Java
”Sun to Bring Java to the iPhone via the SDK
Apple gave Sun kind of the cold shoulder, not giving them the opportunity to put Java on the iPhone for Java apps. Now that the SDK is out, Sun's decided to just take matters into their own hands and prep a Java Virtual Machine for the device that'll allow Java applets to run on it. The JVM for iPhone will be based on Java Micro Edition, allowing apps like games and enterprise applications. You know, uh, all the stuff we've been clamoring for. I guess. Well, I'm sure at least a couple of interesting programs will come out of this, right? We'll see how Apple handles Sun sneaking Java onto the iPhone this way. [Infoworld via Slashdot]Anti-Social College Kids Build Autonomous Foosball Table
Four engineering students from Georgia Tech have built an Autonomous Foosball Table, quite possibly the key to my never-ending quest to replace the humans in my life with robots. The funny thing is, this thing isn't just a gimmick; it may soon become a decent foosball opponent. The table system cost about $500 to build, and combines a webcam, an 800MHz Pentium PC and servo-controlled paddles to move, twist, and kick. Here's how it works: More »
cellphones
Sun Scrapping Mobile Java, Moving Devices to Standard Java
Sun's starting to phase out mobile Java (Java Micro Edition) that's been the standard on cellphones and other small devices in favor of their standard edition, which are made for PCs everywhere. Sun VP James Gosling's reasoning for shifting everyone over to Java Standard Edition is because "cellphones and TV set-top boxes are growing up," meaning they're getting enough processing power to handle all the demands of full-featured Java. What this means to you is desktop-level apps on your mobile devices, and less incompatibility problems on devices due to current mobile Java fragmentation—but cellphones using the old Java ME will be on the market for at least another decade. [News.com]
rumor
Java Phone: Sun Microsystems and Samsung May Be Developing Cheaper iPhone Alternative
Rumor has it that Sun Microsystems and Samsung are jointly developing a "Java Phone" that is cheaper and more feature rich than Apple's iPhone. Details are scarce, but a Samsung spokesperson confirmed that a meeting has taken place between the two companies regarding the phone, but the details of that conversation have not been made public. Rumors are rumors, but if true, it would take a lot of convincing to prove that a Java UI could come anywhere near Apple in terms of execution. That having been said, could JavaFX be involved? [iht via Justamp]Problems With Blu-ray's BD-J Spec Causes Headaches For Early Adopters
java phone
Sun's JavaFX Hopes to Give Cellphones an Extra Kick
Sun Microsystems has its eyes on the iPhone, and in order to beat it has announced a new cellphone technology dubbed JavaFX. The new software is essentially a mobile version of Java meant to provide cellphones with a clean, streamlined interface. The phone on the right is an example of what a cellphone with JavaFX would look like interface-wise. Pretty snazzy if you ask me. No other details have been announced yet, but the software is expected to make its debut today at the JavaOne Conference in San Francisco. More »
gadgets
Java Wand: How Indonesian Wizards Make Their Coffee
If you're particular about how your coffee tastes in the morning, then perhaps the Java Wand is for you. $19.95 buys you a miniaturised French Press filter attached to a glass straw that brews and filters your coffee inside the mug. Fill the filter with coffee, add boiling water and you're done. Me, I prefer to waste valuable work time in the queue at Starbucks. More »
software
Windows Live Search for Mobile Goes Final, Still Great
Remember that Windows Live Search for Windows Mobile and Java phones we took a look at a while back? Well, it's gone final. We loved the beta for its local business search, maps, directions, and overall great usability, and this final version builds on that with some bugfixed and new features. More »
smartphones
Windows Live Search For Mobile vs. Google Maps Mobile
Microsoft's Windows Live Search for Mobiles just went live last night, and we took it for a spin, comparing it to Google Maps for Mobile, which has traffic, maps local business searches and directions as well. More »
announcements
GMail Mobile Rushes E-mail to Your Phone
Google's recent updates to GMail Mobile are making it easier and faster to check your GMail from your cell phone. The app (which can be downloaded from Google for free) pre-fetches your e-mail automatically and lets you view attachments like PDFs, images, and Word files from your cell phone. The folks at MobileCrunch gave it a whirl and were mostly impressed by the app's speed. Sprint already has plans for pre-installing the app on some of its new phones, otherwise you'll need a Java-enabled phone to run the app. More »
jasper s20
Jasper S20 Cellphone Rocks The Java OS, People Flee in Fear
Lots of people hate Java for being both slow and a memory hog, so what better place to put it than on a cellphone? The Jasper S20 is the first guinea pig cellphone to meet the JSR-209 specifications on the Java Platform Micro Edition. Translated into English, all it means is that the Jasper S20 is the first jawn to run the latest (and greatest?) version of the Java mobile OS. It allows developers to pump out prettier 2D graphics, among other things. More »
cellphones
Opera Releases Mini 2.0
Owners of non-smartphones were out of luck in the browser department until Opera released their Mini. Regular Opera functionality, compatible with J2ME phones, allows lower end phones to browse standard websites in condensed form. Now with Opera Mini 2.0, users can download mp3s, pictures and videos directly onto their phones. This feature, along with buying content via sms automatically were missing from 1.0. More »
cellphones
Mologogo DIY Cellphone GPS Tracking
In honor of the Maker Faire going on this weekend in nearby San Mateo, here's a DIY project to track someone from an ordinary cellphone. Using the $100 kit from Mologogo and a $6 a month data plan, a java enabled phone will upload its GPS coordinates to the Mologogo server every few minutes. You can then view the up to 100 of the last reported spots the victim has been on a google map. There's a review up from Phillip Torrone detailing how well it performed around Seattle. More »
pcs
Azul to Launch 48-Core Vega 2 Processor
We've reported about dual-core and even quad-core processors, and now the pissing contest takes a geometric leap with whippersnapper startup Azul announcing plans to stoke its nex-gen Vega 2 64-bit chip with 48, count 'em, 48 cores. More »
cellphones
Free Text Messaging With iText
Fathers of teenage daughters, listen very carefully to us. There is a service called iText. It will allow your daughter to text message for free. Still with us? Haven't fainted? Good. iText works by downloading its Java-based program to your mobile phone and allowing you to text message with it for free. Of course, you'll be required to view some advertisements to get this free deal, but even iText is cool with advertisements and you. To quote iText: More »
cellphones








