What do we mean by Wireless

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What do we mean by Wireless WAP

• PDAs (Palm or Windows CE devices)
• AvantGo to serve dumbed-down HTML pages to PDAs
• Synchronized to a computer
• Equipped with wireless modems
• Palm VII
• Portable Query Applications or Web Clipping
  Applicationsprovide links via radio signals to
  dumbed-down HTML pages
• Beepers
• Short Message Service for email/text of 100 to
  300 chars
• Digital Cellular Phones
• Short Message Service for email/text of 100 to
  300 chars
• Wireless Application Protocol for web-like
  interaction on phones

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Whats involved in making a WAP site?

• Determine what content to provide
• Start small, since this is truly a not a
  reading environment
• Storyboard a basic interface, considering
  limitations
• A little over 1,000 characters per page (1492
  bytes, including code)
• Screen size as small as 3 lines by 12 characters
• Two programmable navigation buttons
• Nine numeric choices per page
• Build web pages in a language the phones
  understand
• HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language) --
  US/Canada
• Start building and testing your pages
• Download the Phone.com development environment
  simulator
• Buy a WAP phone service to test your site
• Add mime types to your web server

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Other considerations

• Graphics on existing phones...
• Must be Black-and-White, BMP format, no wider
  than 100 pixels
• Even some of the new and small phones do NOT
  support images
• Scrolling sucks!
• HDML allows for splitting files (Decks) into
  separate Cards
• Maximize interface with multiple card/screens per
  file
• Cut up your offerings into logical, bite-sized
  chunks
• Start small
• Headlines and leads offer good scanning option
• Full stories will require dozens of files per
  article, or a program to slice them up as the
  reader progresses
• Telling the world
• Register an easy-to-enter domain name
• Seek a deal with local carriers

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Will this be built by hand every time?

• Better to have a small program create the files
• HDML is not overly complex, but very unforgiving,
  unlike HTML
• There is no room for creativity or design on
  the current devices
• Your current web publishing system could do it
• If you build from a database of stories, it will
  be easy
• Any CGI programmer could write a routine for you
• Perhaps a program to extract headlines from your
  web site
• Hired help
• Service bureaus are popping up to do this for a
  fee
• NandoMedia, AnyDevice, Screaming Media to name a
  few
• Enough of this talk, SHOW ME THE CODING...

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A One Card Deck

• DEST"about.hdml"
• ALTPublication"
• LABEL"OK"Topic One
• LABEL"OK"Topic Two
• LABEL"OK"Topic Three
• LABEL"OK"Topic Four

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Another Example

• DESTnextheadlines.hdml"
• 
  Topic Name
• LABEL"Read"First headline goes here
• LABEL"Read"Second headline goes here
• LABEL"Read"Third headline goes here

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A Multi Card Deck

• DEST"index.hdml"
• Topic
  Name
  
• Headline and Lead of first story goes here.
• Topic
  Name
  
• Headline and Lead of second story goes here.
• Topic
  Name
  
• Headline and Lead of third story goes here.

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HDML Gotchyas

• Server Config
• .hdml text/x-hdml
• Public flag
• Caching Commands
• Navigation Softkeys
• Phones that browse will have at least 2

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NAA wireless lookup

• What is it?
• Tool for web-enabled phones to find local
  newspaper services
• How does it work?
• User enters either an Area code, zip code or city
  name
• Lookup responds with a listing of all matching
  newspapers
• Each paper will have links to the available
  services
• WAP-enabled site (HDML/WML)
• AudioText or similar call-in service
• Main customer service telephone number

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Whats the point?

• Leveraging local for a national play
• Carriers want local content, but want you to pay
  for the privilege
• URLs difficult to input on current devices
• Most carriers are not making location-sensing
  data available
• Buying a slot on the carriers home page is
  prohibitive
• Combining WAP and audiotext makes the database
  viable
• Whats next?
• More NAA newspapers need to register
  http//www.now.nando.net/dev/register.html
• Newspapers need to build WAP sites, on their own
  or with help
• Future options
• NAA can work to get the lookup onto carriers
  services
• Existing WAP portal sites can be invited to
  include/use the lookup