Overview of J2ME and MIDP Technologies

J2ME

There are two main versions of Java for mobile devices both under the architecture of J2ME - MIDP and Personal Java.

A key development for Java-enabled devices is the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) standard. The first version began shipping two years ago, and in November 2003 version two devices were launched. MIDP provides a basic toolkit for developing applications, and Version 2.0 provides significant improvements for business and consumer applications.

MIDP 1.0 and MIDP 2.0 features

MIDP is typically found implemented on mobile phones and Smart phones, for example, Sony P800, Nokia 6310i. MIDP is specifically targeted at devices that do not have a reliable connection. The MIDP toolkit provides the basic building blocks for some extremely powerful applications. The capabilities and richness of this platform continues to improve with time.

The key features of the Connection Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) MIDP 1.0 standard include:

• Generic high-level interface controls
• Graphical interface
• Persistent storage
• Networking (HTTP) support

The enhanced CLDC/MIDP 2.0 standard has been launched, which includes:

• OTA mandatory (over-the-air deployment of applications)
• Enhanced security model (signing of applications)
• Finer grain access model
• Secure networking (HTTPS mandatory)
• Push to phone (allows applications to be launched on receipt of message)
• Enhanced graphics support
• Floating-point support