSM - find out what they all mean.
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