New Nokia Phones - with Java

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."

Comments

multiplayer on PDA

[Interfacer]

i wonder how long it will be before we are able to play multiplayer games via a PDA. that way they will really be nice to have. you could have deathmatches with just some people you meet on the train or so.

Re:multiplayer on PDA

[dzym]

Not too much longer. Games such as Doom and Quake that have had their source code released have already been ported to various PDA platforms, and I wouldn't think it's much more of a stretch to operate a wireless tcp/ip dedicated server for these things...

Re:multiplayer on PDA

[-brazil-]

Theoreticall, it is already possible right now. I've run Quake on my IPaq, in two-player over Ethernet (with the partner using a PC). It should work the same using Infrared and possibly Bluetooth.

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.

Tech Specs

[Anonymous Coward]

Like, what is the darned resolution of the display, what bit depth, what version of Java, is it a version of AmigaDE ("Amiga Anywhere") like they have in the Nokia Mediaterminal?

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

[Phreakiture]

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?!?

Already there ...

[dago]

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

• sun doc
• SIMagine contest

User-written software

[The Qube]

This should be very good news for people who wish to extend the functionality of their Nokia phones.

I for one cannot wait for an application that makes Nokia phones auto-lock the keypad after a certain period of inactivity.

Japan still has us beat...

[bjb]

These phones may be cool, but Japan still has us beat for mobile phones.

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..

Applets?

[rbeattie]

Let's use 6 year old terminology shall we?

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?

[jamesidm]

wow they have ported VNC to it already!

http://midlet.org/jsp/category.jsp?parentLevel=1 37

2nd from the bottom

Phones? Bah.

[mccalli]

Bah. And again I say...bah!

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. 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 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

Re:Phones? Bah.

[Combuchan]

Why? Well, most phones I've ever tried have been poor. Poor build quality ...

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 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.

... and the PC Suite [nokia.com] for it is hopelessly out of date and utterly useless.

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 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.

[mccalli]

I sort of agree with a number of those points, so I don't want this reply to sound harsh. However, here's my viewpoints on the answers:

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?

...I assume anything that comes on 3.5" disks fits your description
Why? The software I got to replace it, Phone Manager 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

Vaporware Phones

[BadlandZ]

The Nokia 8390 has been announced as "comming soon in the US" for what, 6 months? And the release date has been pushed back month by month since at least December according to cnet.

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.

"Nokia 6250: Built tough"

[haggar]

I figured this is EXACTLY what you need.

http://www.nokia.com/phones/6250/index.html

Enjoy :o)

I want this in CDMA!

[InterruptDescriptorT]

Weird, isn't it?

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?

Re:"Nokia 6250: Built tough"

[mccalli]

I figured this is EXACTLY what you need.

Looks like it fits my durability bill. Keyboard moan still stands, and having owned a 6210 I imagine that the SMS and synchronisation moans remain too.

Looks heavy too. And ugly. Ah well - trade offs, trade offs...

Cheers,
Ian

Scandinavian World Domination

[scorcherer]

• Nokia of Finland
• Opera of Norway
• I bastun bor vi allihopa (The Swedish codename of GNOME)
• Hej, det här är Linus Torvalds och jag uttalar Linux 'Linux'. (He is from Finland and Swedish is his mother tongue)

Anyone else see a Nordic conspiracy here?

fnord ... f+nordic. Think about it.

Re:Questions: what can I get, now?

[LiamQ]

What Java phones can I get in the US now? The Motorola i85?

Motorola i85s, i55sr, i90c, i50sx, i80s.

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?

Yes, but They make you jump through hoops first.

We need safety features more.

[El Camino SS]

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.