This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Java Buzz by a san juan. Original Post: Catching paradigm shifts (aka "Go with the flow, stupid!") Feed Title: small devices in my dandelion patch Feed URL: http://sedoparking.com/search/registrar.php?domain=®istrar=sedopark Feed Description: J2ME, emergent software and other tiny things. Latest Java Buzz Posts Latest Java Buzz Posts by a san juan Latest Posts From small devices in my dandelion patch

It has been almost commonplace recently to declare that the age of the PC is ending, and that the age of smaller, more mobile networked devices is coming into being.

Granted, there will always be a place for bulky desktop machines and laptops, if only because of the physical limitations of mobile devices, such as small screen size. However, there are strong signs that the pace and rate of innovation has shifted dramatically away from desktops and desktop software.

This somewhat deceptive shift is readily seen in the numbers. PC sales have been slowing down or flattening, and the leading desktop and handheld vendors have been engaging in fiece price-cutting, with detrimental results to their bottom lines. Even larger handheld devices (Palm, Pocket PC) have seen overall declines in sales (although specific companies such as Palm and Sony have seen strong growth in some geographic areas).

Meanwhile, the market for smartphones and smaller gadgets is enjoying 100-200% increases year over year!

Well, so what?

As an entrepreneur, you must always be on the lookout for shifts in the wind. Sun anticipated this shift, and focused its development and marketing efforts on mobile devices such as handsets and smartphones. It developed J2ME, which in a few short months has solidified into the de facto standard for application development in the mobile world.

As java developers, we enjoy the unique position of having access to a platform that spans the gamut from mainframes to servers, to desktops, handhelds, smartphones, and even smaller embedded devices such as smartcards. The recent focus had been on server side technology, and the importance of J2EE to Java cannot ever be de-emphasized. But it may be time for us to start considering our solutions in terms of not just server-side applications, but a full-fledged system that emcompasses both server-side, desktop, and mobile components.

Learn J2ME...Think in the Small.......be aware of your audience not simply as the relatively few people who own desktops or handhelds - take into account the truly ubiquitous set of technologies (cellphones, smartphones, smartcards, etc) that are a dominant part of everyone's daily lives.

Enjoy!