Due to variations in implementations, Java-based apps won't work on every device, so it's likely that your vendor will specify which platforms or phones the app runs on. Further, there are limitations to J2ME. It won't support multitasking until MIDP 3 is available, likely in 2008, and the overhead of the Java environment can make applications respond slower than their kin developed for the native environment. However, performance will generally be much better than with a browser approach. Overall, we expect Java on the mobile device to become dominant for mobile apps, especially because it allows vendors to address a wide variety of devices with one client version.
Finally, the most effective mobile apps are those developed for the native environment. They can leverage all the capabilities of the platform with the least amount of processing overhead. However, developing native applications requires a substantial level of expertise; it's no small feat to become familiar with all the development tools and debugging approaches required. It's therefore not uncommon for app developers to target just one mobile platform, most commonly the Windows Mobile environment in the United States and Symbian in Europe.
While these are the dominant approaches, others will play an increasing role. Adobe Flash is gaining popularity, and just as SOAs are becoming the networking architecture of choice for many apps, SOA/Web services approaches are also finding their way onto mobile platforms. For example, Microsoft's .Net Compact Framework runs on the Windows Mobile platform. Similarly, there are Web services APIs being defined for Java and Symbian.
The Device Conundrum
Despite all the attention lavished on handheld devices, let's not forget the laptop. In our reader poll, 75 percent said mobile applications are deployed on notebooks; Windows Mobile devices came in second, at 39 percent.
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