J2ME in a Nutshell (O'Reilly Java) [Paperback]

Kim Topley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2002 | ISBN-10: 059600253X | ISBN-13: 978-0596002534 | Edition: First Edition

To the experienced Java developer, J2ME (the Java 2 Micro Edition) looks just familiar enough to be tempting, but just different enough to warrant caution. J2ME in a Nutshellprovides the extra security you need when venturing into programming for cell phones, PDAs and other consumer electronic devices. It gives you the reference material you need for J2ME, together with a tutorial that leverages your existing knowledge and teaches you what is different about J2ME without boring you to tears with details you already know.

J2ME in a Nutshell provides a solid, no-nonsense reference to the "alphabet soup" of micro edition programming, covering the CLDC, CDC, KVM and MIDP APIs. The book also includes tutorials for the CLDC, KVM, MIDP and MIDlets, MIDlet user interfaces, networking and storage, and advice on programming small handhelds. Combined with O'Reilly's classic quick reference to all the core micro-edition APIs, this is the one book that will take you from curiosity to code with no frustrating frills in between

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Designed for writing programs that need to fit into embedded systems and other small environments, Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) has minimal resource requirements. J2ME in a Nutshell explains the J2ME way of doing things with a particularly handy mix of API documentation and example-centric tutorials. Kim Topley--who's written a couple of highly regarded books for Prentice-Hall's Java series--uses the proven Nutshell format to explain J2ME concisely but thoroughly. For the sorts of people who will be writing embedded applications in Java--programmers with experience either in other Java environments or with other embedded systems environments--this is a very good way of conveying information.

You can read this book, like all Nutshell books, from front to back in an effort to become familiar with its eponymous technology. More often, though, you'll search for a particular aspect of J2ME (particular graphical user interface elements, say, or over-the-air provisioning of MIDlet suites) and read Topley's prose explanations and annotated example code. These treatments are frequently enough to help you overcome stumbling blocks you encounter in the development process. If you're just looking for a reminder of how various classes work (their properties and methods, their return types, and their relationships to other pieces of J2ME), turn to the comprehensive J2ME API reference. Helpfully, it's not dry documentation: Topley comments on how to use each. --David Wall

Topics covered: Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) generally, and classes within it specifically. In addition to an annotated API reference, this book holds a lot of information about graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for small devices, the special considerations of designing applications for wireless environments, the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) and MIDlets.

About the Author

Kim Topley has more than 25 years experience as a software developer and was one of the first people in the world to obtain the Sun Certified Java Developer qualification. He is a freelance Java developer based near London, England and is the author of Core JFC and Core Swing, from Prentice-Hall.

Product Details

• Paperback: 478 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; First Edition edition (March 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059600253X
• ISBN-13: 978-0596002534
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #612,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference, lots of information, October 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: J2ME in a Nutshell (O'Reilly Java) (Paperback)

J2ME in a Nutshell is exactly that. Coming in at 432 pages, this book packs of lot of information into not a lot of space. It is probably not the best book on the market for learning J2ME, but there is so much information in here that it is worth reading, even if it is your first J2ME book. The book is fairly complete, although it does have limited CDC information, as most CDC profiles were still in the JCP at the time of writing. Still, there is a great deal of valuable information in the book, and it will serve quite well as a desktop reference.
The book is organized well, leading the user through the CLDC, and the most popular CLDC profile, MIDP. I particularly appreciate the way MIDP has been separated into various parts, making it easier to find the specific information I want. In addition, I also liked the extra sections dealing with J2ME specific tools, and how to load J2ME applications onto Palm OS, something many other books fail to deal with.
In all, this book may not be the only J2ME book I need, but it will doubtless be one that I refer to repeatedly as I develop with this platform.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More of a reference, January 25, 2004

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: J2ME in a Nutshell (O'Reilly Java) (Paperback)

The reader from Columbia, SC, said it right: this book is a reference, not a place to learn J2ME. Like the other books in O'Reilly's "In a Nutshell" family, the book has two parts: a quick rundown on the features of J2ME, and a reference part on all the details of the language. The book's audience is someone who already knows something about the J2ME platform, such as how it looks, how it runs on a PC, and how it produces the code you can upload to a device. If you want to see a tutorial type of book on J2ME, you won't find it here. Since I never learned Java completely, I find it difficult to follow the book. If you already know Java well, you may find the book easier to follow, although again you won't find detailed, step-by-step sample programs.

In short, probably great for someone already programming in J2ME; not helpful for someone wishing to learn J2ME.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Needs a second edition ..., July 26, 2005

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: J2ME in a Nutshell (O'Reilly Java) (Paperback)

This book does not cover MIDP 2.0, only MIDP 1.0. This makes it uninteresting to buy it. Are the authors considering a 2nd edition?

Still the book follows the classic nutshell O'Reilly style and is useful as a desktop quick reference.
A good aspect also is that unlike other books, it covers some CDC-based PDA programming.