Marketers may tout the virtues of communicating with consumers via wireless devices, but so far the medium has failed to amount to much more than a lot of talk about potential. At a recent mobile conference, Caroline Gabriel, an analyst at Rethink Research, called 3G networks "a failure," according to a report in The New York Times.

Gabriel's comments seem to jibe with data from the Yankee Group research firm, which reports that only 13 percent of Americans use their cellphones to access the internet.

Despite the failure to capture the attention of many users, major internet companies have been battling for position in the mobile space, with Yahoo!, Google and AOL all looking to wireless as a new digital frontier.

According to Tony Davis, managing partner of Brightspark, a Toronto venture capital firm that has invested in two mobile web companies, the key for all involved will be to create a successful user experience -- something that didn't happen with the advent of 3G phone networks.

One possible bright spot for users may be the destruction of old barriers. While many analysts consider 3G to be something of a flop, the industry seems to think tools like Android may help more people access the web through their phones.