Net in Pocket? Personal mobile access to web services

The diversity of mobile Internet services and devices is increasing. New services will reach a growing number of users, which means that user heterogeneity will increase. Providing device adaptation and personalised services is a major challenge when moving towards a device-independent web. The WAP-UAPROF project (November 1999 - October 2001) was used to design and implement an adaptation proxy with capabilities for web and media conversion. Personalisation and communication tools were also implemented. The service was evaluated with 81 users in two separate field trials in 2000 and 2001. Profiles of mobile users were drawn from the results. Free mobile access to web content brought WAP to a more personal level. With greater content, users shifted towards services that answered their personal needs. There was also a clear need for interactive services, where users could interact and communicate with other people. Context-wise, the field trial demonstrated that much of the use took place at home in the evening, rather than on the move. The user studies were complemented with two rounds of interviews with service providers. The service providers regarded the conversion proxy as a viable approach to providing access to web services for mobile customers and employees. The conversion and adaptation proxy server is a working solution to give WAP clients access to web services and to adapt WAP content for different devices. The results of the user studies stress the fact that mobile devices are above all personal communication devices. The most popular services included personal content and services, which provided users with new ways of communicating with other people. Targeted services, which coincide with the users' lifestyles, are needed to serve the interests of a growing diversity of users.