But you might say Nokia has built it a place of honor with Java's Connected Device Configuration (CDC).

Nokia said its Java-enabled Series 60 smartphone now includes the CDC enhanced configuration for the Java platform, a flexible and modular device environment that helps Nokia and other Series 60 device manufacturers build more versatile Java applications.

Call it another example of making the devices run middleware themselves, which helps cut down on messaging back and forth between the client and the network.

Nokia officials say the deal could help it advance its aim of driving deals in remote management of mobile devices and sparking new business developers on the Java platform in the mobile middleware market.

Tom Ojala, director of marketing for Nokia's Forum Nokia division, an umbrella group that drives strategies with developers on Nokia's major development platforms, said the CDC for Series 60 is just one of its many commitments to Java-enabled platforms.

Ojala said Nokia also has launched an expanded developer support program to help them get applications to market more quickly. The Forum Nokia program, which includes the Enterprise-focused zone and Nokia's Network-focused zones for carriers, offers technical support, business development and even some marketing support for software developers that want to work more closely with Nokia on next-generation applications.

"It's a way of connecting all the different parts" of the application development cycle, he told internetnews.com. "They can work with the prototypes, get software development kits and find ways of implementing their offerings and adding new revenue."

Plus, developers are able to get their applications to market -- and get paid -- more quickly.

The deal comes at a time when Nokia is expanding its outreach to the hearts and minds of developers looking to build applications for smartphones, whether for consumers or business customers.

Although Nokia's Series 60 Platform, built on the Symbian OS, is considered one of the world's leading smartphone platforms, Nokia has some market share to protect and even worry about as Microsoft's Windows for Mobile 5.0 gears up for smartphone application development.

Nokia said its vision of the future of Series 60 Java technology includes a platform that features Mobile Operational Management, a standards-based, service-oriented, managed and secure computing environment for the Java platform in the mobile space.


European Parliament Rejects Software Patents
John Mancini, President, AIIM