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Programming wireless devices with the Java 2 platform, micro edition (2nd ed.)
Riggs R., Huopaniemi J., Taivalsaari A., Patel M., Uotila A., Sun Microsystems, Inc., Mountain View, CA, 2003. 434 pp. Type: Book (9780321197986)
Date Reviewed: Dec 17 2003

Advances in the wireless industry have given rise to the increased use of consumer devices like cell phones, pagers, and organizers. Making these usable for variety of purposes requires the development of compact and secure programs. The Java programming language community has been very active in this area. One of the outcomes of this effort is the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME). This book is written to explain the details and use of this package in developing applications on small devices, which may also be networked.

The book consists of 21 small chapters, followed by references, two appendices, and an index. Chapter 1 is an introduction. It explains the suitability of Java in wireless devices, and also briefs the reader on standardization efforts. In order to ease interoperability among different kinds of Java-based devices from different manufacturers, two standards were developed: the connected limited device configuration (CLDC) and the mobile information device profile (MIDP) specifications. They have evolved into CLDC 1.1 and MIDP 2.0, and the book addresses both of them.

Chapter 2 is quick introduction to J2ME, containing a description of J2ME architecture, its configurations and packages, and the evolution of its platform. Chapter 3 details the hardware and software requirements of CLDC and MIDP and the scope of these standards, and also contains a section on small devices, including their descriptions and their uniqueness issues. There is an interesting discussion on why one of the goals of the specifications was to consider third-party application development.

Chapter 4 is a detailed account of CLDC architecture, application management, and security. This chapter also discusses the compatibility of CLDC with the Java virtual machine specification (JVMS), including which features of JVMS have been eliminated from CLDC, and the reasons behind these decisions. Chapter 5 discusses CLDC class libraries, those that are a subset of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE), and those that are specific to CLDC. The classes and associated methods are categorized, with brief details on each method.

Chapter 6 is brief, and discusses MIDP. Chapter 7 details the basic execution unit of MIDP, called the MIDlet, using a small example. Chapter 8 is a detailed account of the MIDP user interface libraries, the displays of handheld devices, and how to add commands (for example, Exit) to the display. Chapter 9 is on high-level MIDP user interface classes for the screen of the device, and how to control the contents and nature of the display after the user issues commands. Chapter 10 discusses the Form class, and demonstrates how to add data, images, or text to the screen, with the help of code segments.

Chapter 11 is on low-level user interface libraries, and details the Canvas application programming interface (API), including creating graphics, images, and drawing primitives. The code segments illustrate the applications. Chapter 12 is on the Game API, and should interest game designers. It also has complete code for a small game, designed as a MIDlet. Chapter 13 is on the Sound and the Mobile and Media APIs. It contains sample code to demonstrate how to create sound on small devices. The chapter ends with the complete code for a media player application.

Chapter 14 is on record management, and includes details on the libraries that help MIDlets store and retrieve data. Complete code for such data retrieval, using a small device, is provided at the end of the chapter. Chapter 15 is on MIDP networking, and describes in detail the wireless data networking and network interface. The interfaces for hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and socket connections are explained here, as well as client-server connections. The chapter ends with the complete code for serial port access with devices. Chapter 16 is on secure connections, and how they are achieved using secure protocols. Chapter 17 discusses MIDP specifications for launching MIDlets that are triggered automatically by network-based or alarm-based events. The mechanism for these is described, followed by two coded applications involving chat and ping.

Chapter 18 addresses the issue of MIDlet security, including making users aware of their responsibilities, assumptions, and the limitations of security related to MIDlets. The chapter details how developers can create secure MIDlet suites. Chapter 19 is related to implementation issues in MIDlet deployment, while chapter 20 discusses additional MIDP APIs, such as timers, and ends with a coded sample application. Chapter 21 is summary, followed by list of references. Appendices A and B detail the application programming documentation for the CLDC and MIPD APIs, respectively.

The book is well written and well illustrated. Despite being a multiple-author book, the flow of the chapters is smooth. The details are discussed with reasonable depth, with small but workable applications illustrated with code. I benefited from reading the book, and recommend it highly.

Reviewer:  Arun Ektare Review #: CR128780 (0406-0631)
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