Chaz,
Re: WAP - Dr. Jacobs of Qualcomm (statements on WAP) - WirelessKnowledge - WML v. XML
<< Dr J argues, and of course I listen carefully to him, that WAP (Phone.com's technology which is the basis for the WAP forum) is not the best way to go for the wireless / internet nexus. He is probably right. He usually is >>
He may well be (right). There are many individuals involved with the selection or implementation of WAP across technologies that state that while WAP has a very large window of opportunity, it is a relatively short window (2 to 3 Years). Some are betting on XML superseding WML and others are looking forward implementations of Java that download web sites to a SIM/R-UIM for temporary execution, with or without SMS, as an alternative.
One of the reasons that Dr. J argues (argues against WAP) is that Qualcomm (an early equity investor in UP and at one time obviously saw real potential in them) has decided to team up with Microsoft in the WirelessKnowledge JV backing WML (see my clip from an Ericsson "info-ad", below. It is possible also that the recent investment in NetZero could provide a playground for implementation of WirelessKnowledge technology and Eudora could wrap in here.
Now whether or not Dr. J is right or not I do not know, but while I was doing serious DD on phone.com shortly after their IPO (and seriously considering investing in them), I came to the conclusion that WML was potentially a more sensible approach to dealing with web content than XML, and I also concluded that some of the Java SIM approaches and solutions like those supposedly being developed by companies like Lava2140 could also create a short window for WAP. For these reasons (and also being unable to really figure out their business model I elected not to invest in phone.com. Only time will tell whether I made the right decision or if the Doctor is on the right track.
Please Note (counterpoint): WAP is technology agnostic (like me); Qualcomm IS a member of WAP Forum: WAP IS a key enabler of initial cdma wireless data; the WAP window may (or may not) be short but regardless it is BIG, and 3 years from now there will be a huge installed base of WAP enabled phones that will need to be supported.
The following is an excerpt on WAP from an "info-ad" called "Bridging the Data Gap" published by Ericsson a while back. The bold emphasis towards the end is mine is mine.
>> The principal 2.5G upgrade technologies are High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD) networks, General Packet Switched Radio Systems (GPRS) and Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE)?all used in conjunction with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
WAP is important because developing and delivering powerful Internet applications and services for mobile phones involves a host of changes to existing cellular networks and handsets. It also involves modifications or additions to the Internet, which until now has been accessed mainly by PCs over relatively low-cost wireline networks. Connectivity has been the key, not mobility, and PCs?unlike mobile phones?have the power to process and display a wealth of information.
WAP is one of the cornerstones of the wireless Internet. It is an open and global specification standardizing communications between mobile phones and cellular network servers, and it gives developers the power to create Internet applications that will work on most, if not all, mobile networks and handsets, as well as on other devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs). But at least three crucial changes are necessary before new internet applications become ubiquitous on mobile phones:
* Existing mobile network servers need to be upgraded to be WAP compatible?mainly a software issue
* Vendors have to introduce new WAP-enabled handsets
* New internet applications and services have to be developed in WAP.
WAP creates a new breed of internet standards, languages and applications designed specifically for mobile networks and devices. It slims down internet services to fit on cell phones? small displays and ups data transfer rates, which is essential, given the cost of mobile airtime. WAP has its own Wireless Markup Language (WML), which can be viewed as a severely pared-down version of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), the predominant Web language.
In some cases WML can carry the same piece of information as HTML, but using half the kilobytes. Not all the web?s existing HTML sites are immediately compatible with WAP?s WML, but companies with existing HTML-based sites can take a limited amount of content and translate it into a WML-coded WAP site. For example, CNN, Reuters, Yahoo! and other groups have already launched WAP services derived from existing HTML content. Mobile network infrastructure companies are also working to automate the translation from HTML to WML, using either dedicated equipment or filters in WAP gateway servers.
Another option for making the internet a better fit for wireless networks is to evolve existing web sites from HTML to eXtensible Markup Language (XML), which is very similar to HTML but with a number of additional advantages. Chief among them is that XML theoretically gives a Web site the potential to recognize the device requesting information and to deliver the appropriate information in the correct format. XML is designed to be an umbrella language that contains HTML, WML and other markup languages as subsets.
Key XML backers include U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, Wash.) and equipment vendor Qualcomm Inc. (San Diego). Their joint venture company, WirelessKnowledge, has developed a product to convert HTML to XML.
Falk Muller-Veerse, author of Durlacher?s recent Mobile Commerce Report, points to the possibilities of Voice XML. ?VXML is a standard being pushed by the VoiceXML Forum, which is driven by U.S. groups Motorola, AT&T and Lucent,? he says. ?VXML aims to allow voice-activated internet access via a wired or wireless phone. IBM has provided its speech recognition technology to further enhance the standardization process.?
Software developed by computer concern IBM Corp. (Armonk, N.Y.) already allows PCs to read out e-mails and selected web content, and the company is now working with Nokia Oy (Espoo, Finland) to bring the same capability to mobile devices. Microsoft, which appears to be taking a position in the majority of the technologies involved in telecom and computer convergence, has also invested heavily in voice recognition systems, Muller-Veerse notes.
Operating systems and web browsers, although fundamental to the PC-dominated internet model, will play a smaller role in the evolution of the wireless internet. That is partly because wireless devices, which have far less memory and processing power than PCs, cannot support enormous software applications like Microsoft?s Windows 95 and Internet Explorer or Netscape?s Navigator. Operating systems and microbrowsers for mobile devices are far more modest and limited than their counterparts for PCs, which means that the hardware and software supporting new wireless internet applications will be housed mainly in mobile network servers. <<
- Eric - |
