SAN FRANCISCO, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Nokia and Ikivo, a leading supplier of rich media application enabling solutions based on open standards, today announced the joint creation of a complete tool chain that simplifies and allows efficient collaboration between graphic designers and software engineers in the development of Java applications for mobile devices.

The new tool set integrates Nokia's Platform SDKs for Java, Adobe Illustrator, Ikivo Animator and Sun's NetBeans to enable user interface designers to add their GUI designs directly to an application project and avoid the time-consuming process of "translating" those designs into Java code. Utilizing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) to capture visual designs for optimized integration into software development projects, the new solution dramatically improves the productivity of mobile Java development, and reinforces the attractiveness of Java as an environment for creating compelling mobile applications with rich graphics and interactivity.

The new tool set's utilization of SVG, an open standard for describing 2D static and animated vector graphics developed through the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), makes it possible to define a clear division of labor between engineers and graphic designers working on software development projects.

Using the new SVG-enabled tool chain developed by Nokia and Ikivo, graphic designers are free to concentrate on creating useful and exciting user experiences, incorporating designs in the final product without the need to help engineers translate those designs into code. Software engineers can concentrate their skills on the application logic and other non-graphic components of a project, where they can be the most productive.

"Nokia is pleased to be working with Ikivo and Sun to enable coders and creative professionals to work together toward creation of best-of-breed mobile applications with advanced user interfaces," said David Rivas, VP, Technology Management, Nokia. "This collaborative effort shows how focused initiatives can empower mobile application developers with different fields of knowledge and expertise to work more closely together in bringing the next- generation mobile experience to the global marketplace."

"Ikivo has been very pleased to work with Nokia and we're happy to be taking this initiative to the next level, sharing our knowledge with the broad developer audience through Forum Nokia, the largest mobile developer community in the world," said Brad Sipes, Chief Technology Officer, Ikivo. "This initiative further validates the power of the SVG technology integration with Java and we're confident that the easy-to-use workflow will attract more developers to improve the graphics and user experience of their applications."

SVG offers a scalable, efficient textual representation of graphic and animation objects, allowing for complex designs to be specified with a small in-memory footprint. Nokia supports SVG for Java development through its implementation of JSR 226, which is supported in new S60 3rd Edition and Series 40 5th Edition based devices. Nokia and Sun Microsystems support for JSR226 will be discussed at JavaOne 2008 during a technical session titled, "Developing Flashy Mobile Applications, Using SVG and JSR 226 ."

"The SVG-T technology and JSR 226 are important user interface enhancements for Java ME with current MSA and JSR 248 standardization," said Arseniy Kuznetsov, Director, NetBeans Engineering, Sun Microsystems. "Developers can use rich content created by designer tools such as Ikivo Animator along with the NetBeans Mobility to create and deploy compelling applications with complex interactions to Nokia's portfolio of globally distributed devices."

"Progress in this Java ME tool-chain is significant for developers and designers, because it speeds up entire development process by making it more efficient and convenient," said Michael Samarin, Project Manager and Technology Specialist at Futurice Ltd, a provider of mobile and Internet software services that has worked with the Ikivo Animator tool for the last four months and has wide experience with Java development tools. "Our GUI experts can now create the actual user interface, not just design drafts. What is also very important, these tools help to attract new developers by being more intuitive, robust and lowering the entry barrier."

Ikivo's role in the collaborative effort with Nokia has been essential to the rapid deployment of the new SVG-enabled tool set for developers and designers. Ikivo's depth of experience with SVG enabled Nokia to react quickly to the issues that developers and designers have been reporting with creating compelling applications with rich graphics and interactivity for the Java mobile environment.

More information on the tool set can be found at http://www.forum.nokia.com/ and in order to download Ikivo Animator tool go to http://www.ikivo.com/animator/index.html .

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries an on the Web at http://www.sun.com/ .

About Futurice

Futurice is a provider of mobile and internet software services. We specialise in application projects requiring technical expertise, speed of delivery and end-to-end responsibility. Our customers worldwide rely on our skills and commitment to deliver successful projects. We are located in Helsinki, Finland. For more information, visit http://www.futurice.com/ .

About Ikivo

Ikivo is the leading supplier of rich media application enabling solutions based on open standards, with a deployed base of more than 250 million mass- market and open OS mobile phones. These solutions empowers mobile operators, mobile device manufacturers and media companies to deliver rich compelling services such as Interactive Mobile TV, Mobile Advertising, On-Device Portals and Mobile Music. The Ikivo product portfolio includes modular sophisticated technology for embedding and OTA delivery, in addition to industry standard tools for the development and deployment of rich media mobile applications and solutions. More information at http://www.ikivo.com/ .

About Forum Nokia

Nokia's global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can use to build and market applications around the globe. From offices in the U.S., Europe, Japan, China, and Singapore, Forum Nokia provides technical and business development support to developers and operators to assist them in achieving their goal of successfully launching applications and services to consumers and enterprises. More information is available at http://www.forum.nokia.com/ .

About Nokia

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks. More information is available at http://www.nokia.com/ .

CONTACT: Kasey Farrar, Communications Manager of Nokia Services &
Software , Kasey.Farrar@nokia.com, +1-914-255-1037

Web site: http://www.forum.nokia.com/
http://www.ikivo.com/
http://www.sun.com/
http://www.futurice.com/