Sony Ericsson to bridge Flash and Java

Sony Ericsson is to release a new technology that it claims will bridge two major development platforms for mobile phones.

Next week at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco, the company will demonstrate Project Capuchin, which will allow software developers to create applications for mobile phones that can use pieces of both Java ME and Adobe's Flash Lite.

The company plans to release a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) and a software-development kit (SDK) in the second half of this year to bring the two different mobile-development styles together.

For example, Java developers could decide to use the richer user interface technology found in Flash Lite, said Ulf Wretling, the head of Sony Ericsson's developer program and communications, on Wednesday. Wretling said a developer could also use Java's three-dimensional graphics for a mobile game while employing Flash Lite for menus.

"Adobe is pleased to support Sony Ericsson's Project Capuchin," said Adobe's vice president for mobile and devices, Gary Kovacs. "Using Adobe Flash technology as one part of this new bridging technology will ensure further innovation for mobile users when Flash developers gain access to the Java applications' functionality and intelligence, allowing them to create applications with the ultimate user experience."

Sony Ericsson hopes that, rather than pulling developers away from the current roadmaps for both Java and Flash Lite, Capuchin will make it possible to create regular Java or Flash applications using this set of APIs, mixing and matching technology from the other camp as needed.

This technology will be used on the mass-market mobile phone, not the smartphone category with more sophisticated operating systems. Sony Ericsson phones will arrive in the second half of the year with this technology, but the company plans to release the SDK before the phones arrive.