Mobile Multimedia Interfaces and Graphic Development Using Java ME

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Mobile Multimedia Interfaces and Graphic
Development Using Java ME
Carlos D. Rivera Mentor Dr. Bowles
NSF 0353637
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Acknowledgements
Mentors
Group Members

• Rob Jansen
• Lalique Gumbs-Prince
• LaShea Johnson

• Dr. Bowles
• Dr. Eastman

Special Thanks
Additional Thanks

• Tiffany Mintz
• Dr. Libby Alford
• Roxanne Spray

• REU, SCAMP
• C of C, USC
• NSF

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Outline
Motivation
Results
Experiment
Conclusions
Introduction
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Introduction
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Introduction
Computer Graphics

• The field of visual computing, where one utilizes
  computers to generate
• Visual images synthetically
• Visual/spatial information sampled from the
  real world

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Introduction
Computer Graphics

• 35 year history
• CGI, UI, data visualizations, and
  advertisements
• Processing graphics is memory intensive
• File formats vary according to platform and use

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Introduction
Computer Graphics

• Essential to management of flux of everyday
  data
• Rapidly growing technology
• Represents a valuable source of applied research

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Introduction
Popular Graphical Development Trends over Time
Mobile
Laptop
Desktop
Medium
TV
Movies
1970
1980
1990
2000
Year
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Introduction
Current State of CG

• As computer graphics are incorporated into mobile
  devices
• Empower user to quickly internalize data
• Users become a network nodes transmitting and
  receiving data at all instances

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Motivation
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Motivation
Problems with CG on Mobile Devices

• Computing capabilities of mobile devices
  limited
• Development on mobile device graphics still in
  preliminary stages
• Mobile phone graphics have not been as
  extensively researched as other forms of computer
  graphics

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Motivation

• How can graphics on mobile phones be improved?

Problem
Hypothesis
Mobile graphics can be improved by assessing
various mobile development platforms and related
technology to develop suggestions that improve
their graphical frameworks.
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The Experiment
Envisioned project application
Chose development platform (Java ME)
Identified Software Engineering research process
Developed a video game according to specifications
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The Result
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Graphic Development
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Java ME
Java Micro Edition
Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC)
Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 2.0
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Java ME
Game API package
Javax.microedition.lcdui.Canvas
GameCanvas subclass
Image object
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PNG
Portable Network Graphics

• Bitmap image format that employs lossless data
  compression
• Created as an alternative to the GIF image
  format
• Does not require a patent license to use

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PNG
Portable Network Graphics

• Supports
• Indexed and truecolor color depths
• Alpha/Index transparancies
• Textual metadata information

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PNG Analysis
PNG Problems

• The processing of the subtle gradations of
  white to transparent
• Variation in the rendered hues
• Alaising of vector shapes

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PNG Analysis
PNG Problems

• Graphical issues attributed to rasterizing of
  vector images
• Transformation of image data from vector based
  to pixel based distorts original image

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PNG Results
PNG Conclusion

• The mobile development platform, Java ME, does
  not support the vector image file format.
• Because of this any image created using vector
  data becomes distorted and uncharacteristic of
  the original image.
• This can be fixed by supplementing Java MEs
  API with an image file format that supports the
  vector image file format.

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Vector Imagery
Vector Graphics
Popular with image designers because data is
Infinitely scalable, Crisp, Highly-transformable
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Vector Imagery
Vector Graphics
Are primarily used for Icons, Motion Graphics,
and Cartoon Imagery
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Further Research
What now?

• Question Which image file formats allow vector
  definitions of their image data so that this may
  be incorporated into the Java ME API?
• Answer A closely related graphic file format
  to the PNG is the SVG file format.

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Scalable Vector Graphics
SVG

• SVG is a XML markup language that
• Is used in describing two-dimensional vector
  graphics
• Can be static or animated
• Can be either declarative or scripted

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Scalable Vector Graphics
Characteristics of SVG

• Transformed, grouped and rendered in layers
• Customization of XML namespace enhances
  searchability
• Clipping paths, alpha masks, filter effects,
  and template objects
• Rich set of event handlers

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Scalable Vector Graphics
Advantages of SVG

• Can be compressed
• Scripting can be done on SVG elements and
  affect other XML elements in the document
• Scripting of SVG is a key component in web
  applications gives a new look and feel to web
• SVG has already developed two mobile profile
  standards aimed at mobile devices

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Other Vector Graphics
Vector Image Formats

• SWF proprietary vector graphics from
  Macromedia Corp. (Adobe)
• PDF open standard file format from Adobe,
  device independent
• XPS view independent document creation on
  Windows operating system

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Future Mobile Graphics
Vector Image Formats

• Mobile Web, Semantic Web, XML
• Divorcing content from presentation via RSS
• Wireless Local Area Networks
• WiFi
• Rick Internet Applications
• Google Earth
• Device Independent Graphical APIs
• Cairo, Windows Presentation Foundation
• Custom User Interfaces
• Stylus pen, virtual keyboards

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Conclusions
Conclusions
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Conclusions
Conclusions

• Despite popular beliefs, mobile development
  will follow the same path desktop and laptop
  development for the past 10 years

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Conclusions
Conclusions

• Despite popular beliefs, mobile development
  will follow the same path desktop and laptop
  development for the past 10 years
• Increasing technological standards,
  specifications, and technologies will further
  blur the distinction between mobile devices and
  desktop computers

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Conclusions
Conclusions

• Despite popular beliefs, mobile development
  will follow the same path desktop and laptop
  development for the past 10 years
• Increasing technological standards,
  specifications, and technologies will further
  blur the distinction between mobile devices and
  desktop computers
• Mobile graphics should strive to incorporate
  and predict the use of the latest graphical
  standards to speed the development and use of
  mobile devices to maximize its intended benefits

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Final Conclusion
Conclusion

• SVG image format presents the most practical
  application of vector image file formats for
  mobile devices and its applications.

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Further Questions
Future Analysis

• Will Java Community Process accept a proposal
  in its Java Specification Requests for the SVG
  image format inclusion inits implemenation of its
  GameCanvas class API?

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Further Questions
Future Analysis

• Will Java Community Process accept a proposal
  in its Java Specification Requests for the SVG
  image format inclusion inits implemenation of its
  GameCanvas class API?
• Will any other image file formats better
  standardize the image compression of both raster
  and vector file formats?

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Further Questions
Future Analysis

• Will Java Community Process accept a proposal
  in its Java Specification Requests for the SVG
  image format inclusion inits implemenation of its
  GameCanvas class API?
• Will any other image file formats better
  standardize the image compression of both raster
  and vector file formats?
• Will the development of Semantic Web, XML
  standards, open source APIs, and
  device-independent platforms change the way
  graphics are interpreted and designed?

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Further Questions
Open Discussion
Future Analysis

• Will Java Community Process accept a proposal
  in its Java Specification Requests for the SVG
  image format inclusion inits implemenation of its
  GameCanvas class API?
• Will any other image file formats better
  standardize the image compression of both raster
  and vector file formats?
• Will the development of Semantic Web, XML
  standards, open source APIs, and
  device-independent platforms change the way
  graphics are interpreted and designed?