Developing Scalable Series 40 Applications: A Guide for Java Developers (Nokia Mobile Developer Series) (Paperback)

by Michael Juntao Yuan (Author), Kevin Sharp (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
"I have had the good fortune to be involved with mobile Java from the very beginning, and I know what it takes to be successful in this marketplace. This book will help you be successful with mobile Java application design and development. If you take the information inside and sprinkle it with some imaginative application ideas, you will have a winning combination."

-- Jon Bostrom, Senior Director, CTO Java Technology Platforms, NokiaThe First Official End-To-End Solutions Guide for Every Nokia Series 40 Developer

Nokia's Series 40 Developer Platform gives Java developers access to the world's highest-volume, fastest-growing, and most exciting mobile markets. Nokia sells close to 100 million units within their Developer Platform families every year, and the Series 40 Developer Platform is the highest-volume platform in the family. Success on this platform is crucial for the commercial success of any mobile application. Knowledge of the Series 40 Developer Platform can be applied to the Java environment on all Nokia Developer Platform devices, including Series 60 devices.

Fully reviewed by Nokia's subject matter experts, this book covers the entire development process--from design and coding through testing and deployment. The authors walk you through eleven complete example applications, presenting downloadable client and server source code that you can use to jump-start virtually any project. Along the way, the authors illuminate the technical underpinnings of Series 40, review crucial architectural issues, introduce key mobile design patterns, discuss scalability and device optimization strategies, and offer dozens of best practices and tips--many of which have never before been published.

Coverage includes

• Identifying your best opportunities and killer applications for mobile development

• Building effective MIDP 2.0 user interfaces for devices built on the Series 40 Developer Platform

• Building animated mobile games

• Handling persistent and networking data

• Proven techniques for scaling and optimizing applications across devices

About the Author
MICHAEL JUNTAO YUAN is an author, developer, and software architect for end-to-end mobile software. He is the lead architect of Nokia's Series 40 Application Blueprints. Yuan contributes frequently to Forum Nokia and other developer forums and publications, including JavaWorld, developerWorks: IBM's resource for developers, Dr. Dobbs Journal, and Software Development Magazine. He is the author of the best-selling book Enterprise J2ME (Prentice Hall PTR, 2004). Yuan earned a Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin.

KEVIN SHARP is senior technical editor and columnist for Supply Chain Systems magazine and a technical editor and contributor to Forum Nokia. He is a registered professional engineer with experience in circuit design, optical symbol recognition, radio frequency identification systems, and hazardous environment process monitoring. He founded Accurate Information, Inc. in 1989 and continues to manage its consulting practices in logistics, supply chain management, and mobile technologies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (December 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321268636
• ISBN-13: 978-0321268631
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #827,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to Series 40 development, February 21, 2005

By	Dr. Samuel R. A. Taylor (Hampshire, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book provides a simple, easy-to-read introduction to developing Java J2ME midlets with the MIDP2 APIs. If you don't like reading dry old JavaDoc then this is a much friendlier alternative. Even if you do like wading through JavaDoc, this book is an excellent companion.

But whether you're taking your first steps in the J2ME space, or you're already an experienced developer, this book offers something much more important: it provides a really detailed description of Nokia's mainstream/high-volume Series 40 platform.

One of the hardest things about J2ME development is knowning how the behaviour of each different platform varies. Despite the promise of "write once, run anywhere" in reality developers need to have a great deal of platform-specific knowledge.

Nokia Series 40 is far and away the largest volume J2ME platform in the market. If you want to develop for Nokia handsets you really should add this book to your collection!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars coding to the most common platform, February 27, 2005

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Nokia is the world's largest cellphone maker. While it is being strongly challenged, especially in China, it should still be the first platform for cellphone developers to target. This book explains how within broad parameters, Nokia has opened out its models for developers. It has chosen to use a mobile version of Java. The book shows how to use this and MIDP to develop your application (which is probably a game).

One of the authors, Yuan, wrote a book on J2ME recently, and you may perhaps consider this Nokia book as somewhat of a sequel.

If you're already facile in regular Java, transitioning to this book should be easy. Perhaps the biggest change is the dumping of the Swing and AWT widgets. Simply too heavy for the resources of a small screen and limited power. Hence, graphics-wise, you may find coding rather constraining. But that's the reality of any cellphone.

Another difference shown by the book is that there is now often an emphasis on audio and video capture and playing. At least, as compared to standard desktop applications.

The authors and Nokia have produced a very cleanly laid out and logical presentation.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book with a lot of practical source code, May 23, 2005

By	Punit Raizada (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book gives you an understanding of the way the j2me has been implemented on series 40 devices. The best part though is that the authors have provided code snippets of simple tasks that developers need in almost all their applications. I have used the source code not only for series 40 but other devices to.

I would recommend this book for all developers as a reference book. I personally would not get this book as the only j2me book in my shelf.. but its a great second book.