No, no, I didn't just mean to call your cell phone dumb. What I meant is that most non-smartphones can't browse the "Real Web" - aka the Web you see on your desktop or laptop computer. While smartphones come with a browser like Internet Explorer or Opera or Apple's Safari that can handle HTML and Javascript and other Real Web goodies, most non smartphones are relegated to WAP browsers. WAP lets you see Web content optimized for mobile phones, and in most cases the carriers use their WAP browsers to push you to content that makes them money, whether that's because ESPN is paying for placement on Verizon phones or AT&T is trying to sell you ringtones.
Sprint may be trying to change all that with their announcement that they've partnered with OpenWave to bring a Real Web experience to even entry and mid-range phones. As Sprint's press release puts it:
?Whether clicking through the Sprint portal or typing in a URL, both new and existing customers can use their Sprint phones to search virtually any Web site and it will appear quickly and in a format they?re used to seeing on their computer screens,? said Kevin Packingham, vice president of wireless product management for Sprint. ?By working with Openwave, we?re making that Internet experience even more customer-friendly and useful by enhancing the ability to translate non-mobile sites onto the mobile phone. While other carriers are just beginning to talk about open ecosystem initiatives, Sprint is continuing its efforts to give customers an even better experience with the Internet that we have always allowed.?
OpenWave's OpenWeb platform basically reformats Web content before it gets to your phone, and sends your handset an optimized version that looks and feels like a Real Web page without overwhelming your non-smartphone's non-smart hardware.
Sprint users should start to see the first results of OpenWave in the next few weeks. Got a Sprint handset that's not too smart? Let us know what the Web looks like on your phone come the middle of April or so.
