We recently got a chance to sit down with Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, who definitely ranks among the geekier and more sincere CEOs we've had the privilege to meet. We discussed the long-missing JavaFX Mobile platform Sun promised a while back, as well as Java on the iPhone, and doing battle with Microsoft as an open source software vendor. Read on!

Thanks so much for meeting with us.

Hey, you bet.

So I'm curious, what kind of phone do you carry?

As of yesterday, an iPhone.

Really? So you just got one?

Yesterday!

Well I guess that's as good as any place to start with as any. What's up with porting Java to the iPhone?

It's still going on.

So you guys are still working on it?

Absolutely, why would we not?

Why should smartphone and 3 Skypephone users have all the fun? Skype has finally released a client written for mobile Java, enabling the ubiquitous VoIP pipe to be used on a wide, wide variety of phones (Skype says they've tested it on about 50, but it's likely to work on far more than that). Though it's naturally scaled down a bit to fit in its tiny target footprint, the client still manages to pack in support for Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls, chat, group chat, and your buddy list -- pretty much everything you need to make it functional. If you're going to have a go at it, just make sure you're on a sufficiently generous data plan, k?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Turns out the data plan doesn't have to be that generous. Straight from Skype: "Tom has 20 Skype contacts and signs in twice a day for a total of 90 minutes. He IMs for about 25 minutes each day and makes 20 minutes of Skype calls. Tom would use just under 1 MB of data in one month." Thanks, everyone!

We're not sure what money there is to be made in the mobile browser game at this point -- especially with giants like Opera and Firefox throwing their hats fully into the ring -- but that's not really our problem, now, is it? TeaShark borrows the same basic concept as Opera Mini, offering full-fledged desktop style browsing while requiring nothing more than Java MIDP 2.0 support to get the job done. It also supports tabs, two levels of zoom, and an integrated RSS reader -- in other words, just about everything a modern mobile browser's gotta have to survive. If you give it a go, drop us a line and let us know what you think, k?

[Via Phone Scoop]

We're sure there have been some really great Java Micro Edition apps developed over the years, we just haven't been fortunate enough to find any that aren't a Bejeweled variant run into many of them. But that could very well change with the news that Sun is using that fancy new SDK to develop a Java Virtual Machine for the iPhone, which it expects to have ready "some time after June," and which will allow iPhone users access to the vast libraries of existing JME apps. We suppose the real conundrum now is which Java ME app we'll grab first: Harry Potter, or MapQuest Mobile. These choices, they overwhelm us.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Considering that we've already seen Sun parade its iPhone-like Java Mobile FX platform around, it's not too surprising to hear that Samsung and Sun Microsystems could be teaming up to "jointly develop a mobile phone to challenge Apple's iPhone." Furthermore, the two firms already have a history together, and according to Sun Chairman Scott McNealy, the duo could be working on "a Java phone that would surpass Apple's iPhone in functionality and cost less." Of course, Sun's spokespeople couldn't be reached for comment and Samsung's folks simply stated that "no decision had been made regarding co-development of the Java phone," so it looks like we'll be filing this away in the somewhat believable rumor cabinet for the time being.

[Via CNET]

On the same day that Palm names Wind River Systems as its preferred Linux provider, Motorola has gone and unveiled a new mobile Linux platform of its own. The "next-generation" MOTOMAGX package is supposed to "lay the foundation to deliver new levels of openness, flexibility, and support for third-party applications on Motorola mobile devices." Notably, Moto also stated that up to 60-percent of its handsets would be based on Linux "in the next few years," and announced that the MOTOROKR Z6 and RAZR2 V8 mobiles would be the first two based on the platform. Best of all, developers interested in creating applications for the MOTOMAGX platform using Java ME can get their hands dirty today by downloading the corresponding MOTODEV Studio, and be on the lookout for WebUI and "native Linux plug-ins" to be available to "select" individuals by the end of Q4.

Proving that a desirable feature is better delivered late than never, TiVo has finally gotten around to releasing its TiVo Mobile remote scheduling program for select Verizon phones -- over a year after we first caught wind of the Java-based app. No real surprises here: you use Get It Now to download the application, and for $1.99 a month you get access to your Series2 or Series3 box through that familiar interface, along with special recommendation lists, popular show charts, and the always-hot "premium entertainment content." Not a bad deal considering that we once thought this would cost five bones a month, but the catch is that only certain handsets are currently compatible, including the SCH-a950, VX8300, and of course, the beloved Chocolate. Sure you could do the whole dial-a-recording before with your Pocket PC phone and Orb plug-in -- and that even lets you stream the swag you've taped -- but the more people who take the TiVo-approved route, the sooner we can put the kibosh on that nasty TiVo Deathwatch.

[Thanks, Dave. Z.]

Now that the iPhone has moved from rumor limbo into the land of the living (at least we think so -- how many people have actually touched one?), we obviously need another mythical mobile to drool over and speculate about -- and the natural candidate is, of course, the so-called Google phone. While the big G has been making inroads on your handset with mobile versions of its search, email, and mapping software for some time, there has been growing speculation that the company is working on its own hardware -- speculation that only intensified when we published that pic of a supposed Google / Samsung collaboration called the Switch (pictured above, as a refresher). Well the latest juicy G-phone morsels to hit our plate come courtesy of Simeon Simeonov (no relation to the deceased Bulgarian soccer player, we think) and his HighContrast blog, whose always-reliable "inside source" broke down some of the anticipated specs. According to Simeonov's tipster, we can expect a "Blackberry-like, slick device" (QWERTY?) running Java on a C++ core with perhaps a Linux bootstrap. For graphics, Google is said to be leveraging the 2005 purchase of little known company name Skia that developed a 2D engine capable of rendering "state-of-the-art" images on low-power devices. Finally, Google is said to be offering carriers a deal wherein the search giant will sell and market the phone online, relying on the carriers for their networks only and subsequently driving down their costs. Combined with Google's tradition of offering almost everything for free, there's a good chance that you'll be able to pick up your G-phone for much less than your precious iPhone -- although lets hope the tradeoff isn't being forced to listen to ads every time we want to make damn call.

Have you been caught in a bind recently and you just couldn't come up with a quick lie? Sprint customers may rest easy as there is a new mobile application to do just that. It's called MobileFaker and there gives you the option to create pick-up lines, the ability to simulate an incoming call (think bad blind date), a rejection number, and even a fake breathalizer test. If anyone downloads what seems to be amusing application, drop us a line and let us know what you think of it.

[Via The Raw Feed]

In the aftermath of VK Mobile's implosion, it stands to reason that Helio might be on the lookout for new (slightly less bankrupt) hardware partners. Telecoms Korea is reporting that Samsung will be added to the mix -- something we've reported previously -- while Pantech will stay on board to follow up the Hero. All future handsets are said to be running XCE's Java-based platform, a move that makes sense considering Helio's mantra of a uniform user experience across all its devices. All this seems to play in nicely with the VK sourced Kickflip having now gone "out of stock" on Helio's website -- so if you want to get your hands on that white, spring-loaded, addictive pivotphone and you find one in-store, we might recommend you grab it while you still can.

It seems that one of the prerequisites to the survival of a mobile software platform is... well, hardware to match. Imagine that? Apart from an LG special and a self-branded testbed that was never meant for the general public's consumption, SavaJe has blown through an alleged $71 million in venture capital with very little success to show for it. Its Java-based operating system has won the hearts and minds of the developer community, but thanks perhaps to a glut of platforms infecting the featurephone and smartphone markets these days, SavaJe simply hasn't caught on en masse. The lack of success appears to be taking a toll on the Massachusetts-based company, which is said to be desperately seeking a cash infusion while asking its developers to take a little unpaid time off. Call us morbid, but we reckon we're going to go ahead and write up that obit now.

[Via MobHappy]

When we saw the mysterious SGH-i858 first appear courtesy of our pals at the FCC, we had nary a clue what platform the phone might be sitting atop. Since then, the GSM / EDGE slider has launched on China Mobile, and IBM Korea is ready to talk about their role in the project. It turns out the i858 rocks Linux -- not at all unusual for smartphones marketed in China -- but IBM tossed an embedded Java subsystem into the mix, which we can only hope will make for some wicked fast Spore play. They also hinted that the i858 is just the beginning of a broader collaboration between Samsung and IBM, suggesting more handsets packing IBM heat are in the pipeline.

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].

To call this new Jasper S20 from SavaJa much more than a Java phone would be doing it a disservice. It's basically a vehicle for introducing the SavaJe mobile Java platform to the world, with all sorts of developer functionality to allow for gaming, multimedia and other possibilities. As far as a phone goes, the S20 is a tri-band GSM unit, with a 2.2-inch 176 x 220 pixel screen, 1.3 megapixel camera, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 1.2, and miniSD expansion. There's only 4 hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby listed, and the phone is a bulky 0.8 inches thick, but if you're a Java developer or you just like dated tech running a relatively untested software platform, the Jasper S20 might be the phone for you.

The latest ambitious endeavor by Microsoft might have "monopoly" written all over it, but we have a feeling they wouldn't want it any other way. Microsoft's new Live Anywhere that they announced at today's E3 keynote takes their Xbox Live concept and extends it to the PC, Windows Mobile and even Java-enabled phones. Whether you're at your PC or rocking a mobile, you'll be able to track your gamer tag, message friends, purchase content for that device or set it to download to another device, and of course compare rankings with your buddies on various gaming titles. Halo isn't going to run so well on your RAZR, so for actual cross platform titles, Microsoft is sticking with XBLA-esque games that can translate easily to different platform, such as Bejeweled. There will, however, be major games that can be played on your Vista PC and Xbox 360. Microsoft is banking heavily on third party support for Live Anywhere, in the form of mobile friendly value-adds for 360 games, and just straight up phone-friendly casual titles. In order to get more support, they're claiming to approach this from a "platform agnostic" (hah!) angle, and after supporting the 360, Windows Vista and Windows Mobile, will move on to Java, S60 and possibly even Palm if they deem it worth their while. Microsoft obviously has the muscle to launch a service like this, and the features they demoed look quite entertaining and welcome, but we'll still be (pleasantly) surprised if they actually manage to pull it off. Keep on reading for screenshots and impressions.