Here's the beginning of my attempt to make for up that shortcoming: I've posted an April-June recap to my site and July and August recaps are forthcoming.

PS Please post any feedback or comments here.

PS Please post any feedback or comments here.

I intend to continue blogging wireless Java related tidbits on java.net as time permits, including resuming my monthly wireless highlights entries in the not too distant future.

And if you're going to be at JavaOne, please consider stopping by one of my sessions or the Nokia booth to say hello and let me know what suggestions you have for Forum Nokia, the "J2ME Archive", and BillDay.com.]]> 2008-01-02T17:42:16Z 2004-04-05T19:08:00Z tag:weblogs.java.net,2004:/blog/billday/49.662 2004-04-05T19:08:00Z

Does this mean that I can now directly download MIDlets to my Palm Tungsten and run them? I used to have to convert my Java programs to Palm PRC files before uploading them on my Palm Vx to run under the KVM.

I don't have a Java-enabled Tungsten myself, but in preparing a follow-up to my earlier entry (Java for PalmOS Devices, Act 2), I came across some information that might help.

Ken Walker's comments in response to Russ Beattie's post about PalmSource getting the Java religion indicate that now that PalmOne and PalmSource are both shipping an integrated J2ME implementation, things are a lot simpler for J2ME app deployment to PalmOS devices:

I've OTA'd lots of MIDlets by browsing using WebPro to the JAD file. It hooks up to the Exchange Manager so after the JAD is downloaded the MIDlet HQ is invoked, jar downloaded, converted to a PRC and is good to run.

So, Mel, simply point your Tungsten at a MIDlet's JAD file and the runtime will take care of the conversion to PRC for you. Excellent news for both Java developers and Palm users everywhere!

The good news: It's free. The really good news: If you pass, you'll be certified!

Learn more about the technologies covered by the exam by reading through the Certification Objectives. Registration is limited but has been extended through early March. Click here for details.

For this tip, Ellick Chan (working pervasive education and integrating mobile devices into Gaia) asked:

How can I use GSM's SMS capabilitiy to deliver push notifications to MIDlets?

The MIDP 2.0 spec allows you to push notifications to your MIDlets using any communication protocol supported by both the network and the MIDP-enabled device. HTTP, SMS, sockets, and/or other protocols may be supported, depending on the network you're using and the device to which your notificiation is directed. You should read through the article "The MIDP 2.0 Push Registry" for a technical overview of how push works, especially from the MIDlet client perspective.

Whichever network(s) you're application will be using, you need to find out what protocols they allow inbound to handsets. At the least, most GSM carriers will allow SMS (since they use SMS for short text messaging). Assuming your network does support SMS, from the server part of your application you would need to generate an SMS message directed to the port you bound your MIDlet to in its static or dynamic push registry settings. Assuming the network passes the SMS as expected, your MIDlet should be awakened when the SMS arrives in the handset.

Note carefully: You need to be sure you direct your incoming message to a logical port. For more information on how your server side bits need to address this port number, refer to the "GSM SMS Adapter" part of the WMA 1.1 specification.

Carrier specific developer programs should be able to provide the details on their support for sending SMS messages into their networks. Visit your carrier's developer Web site for more information (refer to the "Carriers" section of my J2ME Archive for some links to example carrier developer sites).

To learn more about the MIDlet side of things (receiving the port specific SMS), refer to the WMA section of my presentation "Developing Wireless Applications Using MIDP 2.0, WMA, and MMA" (a webcast of this presentation is available from JavaOne Online by clicking here).

When will all Palm devices, much less all Palm OS based devices, include a built in Java runtime, not just the Tungstens? Time will tell, but my gut says very soon: If they don't, they'll suffer the consequences as J2ME rolls on to the tune of millions of Java developers and hundreds of millions of consumers with Java devices everywhere.

Time has in fact told, as PalmSource, the makers of the Palm OS, announced at their developer conference recently that they will be including WME in Palm OS, too. Burried at the bottom of the press release are the bits we developers want to get at:

It is anticipated that IBM WME will enable the support of the industry standards for the Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) 1.0 and 1.1 and Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 1.0 and 2.0 in compliance with the Sun Technology Compatibility Kits (TCK), which will allow Palm Powered smart mobile devices to seamlessly execute J2ME-compliant MIDlet Suite applications. PalmSource intends to offer Palm OS licensees the WME JVM and runtime licenses on Palm OS Garnet and Palm OS Cobalt later this summer.

What's the net-net? Soon all manufactuers of Palm OS based devices (Garnet and Cobalt based) will have an optimized J2ME runtime to build into their smartphones and PDAs.

At long, long last I'll be able to target Java apps at all upcoming Palm OS devices knowing they'll pass my "Mother Test". Now the question that remains: Will Palm OS/Java powered smartphones by able to regain the ground they've lost to Series 60/Symbian during the last couple of years of J2ME development and deployment? Time will tell, indeed.

• Announced the 6620, an American follow-on to the EMEA/Asia 6600 which among other things adds support for EDGE (significant speed improvement over GPRS) and doubles the onboard memory available for J2ME applications to 12MB
• Spoke of its intent to bring Perl to its Series 60 (Symbian) based devices
• Discussed plans to provide tiered developer support in an upcoming rev of its Forum Nokia developer program

Nokia is clearly attempting to raise the bar for its competitors. Whether the 6620 is "the" device or a precursor to it, I expect to see one or more very successful enterprise application handsets in 2004. I also expect to see scripting (Perl, Python, whatever) and easier to use J2ME tools enable Joe Average application creator to build wireless business apps. Coupled with these trends, we'll see competition between vendors' developer programs ramp up as enterprises finally begin to adopt wireless development in mass.

Thanks to Nokia, PalmOne, and others, 2004 is shaping up to be a very interesting year indeed!

Thinking about my blog from a couple of weeks ago on the emergence of cellcams, I had to wonder: Is the iPod mini too little too late?

Phones are already shipping with add-on support for MP3 playback, and many new models (such as the 6230 I mentioned in my previous blog) have MP3 players built-in. If you don't need every MP3 on your PC with you at all times and instead are happy to take along a reasonable subset of your favorite tunes, say 256MB worth (MMC and SD cards aren't available in the 4GB range that iPod mini debuts at), then cell phones with built in music support (cellpods?) may just do the trick. And if you already have your cell phone with you all the time anyway, why not have your favorite tunes on it too?

Will cellpods drive the iPod mini and other dedicated digital music players increasingly up market the same way they are putting pressure on dedicated digital cameras? Or will Apple deliver on rumors that have been floating around for months that they might be working on an iPhone, one upping the cellpod makers at their own game? Time, and consumer acceptance, will tell.

I first wrote about cellcams in my first java.net blog entry. In it, I discussed the Nokia 3650, my main device since mid-2003. The 3650 is a Series 60 based MIDP 1.0 smart phone with support for WMA and MMA. It even allows me to use MMA to capture still photos via the built-in VGA camera (though video capture is limited to a native Symbian app). This converged device has allowed me to finally shed the PDA-plus-separate-cell-phone-plus-separate-digital-camera lifestyle for a more liberating cellcam smartphone all-in-one persona.

Nonetheless, the 3650 has it's shortcomings. It's big and bulky, which proves a real pain when I'm out for a jog or short on pocket space. It's J2ME implementation isn't upgradable, so I'm not able to take advantage of all of the new MIDP 2.0 capabilities. And its camera, while taking serviceable 640x480 digipics (roughly 0.3 megapixels), isn't going to replace my Canon S400 with its four megapixel (Mpix) resolution for the shots that really matter. If Nokia wants to challenge the likes of Canon for the instant, in your pocket, "always ready" class of digital cameras as it seems to be indicating, they have to do better than the 3650.

Which brings me to the crux of this blog: Although the first generation of cellcams has sold me on the promise of converged devices, I'm looking for the next generation to truly deliver on that promise.

What I want from a cellcam in 2004:

• MIDP 2.0 including WMA via JTWI
• 1+ Mpix quality camera with flash and support for MMA
• Bluetooth including the Java APIs for Bluetooth (throw in WiFi, too, and I'd really appreciate it)
• Small and light (the Nokia 7210 and 7250 seem to have done well, so why not a next gen cellcam of roughly the same size and weight?)
• Tri- or quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE for worldwide roaming

I could come up with a longer wishlist, but I'd be happy with the one above if someone will just bring one of these devices to the market. Are my requests unreasonable? I don't think so. Several manufacturers are bringing out cell phones in 2004 that meet my J2ME requests, and multi-band GSM handsets are already widely available in most of the top cell phone makers' product lines. Kyocera has plans for a 1.2 Mpix cellcam with built in flash in the US in 2004, and NTT DoCoMo has already launched a 2.02 Mpix camera in Japan.

All that is missing is a device that integrates all of these capabilities together. The closest thing I've found so far is the Nokia 6230 (due Q1 2004). The 6230 will meet most of my requests save for Mpix image quality (no improvement over the 3650's 0.3Mpix and no flash, unfortunately) and WiFi support. Why not up the camera resolution, add a cheap flash and WiFi, and really take on Canon (and Kyocera, and PalmOne, and...)?

And while we're at it, why not enable not just still photo capture but also video capture via MMA? That could really shake up the applications of these gadgets. Heck, it's the holidays, maybe if I dream big Santa will take care of it, right? My fingers are crossed...

Serendipity brought me a new airline avoidance technique recently: JavaOne Online webinars.

The JavaOne Online team has asked me to put together a webinar on J2ME development. I'll be delivering "Developing Wireless Applications using MIDP 2.0, WMA, and MMA" on December 9th. Enrollment is open to all, but attendance is limited. To read the abstract and sign up for the webinar, click here.

If you do attend, please bring your J2ME development questions. We'll answer as many as we can in the time allowed.