Mobile Computing & Wireless Application Development
- J2ME -

Wireless application development has the following characteristics:

• multi-platform and multi-device support, since no single device can serve entire organization's needs

• multi-RF network support

• multi-backend application and database support

• integration with web application server platforms

While several different device platforms are being promoted by major device vendors, such as  PalmOS, Microsoft Windows CE, PocketPC and Sambian's EPOC, Motorola and Lutris Technologies (a Santa Cruz, California company) have teamed up to offer Java-based development platform for iDEN handsets. They duo have decided to bundle Lutris' open-source Enhydra application server with Motorola's SDK for iDEN. With this set of Enhydra and J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition), programmers can develop both server-side and client-side software that takes advantage of Sun's J2ME specifications. iDEN handset that transmits both voice and data, will be available in mid 2001.

Enthusiasts for J2ME point out that J2ME is more open than WAP, because you may choose not to utilize a micro-browser for J2ME applications.

Competing Products or Development Environments

• BREW from Qualcomm - specifically designed for smartphones and CDMA 

• MicrochaVM from HP

Why Wireless Application Development Needs Java? - A justification paper from Sun

Status of Enhancements to J2M - New Mobile Information Device profiles (MIDP) of J2ME for  PDAs (PDA profile) and smart phones are coming out in mid 2002. Features like multicasting, SSL (security) and multi-media. New features

• Superior user interface

• Better security, permission models and certificate handling

• Distribution functionality

J2ME Application Developers in News - Do a keyword search on this page; also go to the Sun site.

• Hillcast Technologies, Austin, Texas - developer of financial trading applications for mobile devices - alerts 

• 4thPass, Seattle

• Mobliss, Seattle

• Palet Games, LLC is devoted to developing engaging games for the cell phone and PDA marketplace

• Reqwireless, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada - builds class libraries and applications for J2ME MIDP, the Java platform for cell-phone and PDA applications.

Resources & Vendor Products

• Motorola's J2ME Development kit as explained above

• LogicChain releases the first J2ME client/server application -a Poker Game to be played on Blackberry and i3000 Motorola phone - it demonstrates the power of J2ME.

• Zucotta has developed a WhiteBoard SDK based on J2ME for Internet appliance market.  See MobileInfo newsflash for this.

• Borland's JBuilder - Motorola has also entered into partnership with Borland® to provide its JBuilder™ 4 Foundation development environment as part of the Motorola iDEN® Subscriber Groups developers’ toolkit. For more, go to news item.

• Borland's JBuilder Set for Nokia - Nokia has entered into a similar agreement with Borland to extend JBuilder for Nokia smart phones.

• J2ME Development Tool kit for Blackberry - RIM has announced that it has implemented J2ME as the core OS for Blackberry. It has ported Blackberry applications to work on J2ME. 

• agentGo - has developed eight enterprise applications based on J2ME

• Plazmic In. - Plazmic enables the creation of visually rich multimedia mobile device applications for Java-enabled phones and handheld devices

• Also do keyword search on our home page for more J2ME-related news on MobileInfo website

• Go to Application Development pages in Product Directory and Vendor directory.

MobileInfo Advisory:  We said in December 2000 that it was still too early to determine larger potential of widespread adoption of J2ME for wireless applications beyond  Motorola's iDEN network applications. We also said that in the long run, we expect J2ME to get wider network and device support.  Now in early, 2002, J2ME has succeeded in garnering excellent support across all groups - hardware developers, phone manufacturers and enterprise developers. However, It is important to understand the role of J2ME - it is useful primarily for developing packaged applications and device drivers for smart phones and PDAs by those application developers who are targeting these applications for carriers. For enterprise vertical applications, business application developers should continue to utilize higher-level tools like those available from IBM, Sun (J2EE), BEA, Oracle, Sybase iAnywhere, Microsoft, @Hand, etc.. The latter category of tools will continue to have superior backend integration. They can develop client application pieces in J2ME and then integrate these with backend applications.