As part of research this summer on using handheld devices in adhoc mesh networks, my students explored using Java for working with Bluetooth on the N800. They evaluated several JVMs and several Bluetooth implementations for Java to see which worked best (for our purposes) on the N800 platform.

They generated two short (4-5 pages each) papers about their analysis: one on JVMs on the N800 and one on Bluetooth with Java. I want to make the papers available if you are interested:

• Java on the N800
• Setting up and using Bluetooth on the Java Platform

Our criteria for choosing software was to support our research: to build an adhoc mesh network based on Java that will support a new kind of loose, distributed parallel programming. So we were less concerned with GUI support, for example, than we were with making sure JNI worked. Keep that in mind. Also, remember that the work was done by undergraduate students cutting their teeth on research work and writing.

I should say we had some good success. We successfully implemented a Java application that controlled a Bluetooth-driven Roomba robot from an N800.

I would appreciate comments and suggestions, especially about JVMs that are a bit more robust and about the future of N800/Maemo/Java/Bluetooth/etc/etc.

-- Mike

Mike Jipping
Hope College

All I can say is I love to see this kind of work! Awesome.

You guys controlled a roomba from an n800? I think that just made my day!

Yeah...it was quite cool to see these guys running a Roomba around the room from the N800. All in Java -- from the device discovery to the actual communication of commands. Very cool!