Nokia Java Runtime 2.0 for S60 (JRT 2.0) has been released for beta testing and now available from Nokia beta labs site. This is a package that upgrades the Java runtime on the phone (tested with Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and N97) with this new one. This is the first time we are testing the independent release/upgrades of Java Runtime from S60 releases. In the future this will allow us to deliver the latest and greatest JRT to older phones.
Some of the new features and improvements that will be noticeable (also listed on release notes) are one-click application installation, application launch user experience, and execution performance. I must tell about a feature that I am proud of and can be interesting to the readers of this blog. The Java installer in JRT 2.0 (the application that installs midlets) is itself a Java application. In fact, the UI(prompts etc. ) for the installer is developed using eSWT. I am very excited about the new installer because it proves that eSWT can be used to create native looking UIs, even ones that are integrated to the system.
