With modern mobile devices, is it best to use WML or HTML?

Question

With today's modern mobile phones, is it still worth programming the mobile version of your site in WML?

Most mobile browsers even a few years old can manage to do okay in regular HTML. With WML, you are obviously given more control over what is displayed and what isn't with less fear of it not working on a particular device, but today, with all the advancements in mobile browsing (iPhone, Android, etc) is it really best to go this route?

I am wondering if the best option is instead to go with an HTML4 document that has a few more bells-and-whistles than what WML can do, but not quite the glorified super-spectacular AJAXified interface that one might design for a modern desktop browser.

Yes, I know, this is objective and has a lot to do with site audiences and how far I want to extend support. To put a scope to this question, my main concern here is whether foregoing WML for HTML is going to devastate a huge chunk of my audience and leave them completely stranded.

Edit for Dr.Dredel's point: the site would NOT be used by an SMS campaign or anything of the sort. The website is an event booking site for pickup games for hockey. Some users currently browse to it on their mobile phone to sign up for different sessions.

Answer 1

I think the primary problem with this question is that it fails to identify what exactly it is that you're offering your users, which would instruct who, demographically, would find your site.

If your site is arrived at via SMS based links (through some global marketing campaigns) then you need to try to reach the widest possible audience, since almost all phones will allow a user to click within their SMS client and then launch whatever browser option is on the that phone.

If, on the other hand, you have a site which needs to be browsed over to manually, then there's a reasonable expectation that most people simple won't bother on their crappy pseudo browsers, because even the act of inputting the url is a fairly large hassle.

I would say that if you're dealing with option B you're pretty safe just delivering an experience that is tailored for a browser like Netscape 1.1 (just dust off whatever you were doing in 1995 and you're good to go! :)

Answer 2

Do both. There's no reason to ignore the browser string and display the same markup for every device. WML is simple enough that you can use template styles (which you should be using already) to provide a custom experience for all your useers, regardless of the device they use.

Those with bare cell phones will get a usable interface that meets their needs, while those with PDA phones get a nicer interface with more options, and those with the iPhone might even get the eye-candy iPhonophiles really bought their phone for.

If you can't do that, for whatever reason, go with the least common denominator to gain the greatest visibility and usage - that's what's going to make your site successfully and useful enough that you can afford to use a real templating system and move towards the ideal state. This is likely WML, although even older phones were ok with very simple HTML, it just has less control and ease of use features.

Answer 3

You should use XHTML-MP for mobile versions of sites. You'll get better continuity with the non-mobile version and it will work with more (particularly newer) devices

Answer 4

The vast majority of mobile phone users have a phone that was purchased within the last few years, and any users that have a phone older than that are unlikely to want to use the internet from their mobile. Personally I think you would be better of making a high-end 'AJAXified' site with all the bells and whistles and a standard XHTML-MP site that would be accessible to most users.