Editor's note: Jeffrey Robbins is CEO of Database Sciences, a Paramus, N.J., provider of Web-based opinion research services.

The wireless Web offers great promise. In magazines ads and TV commercials we are being bombarded by cell phone makers' and wireless providers' images of our digital future being tied together by their products and services.

In this article, we'll take a brief look at the different technologies, what's out there now, what's on the horizon, and what the applications are for market research professionals. We'll pull apart acronyms and explain buzzwords so that not only will you be able to "hear me now," you'll be able to understand what the heck I'm talking about, as well.

Definitions - what's in a name?

The wireless Web means different things to different people. The term wireless Web can be confusing, as it actually has been used to describe completely different technologies. Most recently, wireless network products have improved and become more popular, so that some people refer to the wireless Web as sitting in their backyard and surfing the Web via a wireless network (Wi-Fi, for wireless fidelity) connection from their laptop to their cable (or DSL) modem. More commonly, however, people refer to the wireless Web as accessing the Internet via a cellular telephone service provider's connection. Even in this case there are multiple meanings, as wireless/cellular providers are touting two different Web services these days: Web browsing directly via a handheld device (i.e., cell phone or PDA) and Web browsing via a traditional computer (usually a laptop) that is "dialing up" the Internet through a cell connection.

For the purposes of this discussion, we will consider the latter definition of the wireless Web; that is, accessing the Internet via a cellular provider's connection. Once again, there are two subcategories within this definition: accessing the Web directly from a handheld device (cell phone or PDA) and dialing up the Web through a laptop via a cellular provider's connection. Ultimately, however, everything will come together (convergence, in the parlance of the industry) and the patchwork of LANs, Wi-Fi devices, WANs, wired and wireless Internet connections will seamlessly be integrated into an always on, always-available high-speed river of digital data that will be accessed by many different devices and appliances in our homes, offices, and pockets.

For anyone, let alone market research professionals, the benefits of this convergence of the technologies of communication are apparent. Each technological innovation moves us closer to minimizing the number of devices with which we communicate, as well as keep updated and synchronized. On a simple level, the idea of having readily available high-speed Internet access through a laptop is a godsend to many people who are not often tethered to one specific workplace. In an airport, a hotel, a client's office, or yes, even a backyard, the Web would be a click away without having to worry about connection protocols. As of now, though, the new high-speed wireless Internet services (referred to as 3G) are just being rolled out by the major wireless carriers, and as a result, coverage areas are limited, connection speeds vary, and prices are high. The near future of wireless Internet services is bright, though, because of the new wireless infrastructure coming on line, as well as the push to put more Web-enabled handheld devices in consumers' hands to take advantage of the service upgrades.

Cell phones and PDAs

Despite growing momentum, the wireless Web is a long way from being a mainstream medium. According to Forrester Research, adoption of wireless Web devices increased by about 10 percent in North America in 2001. Still, at the end of last year only 5.4 percent of North American households had wireless, portable Internet access. The split between consumers using Web-enabled cell phones and PDAs to connect wirelessly to the Web is 84 percent cell phone/16 percent PDA. Forrester says that sending e-mail and checking weather and news are the top applications that people are using their wireless Web devices to tap into. New phones are being equipped with GPS technology to take advantage of soon-to-be-offered mapping services (I can't help of thinking that we're all about to be "tracked" animals, kind of like on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom television program).

E-mail is the killer app, or application, in the wireless world, both on the consumer and B2B sides. At the enterprise level, handheld BlackBerry devices have become an invaluable tool for many mobile professionals, enabling them to access corporate e-mail services on the road. Access to other corporate services are also possible with these devices, and third-party vendors are offering a widening array of tie-ins to give road warriors more options to corporate network services.

Convergence of technology is occurring in handheld devices as well. Hybrid cell phones/PDAs are now available with built-in Web microbrowsers. Of course, the decision to go that route is not so simple. Do I want a tiny cell phone and only bring my Palm device with me when I need it? Or do I carry a larger device that does everything? Yet, at the same time, if I choose separate devices, will I need to access the Web more often from my cell phone (with a very small screen to display Web content) or should I invest in Web access on my PDA? Tough choices.

Surfing on a cell phone

Surfing the Web on a cell phone (or even PDA) is not a very practical activity. In addition to very small screen sizes on these devices, entering Web addresses is far more difficult than on a computer keyboard. Fortunately, wireless Web providers have set up regular, "wired" Web sites where wireless Web users can configure their microbrowsers to display customized content (including bookmarks or favorite places) when they connect via their wireless device. In addition, wireless connection speeds are well below what we've come to expect from high-speed wired options like cable or DSL connections.

While it appears that connection speeds will soon be better (thanks to technologies like 3G), content is limited right now. Cell phones and PDAs cannot simply access any Web site. To adapt to the relatively tiny screen sizes on cell phones and PDAs, Web site content has to be in a format that can be read by the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) microbrowsers in these devices. In order for a Web site to properly offer content to microbrowsers, the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) code that defines regular Web pages must be translated to the WAP version, or WML (Wireless Markup Language). More importantly, wireless Web designers must figure out what kind of functionality is appropriate for screens that are a small fraction of the computer monitors people ordinarily use to browse the Web. Currently, only a very small percentage of the Web sites in existence have made their content accessible to WAP devices. As the number of wireless Web accessible devices continues to grow, companies and Web developers will be challenged to translate their existing Web content (or create new applications) for this burgeoning market.

While not really part of the wireless Web, there is another notable wireless data service that is quickly gaining users: text messaging. SMS (Small Messaging Services) is a key protocol behind the text messaging on many cellular networks, which is kind of like e-mail specifically for cell phones. Part of the appeal of text messaging is that, like e-mail, it is an efficient communication medium that affords users the ability to conduct a timely dialogue without conversation. Limitations include message length (SMS messages may only be 160 characters long), and there are some issues with sending messages between cell carriers' networks that may not use the same messaging protocol. In the future, as marketers inevitably begin to try to reach customers via text messaging, we may have to contend with messaging spam as well.

Research opportunities

OK, now that we know what's out there, what can we do with it? High-speed wireless Web access offers specific opportunities for market research professionals in the areas of communication and field data collection. Consider the idea of a "digital clipboard," where interviewers are scattered around the country (or the world) at public locations (malls, amusement parks, polling places) and equipped with laptop or tablet computers that send data via high-speed wireless connection to a central interview software server. Interview data can be captured in real-time, affording the research sponsor the possibility of near-instant feedback.

Let's drill down another level and discuss reaching respondents directly via the wireless Web. In the near term, the applications via this medium are restricted both because of the market penetration of wireless Web devices and the limitations of the technology. If we consider using common Web surveying tools to interview respondents via cell phones or PDAs, we must take a good look at both our target audience and the content of the interview. Because of the small screen sizes of cell phone and PDA microbrowsers, surveys deployed to these devices need to be carefully crafted. For example, the built-in logic features (skip patterns, data validation, etc.) of Web survey servers can be taken full advantage of, but not their ability to display rich graphics and multimedia.

Short survey or polling applications to a very specific target group can be very effective. Polling mobile employees, "intracompany," or surveying attendees at a trade show are examples that we have seen executed well.

Text messaging offers another opportunity to reach respondents on the go. Again, because of the current market penetration of the technology, the target audience is a key determinant of whether it is an appropriate methodology. If so, we can send messages to ask potential respondents to participate in Web surveys (either via their mobile device or standard computer), or we can ask them to send text message replies to survey questions directly. The latter technique, of course, limits the use of advanced logic functionalities that Web survey systems enjoy.

In our practice, we use the wireless Web in another aspect of the fieldwork we do on behalf of our clients: monitoring results. While a study is in the field, I often need to look at real-time statistics of the study. Sometimes it's as simple as knowing how many respondents have completed a particular study at a specific point in time, sometimes it's more detailed in terms of specific quotas or marginal calculations on answers to a particular question. We have built wireless Web functionality into our Web server so that this information can be accessed on our cell phones' microbrowsers. This functionality is made available to our clients as well. From a personal standpoint, it is terrific to be able to keep abreast of my clients' studies, regardless of where I am or what time of day it is.

Where do we go from here?

Just as market research on the wired Web was a brand new frontier just a few short years ago, we find ourselves in a similar position today with the wireless Web. Market penetration statistics simply don't allow us to use this emerging technology to directly reach the general consumer via this medium. For specialized studies and audiences, however, the technology is in place to collect field data from more sources and locations, more efficiently than ever before. The tools exist to turn that data around to our clients so that they can have actionable results on a more timely basis.

Within our professional community, the emerging wireless technologies and devices give us unprecedented mobile access to information, systems, and services. Over time, the so-called virtual office will continue to evolve and the future we see in all those TV commercials and print ads will become a reality.