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To: limtex who wrote (10855)	5/27/2000 8:43:00 AM
From: data_rox	Respond to of 13582

Limtex Re: WAP disappoints in Britain That is why the GSM world is so keen on getting GPRS rolled out - GSM circuit switched connections offer a terrible user experience when just trying to do a quick look-up on your phone. CDMA networks with Quick Net Connect feature installed and using a Phone.com browser (soon WAP compatible) on the handset offers a very nice user experience now. Wait till 1x comes - it's gonna chew GPRS up and spit it out....for a lot less money to the operator not only for micro browser but other apps too. Regards, Rox

To: limtex who wrote (10855)	5/27/2000 10:06:00 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 13582

Text of that Daily Mail article about response to early "Web Mobile" stuff. Web Mobiles 'are a turn-off' by Paul Kendall, Technology Reporter, Daily Mail They are hyped as a must-have for techno-chic people on the move. But the first mobile phones which log on to the Internet are a letdown, it was claimed yesterday. Around half a million people in the UK have tried the devices, lured by the prospect of keeping up with headlines, football scores and travel news, accessing theatre reviews and searching out the best shopping deals - as well as sending and receiving e-mails. Most have been disappointed, however, and say the reality has failed to live up to their expectations, according to researchers. Among the criticisms are that accessing websites is slow and the choice is text-based and limited. The findings are sure to worry mobile phone giants who have just spent œ22billion on new licences to run telecommunications networks. In a report from the research group Ovum, the industry is warned to expect 'customer alienation' and a backlash against the phones in the coming months. And it criticises industry publicity for portraying a 'mobile Internet Nirvana, where we are all able to access anything, anytime from anywhere'. The report's author, Michele Mackenzie, said: 'Users' expectations are based on the fixed Internet experience - they are expecting graphics, colour and video. This is totally out of touch with the reality.' Customers are 'doomed to disappointment', she added. The first Internet phones, using handsets as mini-computers, appeared in stores last autumn. Using new technology called WAP - Wireless Application Protocol - they shrink the Internet to fit the small screens. All the major operators - Vodafone, BT Cellnet, Orange and One2One - have spent millions on advertising and marketing campaigns to entice customers. The four main operators, together with Canadian company TIW, have also just paid out between œ4billion and œ6billion each for the right to operate so-called 'third generation', or 3G, phones in the UK for the next 21 years. By providing a bigger 'pipe' to transmit information, these will make way for phones which will have the computing power of a sophisticated laptop, with high-speed Internet access and colour video. But Ovum brands the first wave of the new technology 'disappointing'. Internet company AnywhereYouGo.com revealed earlier this month that nearly one third of WAP sites tested by its researchers failed to run. Even if the sites do work, users might not be pleased with what they get. Useful features such as online restaurants or transport bookings are hard to come by, and online charges can seem steep to consumers used to cheap or free features. 'Internet users are used to free content, and it could prove difficult to get them to pay for content unless it provides considerable added value in terms of convenience, mobility and location,' said Miss Mackenzie. 'And if they have been disappointed by their first experiences of mobile Internet, it will be difficult to win them back, even with 3G speeds.' These findings were reflected in a recent survey by consumer analyst JD Power, which found two in three customers have no interest in using the 'third generation' phones. p.kendall@dailymail.co.uk ¸ Associated Newspapers Ltd., 26 May 2000