Java 2 Micro Edition: Professional Developer's Guide (Paperback)

by Eric Giguere (Author) "These days, it seems that smaller is becoming just as important as faster-at least, when it comes to computing..." (more)
Key Phrases: pop int value, void gameover, classic virtual machine, Micro Edition, Sun Microsystems, Mobile Information Device Profile (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you take this title for what it is, a line of brief but technically correct overviews of different parts of developing for the handheld world, it is money well spent." -- CVu - Jnl of the Association of C & C++ Users, October 2001

Product Description
An in-depth tutorial on how to use Java 2 Micro Edition to program handheld devices

Although Java is one of the most popular programming languages, it is too powerful to be used on wireless, handheld devices like the Palm Connected Organizer. A miniature version of Java, called Java 2 Micro Edition, has now been created by Sun Microsystems to run specifically on these devices. Written by software developer Eric Giguere, this book provides an authoritative treatment of this new language. Readers will learn what has to be done to make Java workable on these devices and what strategies are required to write programs that don't take up too much memory or run down the device's batteries. The book also provides complete coverage of Java Micro Edition, including the profiles that define the capabilities available to various devices.

CD-ROM includes licensed versions of the Java 2 Micro Edition SDK, Waba, and Kaffe. Examples are provided that run on multiple wireless platforms.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (November 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471390658
• ISBN-13: 978-0471390657
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,332,440 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview book, but ignore the little code that is there, February 15, 2001

By A Customer

This is a great book to help you get a handle on the Java2Micro Edition. Need to know the difference between a Profile & aConfiguration? Wondering where PersonalJava fits in with regards tothe J2ME?

The weakness of this book is the 'code' aspect. Theauthor goes through various implementations with a Tic Tac Toe game,but fails to go through in any detail of the main API's that aren'texactly in the J2SE (Records, Connector, how to draw low-level, Highlevel GUIs, etc..). Also, after reading this book it failed to mentionwhich DataStructures are available. Also, the detail of theimplementations is either slightly out of date, very light orboth.

Besides all that, it is a good book (hell it's the only J2MEbook that I know). For an overview book you couldn't ask for more.Easy writing style and helpfull diagrams, but not overdone. I wasinspired enough to write a J2ME game...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview book, September 19, 2001

By A Customer

This is a great book to help you get a handle on the Java2Micro Edition. Need to know the difference between a Profile & aConfiguration? Wondering where PersonalJava fits in with regards tothe J2ME?

The weakness of this book is the 'code' aspect. Theauthor goes through various implementations with a Tic Tac Toe game,but fails to go through in any detail of the main API's that aren'texactly in the J2SE (Records, Connector, how to draw low-level, Highlevel GUIs, etc..). Also, after reading this book it failed to mentionwhich DataStructures are available. Also, the detail of theimplementations is either slightly out of date, very light orboth.

Besides all that, it is a good book (hell it's the only J2MEbook that I know). For an overview book you couldn't ask for more.Easy writing style and helpfull diagrams, but not overdone. I wasinspired enough to write a J2ME game...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to J2ME and small-device App dev, February 14, 2001

By	Mark Chien (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Working on a tight time frame for a final year engineering project, I needed to find a book that gave me an overview of what J2ME is, how it differs from J2SE, and how to develop applications.

This book did a great job in satisfying all the above. The book was an easy read and written well so that it was quick to read the entire book and understand the entire J2ME concept and what it means to a seasoned Java developer.

Eric does a great job in helping new J2ME developers get familiar with the current J2ME SDKs out there on the market, however most of the information is based on an older version of the SDK. Perhaps in his next edition, he can talk about the Zucotto Wireless Whiteboard J2ME SDK. They also offer Java Bluetooth APIs.

This is a must have book if you want to get up to speed quickly on the technology. I found that finding information on the web regarding J2ME was cumbersome and convoluted. The Sun website was confusing and does not contain the integration of resources necessary to fully explain J2ME clearly.

One suggestion is that the next version include more examples of MIDP or CLDC applications, especially developing GUIs and methods to avoid the absence of Floating-point data types and functions. Either the book or the companion website should list more J2ME resources that can be found on the web. I personally find it restricting to program in J2ME without the vast selection of classes in J2SE. Would be nice to find J2ME compliant implementations of certain key J2SE classes.