Project Outline
Glamphone WAP site using Microsoft ASP.NET Mobile Controls
Elle
Magazine together with Alcatel launches the next generation Glamphone with Bluetooth.
We
were asked to deliver and design a WAP site which was also to integrate into
the main Glamphone web site. Wireless Application Protocol a.k.a WAP was choosen
to be inexpensive, compare to sending data by use of MMS / SMS via third party
gateways.
So we set out to work, i386 Solutions had a firm background in using ASP.NET
technology but we had never ventured into the realm of Mobile devices. We decided
to try out Microsoft ASP.NET Mobile Controls with Visual Studio .NET. This proved
very successful and in turn allow our development team to rapidly code and deploy
a WAP solution in record time for our client.
One of the great things we discovered about Mobile Controls is their adaptive
to any mobile device which connects via WAP. A vast array of Mobile devices
are compatible using this kind architecture, from handheld PDA's to mobile phones.
While more and more new devices come on to the market this technology makes
it simple to provide additional compatiblity and support. The WAP site can be
browsed freely with any Internet browser this allow the developer to test without
the need of a mobile phone or mobile connection. Only at the end is the mobile
phone used to test the WAP site. Then some fine adjustment to layout are made.
The WAP application for Elle and Alcatel is to provide Ringtones and Wallpaper
images to be downloaded by mobile phone users. The interface is simple and easy
to navigate. The WAP user can browse and preview sounds and images, then choose
to download directly to the phone.
We then used Urchin Web Statistics for web analysis. The analysis tool could
idenifiy which mobile phone brand were connected and how many hits, downloads
and sessions came from WAP mobile phone users.
Related Links
i386 Solutions : http://www.i386.com
MSDN : http://msdn.microsoft.com/mobility/othertech/asp.netmc/default.aspx
Glamphone WAP site : http://wap.glamphone.com
Glamphone WWW site : http://www.glamphone.com