Wireless Application Protocol is an evolved standard for retrieving data over a wireless internet network. WAP browsers are web browsers for wireless devices like mobile phones which use the WAP protocol to access online resources. WAP is different from the standard HTML or XML web browsers because WAP utilizes a virtual memory, a memory provided by the WAP server to store the data in a protected form and makes the data accessible through a browser.
The WAP standard was created to ease the development of mobile web applications which required an efficient and easy mechanism to retrieve and read data from a remote resource without having to deal with the overhead of network access fees. As WAP continues to mature, there are several new features being added to the WAP specification that is making its use more practical and effective.
Web browsers that run on mobile devices are now able to access a great variety of web resources. They can browse the internet, check e-mails, play games, and perform other tasks. Because of this, many organizations and companies have found the convenience of WAP to be an excellent alternative to Java and Flash. Not only is WAP more convenient to use but it is also much more cost effective. WAP allows the same content to be viewed on mobile devices as a desktop computer or laptop, and the data is kept in memory so that WAP does not incur large CPU costs.
One of the primary reasons why WAP is becoming so popular is the availability of compatible WAP devices. This is especially important for people who want to use WAP applications on their non-WAP enabled mobile devices. If your application works fine on a WAP enabled phone, you will find it equally easy to use on a WAP enabled smart phone, PDA, tablet PC and other similar devices. You can take advantage of WAP servers to deliver optimized content and to determine which devices are capable of performing particular functions.
The primary WAP technology is Java. However, with the advancement of WAP, several WAP compliant technologies have been developed. These include: WML, XML, IML, and so on. Each of these different WAP layer has its own benefits, so it is critical to understand them before deciding which WAP technology to support.
The Java layer WAP uses a datagram protocol stack, much like the HTML layer. The datagram protocol stack enables you to send WAP packets to a WAP device. These WAP devices then forward the packets to WAP application servers where they are transformed into an appropriate data format and sent back to the client. As WAP layers, XML and IML are simple datagram protocols. However, there are some differences between these two layers.
The second WAP layer is known as the mobile mesh network layer. This layer connects your WAP enabled devices to one another and also allows for WAP to send and receive packets at much higher speeds than would be possible without the use of the mesh network layer. In addition to being used to connect to your WAP enabled devices to one another, this layer may also be used to provide WAP portals to third-party organizations and individuals. A good example of a WAP portal is the Google Maps application.
With this information, you can see that both the WAP and the mobile mesh networking layers are needed to allow WAP to function properly. WAP and the mobile transport layer are both necessary for proper functionality. However, in order for WAP to work, it needs to be allowed access by all applications. This is where Java comes in. The Java code that runs on your computer is what allows you to run WAP. There is no need to install any software or configure anything on your computer when you are setting up your WAP device because everything you need is already there.
The last thing you need to know about WAP is that the mobile datagram protocol drives the whole system. Therefore, the mobile datagram protocol drives all of the functionality that you need to have in a WAP device. All WAP servers and clients use the same protocol to allow them to function properly.