Sony Ericsson offers application developers 'virtual' cellphones

Stuart Corner
Monday, 27 August 2007 05:20

Business IT - Technology

With the rapid rate that new cellphones come onto the market it's really hard for application developers to keep their applications updated for the latest models. Sony Ericsson has a solution: its latest phones are available 'virtually' over the web to developers.

The service has been launched in conjunction with Mobile Complete whose Direct-to-Device technology provides access to and interaction with real mobile devices connected to live global networks. The application developer operates and controls the device remotely through a web interface. They can press device buttons, view LCD displays and listen to ringers and speakers.

The new Sony Ericsson Virtual Lab is available globally to all members of Sony Ericsson Developer World and will offer developers access to precommercial mobiles that are not yet on general sale.

According to Sony Ericsson, in the past, the majority of the developer community relied on testing their applications through phone emulators in the software development kit (SDK), because they did not have access to precommercial phones. Only Premier Partners benefited from a phone loan program, with the administration and costs for both parties  to ship test phones back and forth between Sony Ericsson and the partner.

The service has gone live with six of the most popular Sony Ericsson mass-market feature phone models announced in 2007 and Sony Ericsson says more phones will become available as soon as possible after they are officially announced.