For the love of Java, three companies with two handsets have come together.
Using Sun Microsystems’ Java software in Motorola Inc.’s phones over Nextel Communications Inc.’s networks, the three companies are targeting both white collar and blue collar users.
The particular wireless phones involved in the deal are Motorola’s i85s and i50sx, which the company is rolling out as the first in a generation of phones to be unveiled through the course of the year.
The chief executive officers of the three companies, Chris Galvin of Motorola Inc., Tim Donahue of Nextel Inc. and Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems came together for the announcement to explain the details of the deal.
Galvin traced the genesis of the alliance to a meeting he had with McNealy more than two years ago to bring together the solution.
All three executives consider the Java2 Platform, Micro Edition J2ME, a powerful solution that will provide the capabilities of a handheld computer, two-way radio, interactive pager and Internet-ready mobile phone in a single device.
With the Java-enabled phones, the executives said users could look forward to office e-mail, mobile messaging, fleet service and sales. They also said the developer community will be able download a variety of applications with a lot of flexibility.
Galvin said the idea is to create a whole new ecosystem for applications and to deploy J2ME technology.
“This is the beginning of wonderful services and a platform for developers to differentiate themselves,” he said.
McNealy sang Java’s praise, saying the deal reflected the universal appeal of the technology.