Bluetooth Everywhere

Boy, it really feels good to be right. So, if you can recall from last week, I told you all that I was going to the M3DD conference. This conference not only met my expectations, but has completely exceeded them! This is definitely a conference that I need to go to every year! Below is a picture of one of the presenters in action at the conference:

So, as you may also recall from last week, it was announced that there was a mystery give-away device that would be awarded at the conference. The *only* clue that they provided was that it was a phone. I not only guessed the manufacturer of the phone, Sony Ericsson, but I also guessed the exact model of the phone, the C905! Isn’t that cool? Now, of course, I’m not an employee of Sun Microsystems, and I had as much information as everyone else did prior to the conference. So how could I have known that the mystery device was exactly going to be a Sony Ericsson C905? Do I have a crystal ball? Can I guess lottery numbers, too?

No.

But here’s the clues that I pieced together. First of all, the number #1 sponsor of the event was Sony Ericsson, so they should have obviously have come up with the give-away device. Secondly, Sony Ericsson is pushing their new Java ME/Flash Lite integration technology, Capuchin, so it would make sense to give away the first phone in the world that would support Capuchin technology, the C905. And if I’m correct, you’ll also see these phones at JavaOne because Capuchin technology is a direct competitor to Java FX Mobile, so Sony Ericsson will probably want to get these devices into the hands of developers ASAP before Java FX Mobile is takes root.

So, as I said before, I was right!

So, as you already know, alot of the mobile and embedded developers will be at the M3DD conference this week in San Jose, CA. Well, it was announced on the Java Mobility podcast that there will be a special device give-away at the conference. Any guesses on who the provider is and what that device will be? So, let’s see how good my intuition is…

#1. I think that the provider of the give-away will be Sony Ericsson, and
#2. I think that the device will be the C905 phone with Capuchin technology

Stay tuned next week (or come to the conference) to see if I was right!  :-)

Ok don’t laugh, but I kinda did something stupid. I got excited about the new simple pairing feature in Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, so I rushed out and got one of the first Bluetooth dongles that supported the new spec. I couldn’t wait to receive it. After I opened the package, I realized something. I just got the equivalent of (1) walkie-talkie. The main reason why I got the new dongle was to test out the new simple pairing feature, which would mean that I would (of course) need another Bluetooth device that supported the 2.1 spec.

So, I’ve been on a quest to find a really cool device that supports the 2.1 +EDR spec. So, have you guessed it yet? What’s going to be the first mobile device in 2009 to support Bluetooth 2.1? Is it…

• Apple iPhone? No.
• Blackberry Storm? No.
•  Nokia N97? No.
• Sony Ericsson C905? No.

Its the Palm Pre:

Now before I sing the praises of this device, can I remind us all of a little history? Over 13 years ago, the cellphone market was not the growth sector as it is today, and the mobile and handheld market was really all about PDAs. Toshiba and Sharp introduced one of the first official PDAs in the market, and then Apple stole the show with their PDA, the Apple Newton. All the PDAs on the market had similar capabilities (notetaking, appointment book, calculator, etc) but Apple’s claim-to-fame was the fact that it the best handwriting recognition available. The Netwton became an instant success and completely dominated the market. Unfortunately, Apple didn’t listen to the developer community who wanted better access to the APIs of the system. Apple also ignored the consumers who wanted a smaller form factor and nearly flawless character recognition. So what happened?

A newcomer arose out of nowhere in the PDA market named Palm (at that time it was US Robitics) and introduced a PDA that could comfortably fit in your pocket and could recognize characters 2x faster and more efficient than the big-bad-Newton. Palm also introduced a better synchronization technology that synchronized your desktop and PDA 10-20x faster than anybody else, including Apple. Developers flocked to the Palm platform because it was more open compared to the Newton APIs (even though Palm had the uphill battle of being the new-guy-with-the-new-API).  In a matter of years, Palm became the #1 PDA, and Apple could never catch up because they refused to change.

So what’s the point of all this mobile computing history? I said all this because I think we’re about to see it happen all over again. I like Apple’s products, but as a developer, it can be very frustrating to work with them, especially for the iPhone. The Bluetooth APIs are very restrictive (boo!) and why can’t we do any tethering, Bluetooth or otherwise?. Did you know that you have to own an Apple computer to write code for the iPhone? Consumers want tactile feedback in order to type quickly, but Apple will *never* make a keyboard for the iPhone because they’re too arrogant about their design. Is it too much to ask to get a user replaceable battery?

Now of course, every new smart phone on the market will have the standard touch screen, accelerometer sensor, large display, and GPS chip. The Palm Pre adds the following features, that set it apart from the other contenders:

• Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR (now I have a device to do simple-paring with!)
• Bluetooth tethering (very nice - I have no idea why Apple and RIM refuse to support it)
• A real keyboard (so people can type faster)
• A user replaceable battery
• Wireless power charging!

So, needless to say, I’m excited about this device. I’m anticipating information on the Bluetooth API support (of course).

Ok, so let me start from the beginning. I have an upcoming article this year on java.sun.com on how to use the Sun Java ME SDK 3.0. This SDK is a revolutionary tool since it allows you (the developer) to create all types of Java ME applications including MIDP, CDC, and Blu-ray applications.  One of the coolest features is the on-device debugging feature, which is awesome, but requires a device with Windows Mobile 6 OS.  So, I decided to get one of the best Windows Mobile 6 devices available, which is the HTC Touch Diamond:

This device is no iPhone. Have you noticed that the iPhone doesn’t have a manual? That’s because it’s very intuitive on how to use it. Well, the HTC Touch Diamond not very intuitive at all, and I used to hate it — that is, until today.  Today I found out that the Sprint Titan platform supports Windows Mobile 6, and the platform is free for certain devices, most notably HTC devices. So what exactly is the Sprint Titan platform?

• A single platform that combines CDLC and CDC JVMs
• Support for MIDP and LDCUI
• Support for OSGi and JSR-232 with eRCP
• Support for eSWT GUI application

Are you drooling yet? Below is an image of the Sprint Titan software stack: