WAP browsers allow older mobile devices to access simplified web content. They were created to optimize limited system resources and screen sizes. Today’s WAP browsers support additional internet languages but may still be useful for older devices.
A WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) browser allows mobile devices such as older cell phones to access compatible web content. The mini-browser can use multiple Internet protocols to display web pages in plain text or simplified versions of the original web page. For a WAP browser to be effective, web developers usually create separate WAP web pages for mobile devices. Otherwise, without WAP optimization, web content will take longer to load and may not display properly on older mobile devices.
During the early days of the Internet, mobile devices had limited system resources and screen sizes, making it difficult to load Internet-based content such as email, instant messaging, and newsgroups. When the WAP protocol was introduced in 1997, the protocol allowed very small devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access limited internet-based content. The first WAP web pages were built using Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) and Wireless Markup Language (WML).
HDML and WML allowed optimization of device data rates and small screen sizes. WAP browsers were originally created to render WAP pages using transfer speeds of 14.4 kilobytes per second (Kbps) or less. Before the increase in screen size and resolution found in today’s mobile devices, early cell phones and PDAs were limited to very small screens with resolutions measuring approximately 150 x 150 pixels. Most web pages were designed to be viewed at 640×480 pixels and above, which has created a problem for most mobile devices. When accessing a compatible web page, the WAP browser was able to easily render compatible web pages in the device’s native resolution size, bypassing the need for larger screens and resolution sizes.
Today’s WAP browser has evolved to support additional Internet languages such as Compact Hypertext Markup Language (CHTML) and Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML). Support for additional Internet languages has made it possible for new mobile devices with WAP browsers to render popular XHTML media elements. Older form factors, such as small screened mobile devices still use WAP browser to render web pages. Newer touchscreen handheld mobile devices may still support WAP based web page. However, today’s mobile devices are increasingly powerful and can handle viewing web pages in their entirety.
Some might argue that today’s mobile web browsers eliminate the need for WAP pages and browsers. While today’s mobile technology makes it possible to fully render web pages, WAP technology can still be useful, especially for those who still have older, less advanced mobile devices. Since WAP technology minimizes web content, using a WAP browser can significantly increase web page load times and reduce server load.
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