A logo showing the text blog.marcnuri.com
Español
Home»Java»JVM for Windows Mobile (J2ME) // PocketPC - PDA MySaifu

Recent Posts

  • Fabric8 Kubernetes Client 7.2 is now available!
  • Connecting to an MCP Server from JavaScript using AI SDK
  • Connecting to an MCP Server from JavaScript using LangChain.js
  • The Future of Developer Tools: Adapting to Machine-Based Developers
  • Connecting to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server from Java using LangChain4j

Categories

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Front-end
  • Go
  • Industry and business
  • Java
  • JavaScript
  • Legacy
  • Operations
  • Personal
  • Pet projects
  • Tools

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • August 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • November 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • July 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • December 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2011
  • November 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • January 2008
  • November 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007

JVM for Windows Mobile (J2ME) // PocketPC - PDA MySaifu

2007-03-20 in Java / Legacy tagged ARM / J2ME / J2SE / Java / JVM / Legacy / PC / Pocket PC / Windoes CE / Windoes Mobile by Marc Nuri | Last updated: 2023-10-26

If you've ever tried to run a java program with your windows mobile device you'll be aware its one of the most difficult tasks. Sun doesn't officially support windows mobile devices, so you must go to a third party solution.

Why hasn't Sun released an official JVM for ARM pocket PC's? As you can read in the official Sun forum in the thread Open letter to SUN to produce a JRE for Pocket PC.

...Unfortunately, since it's not an officially supported project at Sun (i.e. one that will generate enough revenue based on our projections to cover the costs) it is having problems getting out to the public...

There is a great FAQ where you can find summarized everything about this issue Java on PocketPC (Unofficial FAQ).

Available JVM's

This URL (Java Support on Pocket PC) forwards you to an old comparison chart where you can find a summarized list of the java available options for Pocket PC's.

There are many commercial and non-commercial non-official JVM's for pocket pc. Most of them have the common problem of needing too much memory to run and implementing very old java profiles.

IBM WebSphere Everyplace Micro Environment

Product URL

This is a commercial JVM developed by IBM. You can buy licenses online for about $5. There are also trial versions available at IBM for you to try.

As you can read in the IBM site, the JVM features J2ME support for the Connected, Limited Device Configuration (CLDC 1.0 and 1.1) and Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP 2.0) and for the Connected Device Configuration (CDC 1.0_01), Foundation Profile, and Personal Profile.

Summarizing, IBM solution is a cheap way to implement java in your pocket pc, and enable it to run smartphone software.

Mysaifu JVM

Product URL

MySaifu is a GPL'd licensed Java virtual machine which runs on Windows Mobile OS's. Currently, you can find compiled versions for:

  • Windows Mobile 5.0
  • Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software for Pocket PC (Pocket PC 2003 SE)
  • Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PC (Pocket PC 2003)

This is my personal favorite solution. Apart from being free, it isn't a memory expensive solution. You can run java 1.3 applications, including support for AWT.

Screenshot of MySaifu JVM Image Viewer demo
Screenshot of MySaifu JVM Image Viewer demo
Screenshot of MySaifu JVM AWT components demo
Screenshot of MySaifu JVM AWT components demo

These are two screenshots of sample applications running on PocketPC using MySaifu JVM. As you can see there is complete support for AWT components which can be easily extended to support better graphic options.

The Rest

As far as I'm concerned the rest of JVM options have been abandoned long ago and are very outdated. Other than that, most of them are commercial versions and much worse than the IBM solution. So if you want to implement java applications in your pocket PC my recommendation is either to use IBM webSphere if what you want is the J2ME standard or MySaifu if you prefer to run J2SE programs.

Twitter iconFacebook iconLinkedIn iconPinterest iconEmail icon

Comments in "JVM for Windows Mobile (J2ME) // PocketPC - PDA MySaifu"

  • Avatar for jawed
    jawed
    2007-03-23 12:02
    I need jvm for my pc.
  • Avatar for Rohan Chandane
    Rohan Chandane
    2007-03-27 09:42
    I dont know how, but when I installed on my i-mate sp3 which has Windows Mobile 2003, it doesn't work and was always throwing exception while running Midlet. Even when I run Hello World Midlet.

    Rohan Chandane
  • Avatar for Marc Nuri
    Marc Nuri
    2007-03-27 10:54
    You say you've installed something but not what you installed. I imagine you installed mySaifu and for that reason you're having problems to run your midlets.

    As I said on the post, IBM WebSphere is apropriate to run J2ME applications, and MySaifu is recommended to run J2SE.

    If you plan to run already programmed midlets from your i-mate, it's highly recommended you install webSphere because you'll avoid headaches.

    If what you're planning is to develop your own applications and they are solely designed to be run from your pda, mySaifu is your best choice, because it's not so limited.

    This doesn't mean you are not able to run midlets from mySaifu, because as in a regular desktop computer, there are toolkits available that permit you emulate midp environments. you can read more in Sun Java Wireless Toolkit for CLDC or ME4SE.
  • Avatar for Brandon
    Brandon
    2008-04-22 00:47
    Thanks, this is helpful. I have been using J9 for a while now and I'm pretty sure it's the best option. I use SWT and JFace.
  • Avatar for Amir
    Amir
    2008-05-07 00:36
    did mySaifu JVM supports the package java.nio of J2SE ?
  • Avatar for Vei
    Vei
    2009-07-27 06:51
    Thanks for the info.

    I just installed Mysaifu on my Ipaq h6315, and it works fine. :)
  • Avatar for hasib
    hasib
    2009-08-20 04:09
    do u have coding java for mobile dictionary?
  • Avatar for we24support
    we24support
    2012-05-18 13:49
    Helped us save time and money at 24/7 Techies.

Post navigation
Choosing a printer programmatically in Jasper ReportsRemove JTable's Enter Key behavior
© 2007 - 2025 Marc Nuri