BlackJack Java Unleashed

Posted on by John

A few weeks back I was thinking about getting a BlackJack. Well, I did, and I’ve been slowly getting up to speed on its features.

One immediate annoyance was the way Cingular/Samsung have configured the JBlend Java Virtual Machine on the phone. That had to go, or the phone was going back to the store.

First, the background.

On a vanilla BlackJack from Cingular, when you install java mobile applications like Opera Mini, Google Maps, or Gmail, they have to ask for user permission every single time they need to make a network request.

The options you’re given when the application asks are:

  • Allow and ask me next time
  • Don’t allow this time
  • Don’t allow for this session

The missing option, of course, is: Allow for this session. (Or even, allow and don’t ever ask me again for this app – which I’d be happy with).

Second, the solution.

Thanks to IBM, this thread on Google Groups, this thread at HowardForums and this post at MS Mobiles, there is a way around.

In essence, this involves installing IBM’s WebSphere Everyplace Microenvironment, an alternative JVM capable of running J2ME applications conforming to the MIDP 2.0 spec.

The easiest way is to use one of the J9.cab files, from the Howard Forums thread or here.

In addition, you need to copy the tahoma.ttf and tahomabd.ttf fonts from a Windows machine into the \Windows\Fonts directory on your BlackJack. I found that Opera Mini didn’t work otherwise.

Using one of the .cab files rather than IBM’s default mechanism for installing includes adjustments to font paths, as described in the Google Groups thread, and has the added benefit of making the association between .jad and .jar files and J9, so from now on you can install Java apps just as you would with the default JBlend JVM. Finally, it installs an icon for the J9 as an application in the menu, rather than having to dig down into File Explorer to get to the new JVM.

No related posts.

, ,
John

5 Comments

  1. John,

    I noticed on the Zimbra forum that you are a Zimbra Mobile/Cingular/BlackJack user. I am also. We are using an outside hosted solution for Zimbra and Zimbra Mobile and all our desktop computers are Mac. Question: When we send an email from the BlackJack, the email sends, but does not appear in the BlackJack sent box. It does appear in the sent box on our desktop machines. Have you had the same experience?

    Best,
    Jon

  2. I did, initially.

    You have to tell the email client on the blackhacj to include the “Sent” folder in Synchs.

    Go into the email app, while you are looking at a list of messages in a folder, pull up the menu (right soft key) and choose “folders.”

    When the folder list is displayed, click on the menu again and choose “manage folders.”

    Find the “Sent” folder and while it is highlighted choose “Sync” (right soft key) – folder name should turn bold.

    Next synch you will get all the sent items from your imap server.

    At least, that’s what worked for me – your mileage may vary.

    This lets you have some folders on your imap server that you do not synch to your blackjack.

  3. Pingback: The AT&T/Cingular Question & Discussion Thread - The Something Awful Forums

  4. Is ther a way to increase the font size of the Gmail app? It works flawlessly with the IBM JVM, but usability is limited by the extremely small font.

    I did install the tahoma font files as instructed, with work fine. Just that the size is too small.

    Any ideas?

Comments are closed.