Corporate Apps on the Go
PRODUCT:
Nokia WAP Corporate Server
By Bill Pitzer
Nokia's goal for its recently released WAP Server is to provide a seamless way of converting a corporate Web/IS infrastructure into a mobile one. The server runs on the Windows NT platform, and many IT executives see the product as an easy path to true support for WAP-enabled browsers in the organization. However, this type of new, unproven technology also can make implementers sweat.
In this review, I'll give you an overview of the Nokia WAP Server, the WAP Toolkit, and other resources to help those developing around WAP technology.
Gateway to Your Data
As cellular phones become remote Web "microbrowsers," they change the way organizations look at delivering content to their users. The Nokia WAP Server is the link between your current Web-based applications and your mobile workforce. The server can function as a gateway to your current HTML content, without forcing you to rewrite every page to fit within the microbrowser constraints. The HTML content is converted into Wireless Markup Language (WML) and delivered to mobile users in the binary-based WAP protocol. The WAP Server "intercepts" URL requests from these handheld browsers, constructs and sends the HTTP request header to the Web server, retrieves the Web server's response, then repackages the information into the standard WML format, and distributes the data.
