Slashdot Mirror
Google Releases WAP Search Tool
ChrisUK writes "Google seem to have single-handedly brought html to WAP devices. WAP/Palm users can log on to www.google.com on their devices, and search through Google's web database. Furthermore, the pages that are linked to can be jumped to, and will be converted to wml on the fly. More details can be found here."
Google does have advertising, and has had it for some time now. The main thing is, the way things are set up right now, Google only shows an ad if it might be relevant. Google isn't showing random ads ("run of site" ads) on every single page. So if the things you search for don't happen to be interesting to an advertiser, Google isn't showing an ad to you. Some topics just aren't commercial enough. For example, if all you search for is pages about ancient Mayan rituals, you may not have ever seen an ad on Google. On the other hand, if you're searching for airline tickets or Mother's day flowers, you might be seeing lots of ads.
Google obviously thought it was a good idea when they saw the demo at Xift's launch party a month ago.
Funny thing they claim to be first.
> If that article isn't on the main page, where was it?
Your Rights Online:
http://slashdot.org/index.pl?section=yro
-- Don't Tase me, bro!
Nokia's browser is pretty nice, and their developer's kit is slightly more sophisticated than Phone.com's. I don't know what Nokia phones contain their browser, but I'm fairly certain that none of them are available in the U.S. Fortunately, it seems Phone.com is giving up on HDML, as their most recent SDK (v. 4.0) does not even support it. It's WML only!
There is no gravity...the earth just sucks.
I just connected, entered 'slashdot' as a search term, started reading articles.
On a mobile phone screen there's a LOT of scrolling. Each page also goes through the banner, header, sidebar (faq|code|awards|etc), Sections and (for articles) the login box. After all that though, you _do_ get the meat of the page. Nice!
Unfortunately the forms are not translated - so you can not log in, you can not enter searches, and you can not post/reply. This will limit its usefulness for the types of searches you'd use a mobile phone for - an example here: What's the number for a taxi? Google will take you to a taxi locator web page, but you wont be able to tell the web page where you are so that it can give you a local taxi firm's number.
Still, it's nice - better than most wap pages I've come across so far.
Cederic
ps: In trying to access the 'reply' page to respond to a comment through the phone it "crashed" and didn't reset until I received a text message (which by coincidence arrived as I was typing this sentence - I was planning to post then yank the battery - no need now!) The "crash" took the form of a message saying 'Connecting' and none of the phone's buttons responding.
Unless I am mistaken, most of the wireless networks around here (here in Ohio anyway...) use HDML (Handheld Device Markup Language) rather than WAP. That goes for Sprint PCS's wireless internet phone browsers and also Verizon(SUCKS!) [Formerly Airtouch]. So what good does this do us?
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Populus Vult Decipi, Ergo Decipiatur.
MadPoetSociety.org
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Fuck you all.
Not long ago I noticed that sometimes when searching on google the pages are returned in different orders even though I used the same search terms. After investigating a bit I realized that I was using the same terms but in different orders. I emailed google to ask about this, and they said that the default search is a phrase search. If that doesn't work they then try and AND search.
Further, if you check out googles search tips regarding phrase searching you will find that if you use quatation marks around your search terms you will be doing a phrase search.
No more metacrawler
Need a website host? Try out http://WebQualityHost.net
So Xift based their whole company's concept on something that google could get going in a month (from scratch)? Either this whole thing is nothing special or the Google guys are pretty damn smart/fast.
...Or maybe your insinuation that they stole the idea from Xift is just off-base and bitter on your part.
And it looked great. I had to bookmark it on my cellular phone.
/. ?
IBM is also creating their html -> wml transcoder and proxy combination. ( Link)
Let's see who will win this competion.
But I don't understand why three is need to have all this html, wml and xml languages. Xml should be enough?
I have seen some palm devices which has html and wml browsers on same machine. And WAP pages are not so nice looking...
Any wap/wml developers reading
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Quite amusing. I did a search for patent and nobody is even talking about this. did you know that google has a patent on their search technology? So, if you do something similar then you are in breach of patent laws. um. this is Bad.
Simply put, I'd choose to get my data that provides it in the form I want it in. Inconvienient doesn't begin to state the issues in the format that HTML takes on when converted to WML. Not to mention the fact that there are issues such as, Oh, SMASHING the phone stack by throwing to much data at it.
I can also choose to telnet to a machine by having a text box and display window inside of an HTML page that refreshes every 5 seconds. Sure, it'll work, but it's simply not suited for popular use.
-- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
In that constraint, this is an interesting (and maybe even useful) service
:-P
I'd say the better solution would be to use and drive sites that *DO* provide the WML based content you want, instead of relying on such a cludge. Or, since they are taking off, start your own site. It's only like 19.95 to do now adays..
Define "Web". Why should the Web be HTML only ?
I should have been more specific. I was speaking of the HTML based WWW.
and a temporary fix to the WML content shortage isn't going to hurt.
I disagree that it can't hurt. If cludges like this are used to advertise the 'capabilities' of wireless networking, it leaves a VERY bad taste in ones mouth. One person buys the phone, and uses this. It looks terrible. He doesn't like it. He tells 5 friends, and so on..
It's not perfect, but it's a handy thing until some better WML content comes along
Then we get someone else along, becouse the longer a hack like this needs to exist, the worse the technology looks. And unfortionatly, a hack like this has *nothing* to do with WAP. It is, as you said, the lack of available pages that serve WAP content. I'd rather see not much QUALITY data, then a whole lotta hacked crap.
-- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
The issue here isn't the WAP format really, but the conversation of two incompatible formats. HTML looks *HORRIBLE* converted to WML, due to WML's tag limitations. Many, *MANY* formatting tags simply do not exist in the WML specs. WML is built around a very strict idea of 'less is more'. While your Ericsson is plenty nice to display everything, that *SAME EXACT* content is also formatted in such a way to display on a 4x16 chacter screen, perhaps even without graphics capabilities..
-- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
Nice to see a webpage that is actually usefull for what its made for being pused to the public. I am tired of hearing about Yahoo, etc. All they are now is just a vehicle for overpriced stock.
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and more browers getting varied in performance, wouldn't it make more scence for these devices to use a more exact language like XML or something like that that would still be compatable with all the other browsers out there but not have to translate 'on the fly' first?
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If my facts are wrong then tell me. I don't mind.
I always knew Google was up to something . . . hehe that is probably the best search engine I use - no advertisements. Good to see good people doing good things.
-Leo
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?s id=00/05/13/201252
-- Don't Tase me, bro!
Metacrawler now searches . But it seems that Microsoft's homepage has dropped off the top 30 on the more evil than Satan himself scale.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I followed the YRO link to here, but this quote interests me:
``Many Google users prefer not to have mature-themed sites such as pornography included in their search results,'' said Sergey Brin, co-founder and president of Google. ``Our agreement with SurfWatch allows Google to continue to provide our users with the best possible search experience.''
How exactly are they going to do this without hindering the search experience for the rest of us? Does surfwatch software have some interface to google or something? Maybe a URL switch that their software adds that makes sure google (and its cache) is not used to bypass surfwatch?
From the article: " Unlike other search engines that index only web pages that are available in WML, Google brings more than 500 million web pages to the palm of a user's hand. When a wireless user requests a traditional HTML page, Google's innovative technology translates the requested HTML document on the fly into WML."
Given the recent concerns about redistribution of copyright materials, how does this contrast with the MS concern?
Could it not be said that:
"Unlike other discussion groups that only index technical specifications, Slashdot.org brings more of the real spec into the palm of a programers hand. When a Slashdot user requests a traditional ZIP technical specification, Slashdots' innovative users translate the requested ZIP document on the fly into TXT."
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For those of you that don't have WAP phones yet, I have a script that sends SlashDot headlines to a regular GSM phone, via the SMS system. Most of Europe uses GSM, but if I remember correctly the US doesn't. Check the link in my sig for more info...
superblog.org: all your favourite blogs on o
Yeah, it does graphics. Special WAP bitmaps. It looks surprisingly good.. you can get 20ish x 4 on the screen at once on most phones, so it isn't pathetic..
If you want to see what Google's WAP service looks like, there's a really cool emulator at: http://www.yospace.com/.
--
Everything I know in life I learnt from
This is quite simply the biggest waste I've ever seen.
Far from the silliest idea. It's a kludge - I doubt anyone would disagree. The current situation is though that there are starting to be reasonable numbers of WAP devices in circulation and there's still little content for them. In that constraint, this is an interesting (and maybe even useful) service.
WAP devices where *NOT BUILT* to browse the web.
Define "Web". Why should the Web be HTML only ? The Web ought to (and will) encompass a range of content formats, serving a range of devices. Of course WAP devices are built to surf the Web (what else are they for ?), and a temporary fix to the WML content shortage isn't going to hurt.
WML is syntax specific for maximum usage on small screens.
Now we're getting into the details. IMHE, WML isn't a bad syntax for placing Slashdot-sized web pages onto devices with smaller screens. What's the real killer is the tiny WAP deck size limit. Now that is really over-optimised for phone-size screens, to the point where the protocol can't even work usefully on a PDA. I have personally been bitten badly by this, enough to make me sink projects and change my career direction for several months.
practical usage? Practically zilch./em>
I think you're too hard on it. It's not perfect, but it's a handy thing until some better WML content comes along.
Everybody can test this portal by using one of these wap toolkits:
Ericsson
Motorola
Nokia
phone.com
This is quite simply the biggest waste I've ever seen. WAP devices where *NOT BUILT* to browse the web. WML is syntax specific for maximum usage on small screens. Attempting to convert typical HTML pages on the fly to WML is 'quaint' at best. Neat idea, but practical usage? Practically zilch. Better to build a WAP search engine to search for WAP content..
-- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..