Orange and T-Mobile join Java testing programme

Orange and T-Mobile will next month begin using the Java Verified Programme for the testing and certification of Java applications for mobile handsets.

Launched in February, the programme now has updated test criteria and a streamlined website for easier navigation and submission of applications.

Developers whose applications successfully pass testing can participate in marketing and distribution initiatives offered by member companies.

Juan Dewar, senior director of product marketing for the consumer mobile systems group at Sun Microsystems, told vnunet.com that the benefits to operators include cheaper testing and branding of applications.

"The benefit for developers is that they can choose other platforms to work on," he said.

Sun claimed that mobile operators representing 65 per cent of the global market now support the programme, including Motorola, Nokia, Siemens and Sony Ericsson.

The vendor is also working with Orange on a new interface called Storefront, which is intended to make mobile services more useful and accessible and to help drive mobile commerce.

"Many companies agree that the [Java] user experience can be a bit cumbersome: the number of clicks for browser access, for instance," said Dewar.