Description:
Wireless Internet Access for Dummies lacks everything that makes a technology book good. It's short on detail. It's appropriate for neither technically minded users who want to design and build wireless Internet devices, nor for everyday people who want to buy and use such a device. It seems appropriate only for satisfying the apparent wish of the Dummies line's publisher to have a lot of yellow-and-black covers present on bookstore shelves, so as to promote brand recognition. There are a few instructional passages in this book's pages, and the 10 percent of its bulk that's devoted to a directory of wireless-enabled Internet resources is pretty good (though you could find the same information online, of course). But that's about the extent of this book's strong points. Outside of the site directory, far too much of Curt Simmons's work consists of platitudes ("Your money should follow you; it should be an integral part of your hectic life") and unsupported speculation ("Wireless Internet access will get easier, and the coverage will reach even remote locations"). Readers will see no value in this, even if they haven't read the newspaper and magazine articles that have been saying the same thing for years. Perhaps the best part of this book is the entertainment value of its illustrations. One of the best: The clip-art picture of a jogger wearing a headset. "Check my e-mail," says she, speaking in a cartoon balloon. Her magical wireless Internet device (no make, model, or technology is specified) responds: "You have two messages--now playing message one." Right, OK. This book is not worth its asking price. --David Wall Topics covered: A site directory lists wireless-aware Internet sites. There are some directions for using the Openwave Mobile Browser and a couple of other pieces of software.
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