Technology - Buypass mobile

Mobile handsets are particular when it comes to features such as screen resolution, font sizes and process capabilities. Moreover, web-browsing and application support are often quite buggy. To manage this rough landscape, Java (J2ME/MIDP 2.0) has been chosen as the core technology. It is supplemented with a build system which organizes mobile phones with shared characteristic into specific families. Peculiarities may thus be limited to and managed within one family. A common code base is thus sufficient for most applications. This make mobile application development and maintenance more cost efficient.

Behind the scenes one application is made for every family. To handle this complexity, Buypass offers a server-based system which detects the handset from which an application is ordered and automatically selects the appropriate version. This system also handles personalization of applications. Actually, an application may be personalized after it has been downloaded and installed on the handset. This yields great flexibility to how the business logic can be realized.

Buypass continuously extends and improves an application framework which incorporates functionality which is likely to be common to most mobile applications and which may not be straightforward to get to work generally. This includes data streaming, communication support etc. More importantly, it offers a pattern for organizing an application into independent modules. This helps reducing side-effects, makes testing easier and it also allows for third-party development. It is possible to specify for each family the modules which are to be included in the application on family basis. Application may therefore be configured to work with each family's allowed footprint and supported APIs.