Java News from Thursday, April 13, 2006

Nokia has submitted JSR-293, Location API 2.0 to the Java Community Process (JCP). According to the JSR,

This specification defines an optional package that enables the developers to use new enhanced location-based features on the JavaTM ME devices. This API will be designed as an extension to JSR 179 Location API for JavaTM ME, and therefore must remain to be fully backwards compatible with applications using JSR 179. The scope of the API should include the following:

  1. Extended features of JSR 179:

    • Revise and supplement the features of JSR 179 based on the findings in JSR 179 implementations.
    • Add the ability to import and export landmarks with JavaTM application. JSR 179 only provides a mechanism to add and modify landmarks on the device, but with this addition, the landmarks and points of interest can be shared for example between two devices.
    • Clarify and extend the localization support for the landmarks
    • Specify a set of abstract landmark UI components for adding, editing and selecting landmarks. These components will be independent of the device manufacturer and will allow the user to have similar user experience on landmark handling across different devices and API implementations.
  2. Support for geocoding

    Geocoding means assigning location coordinates for a landmark based on the given address. In reverse geocoding the address of a landmark is retrieved based on the given location coordinates. This API will have support for both of these geocoding features.

  3. Map support

    This feature will allow the use of maps in JavaTM applications. With this map support the applications are able to display maps and show landmarks and points of interest on these maps.

  4. Navigation support

    Navigation support will enable the navigation to landmarks and points of interest from JavaTM application. With this feature the applications will be able to access the navigation features provided by 3rd party applications.

Some of these new extensions might be optional and not required from devices implementing only the basic positioning functions.

Timesys has posted a new maintenance review draft of JSR-1 Real-time Specification for Java . Many of the changes are purely editorial. However, there do appear to be a few substantive changes mixed in with all the typo corrections, particularly involving threading and synchronization. Comments are due by May 15.