AOL Announces New Mobile Software Platform

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://corp.aol.com/press_releases/2008/02/aol-announces-new-open-mobile-software-platform' target='_blank'>http://corp.aol.com/press_releases/...ftware-platform</a><br /><br /></div><i>"DULLES, VA and BARCELONA – February 11, 2008 – AOL today announced the AOL Open Mobile Platform, which it plans to make available to developers this summer. The new open platform will help stimulate innovation by providing developers with ready access to the tools and source code they need to build and distribute applications across all major mobile device platforms and operating systems including BREW, Java, Linux, RIM, Symbian, and Windows Mobile. As a result, developers will be able to create applications for a wide variety of mobile devices."</i><br /><br />Great, another new platform! I've been waiting for this for so long because their are so few on the market! &lt;/sarcasm> Seriously, I thought Java was supposed to be the universal platform? And I've honestly never heard of BREW, which apparently been around since 2001 but is prohibitively expensive for hobbyists to use. Perhaps AOL has good intentions in this, but I wonder if it's just another "Everyone else has it, let's try it scheme".

[volwrath]

BREW is Verizon's Java

[SteveHoward999]

BREW is Verizon's Java

BREW development is more often C or C++
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BREW
Software for the BREW-enabled handsets can be developed in C or C++ using the freely downloadable BREW SDK. The SDK includes a BREW Emulator, or starting with BREW Version 3.0 and above, the BREW Simulator, which can be used for testing during the development process. Unlike the Java ME platform, where any developer can upload and execute software on any supported handset, BREW applications must be digitally signed.

I don't think BREW developemnt is actually limited to one development tool as such, becuase there is a Flash Lite player for BREW phones. The same restrictions apply to Flash Lite developers as other BREW developers, though.

BREW is Verizon's way of perpetuating its stranglehold and locking out hobbyist developers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verizon_Wireless
"Get It Now is Verizon Wireless's implementation of Qualcomm's BREW technology, allowing a user to download and use applications on a Verizon Wireless Get It Now-enabled phone. It is a proprietary interface to download ringtones, music, games, applications, and use instant messaging on a phone. Users usually are unable to load content on the Verizon Wireless phones outside of Get It Now system; this is done for financial reasons. Verizon Wireless has exclusivity agreements with its Get It Now content providers (this is a walled garden system). Sometimes cell phone enthusiasts do unauthorized modifications to their phones or use unauthorized software to make the phone accept non- Get It Now -originated content."

[kdarling]

Never heard of BREW? It was a big deal at its beginning. Consider that there was few other safe ways of doing highly interactive apps at the time:

http://www.mobiletechnews.com/info/2002/06/06/013545.html

Verizon has a catalog of apps. Check the Games and Tools sections:

http://products.vzw.com/index.aspx?id=fnd&amp;lid=//global//features+and+downloads

Apple's new iPhone SDK could end up very much like BREW, if they require $200 yearly certificates like OSX desktop apps can.

[altden2002]

Perhaps AOL has good intentions in this, but I wonder if it's just another "Everyone else has it, let's try it scheme".

You have missed the point - this is something that no one has.
What they propose is that you write your application in their XML-based language and they will compile it to run on top of Windows Mobile, Java, Blackberry, BREW etc.
Today you have to rewrite your application from scratch for each platform. With their toolset you can recompile and run it. I am sure a lot of debugging will be still required but this is better than having to rewrite the whole app.


Big thanks for posting this, BTW.

[heliod]

This is right, they are talking about a development platform for device, and not an OS.

And regarding BREW, everybody that has a Motorola RAZR or KRZR under a CDMA network is using BREW.