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Sun Debuts Java 'iPhone'
An anonymous reader writes to tell us that this week at the JavaOne Conference, Sun debuted it's answer to the iPhone. While it is still months away from being a reality this phone is set to put them in direct competition with some of the top cellphone vendors. "Java Mobile FX is "a complete desktop-scale environment that puts the network in your hand," said Richard Green, executive vice president of Sun's software group, announcing the product in his keynote address. Sun ported the Savaje code to a Linux kernel and is expanding the applications programming interfaces and set of developer tools that will ship with it. It plans to make the code available on other platforms in the future. Sun has no licensees for Java Mobile FX yet. However, it is in conversations with carriers and handset makers now and hopes to see cellphones using the software ship in early 2008. "
does it run Lin- errr... Does it run jav- errr... Will it let me see pr0n?
While most people just want something that works, there is no 'good' reason why the iPhone needs to be a totally closed platform. If Sun's new product is based on open standards and not locked and still gives a good customer experience, it will be far more than an iPhone.
It's an operating system for phones, so it's a competitor to the likes of the Symbian OS, not Apple's iPhone.
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
If Sun "debuted" it, where are all the good photos? We want to see it!
Follow me
The iPhone has been declared dead so many times already that I am starting to think it's a Jesus phone for the amount of times it must have been resurrected. And there are so many iPhone killers running around loose that I don't dare step a foot out the door.
Maybe everyone should just hold there horses and see what Apple actually comes out with. I know one thing, this product is hyped beyond belief and Apple didn't have to pay a red cent for that advertising (have you ever heard of a Zune killer before or after that thing came out?)
I can't get excited about it without pictures.
I just wasted your mod points! HA!
Sun will sell the software only in a binary version to ensure compatibility across different systems.
Evidently, the new Sun is like the old Microsoft.
The OpenMoko folks have a prototype Linux phone out to developers in some kind of alpha testing phase. They're planning a release to the rest of us some time in November(?) Be nice if someone with Sun's resources worked *with* the rest of the open source crowd. Or is this Sun thing so much better there was no point? Anyone know how they compare?
Driving and talking is bad enough.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Until users get the devices in their hands and can evaluate the "feel" of the device there's no way of knowing if either phone will be a flop or success. Apple has consistently performed in this area in the past few years. In terms of interface experience they are probably years ahead of Sun, who is used to making computers for a more elite "geek" crowd. No one can say yet if the iPhone will be a success, but if I were a betting man... my money would be on Apple topping Sun's sales by 2 to 1. Sun's more "open" device may be a geek's dream, but IMHO, unlikley to have mass consumer appeal.
My $0.02
--Aaron Greenberg
TFA says Sun has "debuted software for a high-end cellphone that looked very similar to the Apple iPhone" but there are no pictures. In fact, I combed the web for more stories about this and none seem to have any pictures.
Does it have a touchscreen or not? What kind of media playback? Visual voicemail? This story says they want to produce phones that can be sold for $30-$50, which pretty much means they'd be unlike the iPhone at all.
I guess what we have here is an iPhone name-drop with no meat to it. Which just adds to the iPhone buzz, really. Meanwhile, Sun's product (whether it's software or a specific phone) grabs a little attention, but goes back to being boring as soon as you're finished reading the article.
Java itself is ok using the J2SE, what I found when working with J2ME was that there are so many things that would be useful when working in limited memory that just are not available that it makes developing for this platform a real strain. I think that this 'FX' series will be much of the same and make it difficult to do anything useful. I seriously hope that this is not the case and that FX can do most of what is available in the SE editions.
Why UNIX?
They tried to make trinary version of the software, but they found it was hard to make it compatible with various systems.
I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
A phone.
... please just make that nonsense stop. Again, mode-less.
I just want a phone.
I just want to make/take calls.
Get the little things right.
Make it trivial - I mean easy like breathing - to place a call by numbers, voice, contact list, repeat/callback, etc., all mode-less.
Incoming calls should just happen. Dorking around with finding the phone and/or earpiece and determining which one is activated
Get the order of things right. Don't show me "do you want to access voicemail?" before "these people called" - I don't want to waste time dorking around with voicemail when it could have showed me that the calls I missed are ones I don't want to deal with now. Don't display "you missed one call", show me who called.
Memory is cheap. There's no reason for the call history list to end, much less end at just 25 calls. Put that info to work - data-mine it! When scrolling thru contacts, show me the most common contacts first; alphabetical order means I see that entry every time even though I haven't called that number in two years. Help me get to the numbers I want; there's enough processing power, use it smartly. Keep every number incoming and outgoing, and go fetch related data ASAP to tell me more.
Stop teasing me with demo functions. I bought an appliance; don't treat it like the fourth toaster slot only works for 30 days, then I have to pay extra monthly for it.
Stretch that battery life. Cut the cuteness; give me something that works for a long time between charges.
It's not a TV, GPS, IM, etc. - just give me totally smooth PHONE functionality.
And for Pete's sake: show the current time while I'm talking! Why do phones suddenly lose the pocketwatch function right when I'm most likely to need it to make arrangements with someone? I finally had to go back to wearing a watch precisely because the phone wouldn't show the time when most needed, even though it shows time 99.99% of the time?
Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
Which changes the question from "Why does Sun think it can compete with Apple" to "Why does Sun think there's room in the market for another Phone OS?" Carriers are already complaining that there are too many.
I've been studying FX since the announcement yesterday, and I think that Sun is overhyping it to the extreme. As it turns out, all JavaFX is is a new scripting language formerly known as F3. The purpose of this language was to offer control over the Java2D and Swing APIs in a manner that is easy to use and fast to develop. Because of the control provided, developers are able to create richer GUIs.
Somewhere along the way, the concept got derailed. Sun must have seen the iPhone and started worrying about what would happen to J2ME should it take off. So they yanked F3 off the shelf to show how similarly impressive GUIs could be created for cell phones. But before they could announce it, Microsoft jumped in the fray with their Silverlight announcement. (Silverlight being a powerful multimedia technology solution in search of a problem.) Not to be outdone, Sun somehow managed to convince the press that if you throw F3 (nay, JavaFX!) scripts into an Applet, you have a strong competitor to Silverlight. A rather incredible claim, IMHO, as JavaFX is lacking in the streaming video department. Even more telling is the fact that none of the JavaFX examples are actually applets!
Thankfully, Sun seems to be hedging their bets. None of the pages on the JavaFX site even mention Silverlight, almost making it look like the entire idea was a press invention. Sun's pages make a few passing references about running the technology in an Applet, but nothing firm.
My verdict? I think that F3/JavaFX is the GUI layout technology that Swing developers have been waiting for. With any luck, the technology will create a new market for Java Desktop Applications. The rest of Sun's claims can be safely ignored.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Why bother competing with the iPhone? 99% of it's features are useless to the average user. It's doomed to fail like the Mac Cube did. It targets an extremely small group of people, made smaller by vendor lock-in (via AT&T), you can't replace the battery which is a massive problem with something that needs to be charged as often as a color screened handheld device running a near full blown version of OSX. Don't get me wrong here, the idea is neat but with a 500-600$ price tag it's utterly pointless.
... you're just one of those guys. Let me guess, you don't own a TV and you fart granola? I am glad you included the last paragraph though, it really puts your initial views into context.
Keep talking... The road to consumer envy is paved with geeks like you who think Apple's latest idea (whatever it may be) is "lame." Let's come back to this thread in one year and see how you fare. The product isn't even to market yet, and in your eyes it's already a failure.
You're shorting the stock right? I'm long. Let's see how we do in a year. (I'm up 16% since April 20, btw.)
I find it interesting that it's features are "useless." Really? Then why are people fawning after these features? They've seen what it can do, it's not like it's a mystery. Look if a product is hyped and all you've got is whitepapers and rumors, then yeah that's bullshit. But this product has been seen, reviewed hands-on by some journalists even, and a lengthy demo given.
And don't get me wrong -- I have no plans to buy an iPhone, I like the BlackBerry for now. But I can also see why people are excited about the iPhone. They love iPods. They love phones. They love Apple's designs and user interfaces. Combine those together and you've got a potential consumer juggernaut.
Do you really think this phone will be $500/$600 in a year's time? Hell, I doubt it will cost anyone that much in June.
I know people will buy these devices but not nearly enough to make the market profitable.
Well since Apple makes a profit on every device, I think you are probably WRONG.
Maybe it's just me. I personally hate cell phones and use mine only to talk to my girlfriend and parents or for roadside emergencies. Everyone else can wait till I get home. My 10 years of being on-call in the IT business probably biased me also. Regardless, I don't see the point to these devices.
OK, I get it now
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.