Sun gears up to put Java in smart cards, TVs, outer space
Sun is looking beyond the desktop to find a home for Java. A “computer” no longer has to mean a big box on a desk; a computer can be a wristwatch or a small card you carry in your wallet, said Miko Matsumura, JavaSoft evangelist.
At last week’s JavaOne conference, JavaSoft announced several licensees that will develop Java chips for use in consumer products, including Rockwell Collins Inc. and LG Semicon. Toshiba Corp. and Sun will jointly develop a low-power version of the JavaChip processor. Schlumberger and Bull have licensed Java for use in smart cards, and WebTV Networks plans to use the operating system in its set-top boxes.
WebTV has since been acquired by Microsoft and plans to use Microsoft’s CE operating system, but says it remains committed to Java. It’s not yet clear whether the company will combine the two technologies in one product, said Phil Goldman, senior vice president of engineering for the Palo Alto-based company.
Sun also announced last week several versions of the Java APIs aimed specifically at small-profile devices, such as cellular phones and smart cards. Smart cards are already common in Europe, but are probably several years away in the United States, analysts said. If a smart card was enabled with Java, theoretically it could change functions whenever the user loaded it up with a new application. It could be used in place of an ATM to download money off a network, as a calling card, a credit card, or a network access card, among other things.
“We will do an electronic purse application,” said Henry Lipstein of Citibank. Java will make it possible to offer the highest functionality at the lowest cost, which is necessary to attract users, he said.
The vision is that Java-enabled devices will be able to exchange information with databases and applications running on existing servers and networks. At the JavaOne conference, Schlumberger of Moorsetown, N.J., demonstrated the ability to edit and compile a Java program, load it onto its Cyberflex smart card, and run the program on the card. The card is written to the Java Card API developed by Sun.
“We expect driver’s licenses to be smart cards in the future,” said Samir Mitra, director of strategic accounts for JavaSoft. “You could take a test on the DMV Web site, then load the card into a PCMCIA slot and get your license extended for five years. This is the next revolution that’s going to impact our daily lives like the radio, the PC, and the cellphone.”
Java also will be used in the Mars Pathfinder on July 4. The Jet Propulsion Laboratories of Pasadena, CA, has written a user interface in Java that controls the rover robot that will explore the surface of Mars. Java is already being used in a number of other scientific applications. For instance, the Nasa Goddard flight center is using a Java application to graphically display live telemetry data from the Hubble telescope.
Scientists at UC Berkeley are using Java to centralize and disseminate worldwide research on fruitfly genes. Any scientist can update an SQL database resident on a Berkeley server using a Java-enabled browser. Scientists can search the database, find restrictions and enzyme cutting sites, and visualize information in 3D.
The Port of Singapore is making it possible for customers to track and change orders over the Internet using a Java applet. They are looking into using Java on handheld computers to update shipping information in the field, Matsumura said.
Sun also announced last week that it has signed an agreement with MetaWare Inc. of Santa Cruz, CA, to port MetaWare’s High C/C++ Embedded Toolset to support Sun’s picoJava core. Thompson Sun Interactive plans to port its OpenTV operating system to run on Java processors. OpenTV runs on digital set-top devices.
