Editor's Corner

If you just paid attention to the product and vendor news, you'd think the majority of people today had given up their desktops and are surfing the Web in between mobile phone calls and text messaging. But in reality, Web browsing on mobile devices is still in its crawling stages. It might never be running at a fast pace, due to user interface restrictions and the current capability in making small-screen browsing attractive enough to use on a daily basis. According to one recent study, the poor experience, as well as high costs, is preventing nearly three-quarters of mobile phone users from using the Internet. Difficulty in scrolling, reading type, and accessing pages are just some obstacles still in the way. Some experts believe that mobile standardization and an industry-wide effort at Web site development for mobile environment can solve those issues. I'm not so sure it will, or whether it's worth the time and effort to attain those goals. If mobile users need Web access and the technology to read documents, do research and view large files, isn't that why one of the first mobile devices, the laptop, was invented? - Judy