The Gaijin Coder
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Learn how to develop mobile applications and games.
In Japan the mobile internet has been booming since the introduction of iMode in 1999 and shows no signs of slowing. The number of mobile internet users in Japan now sits at just over 105 million, that's 87% of the Japanese population. It has taken the rest of the world a long time to catch up, but with the release of the iPhone and Android based phones the mobile internet is about to explode world wide.
As with all emerging markets, the people who get the most out of the market are the ones that started catering for it early.
Developing sites and applications for the mobile internet is a lot easier than you may have previously thought, and it is easier now than it will be in a few years when the technology has advanced to the point where it will become simply to difficult for an individual to learn from scratch.
This page contains information primarily of interest to English speaking developers creating software for the Japanese market, but as the market goes world wide it also includes useful resources for anyone beginning iPhone or Android development.
Don't miss the opportunity to start learning to day, and launch your mobile application before someone else steals your idea.
As with all emerging markets, the people who get the most out of the market are the ones that started catering for it early.
Developing sites and applications for the mobile internet is a lot easier than you may have previously thought, and it is easier now than it will be in a few years when the technology has advanced to the point where it will become simply to difficult for an individual to learn from scratch.
This page contains information primarily of interest to English speaking developers creating software for the Japanese market, but as the market goes world wide it also includes useful resources for anyone beginning iPhone or Android development.
Don't miss the opportunity to start learning to day, and launch your mobile application before someone else steals your idea.
iMode Development
iMode is a popular wireless internet service in Japan developed by NTT DoCoMo and launched in 1999, which currently boasts over 50 million subscribers.
Native iMode applications (or i-appli) are developed in Java and utilize DoCoMo's DoJa profile which is based on based on the Java ME CLDC API from Sun Microsystems. The iMode platform is very open and developers are free to install their applications on to an imode device without any intervention from the carrier or handset maker which makes testing on the device a breeze.
To get started developing for iMode you will need:
- The Eclipse IDE
- The DoJa SDK (which includes the Doja Emulator)
- The DoJa API documentation
- One or more of the books listed below
Doja is currently at version 5.1, but unfortunately for non Japanese speaking developers the English documentation ends at version 3.5. Luckily version 5.1 is backward compatible with 3.5 therefore any applications you develop with DoJa 3.5 will run on the current generation of phones without any problems.
Unlike the situation with J2ME applications overseas, there is no need to port your application to different makers handsets as all DoCoMo handsets, be they Sony, Sharp, Kyocera, or CASIO, run the same DoCoMo supplied Java Virtual Machine. Therefore in all but a few rare cases if your code runs on one DoJa device it will run on them all.
Books for i-Mode Development
Softbank Mobile Development
Softbank Mobile was originally launched as JPhone, then enjoyed a short run as Vodaphone Japapan before being bought out by Softbank in 2006. Softbank Mobile currently have approximately 20 million subscribers in Japan.Native Applications for Softbank phones, called s-appli are developed in Java using Softbank's JSCL or Mexa libraries both of which are the most similar to Sun's J2ME specification of all the development libraries currently used in Japan.
To get started developing for Softbank Mobile you'll need:
- An IDE (We use Eclipse)
- The JSCL or MEXA SDK
- One or more of the books listed below
Unfortunately there is very little English documentation available for Softbank's SDK's, but as they both closely resemble J2ME a good J2ME book and a little patience are all you need to get yourself up to speed developing Softbank Applications.
Books for Softbank Mobile Development
Android Development
Android is a linux based operating system and software platform for mobile phones developed by Google. It was released in November of 2007, a full year before the first android enabled device (the T-Mobile G1) was commercially available.Android applications are written in a 'Java like' language utilizing libraries developed by Google engineers. As with iMode, the platform is very open and developers can take their applications from the emulator to the hardware without the need to involve the carrier or handset maker.
To get started with Android Development you will need:
- The Eclipse IDE
- The Android SDK (includes emulator and documentation)
- One or more of the books listed below
Recent press indicates that there will be any number of Android devices released worldwide in 2009. Japanese carriers NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, and Softbank are all members of the Open Handset Alliance and all have plans to release Android handsets in 2009. Therefore Android development could provide overseas developers with much easier access to the Japanese market than they have had in the past.
Books for Android Development
iPhone Development
The iPhone is an internet-connected smartphone designed and marketed by Apple. Initially released in the United States in June 2007 it has since been released world wide.Unlike the majority of mobiles on the market that rely on some flavor of Java for application development, the iPhone development environment follows closely that of the Apple Macintosh platform and therefore iPhone applications are developed in Objective C.
To get started with iPhone Development you will need:
- An Apple computer
- The iPhone SDK
- A good book on iPhone Development
- A recently published book on Objective C 2.0
In order to install and test any software you develop you will also need a subscription to the iPhone Developer Program which costs $99, without which your code can not be installed directly on the device.
Books for iPhone Development
More Essential Books for iPhone Developers
iPhone in Japan
The iPhone is indeed a beautiful device, but it was launched in Japan to a tepid reception due to the fact that it lacks basic features Japanese consumers have come to expect from their phones, and has an inability to "play nice" with existing Japanese phones.
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Developing Mobile Games
The fun way to learn!
Mobile games and entertainment applications have traditionally been the fastest growing and most profitable application segment for mobile developers.Due to small screens and limited resources mobile games tend to focus on story and gameplay over flashy graphics and complex sounds. As a result it is still possible for a single developer or small team of hobbyists to develop commercially viable mobile games and compete with the big boys of the industry, something which is now almost unachievable in the PC game space.
What better way to learn programming than to start by developing simple mobile games? And when you're through learning you'll have a marketable skill in an industry that is clamoring for new developers.
Books for Developing Mobile Games
Java Game Programming
While not specifically mobile related, the following books are essential reading for anyone new to Java game development, including mobile game developers.
The Gaijin Coder Blog
Byron Kidd is one of the few foreigners in Japan who has been developing software and sites for Japanese mobiles since the inception of iMode in 1999. Aside from developing mobile applications in DoJa, MIDP and Android he has been assisting foreign firms launch their mobile products and services into the Japanese mobile market since 2001.
He regularly posts items of interest primarily to foreign developers in Japan, and overseas developers looking to enter the Japanese Market on his blog The Gaijin Coder.
He regularly posts items of interest primarily to foreign developers in Japan, and overseas developers looking to enter the Japanese Market on his blog The Gaijin Coder.
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When developing a mobile application there is nothing more satisfying than seeing your creation running directly on the hardware it was intended for rather than within the confines of an emulator on your PC. If you're developing an Android application consider purchasing the T-Mobile G1 in order to test your application fully on the device before release.
Google Blog Search
- Japan's eAccess to launch LTE network and expand partnership with Ericsson
- With LTE access, the operator can meet users' demands for new and enhanced mobile internet applications of the future." With more than 5.6 million mobile broadband and wired internet subscribers, eAccess is a leader in mobile broadband in Japan, ...
- Mobile internet speeds in China second slowest in the world
- The study found the average mobile Internet speed in China and India in 2010 at a paltry 50 kpbs and 19 kpbs respectively. In comparison, Japan and Korea boast of mobile internet speeds in excess of 1400 kpbs. GSMA expects China's average mobile ...
- Japan's Eaccess partners with Ericsson to launch LTE network
- Eaccess , Japan 's Japan 's leading mobile broadband operators has partnered with Ericsson to launch a Mixed Mode solution for WCDMA and LTE. With Ericsson Eaccess can use the same radio frequency band for both LTE and WCDMA services.
- Trend Micro Reports Results for Q4 and Fiscal Year 2011
- Growth rate figures are calculated from Japanese Yen results. Some discrepancy may therefore be noted in US Dollar comparisons owing to fluctuations in currency conversion rates. Trend Micro Deep Security achieved Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance ...
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