Challenges of the Mobile Web
- Despite high market penetration of Internet-capable mobile phones,
usage of mobile Internet services is not as wide-spread as from fixed
terminals
- Extra costs involved in developing services that work on mobile
- Services developed for Web cannot simply be transplanted to
Mobile
- Multiplicity of devices, form factors, browsers, capabilities
- Constrained bandwidth, high latency
- Limited attention of the user, one-handed operation
- Mobile users’ needs are different
- Mobile Web Initiative established in May 2005 to address these issues
- Vodafone has been instrumental in planning the initiative and,
along with France Telecom and HP, is a founder premium sponsor
- Goal: dramatically increase the breadth and quality of Web
experience available on the mobile handset
- Establish best practices for developing mobile content; make it
easier to adapt content to different device capabilities
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