WAP Progress Report

Sun Apr 7 13:48:00 EDT 2002

Some people have had a play - I've had half a dozen feedback messages.

I've hit a problem - mostly with Nokia's completely brain-dead implementation of automated
phone number dialing.  What I originally wanted to do was provide a set of top-down
structures - one for diagnostics, one fr tuning, etc., that would answer problems and lead out
in the end to a customised phone book.  There might be several reasons for terminating
specific programmes with phone numbers - to order replacement parts, contact a tuning firm
that sells what you become interested in, or (having taken a do-it-yourself diagnóstic as far
as sensible) to speak with an expert.

Tain't so easy.  WAP defines a protocol (WTAI) for incorporating telephone numbers in WML
pages.  The idea is that you click on the item, the phone puts the WAP call (if any - see
below) on hold and calls the appropriate number.  When you put the phone down, the phone
resumes the WAP call.  I've tried it on a Siemens C35 and it's seamless.

Nokia - one of the largest phone suppliers - simply doesn't support WTAI - and that kills the
idea for the present.

However - WAP is potentially interesting for other things.  WML pages are called 'decks' -
they contain subpages that are displayed individually, a bit like having lots of <HTML> tags
on one page.  Certainly on the 9110i, opening a WAP resource _doesn't_ necessarily cause a
call.  I can imagine lots of applications such as ECU codes, ECU pinouts, etc., where you
really would only need to download them once and the phone would simply connect to pick up any
pages you didn't have.  I did a number of content dummy runs yesterday to look up information
on the phone that didn't result in any calls.

Someone got there first: http://ebusiness.gbdirect.co.uk/case_studies/wapimpressions.html is
an EXCELLENT overview.

--
  Phil Payne
  http://www.isham-research.com
  +44 7785 302 803
  +49 173 6242039