Sun is again trumpeting Java from the top of its lungs -- and we're not talking about speweing coffee here here -- showing off what appeared to be flashy new cellphone software at the JavaOne conference this week. Not big news there, except that the Sun software apparently looked eerily like the Apple iPhone's software; in fact, the platform Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz showed off is already being dubbed "jPhone" based on the striking resemblance to Apple's goods. The actual product name is Java Mobile FX and it's based on code from SavaJe, a Java-centric mobile OS company Sun just completed acquiring last week. The required specs to run Java Mobile FX aren't too slouchy: 32 megabytes of RAM and a 200 megahertz ARM processor are in the spec, so forget those entry-level Nokia and Sammy handsets. Even Sun Chairman Scott McNealy alluded to the copying of Apple's modus operandi by wearing a black t-shirt (ala black turtleneck territory from Steve Jobs) and saying "we have our own shirtsleeve version of Steve Jobs announcing a phone." Har har.

An announcement made this week states that Sun Microsystems will be purchasing SavaJe Technologies' intellectual property assets. While we haven't really been witness to much action on the SavaJe front, we can see why Sun would like to acquire the company's Java-heavy technology. Of course, SavaJe intended to provide a more complete experience than Sun's own J2ME ever intended to, even going as far as a physical handset release to demo the platform's capabilities. Alas, the company struggled mightily and this acquisition by Sun makes sense to all parties, we suspect. Details of the transaction -- and what it means for both organizations' efforts -- will be released at the JavaOne Conference in May.

[Via Phone Scoop]

In an exciting development for Java-enabled cellphone owners, and a bit of an embarrassing reminder of the Palm operating system's major limitation, Sun and Samsung have just announced a new platform that will allow regular handsets to multi-task certain applications. Called Multi-tasking VM Ware, or MVM, the new platform is built on the standard Java API, which will let existing Java applications run simultaneously even on non-smartphone models. Although we don't know when this technology will hit the market, considering that the lack of multi-tasking is one of the biggest drawbacks of most phones, it should prove to be a popular feature once available. [Note: subscription required for "Read" link].