Related to some of my previous presentations which included sections on Java ME’s Mobile 3D Graphics (M3G) and Java SE’s Java 3D API:
IBM devWorks is publishing a series of articles by Claus Höfele on “3D graphics for Java mobile devices“. Part 1 is on M3G‘s immediate mode (you provide instructions to the graphics engine and they are carried out and the results rendered immediately). If you’re interested in a standard API for fast 3D graphics on a wide range of mobile phones and handhelds, check out Claus’ article.
Expect a future installment on M3G’s retained mode (enables you to use scene graphs to build up content, carry out transformations, etc. before rendering at a later time).
As they note in the story:
The transmitters—which weigh 0.01 ounce (0.3 gram) and are about 0.4 inch (1 centimeter) long—are glued to the insects’ undersides. A single wire antenna runs the length of the abdomen, and a tiny battery powers the device for up to a week.
That’s one tiny tag! I’m going to have to Google this and see if I can turn up more about the tech being used. It makes me wonder how far we are from tiny dragonfly migration tracking video cams…
Sure, we all knew it was coming. But it still rocks, no?
Watch the announcement, tour the features and read the specs, then sit back and imagine what will happen if iPod and iTunes do for video distribution what they did for music.
Gentlepeople, start your encoders!
The love child of Nokia’s cozying up to Eclipse and its purchase of Metrowerks’ Symbian tools and team has been born:
Nokia has introduced a new family of Symbian C++ development tools christened “Carbide.c++”.
It interesting to note that Carbide.c++ tools support not only Nokia’s Series 60 and Series 80, but also UIQ favored by Sony Ericsson in devices such as its new P990 smartphone. Time and hands-on experience with Carbide will tell how useful Nokia’s tools really are for targeting SE devices!
Details on each of the three members of the Carbide.c++ family (Express, Developer, and Professional) are available from Forum Nokia’s Carbide homepage. Specifics on the free Express product are available from the Carbide.c++ Express datasheet.
C. Enrique Ortiz notes that the JSR-271 expert group is asking developers to take an online survey to help them best craft the UI features specified in the upcoming MIDP 3.
Get the latest status on JSR-271 and click here to take the MIDP 3 UI survey.
Given the number of click-throughs I’m seeing in my Google AdSense reports, context specific ads seem to be useful for many site visitors.
To that end, I’ve decided to also offer Google link units at the bottom of each blog post including the first post on my homepage. These link units allow you to pull up a list of ads for one of several topics related to the content of the particular blog entry.
I’m watching to see if link units are also the subjects of click-through love and will decide whether to keep them after a few weeks have elapsed.
Love ’em or hate ’em, let me know what you think.
Following up on my post “Symbian Signed for open source apps” yesterday:
Forum Nokia has posted “Freeware Opportunities for Series 60 and Series 80 Developers” detailing how to request free Symbian Signed testing.
Which software qualifies? The document notes:
The only requirement is that the application submitted conform to the program’s definition of freeware as “software that is distributed at no charge to the user, and from which the developer derives no form of direct revenue for the software being used.” The program allows honorware (“if you like this, feel free to contribute”) as long as there is no restriction on users should they choose not to contribute. The program explicitly excludes applications that provide a limited feature set of a commercial product (crippleware) and applications that provide revenue to the developer through the delivery of messages to users (adware).
Seems reasonable to me. The document also clarifies that the program will be administered by Symbian and paid for by Symbian and its licensees, including Nokia (the report from yesterday only mentioned Nokia picking up the tab).
Learn more by downloading and reading the PDF here.
All About Symbian reports that Nokia is going to pay for all Series 60 and 80 freeware developers to have their apps Symbian Signed. If true this will finally allow open source to play nicely with newer Symbian-based phones.
Lack of a free path to get open source Symbian Signed has been a major stumbling block for potential Symbian developers, IMO. There are enough obstacles for future Symbian success without developers tripping up over this one. Good on ya Nokia for trouncing this problem before it got out of hand.
Watch BillDay.com for an update with details once they’re posted to Forum Nokia.
A not-so-secret secret about theoretical SMS and network security has surfaced lately and demands a response.
As Bruce Schneier reports, several researchers have published a paper showing that one can theorectically deny cellular voice service over a network using a relatively small scale SMS-based DoS attack. The researchers estimate 165 SMS messages per second could disrupt voice service on a targeted network throughout Manhattan. In theory, this throughput level is something one broadband connected computer might accomplish.
The problem with the theory, however, is that it doesn’t take into account the realities of the GSM network side of the equation.
In practice, carrier infrastructure and policies actually render this theoretical attack just that, theoretical.
Nice try, guys, but no dice.
BillDay.com 