Sony Ericsson Developer World has today announced its continued investment in the bridging technology, Project Capuchin, which was announced in April 2008 and which will enable developers to bridge Flash Lite and Java ME for the first time. The Project Capuchin Software Developer Kit (SDK), a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), a packaging tool and getting-started tutorials, is now available to developers around the world to download for free at the Sony Ericsson Developer World website.
The SDK release is said to be the next phase in the commitment to drive momentum for the new technology and to engage developers and partners in creating user experiences and new, innovative applications together with Sony Ericsson.
Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin is an API that combines the richness of Flash Lite and Java ME technologies, allowing developers to utilize the best attributes of both software stacks to create innovative and content-rich applications for Sony Ericsson mobile phones. Based on the Project Capuchin APIs, the newly introduced packaging tool makes it possible to package existing Flash Lite content in a MIDlet jar file and the simplest way to utilize the API by using this tool, the advantages of Flash Lite design can be combined with the rich features Java has to offer, including higher levels of complexity, infrastructure access and security.
"Sony Ericsson is dedicated to providing its customers with a best-in-class user experience, and our dedication to Project Capuchin marks yet another milestone to help developers bring the richest applications to users on a mobile device," said Rikko Sakaguchi, CVP and Head of Creation and Development at Sony Ericsson. "Innovation is at its best with open development, and today we are proud to invite new and old developer partners to take advantage of the latest addition to the resources of Sony Ericsson Developer World."
Sony Ericsson Developer World members and a growing number non-traditional developers-like graphic artists and the graphics community- are said to have shown overwhelming support and interest in Project Capuchin, as it will allow them to develop rich applications, which would not have been technically possible in the past.
"As it stands today, the world of mobile development is highly fragmented," said Kirk Knoernschild, application platform strategies analyst at Burton Group. "Any efforts that reduce this fragmentation should be warmly received by the mobile development community."
Sony Ericsson's C905 Cyber-shot phone is the first phone to support the Project Capuchin API. Developers who utilize the Swf2Jar 1.1 packaging tool will be able to test their applications on the C905 as it comes to market, and further phones as the Sony Ericsson portfolio expands.