Iphone versus...

Google and Yahoo wedding is on

Partnership for adverstisement. Can you imagine that?
Google is trying to convince that a partnership with Yahoo! for adversting (Google Ad Sense and Yahoo! Ads) -- won't bring any issue for the market.

Both together would get more about 90% of Ads market in the web!! It would be dangerous, not only bad!! In this point of view, Microsoft took their shots trying to acquire Yahoo (unsucessfuly) to beat Google -- which has more than 50% of this market.

Read more:
http://www.crn.com/software/210602487

Uma pitada de JustJava - Fragmentação

Fragmentação: o copo esta meio cheio, ou meio vazio?!

Minha primeira intenção com este tema era tentar atrair o público com este famoso dilema psicológico da visão otimisma ou pessimista. Alguns amigos me apoiaram rapidamente dizendo: "Do que diabos vc ta falando?!". Resolvi então publicar neste post uma breve descrição do que irei tratar no dia 12 de setembro as 14 horas no auditório 4. O localização exata esta no final deste post.

Fragmentação em dispositivos móveis é um problema para o desenvolvimento em massa de aplicações. Obviamente, durante a palestra o foco será em Java ME; mas este problema atinge praticamente todas as linguagens. Isso acontece em diferentes níveis:

- No nível de design, os dispositivos apresentam recursos que outros não tem: é a câmera, o touch screen, GPS ou ainda o sensor de movimento (acelerômetro); recrusos que não estão disponíveis em todos os aparelhos.

- No nível de implementação, este problema aparece quando os dispositivos não apresentam um conjunto de API's (Application Programming Interfaces) que permitem com que o desenvolvedor crie uma aplicação utilizando um recurso físico do aparelho. Um bom exemplo, é a MMAPI (Multimedia API) em Java. Ela permite acessar os recursos de som, video e imagem dos aparelhos. Mas o fabricante não é obrigado a implementar todas as API's, visto que um determinado aparelho pode não possuir a câmera, por exemplo. Porém, isto deixa uma abertura para que, inclusive aparelhos que possuam câmera, não disponibilizem determinados recursos da MMAPI.

Mas qual problema?
Java ME é a linguagem mais presente nos celulares. Cerca de 2 bilhoes de aparelhos possuem uma Java Virtual Machine. Quando alguem escolhe usar Java para desenvolver uma aplicação, esta pensando em atingir o maior número de devices possíveis, visto as limitações de design como tamanho de tela, recursos do aparelho, etc.
Devido a essas limitações, fica impossível assegurar que uma aplicação irá atingir todos os dispositivos, apesar de possuírem inclusive o design especificado. Você pode desenvolver uma app. para celulares que possuem câmera e Java. Porém pode não atingir todos estes dispositivos. Punk!?

Em 2006 estive no JavaOne onde a Sun fazia a promoção da MSA, de modo a solucionar o problema da fragmentação. Voltando um pouco em 2003, dizia-se que a fragmentação era problema do passado: tinha nascido a JTWI. E mais recentemente, no mês passado a Sun publicou um artigo sobre a futura MSA2.

Já vi bastante gente importante no mundo ME, chateada com isso como Vikram Goyal em um artigo sobre as diferenças entre as implementações; além de discussões calorosas sobre a possível morte do Java ME, o surgimento de uma implementação mais rica, próxima ao JSE para celulares já que os recursos dos dispositivos melhoraram bastante com relação ao tempo da especificação de MIDP, CLDC e CDC; há ainda os que prevêem o JavaFx.

Mas a dura realidade da fragmentação, torna-se bastante inspiradora sob o ponto de vista mercadológico. As aplicações que mais se destacam, não são voltadas para o uso de massas; e quando são, são desenvolvidas com suas particularidades.
Um primeiro exemplo é o Google Maps que disponibiliza diferentes versões para BlackBerry, Symbian e Java. Se um dispositivo possui GPS, ele acessa os recursos para melhor precisão; em outros casos, faz triangulação para dar a localização atual mais próxima.
Outro exemplo: o Yahoo! Go que também se adapta ao tipo de resolução de cada device.
E o caso iPhone? Onde todas as aplicações só funcionam no iPhone?! E esta sendo promovido através do iTunes.

Você pode estar pensando, ainda assim esta fragmentado. Ainda assim, o esforço de desenvolvimento não esta sendo reduzido. E você esta certo!

A fragmentação inclusive atinge até os diferentes modelos de negócio: O getJar fornece aplicações freeware, o handango uma espécie de iTunes; além de games e conteúdos distribuídos exclusivamente através de parceiros e operadoras. Tudo isto têm que estar linkado ao device do consumidor final.

Todos os dias novos devices são lançados em um mercado extremamente competitivo, onde o que irá ganhar o consumidor final chama-se: diferencial. Portanto, podemos pensar que a fragmentação não é um problema que precisa ser resolvido, pois ela não esta aí para ser resolvida; mas para ser uma vantagem competitiva. Adaptar-se a ela sim, é um problema que precisa ser discutido.

As aplicações para estes dispositivos precisam ser dinâmicas e se adaptar aos recursos nativos quase que instantâneamente em tempo de execução. No evento iremos ver que se trata de uma questão tecnológica e mercadológica; e que flecha já foi lançada nesta direção visto a evolução das lojas e dos ecossistemas de comercialização das aplicações; bem como o surgimento de novos padrões tecnológicos como é o caso dos Widgets e dos Widsets.



Quer saber mais?

Data: 12 de setembro (sexta-feira)
Horário: 14h00 às 15h00
Local: Auditório 4
No SENAC-SP (clique para ver o mapa).


Até lá! :-)

Fasten your seat belts: Android is comming

T-Mobile has recently annouced that will have a Android phone still this year.
Time to see what happens with this new player in mobile platform war!

From: Engadget Mobile

Is mobile fragmentation an issue or reality?

Funny! Couple weeks ago, I've asked Marcelo about Apple SDK in his blog. Seriously, fragmentation is a reality. We're always trying to avoid it, having a standard and trying to reduce the way of delivering and developing applications... But, is this the only way doing business here?

I'm convinced Java is a great development platform, but it will not surive in the "write once, run anywhere" way for so long. Don't get sad JME guys. I'm not thinking or even telling Java is going to die. It's a pretty mature platform, but it will co-exist. At least not for now.
I believe Android (funny picture aside!), iPhone SDK, Java, Symbian will co-exists as well. And seems like the only convergence point is (again?) the web: Webservices, widgets/wisets will definetely defines the new user experience to mobile-browsing in the internet, enhancing competition for services and content, not for delivery.

In my opinion, we're facing different scenarios:

• Platform based changes - where Google promisses launching it's own O.S - Android.
• End user experience - iPhone definetely re-invented this business.
  
• Internet services - Widgets and Widsets (more in forum.nokia.com) and
• Yahoo! Go (and next, Yahoo! Connect) experience.
  

So, developers might think to work in three kind of business:

• Specific device-target development (iPhone, N95, etc)
  

• General device development (Java dev.)
  

• Mobile internet services development (Widsets/Widgets dev.)
  

Can you think out of the box? Make your points!

Nothing is created, nothing is destroyed...

... everything is copied! (In a sweet way, by the way)


Check this: Samsung Instinct experience -- from Engadget
and video!

Open Contests

Good oportunities to earn some prizes such as N95 device, shirts and even money.

NAVTEQ LBS Challenge
Forum Nokia Wiki - Best Widgets/Widsets
NetBeans Bloggin Contest

Updated:
Forum Nokia Code Camp Competition

About my FNC experience

I'd began in Forum Nokia, since it was introduced by Janaina (Engineer from INdT). She told me that I could reach the best content for developers.

January, 2006

I got a message from Forum Nokia group in my Gmail inbox. As I usually do, I just pass through those topics, start reading something like: "Congratulations, you...". I had no doubt: it was a spam, (probably something related to Viagra, etc.). No doubt. I moved that message to trash and kept reading...

Then I stoped for a while and start thinking that, why should it comes from Forum Nokia? Spammers don't usually do that. I was working in a web component for a bank system. I start reading and I couldn't believe until check all that information: I was elected as Forum Nokia Champion -- and won a N90 device by the way (great!).

Lunch celebration and everything else that you can imagine. Like a child getting a new PS3 or Wii :-)

But the best of all was just in the beginning. FNC group invited us (Champions) to the first ever - Forum Nokia Champion Day, to be placed in San Francisco, CA. Awesome, I've never been in USA before, I was going to meet the other Champions, the management team, going to JavaOne, etc.

If you think everythink was easy, you're wrong. This is how it begans:

January 2005 - October 2005

I was a Java developer. A good developer in desktop but really getting more experienced in enterprise and mobile. Specially architecture, designing -- of course, love coding :)

My university has joined in a Nokia partnership with universities through the Nokia Technology Institute. My team Sinapse -- was invited and eligible to participate in this program.

I must admit, I'm in love about innovation. More than coding (or Wii). We had the freedom to choose what we wanted to develop, but of course, using nokia devices.

After many ideas, we chosed to develop something using the Bluetooth technology and our expertise in Java. In that time, I didn't realized that JSR-82 wasn't so available as we expected. Anyway, we created the AoW application. I was the responsible for communication between the devices -- in other words, to make it works through Bluetooth.

In that time, there was only ONE device from Nokia, whose implemented the JSR-82. It was the S60 1st edition Nokia 6600. Incredible bugs. Hard time to make L2CAP work on that. No easily firmwares updates available. Getting worst: there was another little problem. JSR-82 needs adaptation to desktop (since our budget allows to bought only 1 device) and USB adaptor. We tried, Avetana, Rococo, and finally we did it with Atinav.

After that, we presented the solution and it was recognized by INdT as a innovative solution. Also, I started helping people under discussion forums and exchanging experiences. In the same year, I did a presentation in a brazilian Java event called JustJava. It was a sucess for me and my colleagues.

It wasn't my first time in mobility. I've developing some midlets for our M2A solution in the medical area, and some simple games. It helps a lot when you get a complicated work, to have some expertise, saving time with trivial stuff like how midlet works, signing, jad and manifest, etc.

Experiences
Forum Nokia Champion program had many opportunities to developers get ahead in technologies: remote device testing, mosh pre-experience, access to early documentation, meetings, webinars, free pass, etc. Also, you can take the Symbian Certification for free, help managing the Wiki board (Ron's team), bloggin', getting more involved at all.

The best point to me was to meet people. I could be in touch with experts like Rosso, Tote, Alexander Traud, Juarez Barbosa, etc; guys really experienced in mobility.

About bad points: I've already gave them my feedback, but I really would like to say that it's not easy for a recent graduate guy, spend money to travel for different countries around the World, even with tickets covered. I had tickets for 3GSM, Nokia World and other events. But traveling expenses turn it impossible to make it :-(

I did started some Wiki, and tried to increase my participation in discussion boards, but I couldn't draw a line and make my time work for me and this period. I'd moved job from IBM to Ericsson, since my extension in this program -- 2007; I couldn't participate as much as I can (and as much a Champion needs to). To be a FNC, it requires not only expertise, but dedication and reserved time.

Now, I'm working at Ericsson (not the joint venture - Sony Ericsson please) and my main role is not with mobility. Not yet! But I'm always getting more involved working in IPTV and breaking the IMS and Mobile TV area. I've become more active in Sony Ericsson Developer world and in Knowledge Base at Ericsson (not public forum).

Maybe in the future I can be eligible again. I hope in the future I can enjoy a bit more the program, being available to travel and participate -- maybe in Forum Nokia, Sony Ericsson, or another great home for mobililty guys ;-)

How do I touch this?

Knowledge - how to touch this? Investors can say when they are holding their credit cards or even the money itself.
Last week google papers value in NASDAQ broke the $500 dollars boundary (not bad for a company whose has opened its papers for $85). But, did you ever touch in anything created by Google?
Submarino (Brazil) and Americanas.com jointed into a new company - a 8 billion company. But you cannot touch in anything from them, expect the sold products (whose are not produced by them). There's no factories, not a huge infrastructure - but a huge investment on T.I and accessibility.
It doesn't means that there will not be anymore factories in the world. It just means that the way the business is coming has changed. We need more than ever clothes, food, security and other services - but the way we get it, it's changing and will change much more.