Java ME CDC
There’s a new Eclipse plugin for Sony Ericsson UIQ Java ME CDC . This is significant as development could only previously be performed using (expensive) IBM tools. So what is Java ME CDC? It’s not J2ME as most mobile developers know it… yet strictly speaking it is J2ME but another flavour….
The naming of JAVA on mobiles can be rather confusing. As the Sony Ericsson Special Interest Paper - Getting started with Java ME CDC development document explains, Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) is now called Java Micro Edition (Java ME). Java ME supports two configurations, the Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) commonly found on most phones and Connected Device Configuration (CDC) which provides a much less restricted environment more like Java SE. Java ME CDC itself has two different profiles - Foundation Profile and Personal Profile. The latter is of more interest to mobile application developers as it supports the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT) for the developing a UI.
In terms of Sony Ericsson UIQ 3.0 development, Java ME CDC can be viewed as the natural evolution of PersonalJAVA that was available on the P800/P900/P910. However, how it manifests itself on the device is very different. It’s also very different to J2ME CLDC.
When you distribute your Java ME CDC application you do so in a .SIS file together with a Symbian launcher application. The launcher starts up the JAVA VM with your Java ME application. The launcher application is much like any other Symbian C++ application and must pre-declare capabilities according to the new Symbian platform security model. This means that JAVA ME CDC applications that access sensitive APIs will have to be Symbian Signed.
JAVA ME CDC on Sony Ericsson UIQ 3.0 is actually very powerful. It includes a Java Native Interface (JNI) to allow it to call into existing (or additional) Symbian DLLs.