The Java Verified Program: Giving Developers a "Brand" New Angle on Certification

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by Tara Roussel
Feb. 23, 2004

It's brand new, and it's going to save you money. The new Java Verified Program is now fully operational and ready to streamline developers' route to market. Sun Developer Network Mobility Program (SDN Mobility Program) members stand to benefit because the program consolidates testing for mobile applications written in the Java programming language.

Last year at Java One 2003, Java technology creator Sun Microsystems and mobile device manufacturers Motorola, Nokia, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson announced an initiative (the Unified Testing Initiative) whereby these companies agreed to align their mobile content testing efforts to develop one set of common criteria, which all parties would follow. (View the specification at www.javaverified.com.) The companies then consolidated their individual testing programs into a single program: The Java Verified Program. Through this program developers can save time and money by eliminating the need for redundant, independent certification from each manufacturer.

Greg Wolff, group manager of the consumer mobility and systems group for Sun Microsystems, is leading the Java Verified Program team. He says the test criteria is openly available to the public at www.javaverified.com so developers can expedite the approval process and cut costs further by making sure their applications are test-ready prior to submission. "The Java Verified Program results in a cost savings, a time savings, and it makes it easier for developers to monetize their applications," Wolff says.

THE WAY IT WORKS

To achieve certification through the Java Verified Program, SDN Mobility Program members can submit their applications online at the Java Verified Program web portal, where they may choose one of the authorized testing houses to perform the actual testing of their applications.

Testing costs and time frames vary widely, depending on the test house and the application. Once a developer submits an application to javaverified.com, the testing house returns a quote stating the estimated testing time frame and cost. When an application has passed through all the testing, the developer receives licensing rights to the Java Powered logo: A blue ribbon of quality that designates the application as fully compliant with the test criteria. (View testing criteria at www.javaverified.com.)

The Java Powered logo can help serve as a backstage pass, easing placement of approved applications in catalogs and in other go-to-market channels.

"The ultimate benefit for the developer is that all these different distribution channels are going to recognize that stamp of approval," Wolff says. "They're going to recognize by looking at that logo that this application has met the quality level of the Java Verified Program. It helps developers communicate that their applications are of high quality."

Passing the Java Verified Program is also a great way to be considered for participation in one of the SDN Mobility Program's most promising go-to-market opportunities: java.com.

JAVA.COM: SHOWCASE OF THE STARS

Applications that pass the Java Verified Program will have the chance to be showcased on java.com, Sun's marketplace for the most innovative and groundbreaking applications. Visitors can learn about new enterprise applications such as real-time financial markets information provider HillCast MidCast, or information-sharing applications like MyMobilePix, and around 80 of the coolest mobile games to hit the market. The portal provides wonderful visibility. Since java.com's launch in June 2003, the portal receives almost 7.5 million unique visitors per month, from more than 200 different countries. More than 100,000 new developers have visited.

Content on java.com is also available to Sun's partner network operators for possible distribution. The portal serves as a meeting place where mobile content developers and wireless operators can locate and identify one another to initiate business relationships. Through a secure business-to-business web site, developers can submit content to java.com once it has been certified through the Java Verified Program. Similarly, operators can log onto the site and locate certified Java technology content for use on their own networks, providing a constantly refreshed source of pretested mobile content from developers around the world.

		SDN Mobility Program
		Membership in the SDN Mobility Program is free. Sign up now to take advantage of this and many other go-to-market services and opportunities. MAIN BENEFITS OF THE FREE SDN MOBILITY PROGRAM Go-to-market services such as the Java Verified Program and java.com Easy access to developer toolkits and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) Web-based and instructor-led technical training, in addition to numerous support options Rich technical content Blueprints and best practices

THE POWER OF JAVA TECHNOLOGY

In 2003 Sun commissioned a survey of 17,000 consumers from the U.S., the U.K., and Japan. The results were impressive: More than 85% of technology-savvy consumers recognized the Java technology brand, and more than half consider it when making purchase decisions.

"So developers have a huge opportunity with the Java Powered logo," Wolff says. "They've got a stamp of approval that represents quality and represents that their application has met the industry criteria. And they've got marketing value in the sense that the end consumer recognizes that Java [technology] is something that is cool and that they want to have, and then they have the opportunity to be showcased on java.com."

FOR THE GOOD OF THE ECOSYSTEM

Due to a strong consumer demand for new, fun, and practical mobile applications, what's good for the developer is good for the entire mobile communications marketplace. The Unified Testing Initiative has jumpstarted the Java Verified Program to help achieve greater ecosystem efficiency.

"Testing is a crucially important step in the go-to-market process and we're trying to streamline it as much as possible for everybody in the ecosystem: device manufacturers, mobile operators, and developers," Wolff says.

The program helps lower costs and speed time-to-market for the mobile operators, Wolff continues. Though they will still require their own network-specific testing program, much of the on-device testing will be handled through the Java Verified Program.

For device manufacturers, the Java Verified Program can help increase the size of their portfolios by multiplying the number of applications that can work on their different devices. "The easier you make it for developers, the more likely it is they are going to make an application to run on all the handsets," Wolff says. The program allows manufacturers to reach a much larger base of developers who are building applications for the Java platform.

"It's about getting industry players to cooperate so we can meet these challenges, so that everybody wins," says Wolff. "And with the Java Verified Program, everybody's winning."