Sun to focus on phone Java

Sun Microsystems is expected to join cellphone vendors, telecoms carriers and Java developers today in a new initiative to simplify development of applications for handsets using Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME).

The companies are planning to officially announce Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI), which consists of a refined J2ME specification, reference implementations and technology compatibility kit.

JTWI is based on JSR 185. Commercial products from vendors conforming to JSR 185 are due in the second and third quarters of 2003. Additions to the J2ME platform for cellphones will be added throughout the year up to September as more JSRs - the precursor to a completed Java API - are ratified by the Java community project.

JSR 185 has been developed to simplify development of applications used across different handset manufactures` devices. [CBROnline]

A report picked up by Geek.com suggests that Intel may have 10.2GHz processors available by 2005. A company roadmap suggest that Intel`s upcoming Prescott CPU will be able to scale to 5.2GHz on a 90nm process. At that point, Intel will move over to the next generation Tejas processor, which will debut at 5.6GHz and scale to 9.2GHz. The third step will be Nehalem which is likely to appear at 9.6GHz and scale up to 10.2GHz on a 1 200MHz bus.

But there are hurdles, reports Geek.com, including the requirement to modify the circuit design for the 65nm node in order to avoid the electrical leakage problems that are becoming increasingly problematic.

These problems may well delay that introduction to 2006 or later. [Geek.com]

The spread of the "SQL Slammer" worm, whose explosive spread hobbled several of the DNS root servers and brought much of the Internet to a grinding halt over the weekend, may have slowed but there is still a small kick left in it.

It appears that the worm also affects a lesser-known component of Microsoft products that, in some cases, are in everyday use.

Besides the full-blown SQL server software, Microsoft also sells a stripped-down database engine called the Microsoft Desktop Environment (MSDE), which contains the same buggy code. MSDE is included in many Microsoft products and in quite a few third-party offerings (including medical imaging software used by hospitals to catalogue MRI and CAT scans), though it`s not always turned on by default.

Some of the Microsoft products that install MSDE by default include Operations Manager 2000 RTM SP1, SharePoint Team Services 2.0 (beta) and Visio AutoDiscovery & Layout.

Other Microsoft products that include MSDE but do not install it by default include Access, Office 2000, Visual Studio 6.0, Office XP Premium and Project Server 2002.

A more comprehensive list can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/MSDEapps.asp and http://www.microsoft.com//prodtechnol/visio/Visio2002/maintain/vis_msde.asp

[ExtremeTech]

Intel has developed a new XScale PXA processor, which is meant to improve the battery life of devices while doubling - from 100MHz to 200MHz- -the speed at which the processor can communicate with other components within the device, such as memory.

The XScale PXA255 is the successor to the PXA250 and will come with the same clock speeds: 200MHz, 300MHz and 400MHz.

The chip-maker has already sent samples to its customers, and the chip is expected to ship in high volume at the end of this quarter. Details of the chip cropped up late on Tuesday on handheld enthusiast site Pocket PC Thoughts.

"These are part of standard improvements that we make to our products for customers," says Intel spokesman Mark Miller.

Intel is also working on a processor for cellphones, code-named Manitoba, that is to be announced by the end of the quarter. Manitoba integrates flash memory, a digital signal processor and an XScale processor core onto a single chip. Manitoba will help in the development of phones that let people wirelessly access the Web and play audio files, as well as make basic phone calls. [ZDNet]

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