Mobile Java - the Nokia edition

 

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Posted on 4 Jun 2001 at 15:00

Nokia and Borland are getting together to help make sweet Java - for wireless applications, that is.

The two corporations have announced a new set of Java tools for mobile applications, with the intention of extending Java's reach. The new release is the JBuilder Mobile Set, Nokia Edition, which is compliant with Sun's specification for the Java2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME, basically a subset of Java for embedding in devices). You would use this set of tools with JBuilder 5, Borland's visual Java development environment (JBuilder 5 should be available imminently - it was due out in June).

What both companies are hoping is to establish a de-facto standard - with regards to the development and deployment of Java applications - for other device manufacturers to follow (the Ericsson Edition, the Motorola Edition, etc.).

According to Anssi Vanjoki, executive VP at Nokia: "We believe the market for mobile applications is boundless... The developer can concentrate on developing compelling applications and spend less time worrying about the intricacies of each device."

What is certain is the role that Java will play in expanding the functionality of mobile-cum-PDAs. Through its use of a Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP), the J2ME platform is designed to make the core of Java available to devices that have smaller display capabilities and power resources than a PC. You should also, however, be able to reuse existing code Java code while still dealing with different devices.

Imagine, for example, an application that calculated betting odds for an still event in progress. Multiple devices (reflecting the different types of handsets) could be served with information, from a central process, in a consistent way. If you had a PDA, perhaps, there would be more of a graphical element to this imaginary application (charting past odds and outcomes), while if you had a simple mobile, the barest text would be used. Essentially, the application remains unchanged, but it is served up to different devices, as appropriate.

You can download the tools from the Forum Nokia Web site or Borland's equivalent.

Author: Alun Williams