Mobile versions of .Net and Java currently lead the way as preferred platforms for wireless application developers, but newcomers in this space, Mac OS and Android, are expected to pick up steam, Evans Data said.

Results of a survey being released Tuesday by Evans have 43 percent of developers targeting Microsoft's .Net Compact Framework and 42 percent opting for Java ME (Micro Edition). The survey gauged the views of 384 developers worldwide in May and June.

Also ranking in the survey were Windows Mobile 6.0, with 31 percent; and the following contenders: Linux, 25 percent; Nokia Series 80, 22 percent; Symbian, 20 percent; Windows Mobile 5.0; 19 percent; Java, 18 percent; Palm OS, 15 percent; RIM OS, 14 percent; Mac OS 10, 8 percent; and Android, 7 percent.

But Mac OS X development, which covers Apple's popular iPhone device, and Android, the mobile platform project led by Google, are expected to grow in popularity, said John Andrews, Evans president and CEO, in an interview on Monday.

"We don't see these numbers as negative. In fact, we see them [as a positive step since] they're actually on the radar screen this early in their lifecycle," Andrews said.

Android systems are not even on the market yet; they are due in the second half of this year. Android is under the jurisdiction of the Open Handset Alliance.

Evans does not expect Mac OS X and Android to displace any of the entrenched leaders. But gains in market share by these two platforms could come at the expense of platforms such as Symbian, Windows Mobile 5.0, or Palm OS, Andrews said.

Fifty percent of developers included in the survey were building browser- or Web content-based applications, while 30 percent were developing ecommerce applications, 24 percent were building wireless portal applications, and 24 percent were developing CRM systems.

Target hardware platforms cited in the survey included Nokia, sought after by 56 percent of respondents, followed by Motorola with 33 percent, and Sony Ericcson, at 29 percent.

Obstacles cited to building wireless applications include cross-platform testing requirements and lack of access to device APIs. Also, more than one-third of developers were building applications for external use by their company's customers, Evans found. Additionally, the company learned that location-based information is used far more in development in Asia and Europe than North or South America.