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.


Book Description
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


Book Info
Provides a solid, no-nonsense reference to the 'alphabet soup' of micro edition programming, covering the CLDC, CDC, KVM and APIs. Softcover.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
How many angels can fit on a head of a pin? Probably more than you could squeeze into the constrained programming environments available on today's handhelds. J2ME is something of a miracle: a complete Java virtual machine for these tiny environments. Master J2ME, and you can program tomorrow's PDAs, cellphones, cable set-top boxes -- you name it.

In J2ME in a Nutshell, Kim Topley focuses on the concepts and classes that make J2ME different from garden-variety Java. (Where J2ME and Java 2 Standard Edition overlap, refer to David Flanagan's excellent Java in a Nutshell: this book complements it perfectly).

Topley introduces the Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC), J2ME's foundation for programming wireless devices and PDAs; and the Mobile Information Device Profile, which provides support for user interfaces, networking, and persistent storage. There's coverage of MIDlet user interface development with both high-level and low-level APIs; plus a chapter-length introduction to the J2ME wireless toolkit, which integrates with Sun's Forte Java IDE and provides a cell-phone emulator for programming any J2ME device.

As experienced "Nutshell readers" will expect, Part II of J2ME in a Nutshell offers a complete API quick reference -- clear, well-organized, intelligent, and above all, useful. (Bill Camarda)

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer with nearly 20 years' experience in helping technology companies deploy and market advanced software, computing, and networking products and services. He served for nearly ten years as vice president of a New Jersey–based marketing company, where he supervised a wide range of graphics and web design projects. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER