WAP - or Industry-wide Accepted Standards?

Is WAP a four letter word? Seems like it could be depending on your definition of WAP.

Let me instead refashion it as (XHTML) the next generation Open Standard that has been agreed upon by a cross section of industry players - think Mobile Web Initiative of the W3C.  Once I have rephrased it in these terms in spirit I agree with Russel Buckley's post "Is the Wap Glass 1/4 Full, or 3/4 Empty?"

But why do I feel the need to rephrase and redefine what he calls WAP?  To most content providers, developers, operators and even end users mentions of WAP draws words like "fiasco" and "non-starter" shortly thereafter.  It was a closed standard that had limited adoption and still posed limitations and usability for the end user.

What the hostway survey confirms, is what we have been saying all along, namely usability.  Find ways to improve or fix the user experience and you will drive usage up.  Is it a total fix? no.  Data rates still have to become reasonable and affordable and enough content has to be available to justify continual use.  We aren't there yet.