JAVAONE 2008, San Francisco, CA – Nokia and Ikivo, a leading supplier of rich media application enabling solutions based on open standards, announced the joint creation of a complete tool chain that simplifies and allows efficient collaboration between graphic designers and software engineers in the development of Java applications for mobile devices.

The new tool set integrates Nokia’s Platform SDKs for Java, Adobe Illustrator, Ikivo Animator and Sun’s NetBeans to enable user interface designers to add their GUI designs directly to an application project and avoid the time-consuming process of “translating” those designs into Java code. Utilizing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) to capture visual designs for optimized integration into software development projects, the new solution dramatically improves the productivity of mobile Java development, and reinforces the attractiveness of Java as an environment for creating compelling mobile applications with rich graphics and interactivity.

The new tool set’s utilization of SVG, an open standard for describing 2D static and animated vector graphics developed through the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), makes it possible to define a clear division of labor between engineers and graphic designers working on software development projects.

Using the new SVG-enabled tool chain developed by Nokia and Ikivo, graphic designers are free to concentrate on creating useful and exciting user experiences, incorporating designs in the final product without the need to help engineers translate those designs into code. Software engineers can concentrate their skills on the application logic and other non-graphic components of a project, where they can be the most productive.

“Nokia is pleased to be working with Ikivo and Sun to enable coders and creative professionals to work together toward creation of best-of-breed mobile applications with advanced user interfaces,” said David Rivas, VP, Technology Management, Nokia. “This collaborative effort shows how focused initiatives can empower mobile application developers with different fields of knowledge and expertise to work more closely together in bringing the next-generation mobile experience to the global marketplace.”

“Ikivo has been very pleased to work with Nokia and we’re happy to be taking this initiative to the next level, sharing our knowledge with the broad developer audience through Forum Nokia, the largest mobile developer community in the world,” said Brad Sipes, Chief Technology Officer, Ikivo. “This initiative further validates the power of the SVG technology integration with Java and we’re confident that the easy-to-use workflow will attract more developers to improve the graphics and user experience of their applications.”