AC/DC said it best: "Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back... 'Cause I'm back, Yes, I'm back, Well, I'm baaaaaack, Yes, I'm back in black!"

The Moto RAZR BLK V3 is now in black.

See:

Moto RAZR BLK V3

And... (let's say it together) it's got Java technology. :-)

Hinkmond

AwareDreams has released "Fantasy Worlds: Rhynn", a real-time (as opposed to fake-time? :) ) Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) for J2ME technology-enabled phones.

See:

Massively Massive Multifaceted Multidimensional Multiplayer Merrily Marvelous Online Role Playing Game: Fantasy Worlds: Rhynn

I like this quote:

  After connecting to the Internet with the mobile 
  phone, it is possible to interact with hundreds 
  of players, controlled by other humans or AI.

Hinkmond

The Mobile Dating Conference 2005 will be held July 21-22, 2005 in San Francisco in the Hilton. Topics will include software developments using Java and J2ME technologies.

See:

Mobile Dating Conference 2005: How to use J2ME Technology to find a date

You'd think that J2ME technology might make dating more complicated than it should be:

static void main(String args[]) {

   // Create a new instance to meet someone
   if (System.getProperty("personality").equals(CONSERVATIVE)) {
     MeetingPlace = new MeetingPlace(MeetingPlace.CHURCHORTEMPLE_SOCIAL);
   } else {
     MeetingPlace = new MeetingPlace(MeetingPlace.BAR);
   }

   // Go there and mingle
   MeetingPlace.enter();
   MeetingPlace.checkOutPotentials();
   result = MeetingPlace.makeEyeContact();

   // Houston, we have contact
   if (result.getResponse() == SMILE_BACK) {
      result.approach();
      result.makeSmallTalk();
      result.askForPhoneNumber();
   }
}

Hinkmond

Here is the Purring Kitty mobile phone vibrator (no comment), which is a Java download for $4.99 that can "instantly turn your [J2ME] cell phone into a discreet vibrating personal 'masseur'". Hey, how about "masseuse"? How do you determine if J2ME technology is masculine or feminine?

See:

Vibrating Java technology download for your cell phone: Purring Kitty

Is it really "discreet" seeing someone on the train or bus using their Purring Kitty Java MIDlet as a "personal 'masseur'"?

"Excuse me, Miss? Is that a Java technology-enabled Purring Kitty phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see that J2ME technology is being used for such a good use? ;-)"

Hinkmond

Guppy Games will be distributing Stick Fighter Fury, an animated kung fu game for your Java technology-enabled cell phone this year.

See:

K-ya! Hi-ya! Crouching stick, hidden figure, J2ME Stick Fighter Fury game

I want to see if that J2ME little stick figure fighter guy can do a Monkey jump hook kick, Dragon block and twist hit, Drunken Master roundhouse kick, Tiger fist block down, (with rear hand), into a Sitting Buddha back fist (with lead hand). :-) If that skinny-stick can do all that, I'd be impressed. ;-)

Hinkmond

Here's an article about Gartner analysts talking about the upcoming Microsoft's Magneto cell phone OS taking on the established Symbian OS.

See:

Microsoft's Magneto POS cell phone OS vs. Symbian's weakening cell phone OS

Talk about the battle for the basement! Those two cell phone OSes are on their way out and we are seeing the sunset of their lives. Cell phone manufacturers are voting with their wallets saying Microsoft and Symbian can kiss the market bye-bye, while Java technology as a cell phone OS is on the rise.

I like this quote from the article:

 However, both companies reacted violently when Research 
 In Motion (RIM) announced its intention to promote J2ME 
 as an alternative to the two systems mentioned above. The 
 companies started to bombard RIM with accusations that 
 J2ME is developed by amateurs and that it lacks the basic 
 software tools.

Hmmmm... Microsoft and Symbian seem to be running scared. :-) Heh, heh... Why so frightened about J2ME if it's so lacking? Bring it on, baby.

Hinkmond

Fast Eddie (I can only call him that since he doesn't work here at Sun anymore :-)) says the Motorola iTunes phone is back on track and coming out soon. Yeah, right! We've heard that before...

See:

Fast Eddie talks about iTunes phone

Here's an interesting tidbit from the Moto article.

Fast Eddie says:

 "We see continued opportunity for profitable growth...
  driven by investment in (research and development) 
  that delivers new product designs and experiences 
  based on 3G and eventually 4G technology," as well 
  as the continuing use of the Java Linux software 
  platform and brand development, Zander said.

I like that new phrase, "Java Linux". Good way to try to dilute the Java technology trademark... Very slick wording there, Eddie. ;-) But, at least it's showing us that Motorola is also eventually going to use Java (most likely J2ME CDC based) technology as either a phonetop or cell phone OS layer for their next gen phones. Good move. Java tech as the OS layer on the cell phone will abstract the hardware to make manufacturing costs much cheaper and manufacturing times much shorter.

Hinkmond

Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino?

A: Elephino (Pronounced: [H]ell if I know)! :-)

Or, looking at it another way you get the Macromedia Adobe merger. :-)

See:

An elephant marries a rhino (Adobe and Macromedia together forever)

At first the combo looks interesting: Adobe has the tools to create SVG (Flash-like) animations and cartoons, and Macromedia has players that show animations and cartoons. But, dig a little deeper and ask yourself if you think they can pull it off.

From the article:

 However, according to Werbach, the jury is 
 still out on whether Adobe can become a de 
 facto mobile phone standard. "There are so 
 many different platforms in the mobile phone 
 space," he says. "If there is anything that's 
 a standard, it's Java and Flash, but the 
 challenge is finding ways to monetize that."

Hence, you get an "elephino" out of Macromedia and Adobe, while J2ME technology grows into a beautiful swan. Ahh. :-)

Hinkmond

Breaker, 19, breaker, 19... This is Rubber Duck. We got here a Java app for a cell phone for from Xora that tracks compliance with the interstate trucking regulations. Truckers no longer need to keep a paper log. They just click on their cell phones and let J2ME technology do the rest.

See:

Truckers use J2ME tracking software on their cell phones

Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of june
In a kenworth pullin’ logs
Cab-over pete with a reefer on
And a jimmy haulin’ hogs
We is headin’ for bear on i-one-oh
’bout a mile outta shaky town
I says, pig pen, this here’s the rubber duck.
And I’m about to put the hammer down.

[chorus]
’cause we got a little convoy
Rockin’ through the night.
Yeah, we got a little convoy,
Ain’t she a beautiful sight?
-- CW McCall

Hinkmond

Here's an interesting game: Quicxo puzzle game written in J2ME programming language. From what I can tell, you're a pink and poofy thing trying to move square pink and shiny blocks together before the pink status bar runs out of pink energy ink.

See:

Quicxo game: J2ME technology gone pink and poofy

If you're into pink and poofy, Quicxo is for you... not that there's anything wrong with that. :-)

Hinkmond

Americans are buying like hotcakes, J2ME technology-enabled phones. Er, uh, no, wait, J2ME phones are selling like mad. Hmm. No, switch that around a bit... :-) Keeping similes straight is like herding cats.

See:

Americans buy up Java phones

"Consumers are taking advantage of the advanced capabilities of their new handsets," Mark Donovan, senior analyst and vice president, product, M:Metrics, said in a statement. "Our data showed a significant acceleration in the rate of handset replacement the last quarter. "Apparently, the aggressive marketing of new Brew and Java devices and their ability to download content, send messages and send pictures, is paying off." Who says that we Americans are shallow, spend money on frivolity and easily swayed by marketing? ;-) Not me. I like selling hotcakes.

Hinkmond

Qualcomm came out with an announcement about their "first chipset for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A, the Mobile Station Modem (MSM) MSM6800 chipset". Darn, that's a mouthful!

See:

Qualcomm's announcement with J2ME in the last sentence

They mention Java technology in the very last sentence:

   QUALCOMM's chipsets are also compatible with the Java runtime 
   environment (J2ME) which can be built entirely on the chipset 
   as an extension to the BREW solution.

Hinkmond

GOSUB has released a J2ME game for Java cell phones that is based on the movie, Sahara, starring Matthew "Hey-Hey-Hey" McConaughey and Penelope Cruz "Control".

See:

GOSUB J2ME Game based on Sahara

I hear the movie starts out okay, but then goes downhill with too many gags and flop one-liner jokes. The previews look promising and it was the #1 movie this past weekend. At least they made sure to come out with a fun J2ME game as part of their promotion though. :-)

Hinkmond

Vindigo, the people who gave us mobile apps for the Palm and Pocket PC PDAs like maps and lists of local attractions in a zip code, is coming out with a J2ME game. Everyone is moving into mobile Java gaming! It's like the "Internet" of the 2000s.

See:

Vindigo's Move into J2ME Games: Shadowgate Classic

So with everyone and their cousin programming J2ME games, why aren't you?

Hinkmond

This Web page says that PokerRoom.com is launching their poker games for cell phones starting April 11. Hey, that's today! And, it's free (as in "free beer", not "free speech")!

See:

PokerRoom.com free mobile poker

Remember, first one is free... Then they get ya! ;-) I'll call and raise you 50,000 quatloos!

Hinkmond