The mobile web takes off

It is estimated that just one in five people with phones that are able to connect to the net actually do. But the iPhone, however, is having a profound effect on the willingness of its users to go online.


The Apple iPhone's touch controls make navigation on its large screen fairly straightforward. The device has helped
turn that internet statistic on its head.

Figures from mobile analysts, M:Metrics, for the first three months of use in the US suggest that 85.9% of owners use it to go online. And according to research company, The Kelsey Group, 44% of Americans would consider upgrading their phone if it gave them "better internet access."

The iPhone has been marketed with an "all you can eat" data plan - a flat rate cost that is becoming more readily available to all phone users.

Robin O'Kelly, head of corporate affairs at T-Mobile UK, said: "Flat rate pricing made a huge difference to us. I think people felt far more comfortable, as is understandable, and we saw usage increase rapidly."

"I think that is where the industry as a whole has now gone. It has to be the way forward."

While sexy form factors and style are important, most of us do not have a posh phone or a super-fast data connection. For us mere mortals, it is a big jump to get a good-looking speedy web service on our handset.



New thinking

There is a lot of information on an internet web page, and one company in Norway has an idea about how to handle them better for mobile users.

Rather than give it to you just as you would see it on a desktop, they scrunch it down to just 20% of the size, and then send it to you.

That means lower data rates because you are receiving less, and less processing on your handset means the speeds are lightning fast.

It is called Opera Mini but just how fast is it? With just a three or four-bar bulk standard GPRS signal many of the news web pages we were after took a pretty speedy six or seven seconds.

Mobile Google

Now Google wants a slice of your phone. Its project, Android, will offer an open-source operating system and browser

capable of supporting apps and widgets thought up by just about anyone,

which could help us and Google.

In a few days time the world's biggest annual mobile phone conference takes place, when we will get some more clues as to how the industry is planning to entice the rest of us online.