iPhone News

Sun Microsystems continues to pursue Apple who get Java applications running on the iPhone, while another party is aiming at the same goal.

“We have expressed our intent to do this and our desire, really, to work with Apple to build a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for the iPhone and we are sort of moving forward with that” said Sun vice president Eric Klein last week.

Apple has not yet responded publicly into having Java on its popular device. Analysts are questioning if Apple’s iPhone SDK agreement would permit getting Java into the iPhone.

Sun is also reported to be working with Innaworks in hopes of bringing Java applications to iPhone.

“They are actually working on a solution that allows developers to compile Java Micro Edition (Java ME) applications into native iPhone applications” said Klein explaining that companies could submit these applications for inclusion in App Store.

Innaworks are planning to show their solution at the JavaOne conference to be held in San Francisco next week, Klein said. According to the company’s press statement, Innaworks’ product, alcheMo for the iPhone is initially aimed at games publishers. Still in beta, alcheMo for iPhone was designed to use for the iPhone in porting Java ME mobile games to the iPod touch and iPhone without any manual adjustments. AlcheMo features an optimizing translator that converts Java applications code to the equivalent source code for the iPhone.

Since Sun wants to put the JVM on the iPhone via iPhone SDK, Apple and Sun need to discuss the clauses in the SDK license agreement.

“There is no question one of our goals from the Java platform perspective is to allow our developers to get to as many phones as possible, and obviously, the iPhone has turned out to be a very successful platform, and we want to be on it” said Klein stressing about Sun’s excitement on its plans. Meanwhile, Apple remains silent on the issue.

Google released an updated interface of its services for iPhone and iPod Touch. Now everything is accessible in an integrated environment: Google Calendar, Google Docs, Reader, Google Notebook, Google News and Blogger.

They also implemented search query suggestions, and email auto complete. In addition you can access Google mobile in several languages now.

When iPhone stepped on the european market six months ago, Apple expected to be the same hit as in USA. But today’s weak sellings in Europe are obvious. Reasons to this are its high price and the strong competition from Nokia and other companies. “European sellings are much lower than expected” claims Nomura Securities’ expert Richard Windsor.

Apple signed exclusive deals in Europe so that only one wireless operator has the rights to distribute iPhone in their country. So far the company has contracts with the british O2, french Orange and german T-Mobile. Strategy Analytics, а consulting company from Newton, Massachusetts, figure that these three operators together sold about 350,000 iPhones in the last trimester of last year instead of the expected 500,000. Sellings of the first three months of 2008 are reduced to 300,000.

PumpOne has announced a partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s new brand, Aloft hotels – portable personal trainers for road warriors. The service is designed for tech-savvy aloft hotel guests.

Aloft hotels is Starwood’s eighth hotel lifestyle brand and it opens doors to guests this summer. All Aloft hotels feature recharge — a 650 square foot fitness facility with equipment from Life Fitness.

PumpOne provides customizable workout programs for use with image and video-ready handheld devices such as the iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Treo and others.

"Our guests tell us that fitness is a priority and that while traveling, it can be challenging to stay on track" said Robin Korman, Vice President of Marketing for aloft hotels. "PumpOne is the ideal fitness partner, with technology at the foundation of their workouts."

The aloft hotels / PumpOne partnership features "a-workout" PumpOne’s downloadable fitness programs which is complimentary to guests. It also includes healthy menu items from aloft hotel’s grab-and-gourmet pantry, refuel; and exclusive entertainment content for SPG TV, the aloft in-room TV channel.

In addition to content already available from PumpOne, the fitness company will develop 21 customized workouts, three workouts for each of seven fitness programs from cross training to yoga.