J2ME finds its niche
Sun’s new MID profile gains support in the hot mobile phone arena
September 26, 2000 — Sun Microsystems, hunting for a home for the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME), has found one in wireless handsets.
Sun and more than 20 partners announced last week the availability of the MID (Mobile Internet Device) profile, through which they hope to establish an early presence in the wireless data market. Cahners In-Stat Group predicts the number of MID subscribers will grow to more than 1.3 billion in 2004, with sales of more than 1.5 billion wireless handsets, PDAs (personal digital assistants), and Internet appliances.
Sun and its partners claim that MID, built on top of J2ME, makes possible dynamic, interactive services on mobile devices. The devices themselves will be built by companies such as Motorola, Nokia, and Siemens; device makers say they will be available by year’s end.
“Manufacturers will have the same MID, but what they build on top of it will differentiate their offerings,” said Eric Chu, group marketing manager at Sun’s software systems group.
Although both MID on J2EE and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) are designed to bring data services to wireless devices, they are intended to be complementary, as WAP is a transport mechanism and J2ME is an execution piece.
Chu went on to say that the devices will be used for dynamically generated, personalized tasks. For instance, the devices will be able to request stock quotes that can display graphs and give purchase and sell alerts at specified price points, or offer traffic reports that offer alternate routes in the event of congestion.
But wireless handsets need to evolve further before they will be capable of such tasks, said David Jackson, senior analyst at Cahners In-Stat. “Java’s requirements exceed what today’s handsets deliver,” he said.
Analysts said there are several advantages to using Java in wireless devices. Java overcomes low bandwidth hurdles, can provide end-to-end security, alleviates memory constraints, and is scalable.
“End users feel like the whole app is there, but it is just one piece [of the application] at a time, so memory is not an issue. The device knows what piece is needed next and calls it up as it needs it,” said Gerald Wluka, vice president of business development at AppStream.
AppStream this week will reveal a collaboration with the South Korean firm LG TeleCom deliver dynamic Java technology-based applications on LG’s next generation of Ez-i handsets.
Another company building J2ME applications for wireless devices is Bonita Software, which is beta testing products that convert Java applications on the back end for J2ME, according to Graham Poor, Bonita’s CTO.
Cahners In-Stat’s Jackson said that Sun and its partners will not be alone in chasing this market space. Some vendors, he said, are looking at using Macromedia’s Flash and other programs in wireless handsets, though he declined to name them.
“There are a number of folks that will come out with totally new platforms,” he said.
Cathleen Moore contributed to this report.
