Portals take usable focus

On-device portals (ODPs) may not be part of your everyday mobile vocabulary, but the odds are pretty good that they will be. These software portals are designed to make it easier for wireless users to gain access to the applications they need, and smaller vendors like Handmark and Action Engine are beginning to realize that they'll have to compete with the likes of Google and Yahoo. How do they plan to compete? Usability is the key, with functions and navigation aids designed to make it easier to reach web-based apps through the tiny screen on most wireless portable devices. It's not an easy task, given the differences in platform specifications, but it will make life easier and more interesting for most wireless users in coming years.

For more on the growth in ODPs:
- read the hands-on analysis at WirelessWeek