News Release: W3C Publishes First Draft of new Device Independence Authoring Language (DIAL)

W3C brings the mobile world one step closer to true convergence with  
the Web through the issuing of DIAL, the Device Independence  
Authoring Language. Making use of established Web technologies and  
new features, this new language debuts with the support of device  
manufacturers, software vendors, mobile operators, content companies  
and the accessibility community.

For more information, please contact Janet Daly +1 617 253 5884   
<janet@w3.org> or the W3C Communications Team representative in your  
region.


W3C Introduces Device Independence Authoring Language (DIAL)

Mobile Carriers, Operators, Device Companies Present New Standards- 
based Model for Content Authoring

Web resources

This press release
	In English: http://www.w3.org/2006/03/dial-pressrelease.html.en
	In French: http://www.w3.org/2006/03/dial-pressrelease.html.fr
	In Japanese: http://www.w3.org/2006/03/dial-pressrelease.html.ja

The DIAL specification
	http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-dial-20060516/

The W3C Device Independence homepage
	http://www.w3.org/2001/di/

http://www.w3.org/ -- 16 May 2006 -- Today, the World Wide Web  
Consortium announces the publication of the Device Independence  
Authoring Language (DIAL), which facilitates authoring for an ever- 
expanding range of mobile devices. The W3C Device Independence  
Working Group invites review and discussion with the community of  
this First Public Working Draft.

"The DIAL suite makes the most of existing, established Web  
technologies and principles, and extends their reach with new  
features that better serve the needs of diverse devices," explained  
Working Group Chair Rhys Lewis of Volantis. "Born of expertise from  
device manufacturers, software vendors, mobile operators, content  
companies and the accessibility community, DIAL has potential to  
improve the quality of mobile life."

Content Providers Face Increasing Challenges for Content Authoring

Thousands of mobile devices with a wide range of capabilities are in  
use today. People have come to expect the same quality of service and  
wealth of information available on the move that they find on the Web  
at their desktop computers.

This diversity poses significant challenges to Web designers and  
mobile operators alike. How does one create content for upwards of  
2,500 different kinds of mobile devices? How do operators deliver  
that content in ways that are both efficient and pleasing to the  
customer?

DIAL Incorporates New and Established Technologies for Authoring Ease

The DIAL approach to meeting these challenges is tried and true:  
content is more flexible and adaptable when data, styling, layout,  
and interaction are described independently.

DIAL is a language profile based on existing W3C XML vocabularies and  
CSS modules. These provide standard mechanisms for representing Web  
page structure, presentation and form interaction. DIAL also makes  
use of the DISelect metadata vocabulary for overcoming authoring  
challenges inherent in authoring for multiple delivery contexts.

DIAL Already Carries Wide Industry Support

DIAL has been developed within W3C by the Device Independence Working  
Group, which includes industry leaders such as ANEC (European  
Association for the Co-ordination of Consumer Representation in  
Standardisation), The Boeing Corporation, CNR--Consiglio Nazionale  
delle Ricerche, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute  
(ETRI), France Telecom, IBM Corporation, Mobileaware, Ltd., Nokia,  
Segala, Vodaphone, and Volantis Systems Ltd,

The work of the Device Independence Working Group serves as part of  
the technical foundation for W3C's Mobile Web Initiative (MWI),  
making the vision of "one Web" for all devices a reality.

Contact America --
     Janet Daly, <janet@w3.org>, +1.617.253.5884 or +1.617.253.2613
Contact Europe, Africa and Middle East --
     Marie-Claire Forgue, <mcf@w3.org>, +33.492.38.75.94 or  
+33.676.86.33.41
Contact Asia --
     Yasuyuki Hirakawa <chibao@w3.org>, +81.466.49.1170

About the World Wide Web Consortium [W3C]

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium  
where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work  
together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission  
through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to  
ensure long-term growth for the Web. Over 400 organizations are  
Members of the Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer  
Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the  
USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics  
(ERCIM) headquartered in France, Keio University in Japan, and has  
additional Offices worldwide. For more information see http:// 
www.w3.org/


-----------------------------------------------------------

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Janet Daly, Global Communications Officer
o: +1.617.253.5884
m: +1.206.228.1097
janet@w3.org

Received on Tuesday, 16 May 2006 14:01:58 UTC