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. "

Pics

[jaavaaguru]

If Sun "debuted" it, where are all the good photos? We want to see it!

How does this compare to OpenMoko?

[quixote9]

The OpenMoko [openmoko.com] 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?

Re:j-phone, for Java, not i-Phone

[eneville]

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.

Apple hearts Java

[Gary W. Longsine]

Apple doesn't hate Java. WebObjects, a pure Java development framework made by Apple (fka "NeXT") is the foundation of the iTunes Music Store. Apple loves Java. LOVES IT I SAY!

As owner of 3 Macs, let me tell you something: Apple HATES Java, always hated and that is why we are stuck on Java 5 while the people using platform which tried to kill Java are enjoying Java 6 final release.

Re:more than a replacement

[Anonymous Coward]

There hasn't been a single java related system freeze on phones since they are coded exactly that way

I work as a J2ME developer. Do you realize how many phones have shitty JVMs? I've completely frozen phones from J2ME apps hundreds of times. The only really good J2ME JVM is Sony Ericsson's, and not the P990/M600 (they use symbian crap).