But his best move was attending a 1994 wireless convention in Santa Clara, Calif., where "nobody was thinking about the wireless Internet in a serious way," recalls Rossmann, 43. "I'm fortunate to be a contrarian."

So he began a fourth company, phone.com, and spent the next few years getting wireless providers and firms like Microsoft to sign up to the WAP standard. They had to. WAP was the only game in town at a time when the Net and cell-phone usage were exploding. Last month phone.com exploded too, shelling out $6 billion for mobile-mailbox giant software.com. And since every piece of software on the Net will have to be rejiggered to conform to the WAP standard, Rossmann still has a lot of work to do if he's going to distract cell-phone users from their jabbering.

1 | 2
Name: Alain Rossmann
Age: 43
Why critics are taking note: His wireless application protocol (WAP) has become the industry standard for getting the Internet onto cell phones
phone.com

WAP Info Center

THIS MONTH'S INNOVATORS







Will the 21st century produce more important innovations than the last? Who will be the top inventors? Tell us if you agree with TIME's choices.


Which of the following breakthroughs do you think will come first?

The ability to clone humans
A cure for cancer
Extending the average life past 100
Other
Do you know the next Einstein? Is your neighbor working on the next great health breakthrough? If so, e-mail us the name of your nominee, explaining in 50 words or less why we should choose him or her.


Transcript of chat with Steve Stanford, from Sunday, September 10th on CNN.com

Go to the Time 100

About the Series

Photos: Miguel de Icaza by RICHARD SCHULTZ FOR TIME,
Rob Malda by JONATHAN SAUNDERS FOR TIME,
Joseph Park by CATRINA GENOVESE FOR TIME,
Alain Rossmann by DAVID STRICK FOR TIME,
Steve Stanford by GLEN WEXLER FOR TIME,
Sherry Turkle by AARON GOODMAN FOR TIME
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