Wireless Java

Wireless Java

Develop state-of-the-art mobile games
Mobile gaming is projected to become one of the fastest growing sectors in the IT industry. In this article, Michael Yuan looks at this exciting new market's characteristics and the opportunities for Java developers. The Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) is the dominant technology platform for the new generations of multiplayer mobile games. In the second half of this article, Michael surveys the latest game-related innovations and APIs in the J2ME world.
Michael Juntao Yuan, November 2003

"Java everywhere" is for world domination
The buzzword from the 2003 JavaOne conference was "Java everywhere." For many developers, understanding exactly what "Java everywhere" means is difficult since it does not seem to correspond with any concrete Java API. "Java everywhere" is a vision that influences the evolution of all aspects of the Java platform. For developers, it is more than relevant since it indicates the most marketable Java skills and the most profitable Java businesses in the future. In this article, Michael Juntao Yuan explains the "Java everywhere" vision, its relationship with traditional Java philosophies, and discusses its impact on developers, especially today's enterprise developers.
Michael Juntao Yuan, August 2003

High-availability mobile applications
Application availability in unreliable wireless networks has become a central issue for mobile commerce's success. J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) is the perfect platform for smart mobile clients that support offline modes. Enterprise J2ME clients with integrated mobile relational databases can manage sophisticated data on the device and synchronize with backend servers when needed. In this article, Michael Yuan first discusses the "occasionally-connected" paradigm for high-availability mobile applications. He explains the roles of mobile databases in this paradigm. Then, he uses an example J2ME application to illustrate the key components of mobile database applications. At last, he reviews leading J2ME database vendors to offer a buyer's guide for your database needs.
Michael Juntao Yuan, June 2003

Let the mobile games begin, Part 2
J2ME (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition) and .Net Compact Framework follow different design philosophies and target different developer communities. However, both have important places in the future world of pervasive computing. Developers must choose and mix the right tools for real-world challenges. In this article, Michael Juntao Yuan uses a mobile driving-directions example to discuss how the Java and .Net platforms work together from end to end with the help of XML Web services. Through the code examples, he also illustrates each platform's key benefits and problems.
Michael Juntao Yuan, May 2003

Let the mobile games begin, Part 1
Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) is by far the most advanced and successful mobile application platform available today. However, with mobile commerce growing into a multibillion-dollar industry, serious competition is on the horizon from Microsoft. Microsoft's latest mobile commerce offering is the .Net Compact Framework (.Net CF). What exactly is .Net CF? How does it measure up to J2ME? As Java developers, what can we learn from it to better compete? In this two-part series, Michael Juntao Yuan presents an objective and comprehensive comparison between the two platforms. If you work in a predominantly Microsoft shop, the .Net CF and Visual Studio .Net tools will definitely help you port enterprise applications to mobile devices. .Net CF leverages the large community of existing Windows developers and helps companies lower development costs. However, if you are in a heterogeneous environment or need a real pervasive solution that works on low-end devices, J2ME is the hands-down winner. In the enterprise world, important J2ME vendors opt for service gateway-based application paradigms, while .Net CF is still too young for any significant third-party mobile middleware to emerge.
Michael Juntao Yuan, February 2003

Data security in mobile Java applications
The recent release of MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile) features a major improvement over version 1.0. Version 2.0 includes enhanced mobile code and application security through a well-defined security manager and provisioning process. On the data and communication security front, MIDP 2.0 makes HTTPS support mandatory. HTTPS is currently the most widely used data security protocol in PersonalJava and J2ME/CDC (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition/Connected Device Configuration) applications.
Michael Juntao Yuan, December 2002

Best tools for mobile application development
A new technology's successful adoption often depends on its development tools. Good tools help new developers more easily get started and make experienced developers more productive. For instance, the success of Microsoft's programming environment is closely associated with the success of its Visual Studio tools.
Michael Juntao Yuan, October 2002

Access Web services from wireless devices
As I discussed in the first Wireless Java column, "Java Readies Itself for Wireless Web Services," XML processing capability represents one of the key requirements for wireless Web services applications. However, the standard J2ME/MIDP (Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition/Mobile Information Device Profile) specification lacks standard XML APIs, which aren't included in the upcoming MIDP 2.0 specification either. Thus, we need third party J2ME/CLDC (Connected Limited Device Configuration) libraries that can handle XML, especially those Web services-specific XML protocols.
Michael Juntao Yuan, August 2002

Java books hit the wire
Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) is turning into a major platform for wireless application development. Compared with desktop and server-side application development, Java-based wireless development faces some unique challenges. For example, small wireless devices have little processing power, limited memory, short battery life, and unreliable network connections. To develop wireless applications, we must design GUIs (graphical user interfaces) suitable for small devices, use lightweight components, and shift resource intensive tasks to the server side using sound network designs. As a result, J2ME supports only parts of the standard Java API libraries, with lightweight alternative APIs for handling complex tasks such as GUIs. Expertly written guides offer a great resource for wireless architects, developers, and business managers for familiarizing themselves with exciting wireless Java solutions. J2ME books are in great demand, and book publishers have responded by releasing many such books since 2000.
Michael Juntao Yuan, July 2002

Java readies itself for wireless Web services
Convenience is the major motivation behind our adoption of wireless technology. The ability to access information anytime from anywhere drastically increases our productivity as well as our quality of life by allowing us to work from home, car, school, or vacation resorts, and manage time more flexibly. Besides the unprecedented convenience, a wireless Internet also improves the quality of the information services. By taking advantage of wireless devices' pervasive nature, you can dynamically customize information services for each user based on her location, mood, or other real-time data.
Michael Juntao Yuan and Ju Long, June 2002