Modern mobile phones run on a variety of software platforms, but by far the most popular one in terms of reach and market share is Java ME. This once feature-limited platform has grown and matured over the years along with the hardware supporting it; is now capable of delivering truly amazing applications that have the potential to reach hundreds of millions (if not billions) of people.
It is a bit disappointing, then, that the techniques developers use to write Java ME applications have not kept up with the times. Many developers, especially less experienced ones, tend to approach Java ME development in the same extremely conservative way that it was approached almost a decade ago, when the platform was in its infancy. Or, even worse, they treat Java ME like a desktop platform, with complete disregard to its nuances and to the fact that it is, in fact, a mobile platform designed to run on mobile devices. As a consequence, many Java ME applications fall short of their potential.
The book you are reading right now aims to correct this by presenting how modern Java ME application development should be approached – complete with all the important tips and techniques applicable to the platform today.
What is covered in this book?
This book is somewhat different from other Java ME books, in that it is built around writing a complete and fully-functional Java ME application from scratch, using modern day development techniques. To this end, everything from writing an application framework to writing a UI module (complete with widgets and touch support) will be discussed – no important application component will be left uncovered.
Furthermore, you will get to see how all of these fit into the context of a real-world application and how individual application components interact and work together. Decisions made along the way will be explained, potential pitfalls will be highlighted and important advice stemming from hands-on experience will be given - all in an effort to create a comprehensive picture of what modern Java ME application development is all about.
Once the application is written, we will cover other aspects essential to Java ME development. Code optimization, application testing, advanced graphics, improving the user’s experience and the proper Java ME developer’s mindset will all be discussed.
Finally, we will take a look at Java ME’s future in order to get a better understanding of where the platform is heading and a list of further research topics relevant to Java ME development will be given.
What you will need for this book?
First of all, you should be familiar with Java ME development on at least an intermediate level. This is not a beginner’s book – in fact, it is assumed that you have worked on at least one medium-sized Java ME application before.
Second, the target device for the source code presented in this book is the WTK emulator. For best results, it is recommended that you have both versions 2.5.2 and 3.0 installed. The WTK emulator has been chosen because of its ubiquitous nature and because it is pretty much the “reference implementation” for Java ME. However, the code is designed to be as portable as possible; running it on other emulators and on real devices should work just fine (but cannot be guaranteed).
It is also recommended that you run all the code presented and experiment with it. Java ME is all about subtleties, many of which have to be seen in action in order to be grasped. For obvious reasons, this is not possible with static code listings.
About the Author
Ovidiu Iliescu is a self-taught software developer; he started to write computer programs when he was 9 and now has almost 15 years of experience under his belt. After writing desktop applications and web-based applications, Ovidiu shifted his attention to the field of mobile development. With a passion for all things computer related, his main interests besides mobile software are computer graphics, algorithms and optimizations.
Ovidiu lives in Romania and has recently started his own software company, November Solutions, to turn his ideas into products – and maybe conquer the world. Currently, he is also working as a software developer for Enough Software and occasionally takes on interesting projects as a freelancer.
Product Details
- Paperback: 364 pages
- Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (May 11, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1430233273
- ISBN-13: 978-1430233275
- Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1 inches
List Price: $49.99