There was a time in the past when mobile phones were basically communication devices, which simply allowed users to make and/or take calls. As technology in the areas of communication developed and progressed, the concept of SMS messaging became a reality, paving the way for a new communication revolution in the form of mobile text messaging. Not only did SMS technology allow for text messaging services to be showcased by telecommunication entities, it stood to be quite relatively cheap, allowing users the option of getting mobile phones for themselves.

For a time, mobile phones with SMS capabilities became quite hot, as they were practical and provide smart modes of communication.

Then, just when the world thought mobile communication avenues couldn’t get any better, WAP came into the scene, paving the way for the now known communication capacities of mobile phones. What came after WAP is now the standard line of mobile communication technology, bordering from taking/making calls, to sending text messages, to accessing the net with one’s mobile phone.

Improved from the very limitations which WAP technology worked on, the smartphones of today owe a lot of its communication capacities from the downsides of WAP.

The World of WAP
Before the days of GPRS, Bluetooth and Wireless Fidelity, the notion of mobile phones and handheld devices being able to go online was made a reality through WAP. WAP stands for Wireless Application Protocol, the protocol system to which WAP enabled mobile phones access the Internet before GPRS. GPRS, or General Packet Radio Service came after WAP, given that WAP, though enabled mobile phones to go online, did have some problem areas to contend with.

With a WAP enabled mobile phone, an example of which would be the Nokia 7110, users could easily access the net, send and/or check emails, access news reports, and even download items like WAP Games, ringtones and other personalization elements like mobile phone operator logos. WAP became the buzzword where mobile surfing was concerned, enabling instant access to the net, anywhere, anytime.

But as things went along for WAP, a number of issues, concerns and constraints came to be with its use, challenging WAP developers, as well as WAP users. As the mobile phones of the time didn’t boast the screen resolutions featured by mobile phones of today, let alone LCDs with colour elements, one of the major concerns with mobile browsing with WAP were often tied within a 150 x 150 screen resolution, as most WAP enabled mobile phones worked with such screen resolutions then. As the base screen resolutions of web pages are designed to be best viewed in is 640 x 480 pixels, this was quite a concern.

Though there were WAP games available for users to play with, these games aren’t quite as fun as the many Internet connected mobile phone games of today. Unlike the Java based downloadable games for mobile phones operating on GPRS, WAP games are very simple games, boasting simple premises and average game play value.

Though not exactly a major concern, as certain alternatives were eventually developed, navigation was also considered to be a problem area for WAP phone users as scrolling keys on a phone couldn’t compete with a keyboard and mouse on a desktop computer. Today, the touch-screen features and its like, stand as the ample solutions.

But for the limitations that WAP had, WAP provided the core backbone to which more enhanced and improved communication protocols were set into. Accessing the Internet via WAP is a great way of passing time while waiting for an appointment. Checking important emails via WAP gave users the edge when it came to such urgencies.

Because such benefits of WAP were held to be practical, the development of more streamlined communication protocols for mobile handhelds came to be, along with the development of more enhanced technologies, which practically dominate the mobile revolution of today.