This complete, practical guide to writing mobile websites and applications shows developers how to build a powerful mobile web presence. Readers need knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and a server-side language; the examples use PHP, but are easily adapted to other languages. The book does not use J2ME, but uses mobiles’ web browsers and other standard features with XHTML Mobile Profile (XHTML MP) and Wireless CSS (WCSS). Examples illustrate each technique, focused on real-world solutions, pragmatic tips, and fast results rather than theory. Whether you want to provide website customers with new ways to access your services, or build applications to keep staff up to date on the road, this book covers it: adapting content to the capabilities of target devices, saving bandwidth with compression, creating server-side logic integrated with a mobile front end, sending and receiving SMS and MMS messages, accepting mobile payments, and developing voice and touchtone responsive systems. (more…)

Is your BlackBerry (or the one you’re thinking about getting) a full-fledged PDA (Personal Data Assistant), a hand-held mini-computer, a high-tech organizer, or a cell phone? The answer is yes. It’s all of those and more. Whether you’re considering getting a BlackBerry and want to know what it can do for you or whether you own one and want to learn how it can do more, this is the BlackBerry book to pick. It provides explanations of core BlackBerry features plus real-world tips and tricks to help you get more out of e-mail, Web browsing, phone functions, business applications, utilities, and even games. (more…)

Get a clear picture of IP Multicast applications for delivering commercial high-quality video services
This book provides a concise guide to current IP Multicast technology and its applications, with a focus on IP-based Television (IPTV) and Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) applications-areas of tremendous commercial interest. Traditional phone companies can use IP Multicast technology to deliver video services over their networks; cell phone companies can use it to stream video to handheld phones and PDAs; and many cable TV companies are considering upgrading to IP technology. In addition to applications in industries seeking to provide high-quality digital video and audio, there are numerous other practical uses: multi-site corporate videoconferencing; broad distribution of financial data, stock quotes, and news bulletins; database replication; software distribution; and content caching (for example, Web site caching).
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Games on Symbian OS is the only guide to highlight the gaming opportunities presented by the Symbian OS platform, with particular emphasis on the creation of mobile games in C++ using native APIs.

Jo Stichbury leads a field of industry experts to provide the reader with detailed information about the key APIs used to create games. The book includes a broad introduction to games on mobile phones and describes the various ways of creating and playing mobile games. It also provides clear code examples and discussion, with information about how to optimise code for best practice. The authors use standard techniques to relay information (tables, diagrams and code samples) as well as cross-referencing between chapters and, where necessary, to other books in the Symbian Press series and beyond (e.g. to SDK documentation).

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Portable wireless mobile computing is the ability to retrieve information from the main computer system and/or repository of information on a wireless device at anytime and anywhere. An obvious plus here is the ability to also enter or update information on those main computer systems remotely via our wireless device. This gives us all the freedom to theoretically manipulate all information from afar.

The specific type of wireless devices used in our portable wireless mobile architecture is the Personal Digital Assistant, better known as the PDA. The usage of these types of devices is growing at an alarming rate. In the next five years, most cellular telephones will have Internet capabilities, and a large number of individuals will be porting a PDA of some sort.

The goal of this book is to introduce to you, the reader, how to build databases on personal digital devices to be used with PDA applications. Of course, we also try to show how to build PDA applications to use the data within the database.

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Adoption of Bluetooth wireless technology has become ubiquitous in the last few years. One of the biggest steps forward is the standardization of Java APIs for Bluetooth wireless technology (JABWT). The latest updates to this standard is explained in detail in this book. The JABWT standard, defined by the JSR-82 Java Specification Request, supports rapid development of Bluetooth applications that are portable, secure, and highly-usable. Wireless device manufacturers have responded overwhelmingly to the JABWT specification by implementing JABWT applications in mobile phones and other personal wireless communications products.

"Bluetooth Application Programming Essentials: Programming with the Java APIs" explains in detail how to write Bluetooth applications using the Java APIs to exploit the power of both technologies. Written by the specification lead for JSR-82 and two other key participants in developing the standards of JABWT, this book provides the authoritative explanations and concrete examples needed to get started right away.

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GPRS is a packet based wireless communication service that offers data rates from 9.05 up to 171.2 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. GPRS is based on GSM communications and complements existing services such as circuit switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS).

GPRS represents the bridge between 2G and 3G mobile telecommunications and is commonly referred to as 2.5G.

Implementation of GPRS requires modification of the existing GSM networks in that GSM is a circuit switched technology while GPRS is packet oriented. GPRS enables packet data (the same as is used by an Ethernet LAN, WAN or the Internet) to be sent to and from a mobile station - e.g. mobile phone, PDA or Laptop.

WAP and SMS can also be sent using GPRS and individuals working with GPRS need to learn and understand how the mobile stations, the air interface, network architecture, protocol structures and signalling procedures must be modified.
GPRS offers much higher data rates than GSM and can be combined with 3G technologies such as EDGE to give even higher bit-rates. It offers many benefits for customers and network operators: such as volume (rather then time) dependent billing and more efficient use of network resources.

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Certain technologies bring out everyone's hidden geek, and iPhone did the moment it was released. Even though Apple created iPhone as a closed device, tens of thousands of developers bought them with the expressed purpose of designing and running third-party software. In this clear and concise book, veteran hacker Jonathan Zdziarski - one of the original hackers of the iPhone - explains the iPhone's native environment and how you can build software for this device using its Objective-C, C, and C++ development frameworks."iPhone Open Application Development" walks you through the iPhone's proprietary development environment, offers an overview of the Objective-C language you'll use with it, and supplies background for the iPhone operating system. You also get detailed recipes and working examples for everyone's favorite iPhone features - graphics and audio programming, interfaces for adding multitouch functionality to games, the use of hardware sensors, and the device's vast user interface kit. (more…)

As more users access the Web from their phones and other handhelds, web developers need to learn techniques for targeting these new devices. Sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google target mobiles with their services and products. Companies use mobile services to provide staff access to their applications while away from a computer.

This book is a complete, practical guide to writing mobile websites and applications. You will learn how to create mobile-friendly websites, adapt your content to the capabilities of different devices, save bandwidth with compression, and create server-side logic that integrates with a mobile front end. You will also see other methods for integrating your web application with mobile technology: sending and receiving MMS and SMS messages, accepting mobile payments, and working with voice calls to provide spoken interaction.

The book illustrates every technique with practical examples, showing how to use these development methods in the real world. Along the way we show how an example pizza delivery business can use these methods to open up to the mobile web.
Whether you want to provide customers and users of your public website with new ways to access your services, or build applications so that staff can stay up to date while on the road, this book will show you all you need to build a powerful mobile presence. (more…)

This book provides an introduction to Bluetooth programming, with a specific focus on developing real code. The authors discuss the major concepts and techniques involved in Bluetooth programming, with special emphasis on how they relate to other networking technologies. They provide specific descriptions and examples for creating applications in a number of programming languages and environments including Python, C, Java, GNU/Linux, Windows XP, Symbian Series 60, and Mac OS X. No previous experience with Bluetooth is assumed, and the material is suitable for anyone with some programming background. The authors place special emphasis on the essential concepts and techniques of Bluetooth programming, starting simply and allowing the reader to quickly master the basic concepts before addressing advanced features. (more…)