Also

...I would like to have real files instead of the crappy Record Store.

Suggestion: First Clean Up Their Own Mess

The primary problem of J2ME is the horrible quality of J2ME runtimes. For example, the Nokia 6030 requires developers to use *two* sockets if they want to send and receive UDP packets. I guess they never really tested this functionality.

And the 6030 is one of the better devices.

Then, Record Stores seem to be broken on all implementations. Advice on discussion boards is to never update a record, but delete and create new.

In general, J2ME runtimes are so fscked up you need to test with each and every phone and normally hack in at least one workaround per phone.

On the architecture side, J2ME is crippled. No way to initiate a call, use speaker and microphone properly.

In general, the J2ME folks should fix their quality problems and provide free updates instead of chargin 20Euros for updates which fix nothing, apparently. In 2012 they can then start to look at application quality.

Dead in the water as usual...

Too little, too late. The usual suspects (i.e. vodafone and the manufacturers) arguing the toss for _literally_ years. meanwhile implementing their own ideas and finally panicking when they realise the world has moved on and adopted other more unified platforms, and attempting to provide some of the same user experience quality concepts on their tired, labyrinthe, bloated, crap platforms.

I spent years working at Panasonic (about a year of it testing a J2ME platform implemented into a Comneon platform). We didn't use the TCK because it was ludicrously expensive. I see the developers who try their best to wrangle something useful out of J2ME are likewise shafted for cash on a regular basis.

"baking in" quality of the apps is a little pointless as well, as pointed out above the J2ME virtual machine implementations vary so damn widely thanks to operator and manufacturer whims that the inevitable endpoint is lowest common denominator cack.

One can only hope Android doesn't go the same way with the proliferation of platforms. Meanwhile, I'll stick with iOS.

Look upon the old guard, still standing to attention with cobwebs growing on their certification logos.... and despair.

Better to just go down the RIM road

The Blackberry OS is much easier for software development; while it is Java ME, the RIM framework expands and fills in all the Java ME gaps. This will probably be Oracle's main Java Mobile income source, as it is the only one where the platform isn't sucking. Android ... well, if Oracle can get them in line (instead of destroying them), that might be a cash cow as well.

Stop and think about the benefits ...

Let's take a moment to think about what something like this does for the industry. Many developers have given up on the Android ecosystem as a viable way to make money. Why? Because discoverability is so absolutely shitty in the Google Marketplace. Consumers cannot find your app and instead find a bunch of useless crap and porn. What Java Verified is doing is ensuring the quality of Java ME apps while at the same time lowering the costs for developers. Everybody wins here. The developers can more apps certified for less money and the consumers can get higher quality apps.

As Android devices become more and more fragmented, I think you will find there's no longer any benefit to hitting Android.

Java Verified is about app quality...

Russ with Java Verified here. Some of these comments stray far from the story at hand. Thousands of Java ME applications are submitted to Java Verified each year because many industry app stores and others require the Java Verified seal of approval to prove apps actually work. And this is what Java Verified is all about -- ensuring quality Java ME applications through testing. We aren’t one company or one vendor. Rather, we are an independent organization within UTI consisting of industry reps from across the Java ME ecosystem working together to meet the single common goal of delivering more quality Java ME applications to market.

And while our focus is on ensuring application quality, we also listen to Java ME developers and the industry when it comes to how to do things better. Developers have told us they want it to be easier and cheaper to obtain the Java Verified mark of quality for simple applications. So in June, we launched Simple App Testing. Developers – big and small -- also tell us they want more options for reducing testing costs. And this is what Gavin’s Trusted Status story is about. Trusted Status is being shaped largely based on developer feedback taking place at www.javaverified.com/blog. Yes, there are Java ME challenges and fragmentation is one of them – and there are groups working to address this critical issue. But Java Verified is doing our part to ensure every Java ME developer has opportunities to more easily deliver proven quality apps to market faster and at an affordable price.