Device specific J2ME implementations (audio, vibrate, transparency, etc...) Help.

[Jeremy Deats']

I have a Samsung SGH-x427 cell phone, according to the official spec this
phone supports MIDP 1.0 for J2ME development, however a few of the
preinstalled Java games that come with the phone make use of audio (not just
beeps, but polyphonic MIDI playback), they are also able to activate the
vibration on the phone and use transparency (alpha blending).

In the J2ME MIDP 1.0 spec there is no support for vibration or audio
playback. Also I've tried to load a PNG file with transparent areas,
transparency works fine on the emulators, but on my phone in just shows up
as white, so my MIDP 1.0 implementation doesn't do transparency either.

I contacted Samsung and requested information on an SDK for this phone, they
replied and said "we're sorry no SDK exist for that model". I then contacted
Cingular (this phone was made for Cingular) they replied back with the same
information. I then offered to join their professional developer program
($650/year) they said even with that membership they would not be able to
provide me with information on developming apps for this phone.

I don't understand how the J2ME games on the phone make use of unique APIs.
Does J2ME offer some way to communicate with native API? Are vendors putting
out proprietary J2ME implementations? I've noted that Sun released a MMAPI
API as an extenshion to MIDP 1.0 so I'm thinking the phone might support
this, but so far all the MMAPI demo apps crash on the phone.

If anyone knows where I might can go next I'd be most grateful! The
companies who designed the games (e.g. THQ) may be the only ones with the
knowledge I need and that makes no since at all.

 

[Roedy Green]

If anyone knows where I might can go next I'd be most grateful!

You disassemble the code and find out the api.

see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/disassembler.html
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/decompiler.html

 

[DigiAl]

You disassemble the code and find out the api.

You probably won't be able to do this as most phones won't allow you to
download the jar's from the phone.

Just in case you didn't know: quite a few manufactures have got proprietary
J2ME implementations for their MIDP 1.0 models to provide extra
functionality -have you checked out: http://developer.samsungmobile.com ?

alan

 

[Roedy Green]

You probably won't be able to do this as most phones won't allow you to
download the jar's from the phone.

Can you get at any jars that USE the api?

 

[Jeremy Deats']

No. Unfortunately Samsung prevents you from getting to the "apps" though the
data cable and software... From what I've read even the third-party software
"phone managers" can't get at this as the phone just doesn't provide access
to that area though data cable (unlike the Nokia's)

This is really stupid on the part of Samsung... From a consumer standpoint,
once you've bought a game it must reside in the phone FOREVER or you have to
buy it again. There is no backup option.

 

[DigiAl]

No. Unfortunately Samsung prevents you from getting to the "apps" though the
data cable and software... From what I've read even the third-party software
"phone managers" can't get at this as the phone just doesn't provide access
to that area though data cable (unlike the Nokia's)

This is really stupid on the part of Samsung... From a consumer standpoint,
once you've bought a game it must reside in the phone FOREVER or you have to
buy it again. There is no backup option.

Can you get at any jars that USE the api?

On all (I believe) phones you won't be able to download/backup your Java
games/apps - its a security/piracy thing.

alan.

 

[JDeats]

No, that's not true. All Java enabled Nokia phones that support a data
cable provides access to this, providing you use the right third-party
software (Oxygen II)

 

[JScoobyCed]

No, that's not true. All Java enabled Nokia phones that support a data
cable provides access to this, providing you use the right third-party
software (Oxygen II)

Right. I have a Nokia, and using the free WiSend file manager. I can browse
the internal memory or even the memory stick, and send via InfraRed or
Bluetooth or SMS any file

JScoobyCed
-------------

 

[DigiAl]

No, that's not true. All Java enabled Nokia phones that support a data
cable provides access to this, providing you use the right third-party
software (Oxygen II)

I stand corrected - I just used OPM II too and could save the MIDlets to my
computer. I just thought the software (on the phone) would prevent this,
obviously thought wrong, suppose that's how pirates get the games.

sorry,

alan.