Assignment: Get your hands on a non-standard access device -- something that isn't "a desktop or laptop computer with a browser.". Try to use it. Visit several pages. Post something about your experiences and how you would design for such a device.
Features and Benefits:
The QCP 6035 smartphone is a premier productivity tool. Powered by the Palm OSİ, it combines a CDMA digital wireless phone, Web access and a Palm handheld computer. Kyocera's smartphone is an all-in-one device so that you don't have to carry a pager, phone and PDA.
(If you are interested in knowing how the wireless Internet works , check out this link.)
This is a neat device, but not really made for any heavy-duty Web surfing! The Kyocera supports multiple wireless data technologies including HTML, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and SMS (Short Messageing Service). If you use the Palm application AvantGo you can view "channels" that have been pre-set on your PC using AvantGo.com's Website and downloaded to the phone. These are WAP/WML sites which means they are specially designed for hand-helds and these sites are enjoyable to browse. Some of the channels that I browsed are CNN, FlightLookup, Packers.com and Salon Magazine. The sites are laid out in simple fashion with links, text, and there are even neat WML images that display on the phone. The fonts seem proportionate to the device. Kynn provided us with a link that tells how to develop AvantGo advertisements, channels and applications.
The Kyocera also has a Eudora browser which allows you to surf HTML pages. This is a very frustrating way to navigate the Internet. HTML images, JavaScript, CSS, and tables (to name a few) are not supported by the phone. So images show up as the Alt Text and take up lots of space, every thing is laid out in linear fashion, and their is no real style to the pages. I noticed some of the fonts are NOT proportionate to the device. You have to use the Palm alphabet and number pad to enter the URL (until you get there once and save it as a favorite). Man, what a pain that is! Trying to tap out a URL is not fun.
I tried to find Register.com using Yahoo. I finally gave up. Besides wading through tons of links, your orientation on the page can get very confused, and I did not find the Search function very user-friendly either.
To design a page for this phone would really require a designer to use WML or a very simple HTML page. A good point was made in Marty Kacin's article Optimizing Web pages for handheld devices, "When deciding what information to store on handheld devices, choose only that which is most essential."
This device would not be accessible to users who cannot use a stylus and/or users who have bad eyesight.