Java mobile phone simulator - need some urgent advice

[sevedaja]

Greetings


I'm home schooling ( highschool )and in order to pass final computer
exam I need to do a project. I won't go into too much detail on why I
don't go to a teacher with these questions ( I did actually, but she
argued that she also doesn't give her own students much information on
this since they alone figure out what is required blah, blah, blah
… and then we had a falling out ), but let's just say that talking
with her is like pulling teeth, since she claims it's not her
obligation to help me with these kind of questions.

Anyhow, I'd like to choose between two projects ( the third potential
project is completelly database oriented and thus has no place in this
thread ) and I only have two or three months time to finish it ( mind
you, I also have to study other school subjects and I also work, so
it's not like I have unlimited time ).

I only know the very basics ( objects, inheritance, file I/O ) of
Java, but not much else, and I also have very little programming
experiences. So:

• can someone give me suggestions on what exactly should Java mobile
phone simulator do?
Actually be able to call and SMS someone or just simulate phone calls
and also simulate other mobile phone functions?


• Depending on the above answer, I will probably also have to learn
some protocols ( I know TCP/IP, but not much else )?


• what libraries must I learn to actually be able to make such a
simulator ( I imagine I will also have to learn some sort of 2D Java
library? )?


• Now even if I do manage to learn the above stuff, I still don't know
how or where to start with the actual project. I imagine I will need
to write some 2D interface mimicking mobile phone interface? I will
also have to built some sort of database for phone numbers and
received/sent SMS messages? But I have no clue about anything else.
Could you give me some advice?



Other project is a game ( like Tetris or Criss-cross ) --> but for
now I won't ask anything about it since if you guys advise me that it
is much easier to do mobile phone simulator, then …


thank you in advance

 

[Roedy Green]

• can someone give me suggestions on what exactly should Java mobile
phone simulator do?
Actually be able to call and SMS someone or just simulate phone calls
and also simulate other mobile phone functions?

have a look at Sun's simulator.

see http://java.sun.com/products/sjwtoolkit/download.html
--
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
http://mindprod.com
"Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment
whose ultimate consequences could be second only to global nuclear war."
~ Environment Canada (The Canadian equivalent of the EPA on global warming)

 

[aaziz]

Do you want to create your own simulator, or write an application to
run on a phone?

Make a simulator to act like a phone could be easier or difficult. If
you just want a phone interface (without actually being able to do any
phone functions like calling, text-messaging, etc), then it'd be
fairly simply. However to implement an actual phone emulator would be
quite a bit more difficult. Like Roedy said, look at Sun's Wireless
Toolkit, also look into J2ME and CLDC, MIDP. If you want to do some
mobile application programming, look around for some J2ME tutorials/
tips. Some good places to start: http://www.java-tips.org/java-me-tips/midp/
and http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/wi-midlet2/ and of
course the API Docs: http://java.sun.com/javame/reference/apis/jsr118/

 

[sevedaja]

greetings

I thought my best chance to suceed would be to use ( for themost
part ) J2SE library

Make a simulator to act like a phone could be easier or
difficult. If you just want a phone interface (without actually
being able to do any phone functions like calling,
text-messaging, etc), then it'd be fairly simply.

Ideally, this is what I’d like it to do have ( using J2SE mostly):

a) a 2D mask to act as UI and also have the appearance of a phone
( this mask also being dynamic in a sense that one would press
buttons ( which would also be a part of this mask ) and the
'screen' would change accordingly ).

* could you recommend what would best library be for making such
an interactive and at the same time very simple 2D interface


b) I'm not sure how demanding it would be to do the following ( or
even if I'd be capable of doing it ), but I'd also like the
simulator to be able to send and receive actual SMS messages.

* what do I need to implement for simulator to do that ( just a
specific protocol or specific library?)

c) perhaps even make actual phone calls

* this is most likely just a wishful thinking, but I would need
more information what is required for that to work ( what
libraries, protocols)


In worst case scenario phone would simply have dynamic 2D interface
and be able to send and receive fake SMS messages to another instance
of same simulator … but that would be a sorry excuse for a simulator

However to implement an actual phone emulator would be
quite a bit more difficult. Like Roedy said, look at Sun's
Wireless Toolkit, also look into J2ME and CLDC, MIDP. If you
want to do some mobile application programming, look around for
some J2ME tutorials/tips. Some good places to start:
http://www.java-tips.org/java-me-tips/midp/
and http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/wi-midlet2/ and of
course the API Docs: http://java.sun.com/javame/reference
/apis/jsr118/

I thought if I was to built just a simulator, then the actual
simulator would run in normal java environment and mostly use J2SE
libraries, since as far as I know, J2ME is mostly used for making apps
that run on top of mobile phones or mobile phone simulators? But since
I want to make a simulator and not an app to run on top of it, isn’t
then J2ME kinda of overhead?

Sun's Wireless Toolkit,

That’s another name for J2ME?

Anyways, is Sun’s simulator the actual simulator of a mobile phone or
just a platform on which mobile phone apps can run ( I’m totally lost
by the terminology )?
I have a feeling that looking and Sun’s simulator source code and
trying to figure it out is way beyond my capabilities … I’m more on a
dumb side


kind regards

 

[sevedaja]

sorry, I forgot to answer it:

Do you want to create your own simulator, or write an application to
run on a phone?

I want to make my own simulator, but not one that would enable mobile
apps to be run on top of it

 

[Roedy Green]

c) perhaps even make actual phone calls

You are obviously not going to be able to make cellular calls since
your desktop does not have the hardware to generate GSM, CDMA or 3G
radio waves. You would have to actually make the call either through
Skype or something similar or via a modem, somehow hooking up your
microphone to let you use it as an ordinary phone.

Your project is already far too ambitious for one person. I suggest
you prune it down drastically, then after you complete it, think about
various ways to extend it.

Here are some warm up exercises:

For a start, write a little app that uses Sun's or Blackberry's
simulator.

Also sign up for Skype and play with it. See if it has any sort of
programmer interface, or if there is anything like it that does.

See if you can write a dialer that uses a modem.

See if you can write a telephone simulator that uses a headset with
microphone using a modem to interface to a POTS phone line.
--
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
http://mindprod.com
"Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment
whose ultimate consequences could be second only to global nuclear war."
~ Environment Canada (The Canadian equivalent of the EPA on global warming)