PPCW.Net - THOUGHT: Is browsing the Internet via PDA and GPRS a good idea?: “The outlook for the PDA-friendly ‘mobile Internet on the go’ appears to be mixed. At least, the evolutionary progress is on hold right now, or shall I call it consolidation? Or did the wireless carrier loose interest in the PDA-friendly web world? With respect to the number of sold Pocket PCs with GPRS modem, I wonder if they are missing something, or do I?
If my neighbor would ask me if browsing the Internet on a PDA is good idea, frankly, I would tell him no, not for what he expects, except he needs access to a few specialized sites, than yes. No doubt, it is nice to have the possibility of always accessing the Internet, as long as you are willing to pay the much higher prize. But technological limitations may often block access to the ‘normal’ websites for PDAs. I personally already think about getting a UMTS/GPRS card for my subnotebook in combination with a volume tariff. If you are actively browsing the Internet, you never know how much volume the next click is going to generate, with a time based tariff, you are safe with respect to the costs. And with a notebook, you always know that you can access the site of your desire.”
Actually, properly coded, accessible HTML should “scale down” automatically to smaller screens. If you’re a webmaster and you’ve never read Jakob Nielsen’s Useit.com, you’re doing both yourself and your users a disservice. Designing for website usability helps everyone, from PDA users to the blind. Complicated, Flashy websites might look cool (then again, they might not), but usable websites rock.
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