Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter

This month we will be looking at WAP / Wireless Internet, which enables people to access the internet using a wireless application like your mobile telephone.

For those of you who are Rugby crazy you will know that the Rugby World Cup is just around the corner so we have included a few sites that will enable you to get up to speed with the latest news and facts.

In this issue:

* What is Wireless Internet?
* Web sites of Interest
* Statistics of Interest
* Quote of the month

WHAT IS WIRELESS INTERNET?

You and millions of other people around the world use the Internet every day -- to communicate with others, follow the stock market, keep up with the news, check the weather, make travel plans, conduct business, shop, entertain yourself and learn. Staying connected has become so important that it's hard to get away from your computer and your Internet connection because you might miss an e-mail message, an update on your stock or some news you need to know. With your business or your personal life growing more dependent on electronic communication over the Internet, you might be ready to take the next step and get a device that allows you to access the Internet on the go.

Wireless Internet could possibly be the answer to being able to access information quickly and easily no matter were you are. You've probably seen news or advertising about cell phones and PDAs that let you receive and send e-mail. We consider that WAP, might the next step in increasing access to timely and fast information.

Firstly let me explain what WAP is, WAP stands for Wireless Application Protocol and allows you to view the Internet on a handheld device such as mobile phone. WAP enables users to access services and information over the Internet. You are able to view web pages using a micro browser which uses the same idea as the browsers you use on your computer, i.e. Internet Explorer, and enables you to view specially programmed web pages on your phone. The Micro Browser uses minimal hardware and memory, enabling it to be imbedded easily on your phone with out taking too much space.

WAP enables easy, fast delivery of relevant information and services to mobile users, and can be used in a number of ways:
* purchasing tickets,
* checking bus timetables,
* viewing updated traffic information
* looking up addresses

Making a Web site accessible through a wireless device is quite a challenge. So far, only a small portion of the more than a billion Web sites provide any wireless Internet content. As the use of WAP-enabled devices grows, you can expect that many more Web sites will be interested in creating wireless content so very soon Wireless Internet maybe the norm!

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For more information you can visit these sites:
* How Stuff Works: How Wireless Internet Works
* W3 School: Introduction to WAP
* Open Mobile Aliance: What is WAP

Websites of Interest

What with the Rugby World Cup just around the corner, the 10th October to the 22nd November, here are a few sites to wet your appetite.

*Rugby World Cup 2003 (http://www.rugby2003.com.au/): This is the official site for the Rugby World Cup 2003 held in Australia. You are able to purchase tickets online, view the match schedules, get the latest news, and a bit of local information about Australia

*Rugby World Cup Web (http://www.rugbyworldcupweb.com/):This website is dedicated to the next Rugby World Cup and the people who love rugby. The site includes the history of the RWC, scores from previous tournaments, links, and up-to-date information on the latest tournament.

*Scrum.com: World Cup 2003 (http://www.scrum.com/rugbyworldcup): This site is all things Rugby it also has the latest news and views, fixtures, squads, ticket information about the Rugby World Cup.

Here are some statistics collected on New Zealanders on their at-home Net surfing habits by Nielsen NetRatings for March 2002.

* The most popular site used by New Zealanders was the portal of New Zealand’s largest ISP Xtra, followed by www.geocities.com and www.microsoft.com. The remaining top 10 sites were all US-based with search engines and portals featuring heavily. Search engine www.searchnz.co.nz was the second most popular local site after Xtra, ranking 13th overall.

* New Zealand sites are doing quite well, compared other countries, in attracting local traffic. Local sites make up about 35% of the most popular 100 sites of New Zealanders. These figures compare favourably to Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Singapore - the other countries Nielsen NetRatings is currently surveying.

* New Zealanders are also very active surfers. New Zealand uses the less than North Americans, about the same as Australians, and more than British, Irish or Singaporeans. Saturdays and Sundays are the most popular days for Net use while 8-9 pm is the most poplar time for surfing during the week.

Statistics provided by Nielson NetRatings and from the NetGuides News website (04/05/2002) US sites popular with New Zealanders

This Month's Favourite Quote.

“As a rule, he or she who has the most information will have the greatest success in life.” by Benjamin Disraeli

We hope you enjoy the month ahead and don’t forget to let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

- The Team at Strobe