Media Web Runtime

Bringing Rich Internet Applications on Mobile and Consumer Electronics Devices

The FOKUS Media Web Runtime 2012 project (MWR2012) supports software developers in realizing cross platform Rich Internet Applications targeting the mobile, consumer electronics, and desktop domains by extending the functional range of traditional Web browsers. Web applications are able to use the device’s camera and sensors, to make video streaming from one Web application to another, and to access many other device features. Multiple standards such as BONDI, W3C DAP, W3C Geolocation, and WAC are supported. Both common Web application types, Web pages and W3C Widgets, are supported.

MWR Features

Device APIs [MWR API Reference]

MWR2012 brings new application programming interfaces (APIs) to the local Web and JavaScript runtime environment. Some of these APIs are:

telecommunication services
access to local calendar
device location
access to local address book
camera and microphone access

In addition to standardized APIs MWR2012 provides additional APIs for features that are not covered by the standards, such as:

3D sensor based gesture detection
audio recording and streaming

Device and User Context

MWR2012 comes with a context framework that provides mechanisms to trigger applications or services on demand based on contextual descriptions. MWR2012 provides information about the user’s environmental and social context to support applications to adapt accordingly. Therefore, technologies for describing and make use of contextual information are provided. Context sources covering but are not limited to:

device capabilities
network access
user identity
user preferences
location
the users’ social network

Personal Device Cloud

MWR2012 encourages the development of cross-platform applications running on multiple devices either by providing the same service on each platform or by smartly integrating the features of each platform into one compelling application. Applications that are aware of the 'device environment' of a specific user are able to offer additional functionalities and supplement features missing on one device with features found on another device. (Example: "Do you want to use the virtual keyboard on the TV screen to insert this text or do you prefer to type this on your mobile phone instead?" "Should I continue to play this song from the car radio on your connected MP3 player?").
MWR Architecture

Components

MWR2012 consists of a service container extending a Web runtime and providing Web browser and Widget runtime functions. The container manages all service and API access to system resources, while a policy subsystem secures exposure of services to the JavaScript runtime environment, ensuring that only trusted applications have access to provided services and APIs. MWR2012 integrates FOKUS’s Web mashup framework, MashWeb, allows rapid creation and distributed execution of mashups across multiple devices. For example, MWR2012 allows very easily to build a Web application that can request the current position from the device, take a picture with the device’s camera, and publish the data to specific cloud services – all in HTML/JavaScript without native coding. These functions just need a few lines of JavaScript code with MWR2012 – in contrast to realizations in native development environments.

Try it

Recently Fraunhofer FOKUS released the MWR2012 Android version. Android 2.0.1 and newer Versions are supported. Download it here if you are currently browsing with Android or scan the following QR code with your Android device. Alternatively you could search the market for Media Web Runtime.

MWR API Reference

Media Web Runtime