Java
continues to be one of mobile Japan's little-told success stories. We
drop by a local carrier to find out who's using Java, how "applis"
are loaded onto the portal, and how "desktop" applications
function. We
also get a live demo of downloading and running Java games. There's
an ecosystem brewing here, and the aroma is pure success. And if Java
can take off on 28.8 Kbps on 2G, just think of what can happen on 3G!
Wireless
marketing heads elsewhere: Pay Attention!
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One of the major
factors behind Java's success in Japan (DoCoMo alone
has some 15 million users) is the fact that carriers take the lead in
establishing, fostering, and maintaining a complex Java "ecosystem"
(however paternalistic that may be) comprising network engineering
staff; Web portal staff; marketing, sales, and PR staff; handset
manufacturers; 3rd party content, application, and service developers;
and -- last -- Java users.
Speaking in February
this year, NTT DoCoMo's Takeshi Natsuno (i-mode's
chief strategist) compared i-mode services, including DoCoMo's i-Appli
Java service, to an "ecosystem," stating:
The success of i-mode
would not have happened if any oneof us -- DoCoMo,content providers,
mobile phone manufacturers -- did not exist.
Natsuno added that,
by maintaining the balance of this ecosystem, each
company can benefit in the spiral of this "value chain." Natsuno
also
said that when DoCoMo goes global, "We have no intention of marketing
i-mode as a technology -- we hope to keep the successful value chain
model."
Clearly, the carriers
are the significant players in the mobile Java
space, so we decided it was high time to drop by one of them and poke
and probe their Java spawn. In this week's program, we speak with
Fusashi Asami, supervisor in J-Phone's J-Sky promotion department, and
an all-round knowledgeable guy when it comes to their "Java-Appli"
service. Asami-san talks about how developers get their Java application
approved by J-Phone and uploaded onto the carrier's portal, who Java
users are, what kind of content is booming, and -- perhaps most
importantly -- what's coming in the future. He also offers a firm boost
to Java's move overseas, and believes that Java can be deployed in any
market, not just Japan.
Asami-san also mentions
"desktop applications." These are new in Japan,
and are based on the newer handsets' ability (DoCoMo: 504i-series;
J-Phone: 51-series; KDDI: C3000/5000-series) to allow the user to select
one (and only one) Java appli to be used as the default desktop appli
--
which then runs all the time -- even when the phone is closed or the
owner is busy surfing the Web or sending mail to buddies.
