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WAP Browsers For The Palm OS

by bryan morgan

While the Wireless Application Protocol, or WAP, has certainly had its detractors since being introduced in 1999, it remains the most popular mode of delivery for wireless applications. To examine the WAP world for yourself, visit the WAP directories at Yospace or Cellmania. You can see that there are thousands of active WAP sites, including content provided by the biggest names in media such as The Weather Channel, Reuters, Bloomberg, ESPN, Yahoo!, eBay, and Amazon.com. While many are content to access WAP sites via their mobile phone (many of which now come with embedded WAP browsers from vendors such as Openwave and Nokia), it is also possible to browse WAP content from a Palm OS device. Developers may be particularly interested in this as many organizations may hesitate to deploy an enterprise application exclusively for mobile phone users.

Palm OS devices from vendors such as Palm, Handspring, Symbol, and Sony feature larger displays, the ability to run native applications, and the ability to handle input via a keyboard or pen interface. A Palm user simply requires a network connection, available via dial-in to a wireless ISP (such as OmniSky or GoAmerica), a conventional ISP, or a corporate remote access server. This connection can be accomplished using either a wireless modem, a standard modem connected to a telephone line, or an IrDA connection to a mobile phone. Let's take a look at some popular WAP browsers for the Palm OS, specifically:

Figure 1 - The 4thPass KBrowser

The 4thPass KBrowser (shown in Figure 1) offers a simple, clean user interface that will be easily used by anyone who's ever operated a conventional Web browser. The standard browsing functionality is supported (Next/Previous, Home, Refresh, Search) as you might expect. Handy features included with KBrowser include the ability to easily add a link to a favorites list (by selecting "Add To Favorite" from the menu) as well as the ability to view your favorites list. KBrowser can also work directly with a WAP gateway by selecting the "Network Setting" menu option. Extensive online help is provided through the "Help" menu option. It should also be noted that 4thPass has also developed a Java WAP browser to run on J2ME MID Profile devices. Unfortunately, WMLScript is only supported on the Java release at the current time.

One of the most popular WAP browsers not built for mobile phones is WAPMan from EdgeMatrix (see Figure 2). This browser has grown in popularity because it comes in versions for both Windows and the Palm OS. Among its key features, WAPMan is most notable for its WAP 1.2 support (including the handling of pushed messages) and the fact that it supports color (for Palm devices with color screens). WAPMan also features WTLS integration, for those requiring end-to-end security. Finally, unlike 4thPass's KBrowser, WAPMan also supports the WMLScript scripting language on the Palm OS for client-side validation and elementary business logic. From a user interface perspective, WAPMan is not quite as easy to pick up as KBrowser. It took me several mouse-clicks to determine how to enter a URL (hint: select the "Next" arrow!). Also, the browser doesn't handle connection/site errors as gracefully as other products - many times the browser simply returned a blank screen, making it difficult to figure out when/if a connection had failed. On the plus side, WAPMan is available on multiple platforms on offers a great deal of configuration options. For instance, the user can set the home page to their personal preference, can choose from multiple bearers and gateways, can configure local device cache settings, and can configure language settings.

Figure 2 - The WAPMan Browser

A new entry to the market is the Handspring Blazer browser. Blazer will be included with Handspring's Wireless Internet Access Suite and will be free of charge to all VisorPhone purchasers ($19.95 for everyone else). Blazer is a color browser that also conveniently supports HTML and i-Mode's Compact HTML. Blazer can be purchased directly from Handango and PalmGear.

Perhaps the most capable of all the WAP browser product is the Neomar Microbrowser. This popular browser includes releases for the Palm OS, Windows CE/Pocket PC, and RIM Blackberry devices. Security is also provided through WTLS support and built-in support for a wireless PKI (Public Key Encryption) infrastructure. As Neomar is targeting large enterprises and carriers, the Microbrowser can also be customized for branding purposes. Like WAPMan, Microbrowser also supports on-device caching. One novel feature allows the user to define shortcut keystrokes. This allows often-accessed pages to be accessed quickly through a single keystroke.

While my personal preference is the 4thPass KBrowser (due to its nice user interface), all of the browsers mentioned here will probably meet your needs. The Neomar product line also includes server products for managing applications and users making it an excellent option if you are required to support large numbers of users. To download or purchase any of the browsers mentioned in this article, visit the links associated with each discussion.

Bryan Morgan is an independent writer and software developer. He is a columnist with Wireless Internet magazine and was the founder of WirelessDevNet.com in 1999.