Wake up and smell the coffee

Japan and Korea now have full-blown Java phones and Java applications, giving the rest of the world a taste of the delights to come

There was a time when the word 'Java' connoted something warm, brown and soothing to be taken with sugar or milk. Now it smells of internet content, multimedia,

The 'write once, run anywhere' concept is one that will appeal to programmers once multi-mode services targeting phones, PDAs, PCs, games consoles and interactive TVs take off. It also adds graphical, interactive content to the relatively one-dimensional mobile applications now available.

According to developer Sun Microsystems, "Java technology provides a comprehensive, end-to-end architecture for building and deploying network-centric applications for the enterprise and consumer." The incorporation of Java programming language in mobile handsets greatly improves downloading of graphic content, a key element in mobile internet. With Java phones, users can access 'richer, smarter' applications interactively from a server or download software to the phone to use offline. This concept is appealing to users as they can download services only when they need them, and use them without clocking up network airtime. It also allows agent-type applications where constantly changing information (weather reports, stock quotes, etc.) are automatically updated at set times.

Wireless pioneer NTT DoCoMo has already seen successful sales of its first Java-enabled 503i i-mode phones, launched only a few months before the launch of its third generation 'FOMA' service at the end of May. Only in Japan could this happen without one spoiling the market for the other.

The new Fujitsu and Panasonic 503i phones were the first on the market with Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition. The Mobile Information Device Profile, enabling personalised, interactive services over mobile devices, was developed through a collaboration between Sun and the phone manufacturer community.

Smartcard manufacturers Oberthur, Gemplus and Schlumberger - which acquired Bull's smartcard activities (Bull CP8) in January - are working with Sun to ensure interoperability between Java Card 2.1 SIM cards. NTT DoCoMo's Java phones feature the SSL protocol with cryptographic security for personal financial information, offering greater security for m-commerce.

NTT DoCoMo has shown the rest of the world the importance of content provision. Although with the launch of Java phones, it also launched its i-appli Java W-ASP business. It published guidelines for i-mode Java content in November and now scores of developers are launching sites. The early i-appli services are mostly games and financial services. In fact, 80 per cent of the content is entertainment-oriented, reflecting the mix the operator has found for its i-mode traffic and revenues. Some 30 different content services were offered from launch, including scrolling stock quotes, global positioning, weather forecasting, traffic information and exchange rates.

Index has designed a personalised alarm clock service using characters and melodies. Konami has a Java Powerful Pro Baseball games series. Dwango is offering an online game Samurai Romanesque. Bandai offers its Chara-pa characters and six games, and G-Mode Co is offering seven games. Cybird has launched an i-appli, Java-enabled map service with Zenrin.

Cybird is also involved in importing and exporting mobile internet content between Japan and Korea, where LG Telecom launched Java games in September 2000 and SK plans to launch later this year.

In the next few weeks, i-appli will launch location-sensitive ads, tipped to be a winner with mobile advertisers. Over time, i-appli promises animated games with enhanced graphics and high fidelity sound, software for chat, location-based services with zooming maps, secure mobile commerce, and business support programs such as groupware.

Just in time to enter into competition with NTT DoCoMo's i-appli, Qualcomm has announced its Java-like open application platform - BREW (OK, we get the joke). BREW stands for Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, providing a binary-level execution environment for C/C++ programming. Sun aimed for OS and processor neutrality with Java, but Qualcomm is running BREW on its own baseband IC, leveraging its dominance in the CDMA chip market.

Java Virtual Machines can run on BREW, so BREW phones will be able to run i-appli as well. The big names in Asian CDMA - KDDI, Kyocera, Samsung - are supporting the technology. J-Phone and KDDI both plan to launch Java phones by spring 2001 in time to compete with FOMA.

Again the victim of its own success, NTT DoCoMo recently had to suspend sales of its most popular Java-enabled i-mode model due to bugs in the handsets. It recalled 230,000 units of the Panasonic phone, which lost power and shut down when accessing certain websites and deleted some stored names and addresses. It's an embarrassing blow for NTT DoCoMo, set to launch FOMA at a time when analysts are worried over the cost of 3G licences and infrastructure, not to mention handset supply. It's also a low blow for Panasonic parent company, Matsushita Communications Inc, with its share value falling as traders question its high R&D investments. Only a week earlier, DCM had recalled 103,000 i-mode phones from Hitachi, Sony and Japan Radio due to software glitches causing problems with email and scheduling services.

The rest of the world will not be far behind the East. Java technology is a central component in Symbian's Smartphone models manufactured by Psion, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Matsushita and Philips. Sony is working on an end-to-end GSM service delivery model with Credit Suisse. Motorola's Timeport P1088 is Java-enabled. The next step, of course, is to get the content right.