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Unleashing the Power of J2ME


By C. Enrique Ortiz
August 1, 2001 — 
As more and more companies look to implement a wireless strategy, choosing the right approach is crucial. In the world of wireless, selecting the right approach means selecting the right platform. A clear, pervasive standard has yet to establish itself in the wireless world. Several players have been vying for the top spot, yet no one has clearly prevailed. There is one platform, however, that is gathering strength in Japan, Europe and now in the U.S. When evaluating a wireless initiative, it is important to recognize this sleeping giant: Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java 2 Micro Edition, more widely known as J2ME.

J2ME, as the Java platform specifically designed for portable computing, allows for the creation of a new breed of mobile applications known as "thick clients," an environment for mobile enterprise-class applications. These applications provide sophisticated navigation, enhancing the mobile user experience. Interaction time is much faster with J2ME applications, as it uses bandwidth efficiently. These features, combined with J2ME's scalability and device compatibility, greatly enhance the user experience, giving J2ME the capability of transforming wireless computing in the enterprise, ultimately propelling the wireless world into the next generation of advanced mobile computing.

In order to establish the foundation for this next generation, technology managers must evaluate the mobile need within their enterprise. The first step of a wireless development effort is choosing applications that are most valuable to the enterprise. Do employees need remote access to expense reporting? Is there a need for a mobile sales force automation application? Once the applications are selected, the evaluated mobile vision can be converted into reality. With J2ME, thick-client applications can be created to custom-fit the company's needs. In addition, because of its portable platform, which enables write-once, deploy-anywhere applications, J2ME is easily scalable to meet any enterprise's needs.

Scalability is just one of the many benefits that position J2ME as a front-runner in the race for a mobile standard. Perhaps its biggest attribute is that J2ME applications are stored right on the device, allowing for stand-alone offline applications. Users can compute on a mobile device using the Java-based applications, even when the user may be out of a coverage area or the device may not be connected. For example, a mobile user with a J2ME expense reporting application could work on an expense report using a cell phone without being connected to the server. This enables users to work on corporate data without burning precious airtime minutes, making this mobile solution cost effective.

As well as being cost-effective, deploying a J2ME solution is very time-efficient. As stated earlier, J2ME enables write-once, deploy-anywhere applications. This transcendent quality decreases development and deployment time. If an application written in C++ were deployed, it would take much longer, as the application must be deployed on each device.

Device compatibility is another of J2ME's strengths. In the world of J2ME, all Java-enabled devices can communicate with one another, regardless of the type of device. This means that PCs can talk to PDAs, and PDAs can communicate with cell phones and so on, breaking down barriers and creating transcendent mobile computing with smart devices.

J2ME also has strong end-to-end security and synchronization features. The small-footprint SSL implementation allows end-to-end security without translation at the network provider. This allows for a secure access to corporate servers behind the firewall.

Still, though they do not eclipse its benefits, there are delicate issues that J2ME must overcome before it becomes the next chief mobile standard. Introduced by Sun in June 1999, J2ME is barely 2 years old-and as such, the technology is still in its infancy. The security features mentioned above are not currently native to the platform, and the user interface API, even though sufficient for most applications, is primitive. The lack of devices that support J2ME also has curbed its mainstream proliferation. Because these are all by-products of its infancy, the weaknesses are temporary. In addition, these issues are already rapidly changing. J2ME is gaining support from the likes of Ericsson, Motorola, Nextel, Nokia, Panasonic and RIM. In early April, Motorola and Nextel started shipping their first product line of Java-enabled handsets. And, this summer in London, RIM is slated to introduce a handheld device with J2ME capabilities. As these devices become more pervasive, so should this new mobile Java standard.

With 2.5 million Java developers ready to build full-featured, intelligent mobile applications, and with the commitment of companies like Motorola and RIM, J2ME should be considered an emerging standard for the new generation of smart wireless devices. It is poised to bridge the Internet world with the wireless world. As IT managers realize the potential that J2ME holds for the enterprise, there will be a stirring in the wireless industry as the sleeping giant awakes.


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