Oracle has announced new technology supporting embedded Java development, including Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2, a complete client Java runtime optimized for microcontrollers and other resource-constrained devices, and Oracle Java Embedded Suite 7.0, a new toolset for building apps for embedded systems and devices.
Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2 is a new product in the company’s Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) product portfolio. In addition, Oracle is also releasing Oracle Java Wireless Client 3.2 and Oracle Java ME Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.2. Oracle’s Java Embedded products enable customers and partners to leverage the massive Java ecosystem that includes over 9 million Java developers worldwide.
Java Embedded technologies are a key component of Oracle’s complete, “device to datacenter” platform, simplifying implementation of machine to machine (M2M) solutions, the company said.
“With the release of the new Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2, Oracle now enables the connection of data and processes for small embedded M2M devices on ‘The Internet of Things,'” said Nandini Ramani, vice president of engineering for Java Client and Mobile Platforms at Oracle, in a statement.
Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2 is designed to meet the unique requirements of small embedded, low-power devices such as micro-controllers and other resource-constrained hardware without screens or user interfaces.
The Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2 release is built upon the same codebase as Oracle’s product for mobile handsets, Oracle Java Wireless Client 3.2. Target markets include wireless modules for M2M, industrial and building control, smart grid infrastructure, home automation, and environmental sensors and tracking, Oracle said.
This release brings a commercial implementation of Java for small footprint devices based on the ARM architecture, including Cortex-M and Cortex-A. The implementation can be licensed from Oracle as source or binary
A standard binary of Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2 for ARM KEIL development boards based on ARM Cortex M-3/4 will soon be available for download from the Java Embedded section on Oracle Technology Network (OTN). This binary will install as a complete Java ME runtime on the development board, enabling rapid prototyping using Java IDEs.
Support for additional off-the-shelf binaries is planned for future update releases.
With Oracle Java ME Embedded 3.2, applications for small embedded devices are no longer tied to a single hardware platform. Customers can now develop software in parallel with their hardware development to help improve productivity and achieve faster time to market, the company said.
“We embedded the Java ME platform from Oracle because it provides an open, robust, cross-industry application environment that eases development and dynamically links enterprise devices, sensors and other assets to backend management systems ultimately improving business operations,” said Norbert Muhrer, senior vice president of Gemalto’s Cinterion M2M unit, in a statement.
Oracle Java Wireless Client 3.2 supports tooling functions, such as memory and network monitoring and on-device tooling, and offers new support for dual SIM functionality, which is useful for mass-market devices supported by multiple carriers with multiple phone connections.
The latest version of the SDK includes new Java ME SDK plug-ins for Eclipse to go with the existing support in the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment (IDE), enabling more application development environments for Java ME developers. It also features a new device skin creator that developers can use to generate their custom device skins for testing their applications.
Meanwhile, Oracle also announced Oracle Java Embedded Suite 7.0, a new, packaged offering that facilitates creating applications across a wide range of embedded systems, including network appliances, healthcare devices, home gateways and routers, and large peripheral devices, such as multifunction printers.
“Oracle Java Embedded Suite allows customers to use standard middleware components to more quickly develop applications that can aggregate, store and transmit data securely to and from these resource constrained devices and helps ensure timely and low-cost data concentration for M2M or M2M-like systems,” Oracle’s Ramani said.
Oracle Java Embedded Suite 7.0 is based on Oracle Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) Embedded 7, Java DB, and versions of GlassFish for Embedded Suite and the Jersey Web Services Framework optimized for reduced footprint.
With this new bundle, Oracle has preintegrated Web server, Web services and database technologies, along with an application framework, into a standards-based solution optimized for embedded devices.
Oracle Java Embedded Suite helps customers achieve faster time to market by leveraging proven middleware components with their existing Java skill sets.
Oracle Java Embedded Suite 7.0 is now available for Linux on x86 and Linux on ARM. An evaluation implementation of Oracle Java Embedded Suite 7.0 is available for download from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN).
Oracle is showcasing Java Embedded and Java ME technologies at JavaOne 2012, which will take place Sept. 30 through Oct. 4 in San Francisco.