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To: Dexter Lives On who wrote (122552)	8/1/2002 10:19:39 AM
From: waitwatchwander	Respond to of 152472

Sun launches J2EE certification program infoworld.com By Matt Berger July 29, 2002 6:12 pm PT SAN FRANCISCO - In an attempt to prevent the Java application market from fracturing, Sun Microsystems Monday announced a Java Verification Program for testing enterprise applications to ensure their compatibility with all application server software products that comply with the J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) standard. The suite of tests and reference material allows ISVs (independent software vendors) and corporate software developers to make sure applications they design work with any J2EE application server from any vendor. A number of vendors, including IBM, BEA Systems, Oracle and Sun, have built application server software products that are based on the standard J2EE specification. However, some of those vendors have released versions of their software with special extensions to differentiate their offerings from the rest of the pack. As a result, an application designed specifically for BEA's application server won't necessarily be able to run on IBM's WebSphere Application Server. Only applications that don't target any vendor-specific extensions, but rather target just the generic J2EE specifications, will pass the Java Verification Program, the company said. "The ISV that put out J2EE applications can put out (a product) that people know will work on all the implementations of J2EE," said David Harrah, a Java marketing manager at Sun, in Santa Clara, California. "You want to ensure that those applications are portable across all these different application servers." Sun and others have expressed concerns in the past that extensions being added to vendor offerings that don't adhere to the J2EE specification could create a confusing market for customers. "What we don't want is somebody going out with an application that they say is J2EE-based, and 'Boom!' -- it doesn't run with the rest of the platform," Harrah said. The Java Verification Program, which will include a test kit called the Java Application Verification Kit for the Enterprise, is intended to prevent any confusion in the marketplace, Harrah said. Applications that adhere to the program can carry a "Java Verified" brand and logo. Enterprise developers who build applications that pass the verification tests will be able to participate in Sun-sponsored co-marketing opportunities, the company said. Sun said it expects to release a similar test suite for applications designed to run on J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition) platforms, a Java implementation designed for small computing devices such as cell phones. It has yet to set a date for that release, Harrah said. [ Isn't certification a competitive advantage? ] Matt Berger is a San Francisco-based correspondent for the IDG News Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.

To: Dexter Lives On who wrote (122552)	8/1/2002 10:26:29 AM
From: waitwatchwander	Respond to of 152472

Asian Handset Makers Will Be Mobile Games' Big Winners, Says New Datacomm Research Report 199.97.97.16 Copyright ©2002 PR Newswire Association Inc. All Rights Reserved. A United Business Media company. Distributed by FluentMedia, a service of Tribune Media Services. Copyright ©2002 by Tribune Media Services. CHESTERFIELD, Mo., July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile games are the wireless Internet's killer application and 3G handsets with color displays are its killer devices. That is one of the conclusions of the new 150-page report Winning Business Strategies for Mobile Games, released today by Datacomm Research Company and Phoenician Ventures. "Consumers' unquenchable thirst for entertainment will take wireless to the next level of market growth," said Leslie Mitts, partner with Phoenician Ventures and primary author of the report. "A new generation of color handsets empowered by partnerships between game developers, media companies, aggregators, and operators is redefining the wireless value chain," she concluded. "Colorful mobile games, polyphonic ring tones, and applications/content for over-the-air download will spread like wildfire as 2.5 and 3G services roll out," said Ira Brodsky, President of Datacomm Research. "Leading consumer brands will pounce on mobile entertainment as a new advertising medium. This report assists vendors in navigating the essential partnerships and markets," he concluded. Winning Business Strategies for Mobile Games includes an Executive Summary identifying the key challenges and strategies for the mobile games industry. The New Market section discusses the types of mobile games and related content, as well as regional and demographic market segments. The Competitive Strategies section analyzes each link in the new value chain, the race between J2ME and BREW, and opportunities for content owners such as movie studios. The Vendor Profiles section identifies and critiques more than 80 vendors. Phoenician Ventures is a venture capital fund investing in early-stage information technology companies. Learn more by visiting the firm's Web site at www.phoenicianventures.com . Datacomm Research Company is a leader in tracking, analyzing, and forecasting emerging high tech markets. Other Datacomm reports include Public Wireless LANs, Third Generation Wireless, and Voice of the Internet. Winning Business Strategies for Mobile Games is one of Datacomm Research's family of CompetitiveEdge(TM) reports, and is available for immediate delivery for $1,495.00 (electronic version). The price includes one hour of follow-on consultation. Orders may be faxed to (314) 514-9793, phoned to (314) 514- 9750, or mailed to Datacomm Research Company, 14318 Millbriar Circle, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017. The report may also be ordered online at the firm's (secure) Web site, www.datacommresearch.com . Visa, MasterCard, and American Express accepted. Additional conclusions found in Winning Business Strategies for Mobile Games: 1. Though designed for devices with small displays and limited controls, mobile games have advantages over PC and video games. Mobile games can be persistent (played in short bursts over long periods), massively multiplayer, and can exploit information about players' locations and proximity to each other. 2. Mobile operators must be involved in the development and promotion of mobile games. Content aggregators will assist them in selecting and licensing the best mobile games and related content. Billing clearinghouses will help ensure mobile games are affordable and available. 3. Mobile games, ring tones, and screen savers are powerful tools for promoting consumer brands. They enable advertisements that are mobile, two-way, and contain built-in user endorsements. They enable customers and fans to create communities around favorite brands. 4. There is no clear winner yet in the competition between J2ME and BREW. Both permit downloading games over-the-air. While J2ME offers a more open environment, BREW is more secure and enjoys a modest time-to-market lead. 5. There are opportunities for game-centric mobile devices. The success of GameBoy and the first mobile phone games suggest there is large market for handheld games that are "always on" and can be played out on the street. For more information on PR Newswire, visit ttp://www.prnewswire.com

To: Dexter Lives On who wrote (122552)	8/13/2002 6:51:58 PM
From: waitwatchwander	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

Metrowerks' Lab Provides Customers a Way to Test Mobile Applications And Devices on a Live Wireless Network Before Going to Market stockhouse.com AUSTIN, Texas, Aug 12, 2002 /PRNewsire-FirstCall via Comtex/ -- A worldwide leader in development tools and services is helping its customers create market-leading, innovative wireless technologies by offering them access to U.S. lab facilities for testing mobile applications and devices on a live wireless network. Metrowerks' newest Wireless Development Center opened this week at the company's Austin, Texas headquarters. The Wireless Development Center provides developers an opportunity to "test drive" their applications on a live wireless network, and on a variety of different devices, before offering them to carriers or OEMs, or deploying to customers. This facility enables developers to improve performance, eliminate bugs, and address other issues before taking their products public. The Austin Wireless Development Center includes full GPRS (2.5G), GSM, and CDMA networks with connectivity to the Internet and back office servers. Customers using the lab facilities have access to the latest wireless technologies available for development and testing, including application servers, routers, firewalls, decoding technology, and a wide range of mobile devices. In addition, customers using the labs can take advantage of on-site technical support from Metrowerks developer support personnel. The Austin facility is Metrowerks' third Wireless Development Center. The company also has wireless labs in Basingstoke, England, and Stockholm, Sweden. Metrowerks was the first development tools company to provide a live mobile network for wireless applications testing. Abstract Worlds ( abstractworlds.com ), an independent software vendor based in the UK, used Metrowerks' Wireless Development Center in Basingstoke to test StrangeMaze, a 3D maze racing game for Java mobile phones. According to Paul Ireland, founder of Abstract Worlds, "Being able to test our application using the same types of phones we're targeting, over an actual live network, was incredibly beneficial for us. We were able to get an extremely accurate sense of our application's performance and address several issues that we probably would have missed had we relied on alternative testing methods. In the end, we were able to deliver a better product." Application developers are not the only group who can take advantage of the labs. Device manufactures can use the labs to test prototypes before sending their devices to carriers, while middleware developers can use the labs to test client/server applications. There are several methods application developers use to test their applications, but most involve the use of simulators. However, simulators lack the real-world feel of an actual live network, and developers are often surprised to learn how differently their applications behave on a live network compared to a simulated one. While standard, public networks can also be used for application testing, this approach can become expensive. Since over-the-air (OTA) activity on public networks is metered, developers must pay on a per byte basis. Development and testing often involve repetition of the same basic tasks, such as logging in or downloading a task list, and the small incremental charges associated with this OTA activity soon accumulate. In addition, developers must purchase their own phones for testing and, in some cases, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, before even using the public network. Customers using Metrowerks' Wireless Development Centers, however, simply pay a fee and have access to the entire network and the devices of their choice, as well as expert guidance from on-site specialists in application development. "Metrowerks is known for providing world class development tools, but we also recognize that the testing phase of development is both complicated and crucial, especially in the wireless market," said Jim Welch, president and CEO, Metrowerks. "We've seen a high demand for these services at our European labs, and we wanted to provide the same offerings to developers here in the U.S. Making these lab facilities available highlights our commitment to helping our customers through the entire wireless application development cycle." The Wireless Development Centers complement Metrowerks' broad portfolio of CodeWarrior(TM) wireless development tools, which support Java(TM) technology, Palm OS(TM), Sharp Zaurus, embedded Linux, DragonBall(TM), ARM(R) and Symbian OS(TM) platforms. The centers are also a key component of Metrowerks' Managed Developer Program, which includes a web-based platform to support a client's developer community, as well as application certification, technical support, training, marketing, SDKs, market-leading wireless development tools, and more. For more information, or to sign up to use one of Metrowerks' Wireless Development Centers, developers may call (800) 377-5416 in the U.S. and Canada, or +1-512-997-4700 from outside the U.S. Or they may send email to sales@metrowerks.com . About Metrowerks Metrowerks creates CodeWarrior software and hardware products and services for developers, with a particular focus on the following industries: consumer electronics; transportation; wireless; and networking and communications. The CodeWarrior product line includes hardware and software development tools and middleware that enable customers to decrease their time to market. The company also offers services, including training and custom software development. Founded in 1985, Metrowerks is today an independently operating subsidiary of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT). Metrowerks corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas; Metrowerks Europe is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland; and Metrowerks Japan is headquartered in Tokyo. More information is available at metrowerks.com . About Motorola Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 2001 were $30 billion. motorola.com MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks of Motorola, Inc. registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. Metrowerks and CodeWarrior are trademarks of Metrowerks Corp in the US and other countries. Java and all other Java-based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other tradenames and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Motorola, Inc. Photo : NewsCom: newscom.com Jeff Tieszen of Metrowerks, +1-512-997-4717, jtieszen@metrowerks.com ; or Cristina Salinas of PetersGroup Public Relations, +1-512-794-8600, cristina@petersgrouppr.com prnewswire.com Copyright (C) 2002 PR Newswire. All rights reserved.

To: Dexter Lives On who wrote (122552)	9/3/2002 11:26:33 AM
From: waitwatchwander	Respond to of 152472

Java falling short of mobile promise zdnet.com.com By Matt Loney ZDNet (UK) September 3, 2002, 7:32 AM PT Java on mobile platforms is not living up to the promise of letting programmers "write once, run anywhere", according to developers gathered in London last week. The Java programming language was built on the premise that a program written in it can run on any platform that has a Java Virtual Machine. This works to varying degrees on PCs and servers. But as more and more phones reach the market with Java virtual machines built in, it is becoming apparent that the cross-platform benefits of Java simply do not apply here in the same way, said the developers. At stake is the promise of mass-market economics for Java software on mobile phones and PDAs. Without standards, which would help assure that Java written for one phone would work on another, the promised economic benefits may never materialize. Jon Newth, founder of Kuju entertainment, which is now a part of games giant Eidos, said it is the consensus among games developers that Java will be "the next big thing" in mobile phones. "But it clearly has not reached the stage of write once, run anywhere," said Newth. Part of the problem, he added, is that Sun, which created Java and controls the language through the Java Community Process, is not in a position to enforce hardware standards with handset makers. Brian Rodway, managing director of Affinity Studios, which counts among its clients Nokia and Crawfish Interactive, agrees. "If you go to Sun's Web site there are 56 devices that are J2ME compliant," said Rodway, referring to the Micro Edition version of Java that was developed for mobile phones and other low-powered devices. "But there are 24 different screen resolutions. Write once run anywhere just doesn't happen." A developer who wants to write a game for every device would have to do 24 versions just for the different screen sizes, he noted. "Then there are different sound capabilities, different colour depths and so on. We will never get mass market economics without standards." Even handset manufacturers appreciate the problem. Paul Goode of Motorola, who chairs the Mobile Gaming Interoperability Forum, said the problem hitting a lot of developers is that they are used to a homogeneous platform with a common set of tools. "In the mobile industry we have managed to take that homogeneity and fragment is across servers, handsets, the networks, and the billing. And we now ask developers to write games." The industry is beginning to realize the extent of the problem. On 7 November, the major handset makers will meet to present their roadmaps to each other, said Goode, adding that they hope to get Sun in the same room to lay out the roadmap for J2ME. And later this year a number of industry groups, including the SynML Initiative, WAP Forum and MMS Consortium, are expected to merge with the Open Mobile Alliance, he added. "If we are to deliver the promise we have to ensure fast development time and deployment," Goode said. The current dissatisfaction is a story repeated across the industry, and it is likely to have a big effect on which handsets survive; only the most popular handsets are likely to get the best games. Developers estimate that porting a game to a second phone can cost 20 percent extra in development. Less popular handsets, therefore, even if they have bigger screens and better sound, may lose out to the lowest common denominator in games and applications. Mobile games developer Morpheme's co-founder and managing director, Matt Spall, said the company has to choose very carefully which platforms it develops for. "We will concentrate on smaller screens because they have more market appeal," said Spall, adding that if there were even five or six standards covering the same number of different phone formats, the situation would improve. "If we can get 80 percent of the code to work across five or six handsets that cover half a dozen standards it won't be so bad." But, he said, it is simply not possible to develop Java games for 24 different screen sizes. Chris Wright of Digital Bridges agreed. "As a publisher (of mobile games), we see a fragmented market," said Wright. "We have to choose very carefully which devices we want to hit." The cost of cost of development, he said, rises fast with the number of platforms that are supported. "We won't hit 24 devices -- if we do so then it will be with very low end titles." For some, however, standardization is not the key. Digital Bridges founder Kevin Bradshaw, who now heads up investment group Machines That Go Ping, said, "One thing about standards is that they tend to be two to three years behind the edge of innovation. It would be nice to see standards, but developers are smart, and can work around the problem." One thing going for mobile phones, said Bradshaw, is that the number of users is so high--"in the tens of millions" -- that it can be economical to develop better games for the more popular devices, so the manufacturers can use them as a differentiator. Others say that if Java does not fulfill its promise soon, there is no shortage of alternatives. Qualcomm recently unveiled the first major upgrade of its Brew technology, and phones are now appearing with Macromedia's Flash technology, which has the benefits of automatically scaling graphics and text to any size of screen. It is compact, they say, and well established--with many thousands of games already available.