Wireless firms agree on mobile Web site rules

NEW YORK - Some of the world's top wireless and Internet companies,

including Nokia,

Vodafone Group Plc and Google

Inc., have agreed on a set of Web site development guidelines aimed at

making it easier to surf the Internet on cell phones.

The majority of cell phones today have Web browsers as wireless providers

hope to expand beyond voice services, but only about 19 percent of U.S. mobile

phone users regularly use the Web on their phones, according to researcher

M:Metrics Inc.

The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), a group backed by 30 industry players,

hopes to improve on this percentage by creating 60 guidelines for developers to

design sites that are easy to use on cell phones, which have much smaller

screens and tiny keypads.

"We're now seeing devices in users' hands that are capable of browsing

the Web, but they're not being used as much as they could be," said Daniel

Applequist, a Vodafone executive who chaired the group that worked on the

guidelines.

"The majority of Web sites out there do not work well on cell

phones," he said, adding that if more Web sites were less awkward to

navigate on cell phones, they could attract more users.

The guidelines advise developers against using big graphics or pop-up ads

that could clutter phone screens.

They also suggest designing sites in such a way that the content appears

right at the top of a cell phone screen, allowing users to avoid scrolling past

multiple navigation links.

"A common problem is that you have a small screen, so when a Web site

loads, the navigational elements like home page or next page links are the only

things you see instead of the content you're looking for," Applequist said.

The guidelines also steer developers away from using cookies, which store

information on the viewer's computer to help Web sites remember user

preferences, enabling speedier navigation.

As cookies do not work on cell phones, developers need to find alternatives,

Applequist said.