Mobile Web Browsers

Accessing the World Wide Web via mobile end devices is increasing steadily. Mobile access is limitedby device properties and radio networks. In the past, software developers responded to this by specialstandards for a special mobile web: WAP, HDML, WML, C-HTML and XHTML-MP. However, theWorld Wide Web Consortium follows the so-called One-Web approach and recommends using thegeneral World Wide Web for all types of end devices. The browser plays a central role in this: the useof pages and applications on the World Wide Web can only be achieved if the display softwaresupports up-to-date web standards. Consequently, mobile web browsers present the main bottleneckfor mobile use of the World Wide Web. Their characteristics will therefore be examined systematically.The study shows that the current mobile end devices’ web browsers facilitate mobile use of thegeneral WWW, considering the attributes of the mobile operational environment. Specialisedstandards can therefore be omitted.