Early attempts to provide a mobile Internet experience in the 1990s were hampered by low processing power of feature phones. In 1997, the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum released WAP 1.0 — a specification outlining standard information access directives for mobile devices. However, instead of uniting mobile carriers worldwide as intended, WAP 1.0 served as a poorly implemented standard with limited adopted. In one deviation from the standard, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo disabled WAP across their subscribers in favor of their own in-house transmission protocol, i-mode (EuroTechnology, 2012).
From WAP 1.0, a subset of HTML was created to address the extreme constraints of early mobile devices. While there were some similarities to HTML, Wireless Markup Language (WML) represented a steep learning curve for developers, even though it was relatively easy for device manufacturers to implement. The result was manual content duplication across HTML and WML servers. Because of strict language syntax, manufacturers could design simple WML browsers that would default to a failed render rather than insinuate the web page’s intended design. This implementation is diametrically opposed to the way in which most HTML browsers operate where partial display of data is preferred to the lack of data.
Finally, in 2002 the WAP Forum relaxed its use of WML and introduced XHTML as the markup language of choice for mobile devices. In conjunction with the improved 2.5G networks, the XHTML standards were more liberating for web developers. Conversely, mobile carriers still insisted on curated content behind a walled garden rather than allowing subscribers to access any web server on the Internet.
It would not be until the introduction of the Apple iPhone in 2007 when full-fledged HTML rendering that could rival desktop web browsers was introduced to market. Part of what fueled the high adoption of the iPhone was that it provided the real view of websites, rather than the stripped-down experience available on competing devices such as the RIM Blackberry Pearl. The latter interpolated HTML pages into a reduced function set of XHTML to allow for rapid rendering on grayscale, or limited-color liquid-crystal display screens.
In contrast, the iPhone used vibrant color touchscreen and a web browser rendering subsystem borrowed directly from the desktop web browser equivalent, WebKit. iPhone’s desktop-grade rendering engine empowered web teams to use the full power of HTML. JavaScript and CSS render the same underlying content for smaller displays by inspection of the device capabilities such as manufacturer, screen size or geolocation.
Article References
1. Biometrics Institute. (2013). Next round of smartphones to incorporate biometrics. Retrieved from http://www.biometricsinstitute.org/news.php/120/next-round-of-smartphones-toincorporate-biometrics
2. Boris, C. (2013). Experts predict 14 billion dollar increase in mobile commerce in 2013. Retrieved from http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2013/01/experts-predict-14-billion-dollar-increase-inmobile-commerce-in-2013.html
3. City of Mountain View, California. (n.d.). Google provides free Wifi. Retrieved from http://www. mountainview.gov/services/learn_about_our_city/free_wifi.asp
4. eMarketer. (2013). eMarketer: Tablets, smartphones drive mobile commerce to record heights. Retrieved from http://www.emarketer.com/newsroom/index.php/emarketer-tabletssmartphones-drive-mobile-commerce-record-heights/#Qq4ZUAytXMKCjFf0.9
5. Engadget. (2011). 2G, 3G, 4G, and everything in between: an Engadget wireless primer. Retrieved from http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/2g-3g-4g-and-everything-in-between-anengadget-wireless-prim/
6. Etherington, D. (2013). Amazon patent describes a mobile payment system that keeps transactions anonymous. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/17/amazon-patentdescribes-a-mobile-payment-system-that-keeps-transactions-anonymous/
7. European Travel Commission. (2012). Mobile Devices. Retrieved from http://www. newmediatrendwatch.com/world-overview/98-mobile-devices
8. EuroTechnology. (2012). i-Mode Unofficial FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.eurotechnology.com/ market_reports/imode/faq.shtml
9. GO-Globe. (2012). Mobile Commerce Statistics and Trends. Retrieved from http://www.go-globe. com/blog/mobile-commerce/
10. Grigsby, J. (2010). CSS media queries for mobile is fool’s gold. Retrieved from http://blog. cloudfour.com/css-media-query-for-mobile-is-fools-gold/
11. IETF. (1995). Secure Sockets Layer specification. Retrieved from http://tools.ietf.org/html/draftfreier-ssl-version3-00
12. Indvik, L. (2011). 5 big trends in mobile commerce. Retrieved from http://mashable. com/2011/06/21/mobile-commerce-trends/
13. Johnson, L. ( 2013). Forrester Research exec: Mobile makes the rubber hit the road with loyalty. Retrieved from http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/forrester-research-exec-mobile-makesthe-rubber-hit-the-road-with-loyalty
14. Lunden, I. (2013). Payleven, The Samwers’ Square/PayPal Rival, Ramps Up Security With FSA Authorization, MasterCard mPOS Scheme. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/27/ samwers-squarepaypal-rival-payleven-ramps-up-security-with-fsa-authorization-and-mastercardmpos-scheme/
15. Madden, M. (2006). Pew Internet Study. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/ Reports/2006/Internet-Penetration-and-Impact/Data-Memo.aspx
16. Mashable. (2011). 5 Big Trends In Mobile Commerce. Retrieved from http://mashable. com/2011/06/21/mobile-commerce-trends/
17. Mobify. (2012). Mobile Device Ownership Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.mobify.com/ resources/mobile-device-ownership-statistics
18. Mobile Payments Today. (2013). PayPal now available for in-store payment via Discover. Retrieved from http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/article/212073/PayPal-now-available-forin-store-payment-via-Discover
19. mobiThinking. (2012). Global mobile statistics 2013 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobile operators. Retrieved from http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latestmobile-stats/a#subscribers
20. Nodes, S. (2012). The user experience revolution on mobile travel services: from mobile-first to mobile-only. Retrieved from http://www.tnooz.com/2012/11/22/news/the-user-experiencerevolution-on-mobile-travel-services-from-mobile-first-to-mobile-only/
21. Onbile. (2013). Mobile travel apps. Retrieved from http://www.onbile.com/info/mobile-travelapps/
22. Smith, A. (2012). Nearly half of American adults are smartphone owners. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/SmartphoneUpdate-2012/Findings.aspx
23. World Bank. (2011). World Population. Retrieved from www.google.com/publicdata Images Website Screenshots: Taken on iPad and iPhone from http://www.jcrew.com/index.jsp
25. WAP 1.0 Protocol: World Wide Web Foundation. Mobile Web Training. Adapted from http://www. mobilewebghana.org/wp-content/uploads/training/modules/mobileweb/20110224-accra/doc/
26. WML 2.0 Phone: Manno, F. (2004). An introduction to WAP and WML. Adapted from http:// yokiss.com/
27. iPhone and Android: Zieber, K. (2011). The maturation of iPhone and Android. Adapted from http://kevinzieber.com/2011/10/the-maturation-of-iphone-and-android/ 28. Website Screenshots: Taken on iPad and iPhone from http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/ index.jsp
