Comments on Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0, Draft 13 January 2006

Hello all,

i remember there was some discussion whether MWBP promotes One Web or 
not, but in any case, i guess one goal of the *document* is to explain 
different kind of approaches or strategies how Web can be served 
for/accessed via mobile device.

"The primary goal is to improve the user experience of the Web when 
accessed from such devices."

However, it seems that the document is concentrating mainly on authoring 
process. As we can change the existing Web very slowly, it would be 
informative for non-mobile Web experts to illustrate already existing 
Web to Mobile adaptation processes, which are based on proxy based 
conversion. These conversion proxies provide the most widest Web to 
Mobile resource today.

Here are some examples which kind of proxies i mean:

WEB TO MOBILE

Google's quite new HTML -> XHTML MP converter:
<http://www.google.com/gwt/n?&u=www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-mobile-bp-20060113/>
MWBP document (WAI) conversion as an example. This converter can handle 
even forms.

<http://mini.opera.com> (Opera Software MIDP browser based on proxy 
adaptation. This combination enhances site and browser usability)

HTML-> WML conversion
<http://wap.google.com>
<http://maddingue.free.fr/softwares/html2wml.html> (handles forms also)

Maybe it should explained more clearly, why WAI guidelines - for example 
- do not cater mobile devices enough. In my opinion, different kind of 
Web to Mobile proxies should be studied in the future working groups - 
especially with content conforming relevant (and existing) WAI guidelines.

It is said, that the mobile handset can be the only Web device for many 
users in the third world. That is why it is important to note, that 
conversion proxies might be someties the only way to get information 
from the Web.

Kind Regards,
Mr. Ville Karinen
Student (Agr. & For.)

-- 
    Ville Karinen
    reply: Ville.Karinen a Helsinki.Fi
    http://www.helsinki.fi/~vkarinen /wap/index.wml
    http://4mobile.net

Received on Sunday, 15 January 2006 05:07:35 UTC