While representing my company at JavaOne this year, it was apparent that many Java engineers are becoming more interested in the issues surrounding JVM selection and integration. Many questions were asked concerning the trade-offs involved in the different ways of implementing the JVM. This article is aimed at helping device manufacturers, OEMs, and J2ME application engineers understand the issues - and at helping to initiate further questions when talking to JVM vendors.

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we covered the basic features of the various MIDP APIs. We looked at creating and packaging a MIDlet, creating a user interface, and some basic graphics operations. We also discovered how to store data with the record management system and how to communicate over the network.

Some of the more commonly asked questions on the various forums for J2ME seem to be 'What is J2ME?' and 'Is <so-and-so-product> a part of J2ME?' Here is where you will find all the APIs that fall beneath J2ME's umbrella, and the packages you will find within those APIs.

In Part 1 of this article, which can be found in JDJ (Vol. 6, issue 7), we covered the basics of creating a Mobile Information Device Profile application (also called a MIDlet). We covered some of the functionality available in the user interface packages and a slightly more advanced graphics example.

Some of the more frequently asked questions about the various forums for J2ME are, 'What is J2ME?' and 'Is <so-and-so-product> a part of J2ME?' So this month, in an attempt to reduce the number of FAQs - and therefore offer a valuable service to search engines, intelligent agents, and the Java community - JDJ presents the Great J2ME API Rundown!

The simple words, 'Mr. Watson, come here. I want you,' transformed communications in ways that Alexander Graham Bell probably never imagined. Although telecommunications has changed dramatically since that first call in 1876, there are still many aspects of our current phone system that would seem familiar to Bell.

The first thing you're likely to see, upon sitting down to learn a new language, is the ubiquitous 'Hello...' application. My father bought me the TRS-80 Basic for Kids book when I was 8-years old, and I'm pretty sure that the first example was either 'Hello World' or 'Hello, my name is....'

I recently had the opportunity to develop Java applications for Nextel's i85s cell phone, the first Java 2 Micro Edition-enabled cell phone in the U.S. In this article I describe some of the issues I encountered when developing the user interface and the framework I created to address those issues. The primary goals of this framework are to allow the development of custom components and to make it easy to assemble those components into screens.

This article introduces the development issues relating to thick clients with J2ME and related Java technology such as PersonalJava. It is intended for developers planning to deploy traditional thick-client applications on 'consumer devices' such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, and set-top boxes. It also covers material specifically of interest to device manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

Connectivity changes everything, especially with embedded computing technology. Since we're entering a world in which things will link and think, it's clear that many new projects will begin to incorporate more advanced and sometimes complex technology.

Today's mobile Internet economy has opened the door to a range of new technologies that challenge traditional views of programming.

(September 17, 2002) - In a new software distribution agreement, Motorola Inc. will certify and offer SmartServ Online, Inc. applications on a variety of its wireless phones with J2ME technology and will begin distribution in North America later this year.

Welcome to the Java Developer's Journal. I look forward to communicating with you in this forum each month, sharing ideas and responding to your comments and suggestions. To get the ball rolling, I thought I'd offer a few observations about where we are and where we're going.