Project OMEGA Update
August 8, 2006
Project OMEGA, also know as TWUIK, appears to be one step closer to beta release in August, and it looks great. I’m eager to see how easily this can be integrated into an existing application. Mika, at Mutant’s Musings, posted recently about some more attention the folks at Tricast Media are getting for TWUIK.
So we’ve got the killer carousel navigation concept, tabbed panes, form controls, a popup framework — this is looking really good. TWUIK will be available for a licensing fee of some sort. I can’t tell what the terms might be, but I’ll reiterate my interest in this slick toolkit.
Check out all of Tricast’s Omega posts
Bluepulse Picking Up Momentum
August 7, 2006
I’ve been periodically checking in with the folks at Bluepulse, to keep tabs on latest developments, and things have really picked up in the enthusiast community recently. Luke Watson, the Marketing / Community / Developer Relations specialist at Bluepulse, e-mailed me regarding some of the new widgets, so I headed over to the control panel to check them out. They have been busy!
Some of the notable new widgets include:
- Blogger widgets
- MSN Spaces widget
- Flickr widget
- Several more webcam widgets, including Snow Cams Aus and UK Traffic Cams
- Stock Market widget
- A handy Todo list widget
- World of Warcarft widget
If you have been holding off on trying Bluepulse, now looks like a good time to dive in. It’s easy to download and easy to use. And with all of these new widgets, community ratings and comments will be even more important, so make sure you post your experiences using these widgets on www.bpwidgets.com.
Amazon-OnTheGo: Screengrabs & Introduction
August 4, 2006
Amazon-OnTheGo is the result of a vanity project I undertook to port a Bluepulse widget to a full-blown Java ME application. With it, you can experience all of the best things about Amazon.com, on your phone:
- Search for products by keyword, ISBN number, or UPC code
- Access product details, used and new prices, images, user ratings, editorial reviews
- Maintain a shopping cart, and submit it to Amazon for purchase
- Find and review friends’ wishlists
- Get suggestions on similar items to view
Say you’re at the video store trying to determine what to rent. Fire up OTG, type in the UPC code, and check out the online editorial review. Maybe you’re at the local book store, and you can’t decide between two books. Type in their ISBN numbers to view ratings and comments. While you’re at, find out what the cheapest used price is.
Learn more about it and check out a video walk-through at the OnTheGo web site: www.mywebonthego.com (yes, most on-the-go and similar domains were snapped up long ago!). Go to the “Download” section to get it on your phone in any of three ways, or open http://m.mywebonthego.com with your phone’s WAP browser to download it directly.
More screenshots:
Similar products: Scanbuy Shopper, featured on Lifehacker (coincidentally, right at the time OTG was released), except that it offers more search options
MIDP Project: Amazon-OnTheGo
August 3, 2006
Where has this post been lurking? It is incredibly past due, but better late than never.
By way of background, in May, I began a short project to convert a Bluepulse widget into a full-blown MIDP application. Read the project details here. The goals were to exercise the J2ME Polish 1.3 beta, get an application through the Verified process, and port Amazon-OnTheGo.
The project was mostly successful:
- I learned a lot about the 1.3 beta release of Polish, and posted a few experiences I had with some of the new features. Splash Screen | Screen Info | Framed Form
- I ported the Bluepulse widget to Java ME, and built out support for a reasonable number of devices.
- I signed the application for a good number of models, and wrote about application signing and Java Verified signing. Java Verified | MIDP Signing 2
- I built a web site and simple provisioning system around the application.
But I’m still in the midst of the Java Verified process, which takes longer than I anticipated. I’ll continue to post updates if I run across any discoveries during the remainder of this process.
And during this project, J2ME Polish went and released a new beta preview: J2ME Polish 2.0! Polish 2.0 adds Java 5.0 support, floating point support for CLDC 1.0 devices, and better IDE integration. It also adds some utility classes to assist with object serialization and RMS use. Considering some of the unresolved bugs from the 1.3 beta release, I have some doubts about the robustness of 2.0, but I’ll be testing it out in the coming weeks.
Within the next day, I’ll post a description of the Amazon-OnTheGo MIDP application, and instructions on how you can get it on your phone.
Anyone not heard of Mobile Google Maps?
July 27, 2006
I haven’t seen this many similar posts since. . . the release of Google Pages.
Tips for Writing MIDP Applications, Part 2
July 26, 2006
Part 1 of this article discussed several higher-level tips for writing MIDP applications. In this part, I thought I’d delve a little more deeply into the weeds for some specific tips on using various controls in the MIDP toolkit.
Sign Your Application
See my earlier post about application signing. If at all possible, sign your application with a Verisign code-signing certificate. JavaVerified is even better,
but is not realistically achievable for many applications.
Eric Giguere’s new blog: J2ME Programming Guide
July 25, 2006
Eric Giguere launched a new blog — it looks like within the past several days — that you should check out if you’re interested in J2ME, err Java ME.
If you’ve been involved with Java ME for a short while, you’ve probably heard of Eric. He’s written two books on J2ME, and I’ve stumbled across countless articles and Tech Tips that he’s written. What I like most about his articles is that he presents some elegant solutions that are relevant and useful in your work. He doesn’t just regurgitate an API, but shows you how it can be used to perform real world tasks. If you’re familiar with Manning’s “In Action” series, you’ll understand the point.
I’ve built a provisioning system, an RMS data layer, a bluepulse widget, and a small MIDP application based on or inspired by some of his articles. I’m sure a healthy portion of the practices I use have stemmed from his writing in ways I don’t even consciously realize.
His blog is now at the top of my must read list. Check it out. I bet he makes you better at what you do!
Eric’s blog: J2ME Programming Guide
Tips for Writing MIDP Applications, Part 1
July 24, 2006
Several months ago, I wrote an article on creating bluepulse widgets. At the time, I put another article -– this one -– on my mental to-do list. There it languished, being pushed ever further down until I read this article from little springs design. It’s tongue-and-cheek, and contains some great tips for what not to do when writing a mobile application.
I wholeheartedly agree with the intent of each of the ten guidelines they mention, but I tend to view articles from the design perspective with a degree of trepidation. Full disclosure: yes, I’ve killed a back button or two in my day, and I continue to do so. The intent is always honorable, but execution of some well-meaning guidelines can get hairy. Nowhere is this more true than in the mobile space, where, despite standards, developers face a near-vertical incline when deploying to many handsets.
From a development perspective, here are several good practices for building mobile applications. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. I should also point out that these guidelines apply specifically to the development of MIDP applications.
Location Based Services Post at MobHappy
July 3, 2006
If you’re not a regular reader of MobHappy, I’d encourage you to read a short post on LBS. Russell Buckley discusses a conversation he had with the folks at Openwave, and has some interesting statistics regarding LBS. Also read through the comments — some are spot on.
I find LBS to be the most compelling use of a mobile device, and therefore the most compelling area for development.
LBS Coming of Age? via MobHappy
Opera Software’s Java ME browser client
June 28, 2006
A glimpse into some of the challenges of J2ME (Java ME <sigh>) development, from one of my favorite mobile software products (Opera Mini) and platforms (Sony-Ericsson).
Link: Developer case study: Managing Java fragmentation, Opera Software’s Java ME browser client.
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