WAP devices run micro-browsers, which allow the information sent to them to be deciphered. Together, WML and the programming language WML Script enable applications to be written with embedded executable logic, and since WAP applications are downloaded on demand, interfaces can be dynamic. Because WAP uses several existing Internet standards, many companies are now using XML and WML to tag information as a matter of course as they update their Web sites, so that if their Web sites need to be accessed in the future by handheld devices they will be ready to take the next step. That step is to install a WAP server, such as the Nokia WAP Server, between incoming data requests from WAP devices and the standard Web servers that manage Web sites. However, those services that are available via WAP portals tend to be specific in that they are dialled directly, rather than accessed by surfing the Net.
Users often require preset passwords when they dial up, so that the input is reduced to a minimum.
Password security is also useful for protecting sensitive information such as email, financial statements and share prices. Nokia has been one of the pioneers of WAP technology, and its WAP Server is one of the leading products on the market. There are also a number of other WAP products available from the likes of Sheffield-based Dialogue, which has developed the Expressway 2000 server that allows users of WAP mobile phones to read Microsoft Office documents on their phones. This makes it possible not only to read emails and view address books, but also to read documents from applications such as Word and PowerPoint. The documents are automatically reduced to simple text that can be more readily viewed on small WAP screens.