Nokia Smartphone Hacks

Chapter 3. Extend and Enhance Your Phone

Hacks 16–21: Introduction

A key characteristic of smartphones is that they can run third-party applications. Those applications add new features to the phone, essentially allowing you to extend the phone beyond its original capabilities. In this chapter, I’ll cover techniques to install, run, and manage third-party applications on Nokia Series 40 and Series 60 smartphones. Issues related to running applications on the phone, such as filesystem and memory management, are also covered in the hacks in this chapter.

Run Java Applications

Your phone has a built-in Java environment that lets you run all sorts of cool applications and games. Installing and managing these applications is easy, once you know how.

All Nokia Series 40 and Series 60 phones support Java applications (a.k.a. MIDlets) that you can add on to your phone after you get it. With these applications, you can customize, enhance, and extend your phone to suit your preferences.

Tip

A MIDlet is a Java application that conforms to the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) standard. The MIDP specification defines the Java Virtual Machine and API available on most Java-compatible smartphones, including all Nokia smartphones.

Java technology is most widely used to develop mobile games and entertainment applications for Nokia phones. In fact, your Nokia phone probably was preinstalled with some popular Java games (e.g., Golf and Beach Rally) and utilities (e.g., Converter and World Clock), ...