Get serious, IBM and Nokia tell developers

Is that a server in your pocket, or...

By Gavin Clarke in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in Software & Security, 30th June 2005 05:09 GMT

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Nokia and IBM have teamed-up to persuade Java developers to get serious and write corporate applications and services for handsets, instead of games. The companies, appearing jointly at JavaOne 2005, said a recently completed Java API would "put the power of the server" into mobile client devices, allowing developers to quickly and easily update handsets with new services.

IBM's Craig Hayman, vice president of software group development, said the pace at which mobile applications are currently rolled out has to be speeded up, claiming it can take six to nine months to deploy to mobile devices in the field.

The companies are putting their faith in Java Specification Request (JSR) 232, which was lead by Nokia and Motorola through the Java Community Process (JCP). IBM and Nokia equated claim JSR 232 brings the "power" of Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) to mobile devices.

JSR 232 defines a framework for a set of components to remotely update Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) devices. The framework covers installation, start-up, stop, update and removal of applications, providing a consistent architecture to update handsets. Nokia believes JSR 232 will make clients as configurable as a Java server.

Pertti Korhonen, Nokia chief technology officer (CTO), said JSR 232 would "mark a major, major milestone in the evolution of the client."

"We want to put the power of the sever in your pocked. This means the ability to customize a device post manufacturer, with specified APIs and middleware services," Korhonen said.

The world's largest cell phone manufacturer promised it would release tools and SDKs using JSR 232 during the "near future" on its Forum Nokia web site.

Nokia has also beefed-up its Forum Nokia site, for developers, with resources targeting programmers building corporate applications. Forum Nokia Pro provides marketing and business resources designed to help ISVs and developers building for the company's Series 60 and Series 80 handsets.

With more Java-enabled phones than PCs now in circulation - 708 million versus 650 million, according to Sun Microsystems - Korhonen urged Java developers to target handsets, instead of PCs, when writing Java applications.

"This represents a massive installation base for you to start building your business on today. In the near future you will see the power of the server in everyone's pocket and that will provide an opportunity for each and everyone of you," Korhonen said.®