The Future Is Here.
Every great journey begins with a first step.
In recent years the leading wireless companies have introduced data networks that allow cell phone users to pull information from the World Wide Web and display it on the phones tiny screens. The WAP specifications would essentially standardize how the networks transmit Web documents to cell phones, pagers and other handheld devices. Wireless carriers in Europe are currently implementing the WAP standards in their data networks, and some U.S. carriers including Sprint PCS and Nextel promise to do so in the near future. But critics counter that the WAP specifications are inadequate because they severely limit the user s access to the Internet. It is still unclear whether WAP will truly usher in a golden age of wireless data or turn out to be just a false start.