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WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) was created to allow differenthandheld devices like Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), a newbreed of cell phones called "smart phones", and wirelessly enabledlaptops to communicate and share data. It lets developers write onesingle application that will work across these devices and evenacross networks and the Internet. Until the creation of WAP, notechnology allowed these devices to talk to each other. Developersare now racing to find out as much as possible about WAP to createapplications and products based on this standard.
An example of such technology that shows the importance of beingable to share such information would be a sales force that providedPDAs to it's sales reps. Using these PDAs, reps in the field caninstantly access the latest information about the company'sproducts and services, and just as easily send orders into theoffice for fulfillment.
Unwired Planet is the company behind two of the languages usedto create these applications, HDML (Handheld Device Mark-upLanguage) and HDTP (Handheld Device Transport Protocol). Togetherwith Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, they are developing WAP and run theWAP Forum, dedicated to gaining wider acceptance of the standard.The WAP forum currently has over 40 corporate members and isgrowing fast. This is the third book in a three volumeseries.
