Nokia 7110

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What if you had a remote device in your palm that operated the world around you in the same way? Everyone knows how to use a mobile phone. Most people in Singapore have cellphones nowadays. So why not have your mobile handle higher bandwidth and manage micro-browser communications? There is no doubt technology would find a way to it. And it did, in the form of WAP.

Cellphones that are WAP-enabled are most notably coming from Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola, with Nokia's 7110 (normal list price S$698, lowest offer found at S$598) taking the lead as the first commercially launched WAP-enabled phone in local teleshops.

WAP-enabled phones from other vendors, such as Siemens (with the impending S35i to be released in a few weeks time) and Ericsson, will be available in the market later this year.

Which Are The Service Providers?
Local telecommunications vendor M1 launched Singapore's first WAP-compatible service, Mi World (read My World), in early February this year. To date, it has seen a healthy uptake on the service that delivers email, news and lifestyle information from the Internet to your handphone, although M1 hasn't been able to deliver a definite figure at time of publishing. Since then competitor SingTel has come up with a similar service called e-ideas, and new telco player Starhub is poised to take the WAP market by storm with its new WAP service-bundled price plan.

How the WAP Tested On The Nokia 7110
The real test comes when one attempts to dilute visually rich content from the Internet, and force this into a three to five-line display screen. CNET Singapore spoke to two early WAP users:

First-Generation Hardware Has Its Limitations
Technophile Aik Beng, who was one of the first in Singapore to get his hands on the Nokia 7110, was motivated by the idea of on-the-go access to essential information. But he says he is often frustrated by the slow rate of the phone's Internet connection as well as its high frequency of getting "hung". Another problem he faced was that using WAP tended to drain the phone's battery power faster than normal, although he could not say how much more so.

High Access Charge
The other gripe was the access charge at S$0.10 per minute (for M1's Mi World plan). This is additional to connection charges, monthly subscription, per email sent fees, and so on. With so many uses, from e-trading to surfing, these could load up the monthly bill?fast!

Limited Features
Considering the many different ways of surfing and searching the Web that we are used to by now, the WAP we tested on Aik Beng's phone offered only certain search engines and content from selected providers, which may not necessarily be the user's top choice. Visually, the Net was displayed in monochrome with little or no images.

Bandwidth
With 23-year-old N.S. Pearson who bought his Nokia 7110 in mid February, he says it takes about two minutes to download his daily horoscope reading, barring frequent breakdowns in connection. At a connection time of 14.4 kbps compared to a modem's 56kbps, the slower WAP access was to be expected.

Average Capabilities Shown By Nokia 7110
The Nokia 7110 disappointed in terms of reception clarity. Line disruptions occurred often and conversations on the go proved frustrating as static interrupted most of what was being said. The other gripe was how much the phone looked and weighed like an exercise dumbbell.

So Should You Get WAP?
These are early days yet, and teething problems are bound to surface. If manufacturers can turn around battery power, connection times and service providers halving the WAP service charge--which CNET strongly believes will only be a matter of time--then WAP devices can be expected to realize their full potential. Until then, buy a WAP phone only if your patience and wallet are both topped up.