When I attended iWireless World in Los Angeles, the abundance of interactive and wireless multimedia struck me as a bit odd. It was really the first time I had looked at the world of wireless content in the context of "Hollywood."
Here's why. Wireless entertainment services haven't really taken off here in the U.S. yet. Most of my professional time is spent dealing with the problems of "real business" as applied to wireless communications. As I wrote in a previous editorial, I'm pretty sure that m-commerce and business will likely play a key role in saving the (albeit temporarily) flailing wireless industry.
Maybe I'm wrong. The show's exhibitors and speakers made what seemed to be a good share of glitz and hoopla about entertainment. Then again, this event didn't take place all that far from Hollywood.
In "honor" of all that attention given to wireless multimedia, I thought I'd explain how the use of graphics can greatly affect (and hopefully improve) the user experience included with your WAP application. We are all familiar with how graphics can greatly enhance traditional wired Web sites. In many of the wireless sites I've seen, there is a general "bare bones" feeling, sometimes unnecessarily so. It is true that you want to minimize bandwidth and keep your content small and focused, but that doesn't inherently exclude the use of graphics.
WAP sites must remain small because of devices' constraints at showing content. How do you show all that you need without making users scroll down or navigate through multiple cards?
Use WBMP images effectively to enhance, rather than detract from, your users' experience.
