Qualcomm’s BREW platform lives on; coming soon to Sprint handsets near you

By on Sep 11, 2009 at 10:51 AM
Software September 11, 2009

brew

On one end of the mobile spectrum, you have smartphone OSes that are feature packed, diverse and almost endlessly enhanceable. On the other end of the spectrum, you have dumb phone OSes that are limited in function but typically well-suited for the average consumer. Somewhere in the middle lies Qualcomm’s BREW Mobile Platform. Some may have been under the impression that BREW was going the way of the dinosaur but the truth is that it’s still managing to garner attention from manufacturers and carriers alike. Back in July, HTC reportedly let it be known that it has plans to release a BREW-powered handset some time in 2009. Now Sprint has jumped on board with this morning’s announcement that “it is planning to offer its customers additional device options by launching devices running Qualcomm’s Brew Mobile Platformâ„¢ (Brew MP).” No word yet on who might manufacture said phones, though HTC could certainly be among the companies currently working on a BREW-based Sprint handset. Whether or not the addition of BREW MP will be welcomed by Sprint subscribers remains to be seen but more options are never a bad thing, we suppose.

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11 Comments

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  • Verizon Guy

    I bet they’re eying the ever-expanding BREW content catalog, and commitments to BREW from big names in the entertainment industry (EA?) BREW might have a lot of catching up to do before it can compete with Android, but it’s still a lot better than J2ME (a platform no longer under development?)

  • http://n/a Nick-Nick

    1. J2ME is not dead. it is just renamed to JavaME (http://java.sun.com/javame/index.jsp)
    2. IMHO, the only reason company would want to use BREW is that not too many ppl develop app for this OS. Not that it is complicated but it costs a lot to register it. It is much easier even for iPhone say nothing about BB or Android.

  • Sean

    Except for the drm attached to brew plus the development fees. Not so ‘free and open’ Of course, I would never carry a dumb phone for these exact reasons.

    Please just stay away from ‘smart phones’ with your brew capsizing ship.

    Java development continues. Even with sprint (google out Titan).

  • Don Louie Cantone

    I want to see how this work because the 3 CDMA carriers the are BREW don’t allow much 3rd party action

  • Sean

    from Qualcomm’s Brew website:

    “With BREW, your needs come first. You own the relationship with your subscribers. You decide which applications to offer. And you determine the level of interaction you want with publishers and developers when it comes to billing and settlements.”

    Java? Not so much owning. More personalization. Trust me, ‘brew’ is very
    draconian.

  • K

    Whenever I think “Brew” I think of four year old cell phones with monochrome displays and green backlights.

  • Tony

    I can’t believe they are doing this. I have never had a Verizon phone that didn’t have something wrong with it. BREW is buggy and a pile of crap.

  • Dakota

    BREW? On Sprint phones? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

    *breathes in*

    -OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  • mark

    To put it simply – Do Not Want!

  • Plethora 9

    You’re missing the bigger picture. CDMA carriers are looking for a multi OS delivery system. BREW for Windows Mobile & BlackBerry is just around the corner. I would imagine it’s easy to port to Android also. If I am a developer and I want to maximize footprint while reducing development cost for multiple OS’s, then BREW looks very attractive to me. Most CDMA carriers have been successfully running BREW for years. I don’t see BREW going away soon and Sprint making this announcement further solidifies that.

  • Jacob

    BREW is already installed on every Sprint device and has been for years, nothing new here. Just take a look at your Sprint device with BitPim. What really matters is the delivery platform Sprint uses to sell apps, and my guess is that will continue to use JavaME.

    In a few years the smartphone operating systems are going to make their way onto even the most low-end devices, then BREW and JavaME will be forgotten. Who knows why Sprint made this announcement, trying to move their stock price maybe?

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