BREW－开放的移动数据解决方案 An Open Solution for Mobile Data [对照文]

话音业务作为移动通信运营商的基础业务，已经越来越难以用差异化的服务在激烈竞争的市场上获得竞争优势。而基于数据的新兴业务却以出色的前景成为各大运营商满足个性化服务要求的用户的关键应用。因应对个性化数据服务业务的要求，高通公司推出了BREW平台。BREW是一种技术，同时也是一种灵活的“一揽子”业务系统。它一方面为软件开发商及移动通信运营商提供灵活的开发及下载平台；另一方面为手机的用户提供一个能够自行定制的个性化手机平台。对于移动通信运营商来说，BREW平台是一种开放的端到端的解决方案，在一个统一的平台上，运营商与最终用户之间引入了第三方开发商。不同的开发商作为一个非常活跃的群体，可以面对不同的用户群开发出不同的应用程序。同时，对于用户来说，BREW也具备友好的界面，用户可以方便地定制自己的个性化移动终端，下载新的应用并去除旧的应用。
As one of the basic services provided by mobile telecom operators, voice service is experiencing greater hardship to obtain itself any competitive edge by way of diversified services. At the same time, new data-based services have become crucial applications for major operators with their promising futures to address the requirement of the subscribers on personalized services. To address the requirement of personalized data service, Qualcomm has introduced the BREW platform. BREW is both a technology and a flexible, turnkey business system.

首先，对于应用程序的开发商来说，BREW的开发平台很好，它基于C/C++语言，许多程序员都非常熟悉这种开发语言，因此应用开发商的学习曲线非常平滑。同时，BREW SDKTM（软件开发工具包）的下载是免费的。BREW的商业模 型可使开发商同时向全球所有支持BREW的网络运营商提供自己的应用。其次，低价位、新款式的手机正日益成为国内消费者的最爱。信息产业部近日公布的一项调查显示，60％的消费者对价位在1000元至2000元人民币之间的手机最感兴趣，能接受3000元以上价位的不到6％。其中，绝大部分消费者在青睐低价手机的基础上更追求手机的新款式。对于手机厂商而言，这种对低价格新款式的手机的追求导致设备生产商在降低硬件平台成本的同时，软件平台也要更灵活，功能强大但对硬件要求高的软件平台不会受到用户的追捧。据Shosteck集团透露，80%到90%的移动电话属于低成本产品。手机厂商无需承担任何额外开销即可将BREW加载在自己的手机中，并将之销往提供BREW服务的网络运营商手中。BREW平台在电话中仅需极少的内存，这使其能够更加轻松地移植到在市场上热卖的内存有限的低成本电话中。这样即使是低成本的手机也可以具备高度灵活的应用。
For one thing, BREW platform is top-notch for application developers. The learning curve for application developers is minimal because the BREW platform is based on C/C++, a familiar and popular programming language, and downloading the BREW SDKTM (software development kit) is free. BREW business model gives developers a convenient way to offer their applications to all participating global network operators simultaneously. Secondly, low-cost novel mobile phones are gaining more popularity among Chinese consumers. According to a recent survey disclosed by the Information Industry Administration, 60% of the consumers are most interested in mobile phones with prices between RMB1,000 and RMB2,000, while less than 6% can accept those with prices over RMB3,000. Most of the consumers prefer novel styles on the basis of low-cost. To mobile phone manufacturers, such demands for low-cost mobile phones with novel styles will force manufacturers to lower the cost of hardware platforms. At the same time, software platforms shall be more flexible and powerful. Software platforms with a strict requirement on the hardware will not be popular among the users. 80 – 90 percent of mobile phones sold are in the “low cost” category according to The Shosteck Group. Manufacturers bear no out-of-pocket cost to add BREW to handsets they are shipping to network operators offering BREW-enabled services. The BREW platform requires little memory on the phone, which makes it more easily ported to memory-constrained lower-cost phones that appeal to the mass market. This way, lower-cost handsets are also possible for highly flexible applications.

借助BREW，移动设备制造商无需再开发专有的软件平台，或者自顶至底开发从操作系统到最终应用程序。另外，专有的平台对于制造商来说也是一场高风险的赌注。同时还要考虑与其它平台的兼容性问题，兼容互通软件的开发又会使移动设备的硬件成本提高，性能降低。使用单一开放式的BREW平台，移动设备的技术门槛以及产品上市门槛都将得以降低。设备厂商、网络运营商以及应用开发商可以高效开发、部署、购买并售卖最新的数据应用，并从中获益。对于终端用户来说，他们需要的不仅仅是功能强大的手机。移动设备是一种面向最普通用户的产品，强大的功能、简易的操作、良好的兼容性都非常重要。三者缺一不可。最初，台式PC上基于浏览器的解决方案试图移植到移动通信设备上。然而这种功能却受到市场需求的限制，用户要求电话必须具备小巧、廉价、轻便以及低功耗等特点。这些要求最终限制了无线设备的处理能力以及内存容量（存储器）。基于浏览器的服务器端解决方案的弱点是显而易见的：移动设备中较长的时延以及有限的互动性。这使得最激动人心的具有丰富图像的互动游戏无法实现，而这类游戏是其他（非无线）手持平台中游戏内容的主流应用。在实际操作中，由于基于浏览器的解决方案需要服务器端的处理，移动电话成为不必要的性能瓶颈，由于其无法实现处理信息本地化，阻碍了最佳应用的开发。
With the BREW, there is no need for mobile device manufacturers to develop any special software platforms, or to develop the operating systems and terminal applications from head to toe. Further, a special platform is a risky gamble for a manufacturer. Its compatibility with other platforms must be taken into consideration, and the development of compatible application will increase the hardware cost of mobile devices and lower its performance. With a single and open BREW platform, the technological requirement for mobile devices and the marketing requirement for the product will both be lowered. Device manufacturers, network operators and application developers will be able to develop, deploy, purchase and market the latest data applications in a highly effective manner, and benefit from it. For end users, they not only want powerful handsets. Powerful functions, easy operation and high compatibility, these are all important factors for a customer-oriented product like the mobile device. At the beginning, people tried to transplant the browser-based solution on desktop PC into mobile telecom devices. However, this practice is constrained by market demands that require mass-market phones to be small, inexpensive, light and consume little power. These constraints, in turn, have restricted the processing power and memory capacity (storage) of wireless devices. The weaknesses of the browser-based server-side solution are clear: high latency and limited interactivity on the mobile device. This makes the most exciting, graphic-rich interactive games impossible – and these games represent the bulk of gaming activity on other (non-wireless) handheld platforms. In effect, with a browser-based solution that requires server-side processing, the mobile phone becomes an unnecessary performance bottleneck and prevents the best applications from being developed because of its inability to process information locally.

高通的BREW以及Sun微系统的Java技术（在移动电话中作为J2ME来实施）是两种备受欢迎的技术，都支持用户端处理。而且两种技术都可以为移动设备中的软件应用提供运行方案。
Qualcomm’s BREW platform and Sun Microsystem’s Java technology (implemented on mobile phones as J2ME) are two popular technologies that support client-side processing. Both technologies offer a method for executing software applications on a mobile device.

BREW的用户端处理技术具备如下优势：
Advantages of BREW’s client-side processing technology include the following:

真正的实时处理。借助用户端处理特性，各种新型应用（如动作游戏）即可开发出来，因为借助BREW平台用户能够将应用下载到电话之中并在本地运行。即便是在电路交换网络之中，应用也可以即刻启动，因为这些应用安装在本机上—需与远程服务器交换数据，这样就避免了电话网络的繁忙对于使用的 影响。
True real-time processing. With client-side processing, a new range of applications (such as action games) will be developed because of the BREW platform’s ability to download and run applications locally on the phone. Even on circuit-switched networks, applications start immediately since they reside on the phone – with no need to wait for a data call to be initiated.

快速信息交互。借助用户端执行特性，用户只需花费几秒钟即可将有关特定景点的旅游信息数据库下载到自己的手持设备中，然后在数据库中进行搜索，快速寻找合适的地图，这一切根据需要可以随时完成。与此同时，本地存储的信息还可用来增强个性化定位服务的定位信息功能。所有用户都可以享受快速响应这一优势，而无需考虑网络的带宽问题。
Fast interactivity with information. With client-side execution, customers can download a database of travel information about a specific locale to their devices in just a few seconds, then search the database or interact with maps quickly and as often as needed. The locally stored information can also be used to enhance position information for personalized location-based services. All customers enjoy equally fast application response times regardless of network bandwidth.

BREW可以同电话的基本通话功能紧密整合，增强用户端执行功能。开发人员可以非常轻松地编写各种应用，充分利用BREW的通话管理功能，因此，当用户接收呼叫或SMS消息时，应用可以自动暂停并在随后恢复运行。
BREW enhances client-side execution by tightly integrating with the phone’s basic telephony functions. It’s simple for a developer to write applications that take advantage of BREW’s telephony management features, so an application can be automatically suspended and then resumed in the event of an incoming call or SMS message.

更加个性化的移动体验——无线方式。最终用户可以利用多种应用以及各 种生活信息精确定制自己的个性化的手机，并根据自己的意愿随时修改这些应用。用户可以下载所有能够提高工作效率的应用（如财务计算器、股票行情跟踪应用以及新型联络信息数据库），实现手机的个性化，与此同时，他们也可以下载各种娱乐应用以及个性化铃声。这些内容都可以通过无线方式实现，无需电缆或者PC连接。
A more personalized mobile experience – over the air. End users can literally customize their phone with applications and information that suits their lives – and change the applications as often as they wish. One customer might personalize his or her handset by downloading all business productivity applications (a financial calculator, a stock-tracking application and a streamlined contract database), while another might download entertainment applications and a personalized ring tone. And it can all be done over the air – no cables or PC connection required.

BREW应用平台使得网络运营商可以通过无线方式安装、招回并升级应用。即便是特定电话应用，用户也无需将手机拿到商店或者运营商那里接受服务。
The BREW application platform allows network operators to install, recall and update applications over the air. Even in the case of telephony-specific applications, there is no need to bring the handset into a store or operator location for servicing.

最低的软硬件要求。BREW平台精致小巧—仅占用大约150K的空间—高效而 功能强大，无需为每种型号的电话配备独立的虚拟机（VM）。如果运营商希望在一款手机上同时采用J2ME以及BREW技术，仅需一台VM，过一段时间他们即可利用多种VM功能选项。目前，IBM正在将自己的WebSphere微环境（即以前众所周知的J9）移植到BREW中，HP也在将在自己的MicroChai环境移植到BREW中。这为其他公司的VM移植打开了大门。
Minimal hardware and software requirements. The BREW platform is thin – around 150k – efficient and powerful, and there’s no need for a separate virtual machine (VM) for each model of phone. Carriers who wish to have both J2ME and BREW on a handset will only need one VM, and over time they will have access to multiple VM options. Currently, IBM is porting its WebSphere Micro Environment (formerly known as J9) to BREW, and HP has ported its MicroChai environment to BREW. This opens the door to porting other companies’ VMs as well.

随时随地运行与随时随地更新Running and Up-grading Anytime, Anywhere
使用BREW平台的手机用户能够从自己的手持设备（而非PC）轻松检查到新型应用。网络运营商的支持服务器软件则负责检查应用是否能在用户的电话上正常运行，而且能检查电话上的存储容量是否足以用来下载应用。
To begin, the customer should be able to easily check for new applications from their handsets (not from a PC). The network operator’s supporting server software should verify that the application will run on the customer’s phone (to avoid disappointment) and that memory is available on the phone to download the application.

其次，用户必须能购买或者试用应用，这对于基本应用而言需要若干步骤来完成：（1）确定价格以及其他信息（例如，应用以及免费试用服务的截止日期），（2）为用户提供下载选择，（3）生成计费记录，一旦下载完毕或者成功下载，该记录可以同运营商的现有计费系统集成在一起。对于用户而言，这种流程应该简单、快速、一目了然——只需几秒钟即可完成。
Next, the customer must be able buy or try the application, which entails several steps for the underlying software: (1) determining the price and other information (for example, an expiration date on the application or free trial offer), (2) offering them the choice to download and (3) creating a billing record that integrates with the operator’s existing billing system once the download is complete and successful. To the customer, this process should be easy, self-explanatory and quick – taking just a matter of seconds.

更为重要的是，BREW用户在更新应用的时候可以方便地删除应用，查看每种应用占用空间的信息。Furthermore, a good customer experience requires certain management capabilities, including the ability to remove the application if needed to regain storage space and view information regarding the storage space consumed by each application.

总之，BREW作为一种单一的、开放的技术平台，为运营商和开发商提供了广阔的舞台，它们可以在这里根据自己的定位与服务对象开发出多种多样内容丰富的应用，争取最大多数的用户。对于用户来说，BREW是一个能够为他们提供简单操作、功能多样、方便定制的平台。
In essence, as a single and open technology platform, the BREW provides a wide stage for the operators and developers. Here they can develop multiple content-rich applications according to their own locations and service targets, and win maximum numbers of users. For the users, the BREW is a platform that provides simple operations, multiple functions and convenient customizations.