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Today's mobile phones put the basic functionality of the Internet into the hands of users. And as online gaming continues to rise in popularity, the challenge of bringing it to Java technology-enabled handsets is taking center stage. 
In the late 1990s, the average mobile phone offered few features other than the ability to store names, numbers, and call histories—it was simply a device for making and receiving calls on the run. What a difference a few years can make: Today's mobile devices—they're no longer just phones—are multipurpose networking tools that, in addition to voice services, deliver information and entertainment to consumers in real time. In the last 12 months, mobile devices have become increasingly powerful and desirable, with color screens, offline operation, and even integrated cameras that allow "see what I see" interactions with friends and family. An estimated 100 million mobile devices are shipped each year, far exceeding shipments of laptop computers. With this kind of volume for what are essentially miniature mobile computers, and with the increasing popularity of online gaming, game developers are beginning to build sophisticated games that players can carry along anywhere to play on their own, with server-based competitors, or in networked communities. Capturing the mobile market opportunity hasn't been easy, though, primarily because there are so many different devices and networks—even a simple sound or beep might not translate from one device to the next. Developers have focused on creating games for specific devices supported by specific operators and networks rather than taking on the laborious task of adapting games for every type of device. As a result, a particular game may be available only to a small percentage of mobile device users. Problem and Solution Lars Brenk, of TTPCom Limited, is the chairman of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Games Services Working Group. The mission of the OMA is to expand the market for the entire mobile industry by removing the barriers to global user adoption and ensuring seamless application interoperability, while allowing businesses to compete through innovation and differentiation. Brenk talks about the difficulties TTPCom has faced in applying and propagating its Wireless Graphics Engine without a standardized platform for mobile gaming: "When we created the engine, we tried to look for standards to make it as streamlined as possible, so as many people as possible would be able to use it, but these standards didn't exist," Brenk says. "There was no standardization in the downloading and in the interaction between different handsets being used by participating players." Clearly, a solution was needed. Enter Java technology. Upwards of 100 million handsets using Java technology have already been shipped worldwide by major carriers representing all the main wireless network systems. These carriers currently offer more than 35 deployments of mobile services based on Java technology in Asia, Europe, and the United States, with more than two dozen additional deployments planned or in trials. These deployments feature Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 1.0, an operating environment for mobile handsets that provides graphics, a standard run-time environment, and a security model to protect the device and the network from viruses. This gets gamers started, and gaming is already boosting operator revenue worldwide, bringing in $1 to $8 per download. The picture is getting even better. The MIDP 2.0 standard was introduced by Sun in December 2002. Developed by more than 50 wireless industry leaders worldwide, MIDP 2.0 supports new and enhanced gaming, graphics, video, audio, security, and other features for mobile devices, including phones and personal digital assistants. More than 20 manufacturers are building the MIDP 2.0 reference implementation into handsets that will be available late this year. MIDP 2.0 allows service providers and manufacturers to quickly and cost-effectively deliver increased functionality, more robust applications, and a better user experience with mobile devices using Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME). MIDP 2.0 provides the foundation for highly graphical and intuitive mobile applications and brings with it many new features. These include Game API, which takes advantage of native device graphics capabilities to simplify development and give greater control over graphics and performance, providing a standard foundation for building rich games. Applications that can leverage the new features include multiplayer arcade games and a karaoke game that streams audio files over a wireless network. Developers Onboard In preparation for the arrival of MIDP 2.0 devices, Sun has just made available the production release of the J2ME Wireless Toolkit 2.0 (J2ME WTK 2.0), the first MIDP 2.0 device-emulation environment on the market. J2ME WTK 2.0 enables developers to start mastering the new functionality of and developing applications for MIDP 2.0 immediately. This will help bootstrap the market by making applications and services available even before MIDP 2.0 devices hit the market. In fact, the applications may drive demand for the new devices. In addition to MIDP 2.0, the new toolkit supports two standard extension APIs—the Wireless Messaging API and the Mobile Media API, both products of Java Community Process (JCP) services. The new toolkit can be integrated into Java integrated development environments (IDEs) from major tool vendors such as Sun's Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) Studio, Mobile Edition; Borland's JBuilder with MobileSet; and Metrowerks' CodeWarrior Wireless Studio. These are tools that developers are already more than familiar with, and they can easily code, test, debug, and fine-tune their applications with the help of the J2ME WTK 2.0—all in a single integrated environment. As device manufacturers make their own MIDP 2.0 device emulators available, they'll be able to easily integrate their tools with the Java IDEs as well. According to Gerardo Dada, senior marketing manager for Metrowerks' managed developer programs, "Developers finally have all of the pieces of the puzzle in place for doing solid business in the wireless gaming industry. This new platform will take the technology to a whole new level. The gaming experience Java technology provides is favorable to any gaming environment." Pondering the role of Java technology in wireless handset advancements, Dada notes that the possibilities for MIDP 2.0 and mobile gaming are nearly limitless. "Sun is dictating a standard that will be in use for hundreds of millions of wireless devices," he says. It's a standard that will broaden developers' horizons as mobile
gaming continues its rise. |
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