Part 1: Phones vs. Computers

Before you get too far down the road with your wireless portal project, you need to decide what devices you intend to support. There are basically two paths to take: phone-based or computer-based. The phone path includes the wide variety of Web-enabled screen phones now on the market. Applications that are more suited for this path include notifications and short summaries that don't--for obvious reasons--require a great deal of keystrokes for inquiries or responses from users. The upside to this approach is that most business professionals are used to carrying cell phones--whether their own or ones provided by their companies--so they won't have to carry something else to get their information.

Setting up a phone-based application will require some knowledge of wireless application protocols or handheld device markup language, both variations of standard HTML syntax and protocols. Openwave (formed by the merger of Phone.com and Software.com) is the leading vendor of tools for these protocols.

With millions of data-enabled cell phones, this represents a rich population to draw on--if only more people would actually use their phones for data purposes. Studies from various analysts estimate 5 percent or less of the overall users who have data-enabled phones actually make regular use of the feature.

Oracle is one of the leading portal developers for Web-based phones. Its Mobile Online Studio service allows developers to produce applications quickly, using a series of browser-based configuration and testing screens. You'll need some knowledge about HTML as well as XML to make effective use of this service. Yahoo and MSN also provide online tools that can set up phone-based portals, although they are not as customizable as Oracle's, and don't require as detailed programming knowledge.

If your application is more demanding than the puny phone keyboards and screens will allow, then you should consider supporting a true computer. Here you have a wide variety of choices, from wireless Palms and Handsprings, to Pocket PC and Windows CE devices, to the various BlackBerry interactive pagers.

With these devices come more memory, larger screens, and in some cases typewriter-style keyboards that can enable more sophisticated applications. The downside is that the devices aren't full-fledged Windows computers and will take some effort if you need to develop applications that run on them. (If you aren't satisfied with the smaller devices, you can also include standard Windows ultralight laptop computers.)

Matching up the right device to your needs will take careful study. Palm has the widest range of applications and the biggest developer community, as well as the largest installed base. AvantGo, which began its software and services business supporting Palms, has grown over the years and now includes a number of phones, Windows CE devices, and others to support various Web-enabled applications. Of course, not all devices and configurations are supported, and it pays to read the fine print of the various system requirements, which you can find on AvantGo's Web site.

The makers of handheld and palmtop devices are trying to fix this problem by including software tools that make them more Web-friendly. For example, all BlackBerry models now include GoAmerica's Go.Web software, which allows viewing of Web pages, and Handspring acquired browser technology from Blazer that offers improved support for various Web protocols and standards.

Part 2: Coverage Areas

Part 3: Gateway Provider vs. Wireless Middleware Vendor
Part 4: Top 5 Questions to Ask Before Developing a Wireless Portal