While most developers working on applications for mobile phones have been concentrating on server-based software using SMS, handsets such as the Nokia 9210 (and the equivalent US model due in the first half of 2002, the 9290) can run programs internally.
This presents a global opportunity for developers, since the same code will run in handsets sold in Europe, Asia and the US, he explained. The downside is that developers in Europe and Asia Pacific will face competition from their US counterparts.
To simplify things for developers, Nokia is specifying four sets of standards and Rothschild said the company expects 99 percent of its phones will follow these patterns.
The -cost driven platform" provides a 96 by 65 pixel display with support for MMS (multimedia messaging system, a -natural evolution" of SMS for sending digital photos, etc), WAP and XHTML, and Java with the MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile) API.
The -size driven colour platform" offers a 128 by 128 colour display with the same software support as its low-end sibling. Moving up to the -one hand operated feature platform," the screen grows to 176 by 208 pixels and the Symbian OS.
Finally, the high end -two hand operated feature platform" provides a 640 by 200 display and adds a Web browser.
An important part of MIDP is that it includes a mechanism for over the air software downloads. The willingness of many mobile phone users to buy downloaded ring tones and logos suggests they may also buy downloaded software that adds to their phones' native capabilities.
Mobile phones are -a very viable market for developers," said Nokia's Susanne Stenberg, though she cautioned that the high proportion of young customers means the market requires agility: demand for a particular application can ramp up quickly and drop off just as suddenly.
Bring 'em on! Hopefully the australian telcos will get OTA up and running sooner rather than later.