14 DAY TRIAL // Sun Microsystems announced it was preparing new technologies that would emphasize the importance of mobile device applications, including Java On Device Portal (ODP), developed for widget applications, as well as the JavaFX Mobile runtime, which will be launched next month as part of the company's JavaFX rich Internet application platform.
“ODP has two primary functions,” said Eric Klein, Sun vice president of Java marketing. “The first function is to make it easier for Java developers to quickly create these small widget applications using a consistent framework, and the second part is an on-device portal that lets that widget appear and be dynamically delivered.”
ODP has been enhanced for use with feature phones, and it is based on the Lightweight User Interface Toolkit (LWUIT), meant to offer Java developers a way to build consistent mobile widgets fast. ODP can be used for developing Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) applications, allowing for quick creation of Web services, while also lowering testing costs, stated Sun officials. In addition, they also said that it featured an easy-to-use user interface for handsets.
According to Klein, the company has completed the technology and is currently working on getting certifications from mobile carriers. Some of them should announce their support in about a month. “ODP is really about getting content faster to the phone,” he said.
Sun also announced that it planned on unveiling JavaFX Mobile at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, next month. It will be the runtime to allow the deployment of JavaFX applications on handhelds. JavaFX is the company's platform that is meant to provide enhanced experience on the Internet across multiple types of systems. According to Klein, it can also reduce the coding.
The company considers that it has the capability of targeting a broad base of mobile phones, and not just the high-end ones as BlackBerry or the Apple iPhone. Klein stressed on Sun's focus on the mobile market: “Where the innovation is going to occur is in the mobile space.”
The Java ME SDK 3.0, which should launch in March, comes with capabilities for CLDC (Connected Limited Device Configuration), CDC (Connected Device Configuration), Blu-Ray disks, and Java, all in a single SDK.
Sun plans Milestone releases of phoneME open source projects during 2009 as well. phoneME should also broaden the usage of Java ME on handsets. Milestone 4 of phoneMe Feature is announced for March, for feature phones, and it is stated to provide virtual machine enhancements along with improvements for the user interface, multitasking and security. Milestone 3 of PhoneMe Advanced comes with dual-stack CLDC/CDC support as well as Java Virtual Machine Tool Interface (JVMTI) and Ahead of Time (AOT) compilation capabilities, and is planned for September, for the graphically-rich phones.