Volunteers needed to help shape the web on mobile devices

Internet Business News, August 31, 2005

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has launched a plea for subjects to take part in a field trial to help develop the future of the Internet on mobile phones.

The Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) is aimed at improving the quality of web access on handhelds, wireless pagers and smart phones and is being overseen by W3C director and web creator Tim Berners-Lee. Segala, founding sponsor of the MWI, is managing the field trial.

Currently the problems associated with the Internet when accessed via a mobile phone lie mainly with graphical representation. The MWI is calling for participants to take part in a field trial that will help shape how the best practice guidelines are created.

Segala will create case scenarios for volunteers to follow when conducting their review of a preferred method of navigation. The question that needs to be answered is if users prefer to scroll long pages of text and graphics, or if they would rather have a 'next page' facility where only enough text to fit a small screen is displayed.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))