J2ME - Version 1.0

Version 0.1

Release date: June 8, 2008

It works!

• This version may be a bit rough around the edges, but it does exactly what it says.

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Supported phones

Tried and true on the Nokia N95. It will probably also run on any phone that supports JSR-179 (a Location extension for Java), so it might run on any phone on this list: http://developers.sun.com/mobility/device/pub/device/list.do?filterIds=125. This list may be incomplete, if your phone supports java applications and has built-in GPS or can connect to an external Bluetooth GPS, give the Fire Eagle Updater a try and let us know what happens.

Installation

You can download the jar file directly to your phone or download it to a computer and send it to your phone via Bluetooth. Follow the instructions on your phone for installation.

Starting for the first time

The first time you run the Fire Eagle Updater for J2ME you'll need to authorize it in Fire Eagle and allow the Updater to update your location in Fire Eagle. There's a few steps to this, but should be pretty easy to do.

• Start the app on your phone and follow the onscreen prompts. You'll be asked whether the Updater can use the network to send and receive data, say yes.
• The Updater will then display a code, which is a string of eight capital letters, at the top of your screen and a URL. Go to the URL from your computer. The URL is https://fireeagle.yahoo.net/mobile_auth/4211. This will display the authorization page and a prompt to enter the code displayed on your phone.
• Enter the code from your phone onto the web page and click 'Confirm'.
• Go back to the Updater application on your phone and click the Next button.
• If everything went well you won't have to do these steps ever again, unless you want to reauthorize.

The Updater will now start to query Fire Eagle for your current location and fire up your phone's GPS unit to update your location. You'll probably see a couple more prompts asking you if the application can have access to the network or to use the positioning data, say 'Yes'. See the section on Java Security Prompts below to find out how to limit the number of times these prompts appear.

Basic usage

There really aren't too many options. Under the Updater's 'Options' menu, there are three choices: Settings, Start/Stop GPS, and Re-Authorize. Use Settings to change how frequently your phone contacts Fire Eagle to update your location. Use Re-Authorize if you want to give your phone to someone else and have it update their Fire Eagle information. Or if you've removed the FE Updater from the web site from some reason and need to re-authorize. You can leave the Updater running with GPS turned off, although it's really useless in that case, you might as well just exit the application. Under ordinary operations, the Updater will display your current location as Fire Eagle knows it and your GPS coordinates, if GPS signal is available.

Java security prompts

If you've run the application a few times you're probably tired of the prompts asking for permission to send and receive data or access positioning info. These prompts are J2ME's way of protecting you from misbehaving applications. If you trust the Updater to not misbehave or your own judgment on how to manage the Updater, you can limit these prompts. Instructions for Nokia S60 devices follow (it can probably be done on other devices, but you've got to figure it out yourself):

• Go to the main menu. Click on Tools, then start the App. mgr.
• Find the Updater in the list of installed apps and open it either with 'Suite Settings' or 'Open'.
• You'll see a list of settings for the application. You can set a default access point if you like. Make sure to set "Network access" and "Positioning" to "Ask first time". After setting that up, you should only be asked once when you start the application.