OpenWorld 09 Oracle is increasing its focus on mobile and interface construction in the next planned releases of its Java IDE and underlying framework.

The database giant's announced its Application Development Framework (ADF) Mobile Client to build native Java applications for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices.

Oracle kicked off with a developer preview during its OpenWorld conference in San Francisco, California.

The Mobile Client will let developers using its JDeveloper Java development toolkit, which is based on ADF, quickly get applications to market, Oracle said.

The client will mean developers can re-use their JDeveloper skills to extend Oracle applications with native mobile user interfaces while using the synchronization and security services of Oracle's database and middleware running beneath the applications.

ADF, meanwhile, is being updated. Features will include new user-interface components Oracle said would provide a cleaner and more modern-looking user interface.

Translated, that means a nod to Apple and iTunes. Components will include something called Carousel to display collections of data using an iTunes-style interface, Oracle said.

Components will also provide improved search, charting and contextual information, and there will be new animations for graphs and other UI components.

Other improvements will tackle improved data control for POJO and EJBs. Oracle did not say when the updates to JDeveloper and ADF will be released.

ADF is Oracle's meta programming layer that sits beneath JDeveloper. ADF provides a framework for programming and simplifies development by enabling a drag-and-drop and has been Oracle's strategic choice for programming in Java Enterprise Edition for years. Oracle claimed more than 44 per cent of ADF users have upgraded to the latest release from older releases.

Even more reason for Oracle to stick with ADF at the expense of Sun Microsystems' Netbeans, which Oracle will come to own if Oracle's $5.6bn acquisition of the Java software and systems company is finally approved. ®

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