Chaz,
Re: WAP/iMode
<< Dr J has long said WAP is not essential if CDMA is used, if I understood correctly >>
I think he said their were better alternatives (not necessarrily dependent upon CDMA).
Likely that WAP/iMode will converge.
Have you seen this September 25 South China Morning Post article? I've included a few excerpts but the whole article is worth a read:
>> CHINA AND JAPAN SEEN AS KEY DRIVERS FOR NEW-GENERATION INTERNET ACCESS
special.scmp.com
Some excerpts
Asia's digital cellular markets will drive the global adoption of next-generation standards for accessing Internet content via mobile phones and hand-held computing devices.
The head of the industry consortium promoting WAP (wireless application protocol) Scott Goldman says the push will come from Japan and the mainland.
The evolution of WAP technology is expected to occur in the second half of next year, when its latest specification is released for testing by wireless device manufacturers, network operators, content providers and application developers.
<snip>
Research firm International Data Corp (IDC) has predicted that by the middle of next year all digital cellular handsets shipped will be WAP-capable. IDC also forecasts that by the end of 2002, there will be more wireless subscribers capable of Internet access than wired Internet users.
<snip>
Mr Goldman said the largest Asian potential for WAP was the mainland. "In China, you have the second-largest mobile market in the world, and the single largest GSM market in the world," he said.
<snip>
The much-reported technical differences would not matter that much as the supporters of iMode and WAP move to converge the technologies and create a truly global standard for wireless access of Internet content, he said.
Senior NTT DoCoMo official Shoichiro Ishigaki sits on the WAP Forum's board of directors.
"We are all moving in the same direction, and that will become more obvious as the latest specification for WAP hits the market around June next year," Mr Goldman said.
Brett Warthen, chief executive of WAP gateway provider Infinite Technologies, said the most valuable lesson of i-Mode was its business model and marketing.
"DoCoMo has a very well-defined business model for how content providers can profit from making services available for i-Mode. And they are actively encouraging developers to profit from the service," he said. Forrester Research analyst Patrick Callinan sees a strong future for wireless technologies.
<snip>
The forum is calling for enhancements of the WAP specification based on the experience of the more than 200 mobile-phone carriers around the world offering some form of WAP service.
Their users have had to cope with slow dial-up and data rates, and poor quality displays.
Popular WAP applications include stock trading, online bill payments, traffic alerts and personalised news. WAP devices also allow company employees to securely access corporate intranets or extranets.
<snip>
Mr Goldman said the next-generation WAP - claimed to be the bridge between existing mobile phones and third-generation smart phones which allow "always on" Internet access - would support multimedia applications, colour graphics, animation, and enable users to download music files and photographs. <<
- Eric - |
