The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has launched the Mobile
Web Initiative (MWI), with the aim of making web access from a
mobile device as easy as web access from a desktop
device.
"Mobile access to the web has been a second-class experience for
far too long," said W3C director Tim Berners-Lee. "MWI recognises
the mobile device as a first-class participant, and will produce
materials to help developers make the mobile web experience
worthwhile."
The W3C said mobile users often find that their favourite websites
are not accessible or not as easy to use on their mobile devices as
on their desktop.
Also, content providers have difficulties building websites that
work well on all types and configurations of mobile devices that
offer web access.
Mobile Web Initiative participants will initially focus on best
practices and mobile device descriptions.
The Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group will develop authoring
guidelines, checklists and best practices to help content providers
to develop web content that works well on mobile devices.
The Device Description Working Group will develop a database of
descriptions that can be used by content authors to adapt their
content to a particular device.
W3C members France Telecom, HP, MobileAware, Segala M Test,
Vodafone and Volantis have become the first founding sponsors of
the MWI.
All W3C members are eligible to become MWI founding sponsors until
1 July. Founding sponsors will take a lead role in the MWI's work.