Looking to hitch a ride on the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) bandwagon, Spyglass Inc is forming a unit aimed at delivering customized WAP software for web portals and content providers. The Mobile Data Practice will develop software based on WAP and Spyglass’ Prism content transformation system for web firms that want to build out their services for mobile phones and wireless handheld devices.
The combination of WAP and Prism will be critical in allowing Spyglass to offer customized software different from other applications on the market according to Herb Williams, who heads up the unit. Prism receives the request to access a URL from a WAP gateway and ascertains what kind of device – smartphone or handheld – has requested the data. It then gets the data from the web site and converts into WML so that it can be broadcast back to the device. Prism tailors the exact form of the data sent back to the device, stripping out all graphics for devices like smartphones and keeping more data in for larger handheld devices.
Williams thinks that, as more commercial services become available, how the data looks on screen will become more of an issue for companies. You want to be sure that the branding stays intact whatever, he said.
Spyglass will initially be looking for customers in Europe and Japan, because those regions already know the impact of mobile data services, Williams says. Williams describes the US as a little behind the curve, noting that Sprint is carrying the torch for the acceptance of WAP in the US. Asked how fast he thinks the market will develop in the US, he says, a lot is going to be driven by the acceptance of the carriers…but if you half believe what the analysts are saying its still going to be a pretty darn important market.
