|
Developing for mobile devices requires a dedicated knowledgably team that has experience in the various development environments.
One of the first technologies developed for mobile devices, and now virtually a standard feature for all devices, is Wireless Mark-up Language (WML). Based on eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML), WML creates a very simplistic webpage but relies on the manufacturer of the phone to implement the layout and structure of your webpage. Due to this restriction and others like a limited image display. Another solution was required.
Extensible HyperText Mark-up Language (XHTML) was then defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Similar to normal HTML, XHTML conforms to the strict rules of XML. This gives a new level of complexity to mobile web pages as anything that can be done in HTML could now be shown on XHTML enabled mobile devices.
Using ASP.NET mobile controls to extend the power of the .NET Framework into the realms of mobile devices enables the delivery of a wide range of web based applications. Creating customized dynamic content in the appropriate mark-up language (HTML 3.2, WML 1.1, XHTML) while dealing with different screen sizes, orientations and device capabilities has never been this accessible before.
In recent months another development has been the introduction of Flash Lite to the mobile community. Delivering the power and flexibility provided by flash to your mobile device by creating dynamic content and intuitive user interfaces. Flash Lite is the Macromedia Flash profile specifically developed for mobile phones. Flash Lite has seen explosive adoption by Japanese consumers and developers alike, and now it is quickly gaining adoption from operators and manufacturers outside of Japan.
 This growth is driven by the powerful Flash rendering engine that delivers consistent experiences across operating systems, processors, and screen sizes. Delivering Flash-based games, news, tutorials, movie trailers, weather updates, traffic information, screen savers, animated ring tones, interactive maps, and many other types of content.
With the development of wireless networking the expansion of portable media into the area of gaming devices, media players and network devices the available client base for mobile web applications are growing everyday. A good example is the release of the Sony PSP handheld gaming device. The newest firmware upgrade includes a fully functional browser which enables the device to browse the web and download additional content for the games and movies.
The recent domain declaration of .mobi for mobile web pages, from ICANN which runs the Internet's top-level domain name system, shows that the idea of mobile devices to display web content is an emerging opportunity to expand and enhance your current web presence.
Macromedia - www.macromedia.com/mobile
Microsoft - msdn.microsoft.com/mobility
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - www.w3.org
Article by:
Corné Oosthuizen
|
