The purpose of this paper is a an in-depth review of a mobile city guide: uB-Mobile. First, some background information on uB-Mobile will be briefly reviewed. Next, the purpose and function of uB-Mobiles WAP site will be examined with particular attention paid to the user experience. Finally, some recommendations for improvement will be made. Background of uB-MobileAccording to uB-Mobile, it is a "leading provider of enabling products and services in the mobile environment with focus on the media industry" (uB-Mobile Home, 2001). The company began its business in 1989 by providing Global Positioning Systems (GPS) solutions for navigation and Short Message Service (SMS) applications for vehicle tracking and traffic information. uB-Mobiles entry into the mobile web application arena was a natural. Then, in 1999, they quickly took a commanding lead in the industry and in 2000 signed a contract with AOL UK to make their city guides available on the AOL United Kingdom portal. uB-Mobiles City Guide came in first place for the most innovative and entertaining mobile web application during the 2001 Cellmania WAPPY Awards (Gold for uB-mobile, 2001). uB-Mobile is based in Geneva, Switzerland.Purpose and FunctionOne of uB-Mobiles most known applications is their mobile city guide for wireless devices. It effectively combines mobility and instant access to information to internet enabled mobile phones. The evaluation of this mobile application (http://www.ub-wap.com) was accomplished using the Openwave SDK, WAP Edition 5.0 (http://www.openwave.com/products/developer_products/). This application was approached for evaluation as a user would use it to get some useful or required information. This test began with a hypothetical vacation trip to London, England. While in London planning daily activities, information on tours of Buckingham Palace, the Home of Queen Elizabeth, might be required. Using uB-mobiles City Guide and an intern...
