Bossa Conference's photostream

I attended the BOSSA Conference in Brazil back in March, a cool mobile Linux event. Here is the Flickr photostream.

S60 RC Truck controlled by PyS60!

S60 RC truck catching eyes at the Web 2.0 Expo

LG and Samsung increasing market share, Nokia leading...

Market leader Nokia continued at a slow and steady growth pace, increasing its market share from 40.6 per cent to 40.9 per cent. While Mawston said that 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the Koreans, with improved handset portfolios enabling LG to grow at almost four times the annual industry average, while Samsung is growing over two times faster.

Apple, Moto, Sony Ericsson losing handset market share

S60Online - YouTube

Some interesting S60 videos - http://www.youtube.com/s60online

Nokia N81 8GB Ad - Cool!

2008 JavaOne Developer Conference - Opening Video

I will not comment, the video is enough :)

Nokia announces new NFC device - 6212

This new Series 40 5th Edition FP1 device seems to be really nice, here are the specs - Nokia 6212 classic

Also in the news - Nokia NFC handset touches down.

Android gets its mobile web server

While there are no Android devices hitting the market yet, this interesting article talks about porting the well-known Jetty Java Web Container and HTTP Server to Android.

While I am not a fan of Android mainly due to the fact that its Java is not standard and not based on standard Java ME, it is cool to see a real Java Web Container running in a mobile device.

You know, the S60 platform has a similar solution called MWS (Mobile Web Server) developed by the Nokia Research Center but it is LAMP oriented as far as I know.

Overall the cool thing is to see that it is really possible to host a server inside a mobile device :)

eSWT Article

Aleksi Uotila from Java for S60 has posted a cool article about eSWT for S60 3rd Edition FP2 devices.

Get it if interested, it was originally published in S60 News magazine.

Taking S60 Java Platform user interface capabilities to the next level

Project Management Podcast

Besides being a Lead Architect and Developer, currently I also play the role of Technical Manager and then I am using the PMBOK practices and guide to perform some of my tasks as well.

So, as PMBOK is one major I am interested, I would like to point you to an interesting site and podcast that is maintained by Ricardo Vargas, one of the best PMBOK mentors in Brazil.

His site is called MacroSolutions and it is full of resources and of course, the fantastic podcast. Unfortunately it is in my native language, Brazilian Portuguese. Worth the visit!

Macrosolutions

Mobile Games Innovation Challenge by Nokia

Nokia has started a new competition named Mobile Games Innovation Challenge, it is offering 70K Euros for winners.

Interested? You can find more information here - www.developer.n-gage.com/innovation

Applications for E-Series devices

The Nokia for Business site is full of options regarding business and productivity applications for E-Series devices. Worth checking if you are using one of those business gadgets.

Nokia for Business - Find Software

New firmware update - N95 and N82 get Flash Lite 3 and WRT

Now, besides the N95 8GB (my current device), N95 and N82 users can get Flash Lite 3 and WRT (Widgets) update. Here it goes - http://europe.nokia.com/A4577225

Nokia Tube unveiled - response to iPhone

Without further ado, check those nice photos and articles at Symbian in Motion, NokNok and IntoMobile.

Also check Tom Libretto's words about Tube and the iPhone, I liked the "We've done that [volume] since we've had dinner on Friday", regarding the 5 million to 6 million iPhone devices shipped since June. "

Anxiety ;)

New mobile Python (PyS60) Video

Interested in PyS60? So check this new video by my friend Jürgen Schieble, author of the outstanding Mobile Python book.

Want more? So check the MobiLenin's Channel on YouTube.

Symbian launches Symbian SQL and a new LBS architecture

Symbian SQL is based on SQLite and the new LBS architecture supports multiple positioning technologies including A-GPS, network-based and even Wi-FI...check more below.

Advanced mass data handling and location based services technologies launched on Symbian OS

Cool - newspapers and magazines on the internet

My sister has sent me this link - http://www.indekx.com/

She keeps surprising me :)

I think I have not studied geography like I think I have should...

OFF-TOPIC...but very funny in my opinion, ha, ha, ha :)

The World according to Finns...and Americans...

NetBeans Mobility Pack - the latest wave

The NetBeans + Mobility Pack rock, they do rock!

Check the new Palatte components in Netbeans Mobility Visual Mobile Designer

MSA book - let me send a buck overseas again as usual

I have read some books by this guy before and I cannot afford to miss this one - Kicking Butt with MIDP and MSA. While I know the majority of its content, Knudsen is always a good read in my opinion.

Linux Top Smartphone OS By 2012

I am sure Linux will increase its market share in the coming years...Maemo is maturing (and it is really open, not like the Motorola's Linux devices, which have closed environment), I bet we will have one device with more than Wi-Fi soon...

Linux Top Smartphone OS By 2012

Must have tools for a Java Developer

I liked the list and I can confirm some items on the list are really good indeed...

Must have tools for a Java Developer

Back from BOSSA 2008

Nice event, met some great folks. Some photos included.

Going to BOSSA Conference 2008

Today I am going to BOSSA conference 2008, organized by the Nokia Technology Institute in Brazil. In my opinion, BOSSA is the the best mobile Linux and Open-source event in Brazil. As usual, it will take place in Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco, Brazil but this time the venue is the Summervile Resort.

Cool comparison chart - iPhone x S60 included

This is the lastest whole thing.

Apple iPhone SDK x Toolchain x Windows Mobile x S60 x Android.

Do not forget that some are still wannabes...

iPhone SDK comparison chart

Morph - Nokia unveils shape changing nano-phone concept

Fantastic concept!

Technology professionals unveil their suffering - reporting from Brazil

This is about the average salary of tech guys in Brazil (in Portuguese).

A while ago when I was going to São Paulo for a business trip as usual, there were 2 guys beside me and one of them was the president of a company in Brazil. He has commented with the other guy that his annual bonus alone was something about 300K a year...I think I need to rethink my focus :)

And here are the new Java ME features of Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices

It is really becoming more powerful than ever...check below:

• Nokia IAPInfo API
• Device dedicated Media keys (Play/Pause/Stop) access as normal key events
• Control over End call key (Red call key) behavior for application's lifecycle
• Enabling device theme background for Canvases for custom component usage
• Prevention of screen saver via Nokia UI API
• Foreground/background events via pauseApp/startApp
• Flip close event for fold/clamshell devices via pauseApp
• Access to device IMEI, network access type (gprs / csd etc.), network id, network signal level, battery level, country code, date and time formats via system properties
• LCDUI Canvas Graphics scaling (introduced originally in 3rd ed) enhanced for orientation switching devices

New Java features of 3rd Ed. fp 2

Back from London!

I am back from London, the Smartphone Show was hot this year, many new devices and announcements. And the Developer's Day showed us something about the S60 Touch UI...fantastic...iPhone days are counted :)

Next stop: London - UK

Today I am departing to London to attend both the Forum Nokia Developer Day and the Symbian Smartphone Show 2007.

Busy days... :)

Merge operations - good idea?

Trouble brewing at Nokia Siemens

Microsoft software on Nokia - no, it is not Windows Mobile

Market penetration is what really counts in my opinion, this is the proof.

Nokia offering Windows Live on its S60 and Series 40 devices (in Portuguese).

Innovation is still the word of the valley

This article confirms that the USA and the Silicon Valley are still a hot source of cool things technology. Do not believe? Then check below:

The new wave of Silicon Valley start-ups

Here is the iPhone

Finally the iPhone has make it to the stores, while I have a strong opinion about it regarding the articles I have read, I am not convinced it is the big next thing in the market, not at all.

Anyway, here it goes...

Apple's iPhone makes it to stores

Back from Singapore

I have just one thing to say: Amazing trip!

The New Nokia Organization

Nokia will be introducing a new company structure, effective January 1st, 2008.

Nokia organizes for the converging marketplace

The AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ audio formats

Nowadays everyone is buying a smartphone, or feature phone, whatever, you name it.

When I find friends talking about the memory space available on their mobiles and the MP3 thing, I always advise them to check if their phone can play the eAAC+.

I have hundreds of songs in my mobile today :)

Today the vast majority of good Nokia phones use it and I have explained it so many times that I always wanted to find a good (user) article about it. Here is the finding ;)

Sound start to music on mobiles

The Virus threat

That is why I like Symbian and to have PlatSec (platform security) in place.

Mobile viruses (in Portuguese).

Let us go to Singapore. Shall we?

In a few hours I will be departing to Singapore, such a great place to visit. I will be attending the next Forum Nokia Champion event, meeting great friends and getting to know some new faces, fantastic!!!

Everything is clean and safe, polite people, technology, good food. The best fact is that currency (Singapore dollar) is not that strong if compared to Brazilian real and it is a great place to buy new gadgets...oh my God, my credit card is going to have hard work.

What a nice trip :)

If you have never heard about Singapore, here is the entire profile.

About Singapore: A city-state situated at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore has always been at the crossroads between the East and the West.

In this present age of globalisation and knowledge-based economy, Singapore is fast becoming a major hub for the Asian countries which are keen to tap the Republic's experience and knowledge of running one of the most successful economies in the world.

Singapore in figures:

• 1965 - The year when Singapore became an independent country and was officially known as the Republic of Singapore.
• 685.4 km2 - Total land area of Singapore
• 25ºC - 32ºC - Average temperature
• 4.35 million - Total population as in 2005, which comprises 3 major ethnic groups (Chinese: 75.6%, Malay: 13.6%, Indian: 8.7%) and other smaller ethnic groups (2.1%).
• 4 official languages - English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. English is the working language used in the administration and major institutions.
• 29,252 - Total number of graduates from the institutions of higher learning in 2003, of which 16,117 were from the polytechnics, 10,363 from the universities and 2,772 from the National Institute of Education.
• 4.25 million - Number of mobile phone users in 2005.
• 8.9 million - Number of tourists who visited Singapore in 2005.
• S$3.60 - Price of a Big Mac.
  

Uniquely Singapore (the best, and official, in my opinion)

Singapore (in Portuguese).

My hotel

Some friends - Mobile Monday Singapore

All right, here is one of my best friends - Bai Wansong from China.

Wibree forum merges with Bluetooth SIG

Wibree forum merges with Bluetooth SIG

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft has unveiled a new touch-sensitive coffee table-shaped computer called "Surface". In my opinion touch interfaces are the next big thing in mobile computing and as you know Microsoft is a real player on the technology market, so it is worth the read. Nice read ;)

Microsoft unveils table computer

China volumes

Read this article and you will understand the reasons why every big technology company in the world is considering China as crucial to their operations.

China Postel orders 20 million devices from Nokia (in Portuguese).

Military stuff

Since the teenager days when I was an electronic technician (yes, I have studied, designed and participatend in engineering projects applying both analog and digital circuits in the past, oops) I know that the cutting-edge and really hard components, harsh ones, are the ones used in military circuits and components. While this is not so directly related to mobile stuff, sometimes I think about the gadgets those guys are using today. Cyber soldiers are a reality nowadays...and their infrastructure is fantastic!

Bandwidth leap for British forces

This is what I really consider as mobility. I am wired...

Those guys are crazy, I would rather to be in Porto de Galinhas or Itacaré. I like beaches...and safety...no doubts :)

Highest mobile call climb begins

The new pick

Hello there,

Below is the new pick.

Although I am not a beginner mobile developer anymore I am buying two new books aimed at newbies but they seem to be quite interesting books anyway, that is why I am paying for them, of course ;)

The first one is Programming Mobile Devices: An Introduction for Practitioners by Tommi Mikkonen. What caught my eyes is that this book discusses some assumptions and conventions taken into consideration when defining the Java ME and Symbian C++ runtimes, the two technologies I am focusing on during the last couple of years.

The second one is S60 Programming - A Tutorial Guide by Forum Nokia Champion fellow Dr. Paul Coulton as it is about S60 programming focusing on GUIs and also the S60 3rd Edition version of S60. Quite cool!

Check the list yourself, now my library is really solid and complete. I am about to master that all :)

Symbian OS Platform Security
* Author: Craig Heath
* Published by Symbian Press
* Publication date: March 2006
* 250 pages
* ISBN 0-470-01882-8

Symbian OS Internals
* Author: Jane Sales
* Published by Symbian
* Publication date:October 2005
* 918 pages
* ISBN 0-470-02524-7

Smartphone Operating System Concepts with Symbian OS
* Author: Michael J. Jipping
* Published by Symbian
* Publication date: April 2007
* 336 pages
* ISBN-10: 0470034491

The Symbian OS Architecture Sourcebook
* Author: Ben Morris
* Published by Symbian
* Publication date: April 2007
* 640 pages
* ISBN 0470018460

S60 Programming - A Tutorial Guide
* Author: Paul Coulton, Reuben Edwards, with Helen Clemson
* Published by Symbian Press
* Publication date: February 2007
* 344 pages
* ISBN-13: 9780470027653

Programming Mobile Devices: An Introduction for Practitioners
* Author: Tommi Mikkonen
* Published by: John Wiley & Sons
* Published in: February 2007
* ISBN-10: 0470057386

Mobile adverstisement is the $ - Microsoft buys ScreenTonic

Mobile adverstisement is where the money is flowing according to Google. Microsoft is listening.

Microsoft buys ScreenTonic (in Portuguese).

Good friends around

During the last year I have been buying and reading some really interesting books, so far the list of strong stuff is below:

• Nokia Smartphone Hacks
• The Accredited Symbian Developer Primer
• S60 Smartphone Quality Assurance
• Symbian OS Explained
• Developing Software for Symbian OS
• How Smartphones Work
• Developing Series 60 Applications

Besides that great books, I am using a lot of cool articles and tutorials from Forum Nokia, Sony Ericsson Developer World and Symbian. Anyway, I think it is time to buy some new books :)

I will prepare my new list and I will be glad if someone can advise me if my new list really inclues good books. Please friends!

Global mobile phone growth slows

A market update, it seems Sony Ericsson has boosted its deployments and profits, let's see how Nokia is going to tackle that from this last report.

Global mobile phone growth slows

Samsung, Nokia partner on mobile TV

How interesting! Even mobile phone competitors are partnering to foster mobile TV.

Samsung, Nokia partner on mobile TV

SavaJe (and the Jasper S20) still breathing?

Great news, it seems that Sun Microsystems is going to acquire SavaJe and its CDC technology, including a nice implementation of JSR-209 - Advanced Graphics and User Interface Optional Package for the J2ME Platform.

Sun plans to purchase CDC device maker SavaJe

Sun acquires SavaJe intellectual property

Java Everywhere 2 - Sun Microsystems

What a cool video!

You can see some Nokia devices showing JME applications besides all other Java related stuff. Java technology offers a so complete choice that you can run it anywhere indeed.

Java Everywhere - Java Technology in Action

Tiny files set for a big future

Interesting article by BBC's Click Online staff, it talks about tiny file formats that are great advancements. Talks about DivX's approach, encoding and decoding and other interesting subjects.

Tiny files set for a big future

More about Nokia RDA Service

Daniel has written a very informative article about RDA, very nice! You can check it here.

S60 Smartphone Quality Assurance - now on my desk!

Great, S60 Smartphone Quality Assurance is now on my desk at last!!!

I received one copy of her book as a gift from the Forum Nokia Champion program.

I've just skimmed through the book and it's simply amazing, it has a lot of useful information I've never seen anywhere before and, believe me, I have a lot of mobile related books.

Prior to that all, I had listened the Voice of S60 interview with Saila and got to know that she was a senior manager at Nokia. Afterwards I had the opportunity to know Saila in person during the Forum Nokia Tech Days Sao Paolo as Srinkanth has introduced us (me and Luis) to her during the event. She is very polite and even friendly person and now that I got to know her profile and even knowledge (by checking the book table of contents) I am impressed.

One thing that's really interesting and cool about the book and Saila is that, although she's a manager, She is a very technical person with amazing technical skills, I am very, very impressed by her book's content. It seems that being a manager at Nokia also means having excellent technical skills and not just business related ones, very cool indeed.

I am starting to read the book now and I will post a review soon so stay tuned ;)

Nokia Siemens Networks starts its operations

Now it's official, the new company is now operating and announces vision of 5 billion people connected by 2015!

Check their brand new web site - Nokia Siemens Networks

Deepfish browser - early stages

The cool thing about technology is that competition may be the fiercest in the market. Take Nokia for example, it's the leader for me and it will be for a long time as it also receives some cool new ideas from its competitors like the hyped-still-to-the-market iPhone and now this cool Deepfish browser from Microsoft.

But please forgive me, the S60 OSS browser (a.ka. Nokia Web Browser and also S60WebKit) is the browser for the decade in my opinion (I doubt a better browser by 2010), what's your opinion???

Anyway, check some also cool stuff below.

More Fudge from Microsoft Live.com [perhaps playing catch up]

"As a technology preview, Deepfish is early in its development cycle
(still a few releases from beta quality). As a result some features are
not implemented or are only partially implemented. Currently, the
technology preview does not support ActiveX controls, AJAX, cookies,
Javascript, and HTTP POST." - meaning it does bugger all

http://on10.net/Blogs/larry/exclusive-video-new-mobile-web-browser--deep
fish/

http://labs.live.com/Deepfish/

Forum Nokia Wiki, Forum Nokia Remote Device Access Service

Nokia is leading the market with so many surprises and tools for mobile developers like me, I think we have the best community worldwide :)

Two fantastic, brilliant news are Forum Nokia Wiki and the Remote Device Access service, both launched by the best development community I've participated so far in my life, Forum Nokia.

Having that all, it proves one thing: Nokia really knows what the "Connecting People" motto means.

No more comments, come on check them yourself!

IBM is really innovative - The multimedia web for blind people

IBM is a cool company with very interesting projects with no doubts. The project on this article is a
good example of what technology can mean for the whole mankind.

Now that web is becoming richer with mixed media content (a.k.a multimedia), this one is really a killer solution in my humble opinion :)

Read the article:

"Codenamed the Accessibility Browser - or A-Browser - the software was created by a blind employee in Japan."

IBM helps blind 'see' web video

Nokia N95 starts shipping

Wohoo, N95 (specs) is available now at last. I cannot wait to test one and maybe buy one for me, I need to save some money for that :)

Another device I would like to have is the E90 (specs) as it's more biz oriented and I am missing a device with QWERTY keyboard when replying to e-mails and SMS messages while on the move...

Back to N95, don't know you the details and features of N95? Check the links below then...

Nokia N95 multimedia computer starts shipping

Nokia N Series - N95

Nokia N Series

N95 WOM World

Nokia N95 Preview

CDMA-based headaches

The good news is that Nokia is abandoning CDMA as far as I know.

Nokia still disputing Qualcomm patents

Mobile TV warned to standardise

I think Brazil should adopt DVB-H due to obvious and practical reasons, our networks are (and now with VIVO) GSM Networks. But it seems that our government is supporting the Japanese standard, oh my God!

Mobile TV warned to standardise

Laptops set to out sell desktops

This news is really interesting: if laptops and notebooks are surpassing desktops, what about mobile devices such as smartphones, feature phones, tablets and other gadgets?

They are with no doubts the dominant platform (hardware) from now...and it seems the driving force behind this phenomenon is the ubiquity of wireless networks.

Laptops set to out sell desktops

N95 causes hype

I have seen one N95 before and the device is really amazing, the only one I can imagine as being a beat is the new E90, unfortunately I've never seen one so far...

Demand for Nokia N95 reaches fever pitch

NOKIA and VIVO in Brazil

It seems that Moto is losing market in Brazil as well, as Nokia has a very good portfolio of GSM devices ready for VIVO's new GSM network. And the 3G base (devices for now) is becoming available, so it's just a time to see the 3G networks in Brazil I guess. Let's wait :)

NOKIA and VIVO in Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese)

IT in Brazil - 2007

US$ 18,6 billion dollars, things are getting better each year for Brazil, but it could (and can) be better...Lula???

IT in Brazil - 2007 (in Brazilian Portuguese)

Symbian OS v9.5 announced

Symbian announced the newest version of Symbian 0S, now 9.5. It's very good to know that Symbian OS is evolving so quickly and you can check the new features by reading the links below.


Symbian announces Symbian OS v9.5 - Press release by Symbian

Symbian announces Symbian OS v9.5

And here is the Symbian OS v9.5 page, get the details. Let's see when devices based on it will hit the market.

Forum Nokia Tech Days SP - some pics

As posted before, I was out of office in March, 5th and 6th attending the Forum Nokia Tech Days in SP. Below are some (strange?) pictures. I will post the technical brief soon, so stay tuned!

The JEDI knight, if you were there you know what I am talking about, a real Champion! Nokia gave me a Nokia N80
:)

A nice view from my hotel's window


Cool offices in Sao Paolo

Nice meals offered by Forum Nokia :)

But as of today I am busy, challenging projects on the board so let me apply that knowledge :)

OFF-TOPIC - Gates warns on US immigration curbs

I am not a great fan of Microsoft but Bill Gates is a smart guy I think. Now He's realizing that the USA immigration policies are a real problem to that country, they will face serious problems in the coming years.

"None other than Bill Gates has spoken out against tighter immigration policies in the US. According to Gates, the US is losing skilled immigrants to other countries that are easier to immigrate to. Among his comments: "I personally witness the ill effects of these policies on an almost daily basis at Microsoft."

As I've learned from a lot of friends who have tried, getting to the USA after 2001 has become a real challenge. Come on Mr. President, let us good Brazilian developers in and we will do a great job :)

The world's biggest game studio has been created

"Ultimately we are going to see that the games development industry is much bigger than we thought - Dave Perry"

Can't believe? It's true, check then:

Volunteers sign up to build game

Nokia gets into advertising

Interesting action by Nokia, I think that it's all about media as well.

"Nokia Ad Service and Nokia Advertising Connector will, according to the Finnish firm, allow companies to personalise advertising on the mobile in a way that is much harder to do on traditional media."

Mobile manufacturer Nokia announced this week two mobile advertising services designed for targeted campaigns on the handset.

Sun Updates Mobile Java Platform

MSA is finished and can be marketed now, so let's wait for the really cool devices. It seems that cool new devices are on the list for the MSA-Subset (8 specs) and we will see some hitting the markets soon. Nokia has some devices that are almost there, some have the APIs but not the clarifications as I've learned recently.

During my last trip to Sao Paolo I attended a cool Forum Nokia Tech Days presentation about MSA by Forum Nokia. If you're not sure about the goals of MSA, here it is summarized:

"Sun announces the availability of the Mobile Services Architecture (MSA) for mobile phones and other handheld devices. Sun Java ME Product Marketing Group Manager John Muhlner states, "What we did with Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI) was make a compilation of a number of specs together to create a standard platform developer could count on being in handsets. MSA is the next generation. It supersedes JTWI with much more features and functionality than what we had … Java ME was severely fragmented for the longest time, and MSA will bring it some unity. These platform specs take the specific technologies and clarify or define certain options within the spec. It reduces fragmentation and makes for a more consistent application environment."

JCP - JSR-248 - MSA for CLDC

MSA Introduction

Now besides being massively deployed, mobile Java is becoming more powerful and complete. I have no doubts that Java is really a very cool technology, so the stakes are high ;)

Forum Nokia Tech Days Sao Paolo

Tomorrow we'll have the annual event in Brazil, being held since 2005 and as I have participated in the two events before (SP and Recife) this year it would not be different.

So I will be off to Sao Paolo until next Wednesday attending the Forum Nokia Tech Days Sao Paulo event, the agenda is quite interesting this year as we'll have some new subjects being discussed, such as Open C and Flash Lite, besides the ever cool lectures by Nokia Experts team.

Some friends will not be able to attend the events in SP nor in RJ either, so they have asked me to blog about it and I will try to post information here.

Besides the cool technology lectures, I will meet some friends such as Ricardo Caspirro and Luis Albinati so this event will be really cool :)

At last, this March we'll have three cool events in Brazil and I'd like to be able to attend BOSSA in Porto de Galinhas as well, but I have not managed to be there this year.

This is the first ever BOSSA event and next year I will plan for it, try to convince my manager of participating there as well as I am involved with Maemo and Linux Tablets, yet in a minor extension so far.

The problem with mobile life - thoughts

A very interesting blog post at Forum Nokia Blogs, by Hartti Suomela, has made me think about the impacts of mobility in my life. And today I came across this article by BBC talking about almost the same problems.

While now I can do a lot of things that I couldn't ten years ago, I mean, I can make things more dynamically, sometimes I feel like being swamped by information all the time.

I do some problems, I must admit after some analysis, every time I check my official e-mail inbox it's full of new messages and even by filtering them I cannot keep up with everything, so I need to prioritize some messages and responses. I am involved in Java, Mobile, JUGs and now Symbian communities and I am always in touch with a lots of people, some are really good friends I cannot let waiting for a late reply...

Besides that all, I am always reading a lot of new stuff related to Java technologies (new JME JSRs and APIs, tools, articles, new JEE 5 APIs, etc) and since I have decided to study and learn Symbian C++ and S60 my time is not what I think I would need, things are getting worse.

My family doesn't let me check e-mails when on vacation, so I think they are really right :)

Oh my God, also thanks for having Hartti and the BBC writing about this important subject, it's changing my perception of some things!

Next-Generation Nokia Cell Phone Could Sport a Joystick

Is it just fluff or real project? Let's wait and see what will happen, but it seems to be great news for mobile gamers.

Next-Generation Nokia Cell Phone Could Sport a Joystick

ClickOnline

ClickOnline rocks!

Well, I am used to watch BBC and it's one of the main reasons I have contracted a full channel plan from our local TV operator. I like to read articles on http://news.bbc.co.uk/ as you may have noticed :). It helps me keep informed and also improves and keeps my English skills in good shape.

One of my favorite programs is ClickOnline, it's all about gadgets, new technologies and consumer stuff, I try to watch it whenever I can.

This week they talked about the so called "Web 2.0" including mobile phones and all, really cool!

Mobile networks powered by wind

Yes, I agree. Very cool initiative and technology indeed but please wake me up when producing beer with a similar solution, ok?

Ha, ha, ha, just kidding a little :)

Mobile networks powered by wind

Nokia 6131 NFC released!

Comments are not needed, I just can say: the Nokia 6131 NFC device implements JSR-257 out-of-the-box and it's a cool Series 40 3rd Edition FP 1 device.

Let's see if I can manage to get one for testing ;)

Mobiles still ringing in New Year

Oh my God, thanks a lot for letting me read this article.

I am so tired that during insane nights of work this week I thought of burning all my mobiles and going to live as a fisherman in Porto de Galinhas or the like, whatever, I don't know...

Well, I finished the application today (I hope so :) and now it's almost Christmas, but this article is an eye drop to my tired eyes. Great :)

The 12-key numeric keypad

Interesting article by ARCchart - Keypad makes way for control surfaces.

Sorry for this short post but I've read it quickly and maybe I will do so once again tomorrow (oops, today). I am swamped this week working too hard in a mobile application project - MTrack, a logistics application...

I blogged a lot last November but now I am really busy, Christmas is getting closer and I need to finish that baby...so let me rest a little now...

Microsoft Vista released for sale

Be ready, you will need new hardware to enjoy its full capabilities. So, I am now asking myself, how is Microsoft going to have it deployed in volumes? There's more to it than I can imagine...

Anyway, you will ask me: What the f...does it have to do with mobile stuff?

Well, I've heard that Windows Mobile 6 (a.k.a Crossbow) will have some features inherited from Vista, is it true??? Hope it will require fewer resources, though :)

Microsoft Vista released for sale

YouTube goes mobile

As I am a fan of YouTube and also a mobile software application developer, I just wanted to have it registered here.

YouTube moves to the small screen

The so-called 21st century network (21CN) - have you heard about it?

It's news for me as well, so let me just include a text excerpt...

"The so-called 21st century network (21CN) is being built in the UK using Internet Protocol technology. The massive upgrade, the first of its kind, will cost British Telecom £10bn and take until 2010 to complete."

Interested? Go read the article - First call on new phone network.

OFF-TOPIC - Smart homes a reality in South Korea (includes OSGi, though)

Home automation will grow in the coming years, so this article tells the status of it in South Korea.
I have some really cool ideas involving home automation and OSGi, so I think I need to start a new company, if you're a VC investor please contact me, ha, ha, ha. Just kidding (not sure in fact) but...

I know that OSGi (another technology for the future) is involved and Philips has some interesting implementations like the iPronto (not sure if still being marketed, though) product line. Worth checking anyway!

Smart homes a reality in South Korea

Mobiles hope to be 'smart wallet'

NFC again, so if you're interested go there and read the article. Just to mention some "smal" players involved, they are: Bouygues Telecom, China Mobile, Cingular Wireless, KPN, Mobilkom Austria, Orange, SFR, SK Telecom, Telefonica Móviles España, Telenor, TeliaSonera, TIM, Vodafone and 3. Do you need more? ;)

Mobiles hope to be 'smart wallet'

Monday's release of Java ME, known as Project Mobile and Embedded

Now it is official, Java ME is Open-Source!

Is it an evolution or will it mess everything and destroy the platform? Opinions may vary and abound...

Duke Open-sourced

Duke is now free as well, so visit his home :)

"On Nov. 13th 2006, Sun announced that Duke would become Free Graphics, just as the implementations of Java ME and SE became Free Software."

https://duke.dev.java.net/

More about Open-Source Java

It's a hype, even people who do not know exactly what Java is are talking about it.

Sun 'releases' Java to the world

The most interesting thing is that when I started developing Java applications one of my previous employers tried to persuade me that Java would not succeed, it would die as it seemed to be just that fancy Applets running within a web browser (the security-holed Internet Explorer). A Microsoft Solution Provider at that time with tons of VB coders, ones that use Visual Studio to drag and drop a component and think they are real software developers...poor guys.

Ha, ha, ha, it sounds like joke for me nowadays, I replied: "there are a dozen of companies using it so I will invest too". One of the smartert choices I've made in my career so far.

And now in 2006 I am one of the JUG Leaders (and founder) of MGJUG and believe me, I have received a message from one guy who works for that same company, and now they are using JEE there.

So let me summarize: Java will dominate the world as of today and all other technologies (including RoR, Microsoft .NotYET and C#, it's pronounced Sharope in Brazilian Portuguese) will die.

Luckily, I have a lot of Java certifications and I am working with the three Java platforms for a long time now, so I will not be affected by this invasion. Actually, the opposite :)

So, if you're lucky like me you can sleep in peace and wake up in the morning with your Java phone ringing around...mine with loots of cool JME apps on it.

So stay tuned the next time and think out of the box my dear ;)

Gee, I don't want to be so mean :)

LBS in Brazil

A cool article by Estadão, a major online newspaper in Brazil. Unfortunately it is in Brazilian Portuguese but worth posting here anyway...

Celular vira auxiliar digital do automóvel

Biometric systems - welcome to the future!

Biometric systems will become pervasive in the next 5 to 10 years I guessed, then I came across an interesting article by BBC News.

Worth checking if you don't know what those systems are, there's a very cool Guide to Biometric Technology on it. Let's see how that all will interplay with mobile devices, I can imagine some use cases and I must admit that I have expectations considering that...

Train firm to issue phone tickets

Yes, this is all about NFC - Near Field Communication.

The Helsinki, Finland scheme in this article is very interesting as now we Java ME developers have JSR-257 Final Release. So it's time to start looking at it, I can see a lot of killer solutions steeming from NFC. Great ;)

More on that soon.

Heavy mobile use 'damages sperm'

Gee!

Heavy mobile use 'damages sperm'

I have just a little daughter but I do plan to have more kids, so I think I need to discard all my 5 mobiles as of today...or maybe I can use a cool shielding solution, let's see...I will find a good solution, maybe I can use a SAR shield under my pants, is it going to work out?

And I thought it was all about brain damage...but the problem seems to be more complicated (deeper) than I had anticipated, ha, ha, ha :)

FireFox 2 is out!

FireFox is so amazing that even my wife is now using it, and she's not a techie! I cannot imagine working without FireFox as it helps me perform a lot of tasks: find a lot of resources I use during my daily activities as a software developer, use it for debugging web pages, RSS and a lot of other cool features I cannot mention in a single blog post, a real tool and not just another web browser.

So, if you're not using it yet, read the articles below and give it a try ;)

Firefox browser for web 2.0 age

What's New in Firefox 2

The Game On exhibition at the Science Museum in London

That exhibition is simply amazing, it makes me feel as playing my old Odyssey console back in the 80's, when I started getting interested in electronics and then computing. Then I bought an Atari 2600, a Sinclair Spectrum afterwards and started programming some simple games using BASIC and only 48KB of memory. Good times :)

Unfortunately I live in Brazil and I cannot afford to go there just to visit Game On, just nostalgia then...

From BBC's In Pictures section:

"The Game On exhibition at the Science Museum in London brings together more than 120 different videogames, spanning the entire history of gaming – from the first videogame, SpaceWar in 1962, to the Xbox 360.

"This is about the history and culture and development of computer gaming," said the exhibition's co-ordinator Gaetan Lee.

Visitors can play on classic arcade games such as Space Invaders, Donkey Kong and Centipede and chart the growth of games over the last 40 years."

Check it out:

In pictures: Game On at the Science Museum

Mobile Game Development - what's next?

An interesting article by Vishnu Sankar published at NewLC.com discusses innovations in Mobile Game Development. While it's superficial and doesn't get to the details of each trend, it's worth reading, so enjoy :)

Mobile Game Development In Future

Book Review - PRO Java ME MMAPI by Vikram Goyal

Well, as I had promised, here it goes.



Pro Java ME MMAPI: Mobile Media API for Java Micro Edition has amazed me. The book is unique as it covers and desmytifies one of the most fragmented and confuse Optional Packages for JME. I've read more than a dozen books about JME but this is the first book that has really cleared some doubts I had regarding Mobile Media in JME.

I strongly recommend this book if you are developing Multimedia Applications using JME.

Vikram Goyal has done an outstanding job by clarifying and detailing every aspect of MMAPI, discussing the way it has been specified, emphasizing the differences that may occur from one implementation to another and also providing clear, detailed and error free examples that illustrate the aspects being discussed. Also, the text is very well written and I've found only 3 typos. Very impressive! Apress is also doing a wonderful job.

Chapter 1 introduces MMAPI and presents its features and requirements as defined by the JCP - Java Community Process, compares MMAPI and the MIDP 2.0 Media subset, where it fits regarding the JME Software stack and at last it lists the manufactures and market players supporting MMAPI. Nice introduction!

Chapter 2 explains the MMAPI Architecture, the main high-level interfaces, delivers an introduction to the supported protocols and content types, presents the relevant feature sets and the security issues one must take into consideration. It also details the MIDP 2.0 Media subset so that one can understand what's left out on devices implementing it.

Chapter 3 introduces the reader to MMAPI hands-on programming by explaining two simple MIDlets. It also builds the foundation regarding the overall development process and environment.

Chapter 4 is unique, it details the Media Player lifecycle, its possible states and transitions. It explains each state very thoroughly as well as Player events and how to work with them, even the limitations and issues regarding custom events. I've never read a book covering MMAPI with such a detailed explanation.

Chapter 5 covers all the issues regarding the access of media over networks. It starts with a very clear explanation of Threads in JME as well as the security permissions for media acess over networks. Then it puts it all together in a very clear and easy to follow example.

Chapters 6 and 7 are the best ones in my opinion. Those two chapters do pay the book, definitely.Vikram has been brilliant and desmystified Synthetic Tones and the MIDI protocol. He has remembered me of my of childhood, when I've had musical theory classes as it explains everything music and shows you how that all fits into programming with MMAPI. Those chapters are so complete that they have a lot of tips on how to convert from RTTTL to MMAPI format, the MIDI specification and message format and how to work with MIDI in MMAPI, how to create JTS files and other niceties. Thanks Vikram :)

Chapter 8 explains how to work with Audio and Video, playback, capturing, storing, controlling, mixing, it's everything there. It also describes the details of Media Encodings and Sampled Audio as well as the GUI options for dealing with Video.

Chapter 9 has a very cool Device Blogging application that builds upon all the subjects presented so far and also gives a good example of MVC pattern in JME.

Well, the only criticism I have is regarding the section about Streaming Media and also the Appendix about the JSR 234 - Advanced Multimedia Supplements. Considering that Vikram has proved he's really a subject matter expert He could have provided better sections about them. In fact, He has already written an article about Streaming in JME and it's available on his web site (see below - so I forgive him) but AMMS is still to be covered. What about on the second edition of his book? Let's wait and see!

Experiments in Streaming Content in Java ME

A must have book, 5 stars, absolutely!

Wibree unveiled by Nokia Research Center

Nokia unveiled a new technology (and protocol) that's really impressive, Wibree, a short-range, wireless technology that is more energy-efficient than Bluetooth as per Nokia announcement.

It's being conducted by Nokia Research Center. The most interesting issue is that Nokia is partnering with some other companies and is planning to set Wibree as a standard.

Watches, health monitors, sport sensors and other "really constrained devices" are among the target devices for this new protocol. I bet it will be a success in the coming years mainly because it extends the reach of mobile solutions to a lot of other types of devices.

Check the links below for more details about Wibree.

Wibree

BBC Article - Wibree

NewLC Article - Wibree

Nokia Research Center

Java is Everywhere Video

Amazing Video! Can you notice it? Sun's Java technology is connecting everyone to everything - from the datacenter to the edge. Are you ready for what's next?

Java is Everywhere Video by Sun Microsystems

Mobile Phone Contactless Payments Gaining Traction

This article is a prove of what I am talking about for some time now, NFC is a very interesting technology.

Ok, I am an enthusiast of IMP (JSR-195), IMP-NG (JSR-228) and also NFC but it's good to see that the market for NFC is now evolving and getting out of its infancy.

Let's see what will happen in the coming years then.

Mobile Phone Contactless Payments Gaining Traction

In Java ME, we have the JSR 257: Contactless Communication API that's almost reaching the Final Release version, so keep you eyes opened!

Juarez Barbosa - Forum Nokia Champion!

Wohoooo! Now I am a Forum Nokia Champion!

After months of active participation in Forum Nokia Discussion Boards I have been selected as a member of that select group. I am very glad of being selected as one of the top developers worldwide. Just 100 developers nowadays in a community of more than two (2) million developers, and I am one of them ;)

Here's the Forum Nokia Champion Program announcement - Nokia announces creation of Forum Nokia Champion reward program in recognition of outstanding individual mobile applications developers.

Actually, back in March I had already been selected as the first ever Forum Nokia Poster Of the Month for my active and outstanding participation in the Discussion Boards ;)

I received two S60 3rd Edition devices (a.k.a Multimedia Computers) as awards for those nominations - one Nokia N93 and one Nokia 3250. Great!

I don't have words to express my gladness :) Forum Nokia is amazing, I have the chance to be in touch with brilliant people and it adds a lot to my career and knowledge.

In fact, I joined Forum Nokia to learn from more experienced people but it turned to be a very good experience to me mainly because I can also help less experienced buddies, great!

If you don't know Forum Nokia and the Forum Nokia Champion Program and is interested in learning more about them take a look at the links below.

Forum Nokia

Forum Nokia Champion

And of course, now Juarez Barbosa Jnr is there - Who is a Forum Nokia Champion?

Ha, ha. My family is proud of me :)

Sharing my knowledge and perception of technologies

Hello there,

This is Juarez Alvares Barbosa Junior and I am from Brazil.

As of today I will be blogging about the several fantastic technologies and tools I use in my job and career as a software developer.


I will start by reviewing a great book called PRO Java MMAPI by Vikram Goyal, which discusses the Java ME MMAPI - JSR-135 - Mobile Media API.



I am just finishing the overall evaluation and review for it and I will post it here soon, so stay tuned! :)

Juarez Junior