Scope brings Web content to mobile devices

Scope brings Web content to mobile devices

Zatni Arbi, Contributor/zatni@cbn.net.id

When my cell phone operator Telkomsel introduced the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) over its cellular phone network, I did not jump straight into the habit of browsing the Internet using my cell phone.

It was not because I could not read the text on my cell phone, as my beloved Nokia 6800 has a fairly crisp display with large characters. It was because I did not really feel the need to increase my monthly cell phone bill while I have other means of staying online, including cable Internet at home. Besides, I subscribe to The Jakarta Post, and when I am away on a trip overseas I usually have my notebook connected to the Internet using the broadband service, if it is available in my hotel room.

My experience of being cut off from the Internet during my recent 11-day trip to Sumatra Barat changed my perception a lot. In Padang, and in Bukittinggi, I was unable to access my mailbox, let alone browse the Web comfortably. That was when I began to look at my cell phone as a means to read the latest news.

Coincidentally, the Post had announced that we can now access its news on any mobile device, as long as it supports GPRS. I tried it out, and I was quite surprised to see how easy it was. As easy as A-B-C.

To be able to access the Web via GPRS, we must first make sure that the facility is already activated. Some operators will automatically do it for you, especially if you are a post-paid subscriber. Some will require you to activate it yourself. You may also have to configure the setting on your cell phone, but the operator will certainly help you, if you don't know how to do it. Operators are more than happy if their subscribers use GPRS, as it will increase their earnings.

Once we have the GPRS facility activated, we can just select the Services menu on our cell phone, and then select Go to address. After the http://, we just type mobile.thejakartapost.com. The cell phone will then access the Web and, after a while, we will be able to read the mobile Website of this newspaper.

Needless to say, browsing on a desktop or notebook computer differs from browsing on a mobile device such as a cell phone. The screen is smaller and the keypad requires a lot more thumb dexterity. Unless, of course, if you use the N6800-or the camera- equipped N6820, which has a foldable QWERTY keypad. By the way, it is the keypad that makes me love this model so much.

For now, the mobile news service of this newspaper is free of charge, and only headline news is accessible. However, we still have to pay our cell phone operator for the GPRS service based on the amount of data that we upload and download. The rate varies from one operator to another, but in general it has become much more affordable than when the service was first made available to cell phone users.

Because of the difference in the number of characters that each of the mobile devices allows per line, an adjustment has to be made to the content as it is being downloaded and displayed on the screen. So, while accessing the content is as easy as A-B-C, the underlying technology is pretty complex.

To make it possible for us to read the latest news on our mobile devices, the Post uses mScope technology from the five- year-old mobile information solution provider OceanLake. The company, which has offices in Toronto, Santa Clara, Tokyo and Singapore, picks up the content from the Post's Web server and stores it on their own Web server in Singapore.

As you must already know, Web content is formatted using various languages, which are called markup languages. We have Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extended HTML (XHTML), Wireless Markup Language (WML), etc. The languages enable the content developer to place frames, tables, etc., where they want them to appear. mScope enables the content to be delivered to our mobile devices without any modification and displayed based on the profile of the mobile device.

There are a lot of challenges that mScope has to overcome, and it does a good job. For instance, on the client side, each of our mobile devices has its own micro browser. These micro browsers do not have the capability to use plug-ins such as JavaScript and Flash.

Second, the processor inside our cell phones has only a fraction of the horsepower that an Intel Pentium processor can deliver. The memory is also very limited. Fortunately, most mobile device users are not interested in such rich media, so all the "bells and whistles" can actually be stripped down.

Because of this advanced functionality, which frees Web developers from the task of customizing their content to individual devices -- and the cost-saving involved -- mScope is widely used by different companies, including financial services, e-commerce, non-profit organizations and travel companies.

By the way, this week I will be traveling once again to Hong Kong, and I look forward to testing the mobile service of this newspaper during my trip.