Where to start - JME / iPhone / Android?

[Ashik Uzzaman]

Hi,

I believe this topic has been discussed several times already but I want to blend a few more things from my perspective and see your recommendations here.

In my company I am in the server side Java/JEE and Cloud Computing platform (Proprietary Java like language) and don;t see scope in near future to work on mobile application development. However, for my personal development and to stay in touch with where the mobile and handheld device market is going on to prepare myself for the next phase, I thought to start developing some small applications.

Naturally, as I start looking into different places I see I have to choose between (or sequence between one after another) JME / Android / iPhone development. The first 2 are close but the 3rd one is also very popular. I have to start somewhere. Where do I start? Please let me know something other than "just start, choose any of this 3 to start with". My preference is something where the market is moving in next 3 to 5 years!

What was your starting point? What do you recommend me?

[Tim Moores]

My preference is something where the market is moving in next 3 to 5 years!

3 years ago there were no Android devices; 5 years ago the iPhone didn't exist. So trying to pick long-term winners is unlikely to work. I don't see a bright future (or any future, actually) for JME, though. The emulators for Android and iOS are fully functional, though, so you can jump in without a hardware investment.

[Tim Holloway]

My starting point was the Apple Newton. You see where that got me.

Then I went PalmOS.

I did do some J2ME, but when Android came out, I jumped at it because one of the things I liked about the Palm platform was it understood collaboration in ways that Windows Mobile and J2ME did not. Like for example, that the "search" button should be able to search more than just the active app's database.

One of the biggest JME markets at the moment is BlackBerry and it's pretty obvious what direction they're headed in. Likewise Nokia and HP, even though HP owns what purports to be the Palm legacy.

I don't know that JME is going to completely die out. There are embedded platforms where a non-phone version of Java could be useful, although the cost of hardware being what it is anymore, a lot of potential platforms might just go with the full Java Standard Edition instead. Overall, however, the iPhone and Android platforms are the current bright stars. Who knows about tomorrow?