The MIDP 3.0 specification (JSR-271) has reached the stage of early draft preview and now they are asking developers to provide feedback. The review period closes on February 5th 2007, so now it is time to read through the spec and let your voice to be heard.

In his post on Forum Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Blogs, Hartti Suomela – Java expert in Forum Nokia Americas – highlights some of the the important additions of the new MIDP 3.0 specification:

• Should run both on top of CLDC (1.1 & 1.0) as well as CDC (1.1)
• Communication between MIDlets + shared libraries (LIBlets) + MIDlet concurrency
• Improvements in the packaging and in the provisioning of MIDlets
• UI and networking improvements

After a month of beta testing, Opera Software released the final 3.0 version of its Opera Mini browser this week.

The new Opera Mini works even faster than its predecessor, and among many new features brings a support for RSS feeds, easy photo sharing, secure server support (yes, you can shop online with the new Opera Mini) and content folding.

Before downloading (it’s free), you could watch videos of Opera Mini 3.0 in action or even try the Opera Mini 3.0 simulator.

Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Talk users would appreciate the recently released GoTalkMobile, GTalk J2ME client. It’s a convenient way to chat with your friends, which is not only cheaper than SMS, but also much faster. Furthermore, with GoTalkMobile you can send messages to your friends and colleagues who use GTalk on their PCs. So it’s not just mobile-to-mobile, it’s also mobile-to-pc and pc-to-mobile chat.

Other features of GoTalkMobile include:

• Security – the applications uses completely secure encrypted GPRS channels of your mobile Operator.
• Speed – GoTalkMobile runs in the background – it is always switched on, but it never prevents normal work of you cell phone.
• Usability – GoTalkMobile is very user friendly and is easy to use.
• Shoot & Send – Send photos as soon as you take them

Again, GoTalkMobile is a free app and if you’re using GTalk, you shouldn’t hesitate to download it. Alternatively, you could try MGTalk, another Google Talk J2ME client, or some of the more powerful multi-IM clients like IM+ or Fring.

After years of requests and debates, Sun Microsystems (NSDQ: JAVA) is finally releasing the Java source code under a Linux-friendly GPL license (GPLv2). The formal “governance” structure is not yet established, and developers can already get a a buildable implementation of Java ME and the first pieces of source code for Java SE.

Sun is also set to release additional source code including its advanced operation system phone implementation and the framework for the Java Device Test Suite, before the end of the year. The company is also “freeing” JavaC compiler, JavaHelp and Java HotSpot technology.

Now with its code open, where this leads JavaME? Sun is hopping that the open source Java will accelerate the development and evolution of the platform, reduce fragmentation and drive down development costs throughout the Java ME ecosystem. What do you think?

To further expand the use of mobile widgets, WidSets launched a competition, awarding the top widget recommenders with a Nokia N93 device.

Every time you share a widget, you earn a share point. The user which received your recommendation must register for a WidSets account in order for you to score. WidSets will keep a list of top sharers and draw a Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N93 multimedia computer every week from amongst them.

The competition runs from 6th November, 2006, until 29th December, 2006. You must be 18+ years old to compete. Good luck!

Opera Software has announced the new Opera Mini 3.0 Beta and made it available for testing. During a limited time, the company give you the chance to preview the next Opera Mini and even suggest new features.

Some of the Opera Mini 3.0 new features include secure browsing (advanced version), feed (RSS) preview and aggregation, image upload, and content folding (automatic folding of long lists of links – i.e. navigation).

If you already have Opera Mini installed on your phone, you don’t have to worry – the beta installs alongside the regular Opera Mini, thus separating bookmarks, feeds and settings.

At the end, Opera Software promises even faster mobile browsing.

GMail users will be delighted to know that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) released the Java mobile client for their popular free email service. The new Java application gives users more speed in an easy to use interface. No need to use Gmail’s POP3 connectivity any more – the new Google’s mobile app will reduce all the hassles associated with the mobile email.

According to Google, the applications is up to five times faster thanks to the automatic pre-fetching of messages. Furthermore, improved usability drastically reduces number of clicks and scrolling to access email. Finally, the application supports attachments, including files and photos, viewable and automatically resized to fit the phone screen.

Installing is easy. Point your phone to gmail.com/app, download it once, and start accessing Gmail on your phone with less clicks.

I’ve already posted about WidSets. Well, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today officially announced them as a phone manufacturer-independent Web 2.0 service, that automatically multicasts preferred RSS feeds and user-generated content. With WidSets, Nokia highlights the power behind the evolution of Web 2.0 – the people, the content they produce and the social networks dynamics, facilitating how mobility enhances Web 2.0’s use and enjoyment.

Read the full article »

Users of the popular Digg site would be happy to know that they can now access Digg from their cellphone. Digg Java Mobile is a free extension of the popular social news site.

Highlights:

• Story filtering based on Digg categories.
• It’s fast – stories are compressed before being sent to the device, reducing traffic cost by around 80%. Plus, stories are cached on the device to speed up user experience.
• Users can either view stories immediately on their mobile device, or bookmark the story.
• Digg Java Mobile works on 790+ devices.

The mobile Digg application is still at an early stage, but it’s working perfectly as far as I can tell. Digg users will certainly like to give it a try.

Sun Microsystems (NSDQ: JAVA), Inc., the company which created Java(TM) technology, announced the availability of source code for their NetBeans Mobility Pack and NetBeans Mobility Pack for CDC (Connected Device Configuration), which will be released under the OSI-compliant Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL). Java ME development tools represent the cutting edge in mobile Java development and boasts unique visual authoring features that can simplify and speed the creation of applications for the vast majority of mobile devices. Developers, tool vendors, mobile operators and device manufacturers can get involved in the open source project immediately.

The NetBeans Mobility Pack was quickly recognized as a leading mobile IDE and has been leveraged by Java ME developers. Based on the NetBeans IDE, the Mobility Pack includes key features including end-to-end application development, device optimization and porting solutions and an Ant-based build system. With a highly customizable and open platform, the Mobility Pack is a great productivity enhancer for developers new to Java ME or those with years of experience.

NetBeans Mobility Pack for CDC is a new addition to the NetBeans portfolio. The Mobility Pack for CDC allows Java ME developers to use the Matisse graphical layout system to create mobile Java applications for devices supporting the Connected Device Configuration version of Java ME, which offers a more powerful programming and runtime environment.