New Nokia Phones - with Java 202
scrm writes: "Nokia just released a slew of new phones at CEBIT. Among them are two phones - a full-color phone and a cheap n' cheerful model - both of whose software can be upgraded with Java applications." And Haggis writes "Nokia are to use the Opera browser in the latest incarnation of their everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink mobile phone, the 9210i. Oh, and it will run Java applets too."
multiplayer on PDA (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:5, Informative)
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:5, Informative)
Of course, the playability is very low. What we need for this to be really worth the bother is games that are designed for the small display and limited input ability of PDAs.
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:2)
I can't wait to sit on the bus, practicing my circle-strafing with the 2,4,6 and 8 keys! (Or binding my # key to text-message "i OwN j0o!!" to my whole addressbook)
It's been done (Score:1)
Check out MDoom [jshape.com].
Keep in mind it's not a full doom replacement. But it's a start.
You can play Doom on a Nokia 9210 smartphone (Score:1)
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:1)
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:1)
Right now I'm working on a project to do just that for my networks class [yorku.ca]. Thus far I've only been working on asynchronous stuff like tic-tac-toe and chess, but what you describe is certainly feasible within a couple of years.
The main limitations as I see it right now are:
Little or no floating point support
No real gaming/multimedia API's (although I understand this will change soon)
The only protocol which has to be implemented on a device is HTTP.
Poor control over the high-level UI
Sharing data is a pain, if it works at all. (I haven't been able to make it, but that's just my experience so far)
Basically programmers should be familiar with J2ME before they go planning any big projects. In the end my belief is that J2ME will be a success if not just for the device-independant aspect of it.
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:1)
If you want games, buy yourself a GBA or something simular. A phone is made to telephone, a PDA for keeping notes, addresses and a schedule...
If makers of cellular phones intruduce a new phone by saying "Even with more games" or a new technology (like J2ME getting used by Nokia) "Great new games",... Please, fire the development team and search some peaple who want to improve the qualities that matter...
Just my $.02
Re:multiplayer on PDA (Score:2)
You may want to take a look at G-Cluster [g-cluster.com]. I saw one demo of this stuff in local game program. Basically, it's a wireless game system that is based on streaming video - all game sessions are kept on the server.
They played Quake and TuxRacer in the demo. Pretty cool.
Tech Specs (Score:3, Interesting)
These are the things that are important to a geek. Not "snap on colours" and "colourful wallpapers". Gah. Fancy pandering to the mass market *again*.
Re:Tech Specs (Score:3, Insightful)
What we have here is a case of feature creep. I want a wireless phone to be little more than that -- wireless, and a phone. If it has a place to plug in to pass data, that is a useful bonus, likewise a place to plug in to pass analog audio (i.e. a headset). Anything more than that is garbage cluttering up the functionality of a device that one needs to be able to operate while driving, and therefore without looking at the display.... in which case, who cares if the display is in colour or not?
I am disturbed by the recent trends to add menus to everything. There are cases (mobile phones, car radios, and, yes, digital cameras) where the functionality needs to be at your fingertips without fumbling through five layers of menus. I'm getting tired of it. I have to go through a menu to get to my $quot;speed" dial on my existing phone, and I assure you, it takes the "speed" out of it. Why do I want to put more crap into my phone?!?
Not so, at least for me (Score:2)
My phone has some very basic PDA features as well - a simple appointment reminder. They work very well. I see no reason why more elaborate features wouldn't be even more useful.
Finally, tetris is *always* useful :)
Re:Tech Specs (Score:1)
But those are the things that make you part of the "in" crowd!
...Oh, yeah. Sorry. You're right. Not much use to us geeks (unless they bring out a Penguin cover).
Re:Tech Specs (Score:1)
Then again, I thought the Nokia MediaTerminal just ran Linux.
Already there ... (Score:5, Informative)
It makes (at least) 6 months since SIM cards with java have been shipped to customer (in Europe).
So, it is already there in many phones and peoples already made some applets for them
Re: "Java Viruses" Already there ... (Score:1)
Re: "Java Viruses" Already there ... (Score:2)
But also 'traditionnal' P2P applications (like sharing
and hopefully, there's an option (at least on my phone) which makes that any action on/with the SIM card has to be acknowledged manually.
Vaporware Phones (Score:3, Insightful)
Not only are these phones going to probably have the wait you mention, they are probably not going to hit US shores for a long long time (if ever).
IMHO, Samsung and Sanyo actually release phones that are cool without too much hype. Nokia has become a "designer brand" that people in the US pay for just to have, even if the technology is outdated by the time they get to the US.
Re:Vaporware Phones (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:SIM cards in US? (Score:2)
1. GSM -> GSM specifications -> SIM cards + Mobile phone (or pcmcia card or whatever) in order to have a mobile terminal
2. If you've got a GSM phone (I think
3. For the USA, well, you'll have to find a GSM network, prior to do that
User-written software (Score:4, Interesting)
I for one cannot wait for an application that makes Nokia phones auto-lock the keypad after a certain period of inactivity.
Re:User-written software (Score:1)
Oh, the times I've pulled my phone out of my pocket, and it's been about to dial some strange telephone number in some far off place.
Re:User-written software (Score:1)
Ditto. I have been longing for that feature ever since the first time the battery was discharged while try to call various people at random. This feature should be impossible to patent, right?
Re:User-written software (Score:1)
Like the ac said, if you have a Nokia, you can lock the keypad with the menu * combination. You don't have to unlock it to take a call, just to make one. I always hit Menu/* ater making a call, it's second nature now,a nd it only takes a second :)
Xmas list (Score:1)
Okay, so i might be waiting a while, but this baby is worth the wait.
Something decent to replace my crusty ancient 5110. *ashamed of owning it still*
D.
no gprs (Score:1)
Hmm, I guess you don't care about GPRS then.
Granted, gprs service isn't that common yet, but for this kind of phone, you'd think it was one of the most important features.
Imagine a ... (Score:1, Funny)
err... sorry. Someone had to do it.
Also, did you know? It runs Linux
Time to increase my karma...
Re:Imagine a ... (Score:1)
Japan still has us beat... (Score:3, Interesting)
The phones out in Japan have large color screens, and the latest generation have cameras built in to them so you can take a picture and email it to someone! I believe you can also take stills and transmit them to the person on the other end of the call (something like once every 7 seconds). Also, take the train.. everyone is sitting there doing email (in Kanji none-the-less!). Still have yet to see that here as widespread as it is there.
And I thought I was so cool when I bought my new phone a few months ago..
Re:Japan still has us beat... (Score:1)
You're not totally right... (Score:1)
and the Ericsson P800 [symbian.com] is the same thing too, but will be available in the 3rd quarter of 2002, but on all of the 5 continents!
So, we're not so behind the Japan... for now.
Re:Japan still has us beat... (Score:2)
The 'videophone' of CNN/FNC/et al lore is a 7E Communications Talking Head [7e.com]. It's a $8.00/minute Inmarsat [inmarsat.com] hooker-upper.
why the screwy keypad? (Score:2, Insightful)
Like ease of use, or form follows function? Looks like a nice phone, but that keypad layout blows. I can't imagine dialing that thing without having to look at the phone while you dial. Annoying.
Re:why the screwy keypad? (Score:1)
I think the keypad isn't that radical. It's at best Nokia-radical, which isn't much. It's much more traditional than the monster 5510 (which, I believe, will suffer an unnoticed death).
I must disagree with you; the form does follow function in this case, too. The keys seem to be in the exact same order as in previous models. They just look a bit different, that's all. The number grid IS the form in phone keypads, and it's still there. And I can't imagine dialing a phone without looking at the keypad either. In fact, I think, most people usually look at the keys so they know what to type next. It's how we use (mobile) phones, usually.
What comes to the ease of use.. Well, neither of us can say at this point. However I do know that Nokia tests it's models before releasing them, so they should be pretty usable.
Re:why the screwy keypad? (Score:1)
Applets? (Score:5, Informative)
The Nokia 7210 and 3410 will both most likely be using Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) which is a subset of Java that runs on low power devices. They'll be able to run "midlets" which are like applets in the sense that they run in a sandbox, but don't derive from the Applet class and are made to run in low memory and be connected via wireless connections. It'll be good for small connected apps like stock quotes, email, and games. But with no support for multimedia now (sound) don't expect these games to be anything amazing.
The Nokia 9210i runs on Symbian which is a full-fledged 32 bit OS derived from the EPOC platform. The Java integration in Symbian is based on Personal Java, but the Symbian guys have integrated Java deeply in the OS, which means you can access all the same APIs and functionality as you can with C++ programming. These will run pretty much full-fledged Java apps (based on a modified JDK 1.1 spec) and can't be compared to applets at all.
-Russ
Re:Applets? (Score:2, Insightful)
> don't expect these games to be anything amazing.
They're not tooooooo bad. There are a few to try at midlet.org [midlet.org]
Re:Applets? (Score:5, Informative)
http://midlet.org/jsp/category.jsp?parentLevel=
2nd from the bottom
Re:Applets? (Score:2)
Perhaps you don't understand the nature of Java. The whole idea is that you don't have to port an application at all. I have a Psion 5mx (which runs EPOC-the predicessor OS to Symbian) and it has plenty of Java programs packaged to make them easially installable on the handheld. I personally don't need VNC, but I do use the MindTerm SSH 1/2 java app.
Java runs nicely, as do all the programs (I'd say the OS is the most stable & most friendly OS I've used) not to mention all the full features applications start up instantly with only a 36MHz processor. It's a great OS, and I'm glad to know it's going to take over a large number of portable devices. I'm not too happy about the color screen (drains batteries and can't be seen in sunlight).
Re:Applets? (Score:2)
As far as DEVELOPING Java apps on the Psion, you can't. It's a JRE, not a JDK, but it is a very complete JRE at that. I have yet to find one java app that does not work on my Psion. You can download a Symbian/EPOC Emulator that will run under Windows.
And one wonderful feature you have not mentioned, is the spacious buiilt-in keyboard. I hear lots of people say they can get keyboards for their handhelds, but it doesn't compare with pulling it out of your pocket and instantly typing away at full speed. etc. etc.
Re:Applets? (Score:2)
JDK1.1? ACK!
I thought I'd never have to deal with that again. With the amount of improvments to Java in the 1.2 release (speed and memory usage, especially), you'd imagine no one would ever look back.
Re:Applets? (Score:2)
Writing a building monitoring program, that can run in a browser. And has to fit in a 24 kbyte profile. And runs on Java 1.1
But - I'm almost there. 19.6 kbytes when the program is jarred, and I only have to add two more functions to it.
Good timing (Score:1)
Phones? Bah. (Score:4, Insightful)
Why? Well, most phones I've ever tried have been poor. Poor build quality, particularly in regard to securing the battery connection. Average to poor interfaces (how long before someone finally adds 'Reply and erase' to their SMS options?). Poor damage resistance. Ill-thought out, unprotected keypads that are pressed by anything leaning against them whilst in your pocket, the synchronisation software that comes with them tends to be poor...
OK, so the 'lock keypad' function is used to get round one of those moans. But that's extra hassle - one more step for me to take to compensate for their poor designs.
I'm on my fourth, and best, mobile at the moment. It's one step back (possibly even two steps now) from Nokia's latest stuff - the 8850 [nokia.com]. Solves my annoyance with the keypad, but still the screen is too easily scratched, still the SMS side of things remains ill-thought out, and the PC Suite [nokia.com] for it is hopelessly out of date and utterly useless.
Whilst Java phones sound nice (I'm a primarily Java-based developer by trade), I'd sacrifice the entire lot for an industrial design that works as a basic phone without falling apart.
Cheers,
Ian
"Nokia 6250: Built tough" (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.nokia.com/phones/6250/index.html
Enjoy
Re:"Nokia 6250: Built tough" (Score:3, Interesting)
Looks like it fits my durability bill. Keyboard moan still stands, and having owned a 6210 [nokia.com] I imagine that the SMS and synchronisation moans remain too.
Looks heavy too. And ugly. Ah well - trade offs, trade offs...
Cheers,
Ian
Re:Phones? Bah. (Score:3, Informative)
I don't know which phones you've used, but I've found Nokia's industrial design to be absolutely top-notch. I've dropped one of their ubiquitous 5100 series [nokiausa.com] from great heights, and the thing bounces back like a tennis ball ready for more torture. They're built like tanks--I've opened them up and marveled at the strength of the guts inside.
particularly in regard to securing the battery connection.
Tape it if it's broken. How often do you swap batteries? Lithium ion batteries last for hours and I used to carry around a charger in my pack and charge it where I found it convenient.
OK, so the 'lock keypad' function is used to get round one of those moans.
Which would you rather have? A flip-phone? Ever seen the ear part of the flip after it's been caught in a car door and bent 45-degrees backward? Phone engineers have to deal with the rigors of the environments in which their phones will be used. I'd much rather have to key in Menu Button, * than deal with a flimsy piece of plastic that could just easily break off.
I've never used PC Suite, but I assume anything that comes on 3.5" disks fits your description, and nor would it surprise me. My solution: Don't use it. Gnokii [gnokii.org] is an incredibly done application and served me quite well for the few months I had my 5190.
I'd sacrifice the entire lot for an industrial design that works as a basic phone without falling apart.
I think it's a tad premature to discount next-generation technology phones based on inexperiences with the myopic designs of the first generation series phones. Nokia, et. al. designed the 5190 and the 8850 to be talked on first, SMS'd with second. I would hope Nokia has overcome these interface issues with their more advanced phones as they come out.
It's totally moot to me--I won't see any of these phones for a long, long time as Nokia barely caters to the US market outside of AT&T Wireless's desires--a company I'd rather not deal with again.
Re:Phones? Bah. (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't know which phones you've used,
Ericsson Tsomething-or-other, Ericisson T29, Nokia 3210, Nokia 6210, Motorola something-or-other, Nokia 8850.
Of those, the Ericssons were the worst for battery connections, with the Nokia 6210 coming a very close second. The Motorola was the most durable by far.
Tape it if it's broken.
Why should it break? It's just sitting there. Surely there should be some structural strength attached to the connection? Maybe a snap-in plug-based connector or something?
Why? The software I got to replace it, Phone Manager [oxygensoftware.com] could also have fitted onto a floppy disk. Their suite comes on CD rom, though I forget how big the actual download size is.
I think it's a tad premature to discount next-generation technology phones based on inexperiences with the myopic designs of the first generation series phones.
Here is where I sort of agree with you. In my opinion though, we're a long way from the first generation phones - they appeared in the eighties. We're even a fair distance away from first generation GSM. However, if you don't give their new stuff a look over then you'll never know if they've ever improved.
Cheers,
Ian
That's why I still have a Star-Tac! (Score:2)
Forget all this Java/web stuff. What I really want is a pocketable phone that's waterproof!
Re:Phones? Bah. (Score:2)
What I'd like is a single, atomic operation - "Reply to and Erase SMS". So...someone sends me an SMS that I want to reply to but don't want to store. I reply, and the original message is immediately erased and my screen clears back to the default screen for that phone.
Cheers,
Ian
only available for Europe and Africa (Score:1)
I Guess Java Is Good For Something (Score:1, Offtopic)
About time... (Score:1)
I remember, in Fall '97, at the South-Eastern US ACM Programming competition (which IBM sponsored), their speaker / representative went on about how wonderful Java was, and that it would be in our wristwatches. Some laughed... some said, "Yeah, right," but others, like myself were thinking, "Well hurry up already!"
Neato! (Score:1)
Yes! they break all the "rules". Aren't you fed up with the boring and predictable keypad layout of ordinary flat beds... eh, cell phones? Well you're in luck because Nokia has reinvented the keypad for this phone! I hear that not to be outdone Apple has leaked word of the Uniphone which has only one button - press it once for 1, twice for 2, etc. [The really exciting piece is where you press it no times for 0.]
Actually there are some useful features on this phone but the marketing geeks seem enthralled with the wallpaper, "press-on" covers, polyphonic tones played through a "real speaker", and a built-in FM radio. Gee - all it needs is a "fashion suppository cover"** to be really useful.
** - For those who don't appreciate the fashion hipness of their fellow cell phone users!
And what about Sony Ericsson? (Score:1)
Oh well, here's one link: you want one [symbian.com]
Nice (Score:2)
According to the site, the phones will be running J2ME (Micro Edition), and personal applications can be downloaded.
The best part is that they've reserved 150kb memory on the phones for these personal applications. Should definitely be fun to try.
I only wonder how decent the garbage collector is
Nokia finally goes tri-band! Yes!!! (Score:1)
It's about time.
Now we Europeans can finally show off our cool phones in the US too...
(Yes, I know, the 8890 worked both in Europe and the US too, but my cellphone company operates on 1800MHz...)
Yea, but you won't see it in the US for YEARS (Score:1)
I think cell phones have computer beat for disposable.
Viva Africa! (Score:2)
I for one, think it's heartening. In 100 years, the so-called "dark continent" could be a major center for tech, if they can get some decent leadership in place and stop all the civil wars.
Re:Viva Africa! (Score:1)
The irony is not that they get the Europhones before the States, but that after getting out of the colony business, Europe still has technical and mercantile hegemony over their erstwhile dependancies.
Yeuk (Score:1)
Its either that or they were high on something when they came up with those designs. They look horrific!
I've got a Ericsson T68 here and its so badly thought out (horrible menu system, slow, unintuiative) that it makes me realise why I like Nokia's so much. Oh and the joystick feels wonky and you can accidently select when you want to go up.
All the crapness of Ericsson with none of the hardware quality of Sony. Good partnership there SonyEricsson!
Java Games - Pay per Play (Score:1)
This is one big way the phone companies will get people to pay for content - they've been worried about how the Japanese IMode model of paying for pics etc would stack up in the west. But with pay-per-gameplay, they have every chance of making big bucks.
My Nextel i90 does java too (Score:2)
http://www.nextel.com/kjavaapps/javaapps_index.
Not a bad little phone, needs a bit longer standy time though
New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
Now I know how folks that had a clost full of Laserdisc movies felt [zdnet.com] when DVD finally came out.
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:1, Interesting)
Heck, even in Africa one feels less 3rd world when it comes to cellphones. Come to the USA: no coverage, stupid contracts, extremely expensive (and idiotically short-termed) prepaid cards... bleah.
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
Oh, so you mean they'll work anywhere in the entire world, except one country? I guess they ain't no use to anyone then. Darn it.
Surely your headline should have read "New phones work perfectly in Europe/Asia/Africa/Australasia/South America"?
Anyway, PCS is just a frequency variant of GSM, so to say that there are few GSM networks in the US is not really accurate.
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
Sorry, I'm an American living in the US and I tend not to get excited about things until they're available in my own backyard. These phones are great, and I'm very excited about them, but I can't have one yet, and I don't plan to move to Asia/Europe just to have one.
Anyway, PCS is just a frequency variant of GSM, so to say that there are few GSM networks in the US is not really accurate.
Huh? So you're saying that I can just take my PCS phone to a GSM-only country, sign up for service w/a carrier and expect it to work? This is simply not true. In my original post, I provided a map of GSM coverage [gsmworld.com] in the US by all carriers, check it out. Coverage is very sparse.
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
No of course not, because the frequency is different, as I said. GSM is just a protocol, it can run on any frequency. The reason US/RoW are divided with phones is that the US run GSM at a different frequency, and call it PCS. Everyone elses uses 900 or 1800 MHz, you guys use 1900 MHz (IIRC).
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
The problem here is not Europe being technologically superior the United States, but the fact that their mobile systems run at GSM 900 and 1800 MHz. GSM in the united states is exclusively 1900 MHz.
That being said, Nokia et. al. could easily retool their 800/1800 MHz GSM phones to work at 1900 MHz, but that's just part of the problem. Nokia doesn't sell directly to the consumer, and support is left to the provider, whose customers have a tendency to be more idiotic than their european counterparts.
Providers here have a hard enough time trying to teach Sally Chatterbox and Joe AOL how to use their digital phones, and here you have the other reason why you're not likely to see these kinds of mass-marketed advanced phones here.
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
Partly correct. GSM in North America is indeed at 1900 MHz but elsewhere in the world it's 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. Your average "dual band" GSM phones work on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, except for Nokia's 8890 which works at 900 and 1900 MHz. Tribands work on all three. I think there's another band used for GSM too in North America - 800 MHz (possibly 850 MHz) but I'm not 100% sure about that one.
Re:New phones predominantly work in Europe/Asia (Score:2)
800mhz is the old analog cell band in the US. I used to have a digital phone that worked on that band in the US, the provder had equipment that could sense I was on a digital phone, and send digital data to me, while someone else could use a analog phone with the same equipment on their end.
AFAIK no 800 mhz provider uses GSM for their digital system, but there is no technical reason they cannot. I'm not sure that the equipment to do it has ever been made though.
GSM isn't common in the US, but I've never been in a major US city where I couldn't use my GSM phone. I have been in parts of the country where there was NO phone service. (no physical wires, and no cell towers in any format) Keep that in mind when comparing coverage, there is a lot of area in the US where there is no phone service, so picking on the lack of GSM there disorts the picture.
Nokia phone with Java? (Score:1, Funny)
Kitchen sink? (Score:1, Funny)
Not that vi wouldn't be enough but...
RIM already does it (Score:2)
I'm not going to buy any more Nokia phones (Score:1)
The 3330 still works but occasionally it just shuts itself down without a reason. And one time it did it when it was attached to a battery charger.
So, no new Nokia phones for me.
J2ME rules (Score:1)
The Java api was pretty well adapted, the record store stuff is nice, but the http connections are a bit more awkward than the normal url handling in J2SE. The CLDC/MIDP spec did make one omission, lack of https transport. The motorola phones do offer it, but only for Verisign certificates. ugh.
sandbox and new ideas? (Score:2)
Seriously, I just saw someone above mention 'stock quotes' and 'email'. Do we not already have enough devices to do this? Can no one come up with any other app besides 'stock quotes'?
I want this in CDMA! (Score:3, Interesting)
The society with the greatest lust for cellphones is still stuck with old technology. So, what that means is geeks like me living in the US who desperately want to ditch their crappy Audiovox cellies for something that I can develop on (like the Nokia Java phones) have to wait because the big cellular providers/FCC/government spooks/whoever won't go GSM like the rest of the world.
Oh well--I guess that still provides me with an opportunity to ask: Are there any US-capable cell phones (not Nextel--those guys are evil) that are developer friendly? I'd love to spend time writing little phone apps, and I remember seeing an article in Game Developer magazine about the coming craze of mobile gaming. Is there a phone which will let me get in on this here?
You can develop now... Re:I want this in CDMA! (Score:2)
I have one of these goodies and like it (only have to carry one widget instead of two) but the phone/pilot integration is not as good as it should be.
Re:I want this in CDMA! (Score:2)
7210 keyboard (Score:1)
A horrable choice of style over usabiliy !
Wondering..... (Score:1)
Just watch how much MS tries to conquer the PDA world, now think again...
The developer kit is CD only (Score:1)
I'm personally very interested in the 9210 because of its JTAPI implementation. I assume that the other models lack that.
Are there any other Java developers out there who have written code for the 9210 and would like to share tips or resources?
US = Standards Hell = No phones for you (Score:2, Insightful)
USA-Centric (Score:1)
Anyone know when these will be available in the US?
Name? (Score:2)
.
Docomo + Java (Score:1)
Embedded Java (Score:1)
There are benefits to embedded java, but its not you being able to load your random applet...
This is most likely Java ME (micro edition). However, its not there so you can run various applets. Its there for Nokia. So they can add features and benefits and have a modular platform. It doesen't hurt them to be able to say "we do Java", but to the end user I hardly see the benefit.
This is the same Junk I went through last week. I attended the SAE show(society of automotive engineers). M$, Sun, IBM, were all there pusing their (non automotive related) gadjets into cars, and since its within the confines of the car, they call it automotive.
We only care about stuff like memory seat modules, alarms, airbag modules, powertrain controllers, power window/mirrors/lock modules, etc...Java I had hoped would ease our programming of these modules. We can use the same code on multiple processors without having to do a damn near complete rewrite. But when they came at me with 2MB RAM requirement, and 32bit processor, I just got sick to my stomach. They are holding all these bluetooth and other libraries in the JVM that we don't even use.
So they did not make me happy. the KVM which is about 50K is more like it. But theres not much you can hype up with a 50K JVM
Questions: what can I get, now? (Score:1)
Do any US Java phones let me send my own custom packets? Meaning, could I write a wireless tic-tac-toe game once I learn midlet programming?
Re:Questions: what can I get, now? (Score:3, Informative)
Motorola i85s, i55sr, i90c, i50sx, i80s.
Yes, but They make you jump through hoops [motorola.com] first.
Re:Questions: what can I get, now? (Score:2)
The hoops are for writing network-aware MIDlets. If your MIDlet is standalone, you can develop it and offer it to others without much trouble.
Unfortunately, MIDlets that use the networking API are more restricted at the moment. North American carriers only seem to allow non-developers to install network-aware MIDlets from the carriers' sites. In the case of Nextel, they require developers to go through expensive certification before they'll make your MIDlets available to general users.
The good news is that the rest of the world is more free. You can develop network-aware MIDlets and offer them to users of the Motorola Accompli 008 and Siemens SL45i. No hoops to jump through, just some uncertainty since these devices aren't available in North America so you can't really test on them (although there's a simulator for the SL45i).
Scandinavian World Domination (Score:4, Funny)
fnord ... f+nordic. Think about it.
Obligatory Scenario for World Domination (Score:2)
"I want one-trillion dollars. One-trillion!" commands Galvar. "No more, no less. We will rule the world!"
mlife (Score:2)
Re:mlife (Score:2)
Basically, marketing got too much money and boy, did they run with it..hehe
But not for US (Score:2, Troll)
DAMN THEM TO HELL!!!
We need safety features more. (Score:4, Insightful)
These kind of features are the reason I don't own a cell phone, and make my friends turn them off around me.
Great. I can't wait to get killed because some moron is blowing down the highway and can't be bothered to look up because he's on a hot streak after getting a double-railing. "(Sarcasm) Where can I sign up?"
Really. I would like to take my E-mail with me. Good idea. Sell me that. Make it small so people can't read it while driving.
It bothers the heck out of me when I see someone having a long, loud, boring conversation in the open air about his personal business all around me. Slowing down the grocery line, yammering about god knows what, making it impossible to reach for their wallet or purse, screeching away at the top of their lungs and ignoring everyone around them. Nowadays, even friends have no sense of priority. I take the time to visit a friend, then some jacksmack calls and hijacks their time for a half-hour while I stare at the ceiling. Why? Because in this society the cell phone is more importanst than any person sitting in front of you. Cell phones are the death of gentility and manners. Every personal cell phone call is more important than anything else. Period.
I carry a pager. I don't have to answer. I still get to friends and parties. They can even let me know if it is an emergency.
I drive professionally for about half of my day. I would say that a good 95% of the people that don't let me in traffic while my on-ramp is quickly ending on me are on phones. They can't be bothered to watch for other drivers... 'they' have a conversation to attend to, which is obviously much more important than that tractor-trailer next to you.
I actually saw a woman a month ago doing seventy on a city interstate bridge ramp dictating legal documents over a cell phone while changing lanes. For the first time ever... I actually wanted to see her vault off of the ramp and disappear into the river before she caused negligent homicide.
I like Darwin just fine. But I didn't choose to yack at someone in the middle of traffic. I expect to not die for these kinds of selfish mistakes.
New York has it right. Knowing New Yorkers and the way they are to their fellow man, you had to pass a law or risk EVERYONE getting killed on the highway.
Re:We need safety features more. (Score:2)
Zappers and scramblers? Talk about rude. I'm just waiting for the first
law suit following a death due to a failed emergency call. It'll happen
in the US, btw.
(OBVIOUS SARCASM
However, you are right about the manners of the man... not the device. We just need jam zones.
Mouse gestures? (Score:2)