MobUser

Sorry for “going dark” these last few days. We have been working to finalize the feature list for the Mojax 1.0 Release. We are down to about 38 known issues and have recently brought on additional resources to help us with device testing.

Over the next four weeks I will be posting updates on our progress and device coverage. By the end of that time we should begin to have a good understanding of when we will be able to launch Mojax.

Mojax will be initially launched as a public beta that will be hosted by us and will continue to be free to use. I suspect we will keep the product in public beta until the Windows Mobile and BREW ports are finalized.

… which brings me to the next update … Craig has been able to get an alpha version of Mojax running natively on .Net CF devices. Performance is pretty good. There are only some small issues to resolve, but progress is excellent and I expect we will be providing access to a Windows Mobile version of Mojax within the next month and a half.

That’s all for now … have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Technorati Tags: Business, mFoundry, mobile, moblet, mojax

John Muchow, author of Core J2ME and blogger recently interviewed me about Mojax and mFoundry. We explored how Mojax came to be, the origins of mFoundry, and a myriad of personal factoids that were fun to compile.

I was originally drawn to mobile because it was a highly personalize experience that, with the right software, could greatly impact our daily lifestyle and the way we interact with the world. But the promise is still far from a reality … Device browsers are deficient, devices are inconsistent, standards are rarely observed, performance is unpredictable, operators discourage innovation, application development is cumbersome, SMS is expensive … DOING ANYTHING FOR MOBILE IS FRUSTRATING, DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE … after three years of dealing with all these challenges; I can tell you that I am am ready to do something about it. It is time for a technology that doesn’t add to the problem but instead starts to make a difference. I want Mojax to be that difference.

To that end I make the following promises …

Mojax Will Be Free to Use
Some of the most innovative ideas will come from individual engineers and small companies that cannot afford another technology investment. We will never charge for the use of Mojax. Instead we will provide value added services around Mojax … all of which will be entirely optional.

Mojax Will Be Pervasive
Mojax will run on all mobile device platforms. Before the end of this year you will already see support for J2ME, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, BREW, and WIPI; with support for a Native Symbian and Palm runtime sometime next year. You will never have to know *ANYTHING* about individual devices, you will never have to “port” your application or test on every device you want to run on … its the closest thing to “write once, run everywhere” you will likely ever get.

Mojax Will Download OTA
The Mojax runtimes are extremely small and are designed to be downloaded “Over the Air” (OTA). These runtimes will not need to be pre-installed by Operators or Device Manufacturers.

Mojax Will Always Be About the Mobile Device
I have no desire to see Mojax running on set-top boxes, toasters, desktops, or any appliance for that matter that is not a mobile device. Mojax will be highly specialize for mobile devices and will always strive to expose all aspects and features of the mobile device to the moblet developer.

Mojax Applications Will Be Easy to Develop
No one has the time to learn yet another development language and methodology. Mojax will leverage all the standards and concepts that have become standard in the Web development world (e.g. Javascript, CSS, XML, XPath).

Mojax Applications Will Be Easy to Deploy
If you have a Web Server, you will have everything you need to deploy a Mojax application.

Mojax Will Be Extensible by 3rd Parties
Mojax was built from the ground up to support plugins (or components as we call them). This extensibility will be available to more advanced developers that want to incorporate specific mobile technologies into Mojax.

Mojax Will Be Business Friendly
For as many problems as there are with mobile, there are just as many business models. “On-Deck”, “Off-Deck”, Ad-Funded, Subscriptions, One-time-fees, and the list goes on … Mojax will be licensed in such a way as to not preclude any business model. If you can find a way to make money off of your Moblet … GO FOR IT!

Technorati Tags: mFoundry, mobile, mojax, Business