The costs: I'd be a lot better off with a newspaper

"Court drops case against Suharto. Israeli police attack Palestinians. News of the Olympics." Not having bought a paper yet, I spent a few minutes on the bus last Friday reading through the headlines provided for Eircell WAP users by the Irish Times "Breaking News" service.

Then, as the rain trickled down the grimy windows, it was on to the weather: "Showers becoming widespread, some heavy, strong gust winds. High 13/16C." So far, my Walkman could have told me as much.

Time for a little virtual retail therapy. The Easons menu listed the five paperback fiction and non-fiction titles, top five hardback fiction and non-fiction, top five business and, more enticingly, "more". But selecting "more" brought less, as far as I was concerned: the top five computer, sport and pop-psychology titles.

There were only a few other retail outlets in the virtual shopping mall: Butler's Chocolates, Comet Records, Goodebodys, Mad Flower and Molloy's Liquor Store.

A spokeswoman for Eircell says the service is just beginning and it's hoped to expand the number of titles and improve the search mechanism. The restaurant guide was more comprehensive, allowing a search by name, location and food style.

The education menu only had one offering, a Focloir. A quick browse through the "jobs on offer" and it was time to get off the bus. No time to check the business offerings or the travel options.

If the phone was pre-paid, the half hour's surfing would have cost £6 (at 20p a minute). Oops. Think I'll buy a paper the next time.

So, how much does it cost to start WAP'ing? Elizabeth Burke, a saleswoman with the Carphone Warehouse, which is an independent outlet, says Esat and Eircell both offer pre-paid and bill-paying options. The most popular handset is the Siemens, with the S35 offered by both Eircell and Esat to bill-paying customers.

She says the cost for the S35 handset and connection is £89 and then you pay depending on which deal you choose. Data and voice are similarly priced. If you go for the prepaid options, the Siemens C35 handset with Eircell or the M35 with Esat are very popular. The cost is £129 and includes £30 call credit with Eircell and £20 with EAST. WAP calls are charged at 20p per minute. These cheaper handsets are also available to bill-paying customers at a cost of £49 for the handset and connection.

These are just some of the options out there - price depends on the handset and the method of payment chosen.

Burke says customers usually make their choice on the basis of the handset they like best. It's also cheaper to make calls within the one network, so people also choose on the basis of whether they will make more 086 or 087 calls.

She says there is lots of interest in WAP phones at the moment. In the future, all phones will be WAP or data-compatible (allowing a hook-up with a PC), she says.