A few people have recently questioned the need consider WML when developing mobile web services. As the device market creeps up a few notches since the birth of WAP, traditional PC based web standards have been adopted by mobile browsers in order to make development easier, and compatibility greater.
Mobile technologies are being deployed at a rapid rate, and hence drives users to upgrade their handsets more frequently. With carriers and retail stores offering substantial subsidies. This in turn is driving the “average” technology on the device up.
On this basis, will be see WML become a legacy language? Well this all depends on target audience of your mobile web service. Generally, mobile web sites fit into one of the following categories:
- Information Portal
- Communication
- Entertainment
- Ringtones and Mobile Content Downloads
- Streaming Content
- Research
You will then need to consider the types of users that own the varieties of handsets. Here is a typical case for each handset type:
- Black and White (WML)
- Older generations who use the phones for emergency purposes. Just to make and receive calls and send occasional text messages
- Basic Colour (WML)
- Young children who want to use a mobile phone to “fit-in” at school, and show off their ringtones and pictures.
- Advanced Colour (XHTML-MP)
- Usually used by the age group 16-40, who see their phones as an important means of communication and also as a style accessory.
- Smartphones (HTML/XHTML)
- Business users and early adopters tend to use this class. Communication, applications and mobile web are the most important features of this phone
From this basis, you can see that the users that are likely to be experimenting with web applications are those that have XHTML capable devices. Using it mainly for “Communications”, “Information Portal” and “Research”. Colour WML devices are in abundance with the younger age group, as they are affordable, and tend to have gimmicks to tempt the users in. In conjunction with this, these users are also more likely to be drawn in and spend their “pocket money” on ringtones, JAVA games, and wallpapers which promote their favorite band, or movie stars. Black and white devices will hardly be used for these services. The user does not expect to see a web solution on their phone, and are more likely to use their PC for email communication and keeping in touch with relatives.
So, to summarise, depending on the type of solution you are providing, WML should be approached in different ways. Information, research and communication type services can provide a basic WML legacy site. This means that the minority of basic devices that will use these services are not rejected. Innovational services should be focused on user groups that will see the benefit. With content delivery solutions, basic colour devices can be seen as the most important user group, and hence WML should be carefully implemented, ensuring that the content is quick and easy to find. That said, the majority of content requests will not come through a WAP portal, bu more likely through an alternative channel such as reverse billed SMS and WAP push of the content item.
It is however, still vitally important not to over estimate the capabilities of mobile browsers. For example, the SonyEricsson T290i and T610, both are capable of XHTML, however, they render it very poorly, and a more compelling user experience can be delivered through WML markup.
This has been based on the mobile market in Europe, USA, Japan and Korea, where mobile communications have flourished. In developing regions, a different approach will need to be angled. See http://www.wirelessroundup.com/2007/10/06/emerging-markets-how-to-approach/
Not too far in the distant future we will see the lower segment of the device market, improving further, and the need for WML support will diminish further, but in the meantime, its not over just yet.
