Alan Goldstein: Is wireless Net access next trend?

Clearly, it could be the next big thing, simply because so many people always have their phones with them. One forecast shows that more people worldwide will access the Internet with a mobile phone than with a personal computer within three years.

But it could also be another global trend that largely eludes us, like smart cards or ABBA music.

PCs, which are more common in this country than elsewhere, have larger screens that are easier to read, keyboards that are less clumsy for entering Web addresses and an existing infrastructure for much faster Internet connections.

In the United States, only a limited number of cell phone users are hooked to the Web for sending and receiving e-mail and for calling up weather reports, maps and driving directions, stock quotes, sports headlines and movie listings.

The same kinds of capabilities are also available in this country on the wireless Palm VII hand-held organizer.

Will it all take off here? Some of the biggest guns from the world of electronic commerce, including Steve Case of America Online and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, declared that they were believers last week at a wireless industry trade show in New Orleans.

But surveys show that only a minority of Americans are very interested -- at least so far -- in having a wireless phone with data services.

"In the U.S., it's all aimed at the proverbial professional road warrior," said James Pearce, U.K. director for AnywhereYouGo.com, a Dallas-based start-up that seeks to link the makers of cell phones with those who develop software for wireless Internet use.

"In Europe, people see past that," he said. "It's teenagers. It's everyone." For example, Curryhouse.net is a service that helps people find particular kinds of Asian food -- Afghan, Burmese, Nepalese, Sri Lankan -- wherever they are in the United Kingdom, using an Internet-linked cell phone or a standard Web browser on a computer.

Type in the "curryhouse" category and the name of a town, and it will list available restaurants, many with online menus and reviews. Then, the customer can phone ahead for a table, delivery or takeout order -- although the Brits call it "take-away service."

Certain timely information has greater value to a mobile user, Mr. Pearce said, so customers will be willing to tackle more cumbersome Web navigation using a phone keypad. For example, a British site offers updated wind conditions for kite flyers.

Dialing a phone number on a vending machine to buy a Coke -- or using your cell phone to check out at a grocery store, for that matter -- may seem like overkill in a world where cash and credit cards seem to be working just fine. "The point is the culture in Europe is such that the one thing you always have with you is your phone," said Mike McMahan, director of research and development for the wireless business unit of Texas Instruments Inc., a leading supplier of chips used in cell phones.

Dallas-based TI envisions cell phones evolving as computers have to become capable of playing back audio and video.

Music fans will be able to download songs from the Internet and play them back on their cell phones. Imagine all the annoying new rings that will be possible. Or before deciding which movie to see, it may become possible to watch the trailer on your phone.

Increasingly, cell phones may fill Americans' need for impulsive online shopping.

If someone mentions a book or a compact disk over lunch that sounds interesting, Amazon.com now can sell it to you instantly over the Internet using either a cell phone or a Palm VII.

Technology for tracking your location that is not yet in wide use will allow for all kinds of applications. A store that knows a customer is nearby can send a customized advertising message, Mr. McMahan said. Of course, it's easy to see how traffic updates using tracking technology could be popular for commuters in big U.S. cities such as Houston or Dallas.

Users will need to keep their eyes on the road. Holding a conversation over a cell phone while at the wheel is distracting enough. Surfing the Internet while navigating the tollway is an even more frightening prospect.

Technology editor Alan Goldstein writes about the Internet and electronic commerce for The Dallas Morning News. His e-mail address is agoldstein@dallasnews.com.