The Web in Hand: Benefiting from the Wireless Web

Corina Moore

PrinterOn Corporation

cmoore@printeron.com

Agenda

• Web portals

• Technology: Network Connectivity

• Wireless Carriers

• Content & Services

• Print Portal

• Summary

Definition

• Portal

– An Entrance to other sites

– Defines a community of subscribers

– Allows personalization

– Provides content and applications

• Mobile Portal– Fast and easy to obtain required information– Reasonable cost for service provided– Killer applications provide key opportunities for growth

• Screen: – real estate limited & many are still black and white

• Use– users are there to perform a specific function

– users are typically paying for airtime

• Information– a new & different site then the Wire line site

– user entry & amount of data returned is minimized

Wireless Portals

Wireless Portals

• Limited Sites– Only get information from web pages specifically formatted for viewing on a cell phone (or other mobile device)

– Many major sites have support (AOL, Amazon, MSN), but most smaller sites do not (local football scores)

• Speed–“High-speed” (2.5G) is usually very slow (due to network congestion)

Network Connectivity

• Network Connectivity– Standard Wireless Carrier Networks

• 2G: 9.6 K/s to 14.4 Kb/s

• 2.5G: 64- 144kb/s

• 3G: 128 Kb/s – 2.05 Mb/s

– Wireless LAN• 802.11: up to 2MB

– 802.11b: 11MB (HotSpots)

– 802.11a: 54 MB

Wireless Carriers

• Home deck of mobile device = Carrier’s branded portal – menu choices will be presented for all portals

– these portal sites typically have a companion site on the Web (visit from PC and customize your information to meet your needs)

– bookmark these sites

Wireless Carriers

• Fee structure for web services– flat rate

– nominal fee above monthly (time spent *may* eat into allotted calling minutes)

– per amount of data sent and received

• Opportunity for Developers– carriers will get more revenue from wireless internet than wired internet (still only charge content or service provider <15%)

• providers can develop profitable businesses

Content & Services

• General Information – news, sports, weather

• Transaction Features– mobile banking, stock trading, travel reservations

• Information Databases– telephone directories, restaurant guides, dictionaries, recipe collections

• Searching– google, yahoo!, AOL, MSN

Corporate Web portals

• Improve employee productivity & cut costs– personalize different portals for different audiences (including access & security)

• Examples– Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, People Soft,etc

• Wireless– creating access to corporate information via wireless web portals (placing orders, etc.)

Print Portals

Different solutions optimized for different platforms

Corporate Printing

• Corporate users can now print while away from their desks• External partner, contractor, customer can now use designated printers within your

corporation – securely– Can take the place of a fax machine– Allows partners to quickly and easily print information regarding the meeting

(ie: Updated Inventory for required shipment , Purchase Order for signing, etc.)

• Small Office / Home Office (SOHO)• Corporate users

– Many corporate customers have home printers (most home printers are not part of their corporate LAN, therefore PrinterOn is the only mechanism for printing to them wirelessly)

– Executives use this option extensively (including having their assistants print to them from the office to their home)

Wireless User

CorporateOffice

Home Printing

Front Desk

Business Center

Wireless User

Out of Office

CorporateOffice

• Hotels• Hot Spots• Convention Centers• Airports

CONFIDENTIAL

Guest Room

Public Printing

Summary

• Analysts said: “Wireless would be The Next Internet.”  It's not. 

• They said it would drive m-commerce.  It hasn't. 

• The only thing that outperformed expectations was the hype.

Summary

• The typical wireless Web connection is slow and often confusing the first time

– the right content, properly formatted, can make the wireless web a useful tool

• Three steps to speed learning process– Get your service provider to explain its setup

– Use your PC to set up your phone's Internet experience

– Pick the most helpful wireless sites• Google, Yahoo! Mobile

• palmzone.net/mobile/mobileweb.htm, wap.mobone, m-central.com

Summary

• Wireless web holds promise with the on-going improvement in web technology

– the speed of web connections and richness of available information

• GPS services (target information or services)

– advancements in screen quality• larger, crisper, more colorful displays

– Better Navigation

Thank You

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