BMW World - Technology

Information

The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open, global specification that enables mobile users with wireless devices to instantly access and interact with information and services. These services include access to the Internet and advanced telephony services.

WAP is an XML-based specification that was developed by the WAP Forum. It was designed to maximize the experience of internet applications within a more restricted communications environment, since wireless devices are smaller, slower, have less memory, and are able to display less graphical content than laptops or PCs.

WAP is a communications protocol and application environment. It can be built on any operating system including PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS etc. It provides service interoperability even between different device families.

WAP products include digital wireless devices such as mobile phones, pagers, two-way radios, smart phones and communicators. WAP is designed to work with most wireless networks such as CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex.

how it works

Here's how it works:

WAP is one of the leading telematics applications.

Telematics is an emerging market of automotive communications technology that combines wireless voice and data to provide location-specific security, information, productivity, and in-vehicle entertainment services to drivers and their passengers.

Telematics brings together in-car embedded solutions technologies with wireless communications technologies. Telematics was designed to provide drivers with personalized information, messaging, entertainment and location-specific travel and security services using.

A WAP enabled system consists of:

WAP Gateway
HTTP Web Server
WAP Device

Here's how they work together:

The WAP gateway acts as as mediator between a cellular device and an HTTP or HTTPS web server. The WAP gateway routes requests from the client (like a cellular phone) to an HTTP or Web server. The WAP gateway can be located either in a telecom network or in a computer network.

The HTTP Web Server receives a request from a WAP Gateway, processes the request and sends the output to the WAP Gateway. The WAP Gateway in turn sends this information to the WAP device using it's wireless network.

A WAP device sends the WAP request to the WAP Gateway, which in turn translates WAP requests to WWW requests, allowing the WAP client to submit requests to the Web server. After receiving the response from the the HTTP Web Server, the WAP Gateway translates Web responses into WAP responses or a format understood by the WAP client and sends it to the WAP device.

Resources

BMW WAP sites:

BMW WilliamsF1 Team. The official BMW WilliamsF1 Team WAP site. Featuring news from inside the BMW WilliamsF1 Team and the Formula 1 world, exclusive race reports, rankings and polls.

007 - The Original Wireless User page from Ericsson.

In the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, the legendary secret agent put wireless to the test.

More James Bond...

Picks

Google is the first search engine to bring the entire World Wide Web to mobile devices with a beta version of its award-winning search engine optimized for WAP phones. Click here for Google's WAP category page.

Palo Wireless is a wireless resource center, covering all types of wireless service with forums, resources, industry news, WAP, Bluetooth, Mobile, GPRS, GPS, SMS, and more.

Books

	Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, The: From Cellular Systems to WAP and M-Commerce by Andy Dornan (Paperback - November 2000)
	Beginning WAP: Wireless Markup Language & Wireless Markup Language Script by Soo Mee Foo (Editor), et al (Paperback - November 2000)
	WAP Servlets: Developing Dynamic Web Content With Java and WML (With CD-ROM) by John L., III Cook (Paperback)
	WAP Development with WML and WMLScript by Ben Forta, et al (Paperback)
	Wireless Web Development with PHP and WAP by Ray Rischpater (Paperback - May 2001)
	Data Over Wireless Networks: Bluetooth, WAP, and Wireless Lans by Gilbert Held (Paperback)
	WAP: A Beginner's Guide by Dale Bulbrook, Stephen Lee (Paperback)
	Understanding Wap : Wireless Applications, Devices, and Services (Artech House Telecommunications Library) by Marcel van der Heijden (Editor), Marcus Taylor (Hardcover - July 2000)
	Essential WAP for Web Professionals by Damon Hougland, et al (Paperback)

More WAP Books:

Practical WAP by Chris Bennett (Paperback - April 2001)
WAP Programming Applications with WML and WML Script (With CD-ROM) by Pekka Niskanen (Paperback)
Getting Started with WAP and WML by Huw Evans, Paul Ashworth (Paperback - April 2001)
WAP Integration: Professional Developer's Guide by Robert Laberge, et al (Paperback)
Data on WAP by Simon Buckingham (CD-ROM)
Building Dynamic WAP Applications with MobileDev by Leslie Hirst, et al (Paperback)
YES 2 WAP by Simon Buckingham (Spiral-bound)

YES 2 WAP by Simon Buckingham (CD-ROM)

The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): A Wiley Tech Brief by Steve Mann, Scott Sbihli (Paperback)

Dynamic WAP Application Development by Soo Mee Foo, et al (Paperback - June 2001)

Mobile Networking With Wap : The Ultimate Guide to the Efficient Use of Wireless Application Protocol by Scn Education Bv (Editor)

Featured Sites

WAP Forum has a number of WAP resources, including a forum. Click here to download the Wireless Application Protocol specifications.

Anywhere You Go is a meeting place for creating and deploying applications for Web-enabled wireless devices. The site provides information on WAP, Bluetooth and Web clipping.

10Meters.com is a web magazine for the wireless industry.

All4WapSites.com is a WAP sites search engine and directory. Free developers resources, news and free CGI Scripts for Web & WAP masters.

AllOutWap has the top 50 WAP sites.

Argogroup has a developers program to provide a centralized repository of wireless device information.

Big Wap Site has WAP tutorials, downloads and free WAP and web design.

Cool WAP Site of the Day has daily picks of the top WAP sites.

eMobiNet is for Mobile Net Users, WAP Researchers & Developers

France WML.org has everything you need to build your WAP site (French)

GurukulOnline is a e-learning corporate with a focus on cutting edge technologies and WAP.

Mobile Internet World the place to learn about the Mobile and Wireless Internet.

Roseindia.net is a complete resource for wireless developers and users.

Guide to WAP with news, views, case studies and interviews.

The WAP Group is a platform for all involved in the WAP and wireless industry.

Wap.com is a guide to the wireless Internet, wap phones, wap services and PDAs.

wap-album.com has free software, tutorials and documentation for WAP developers.

WAP- Freaks has WAP Resources for all. A site developed to help those who are new to WAP with informative links, tips, settings with gateway details and other details..

Wap 4 nowt has news, forum, reviews and surveys.

WAP Resource Canada is Canada's First WAP Resource Center

Wireless in a Nutshell has WAP resources.

WAPstation.com.au Web Site is an Australian portal with news, forums, links and more.

XML.com has useful XML resources

yes2wap.com is an information resource on WAP. Free white papers, latest WAP news, WAP reports, introduction and resources.

Gate Keeper has tutorials on wap and wml, news, links, downloads, FAQs, forum, tools, site builder, wbmp converter, and resources.

Aprenda WAP is a Brazilian Portuguese site with information and resources about WAP and other wireless technologies. Some resources are: tutorials, software download, WBMP images, news, developer area, books.

Buzzed Mobile lets you create and maintain a free mobile internet site from regular web browser. Available to WAP enabled mobile phones, 2-way pagers and PDA's worldwide..

Katun Group has Tips, Links, Tutorials, Devices, Tools, Forums, and Help.

KRS Mobile provides wap user services, wap perl scripts to download such as linker, mailform and other usefull utils.

Wapalize covers the mobile internet of WAP and WML with tutorials, references and downloads including a full WAP Development Kit.

Thozie has a tutorial on WML, WMLScript overview. XML Tutorial.

WAP Tutorials has a list of free WML scripts and many tutorials.

WAP Zone Australia is dedicated to the use of WAP. To access information on the internet using mobile phones and/or PDA in Australia.

Global Wireless Forum is a forum for wired and wireless professionals in the world. It has currently over 900 members accredited to it from many walks of the next generation world.

123 Wap Info is an internet and WAP portal, the site provides information and news about WAP, Wap Directory,WAP sites, future technology, links and guides.

Wapnl has resources on for mobile websites.

RocketFinger has Intelligent Web Browsing for the Wireless World

WAP Information Portal features WAP design and content tips, links to WAP search engines, and reviews of several free WAP design and hosting services.

Mobile Ghost offers set of WAP based services like Mobile Chat, Thought of the Day, Joke of the Day, and resources.

Nokia WAP Developer Forum has links to WAP toolkit, WAP server, WAP specifications and discussion forum.