According to Clement Teo, nearly three-quarters of the market in handsets is not enough for Alan Brenner, VP for Consumer and Mobile Systems Group at Sun Microsystems. Brenner would like even more market share, Teo writes in teledotcom, and the Sun VP is attacking the issue from the standpoint of interconnection strategy. Part of Sun's response is Project Orion, which Brenner describes as "...an initiative to provide integrated mobile software stacks, including the OS and middleware section." JavaTM Enterprise System is the new name for Project Orion.

Sun is also promoting data adoption, according to Brenner, and has begun to pave the way by such initiatives as setting up JavaTM technology portals for developers, OEMs and related Web sites for content and carrier engagements.

In Teo's analysis, by adhering to open standards "...device manufacturers can roll out portable, standardized, and open devices; carriers can use the applications developer to develop improved interaction for users; and the Java platform provides that interaction -- given its ability to personalize and provision content."

"We [also] have to combine mobility with security, e.g. on UnixR/Linux platforms in controlled environments," Brenner adds, which will allow users to perform high-value transactions on mobile devices, ideally with a SIM card. What Brenner wants to see is "mobility and security...tightly entwined. If we can do these things, we're going to grow the usefulness of data services."

The so-called "upgradable phone" is also of interest to Brenner. In the 3G era he says, "By offering software upgradable phones, you're convincing users that purchasing the cell phone is an excellent value proposition. You're giving people a reason to buy."

An even bigger challenge, however, is monetizing content. Here, Brenner says, Sun needs "... to do a better job of enabling carriers to monetize content more quickly, and developers need to get to monetizable content more quickly." He wants to see content download and management unified, which would make the launch of new services easier for carriers. He also referred to Sun's targeted programs for carriers, e.g. a Sun-hosted solution where they can acquire software and content downloads from a single location. "We're working on that right now for next year," says Brenner. [...read more...]

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