VIII. J2ME BENEFITS ON WIRELESS DIVICES
Let's look at how Java technology fits in the wireless service evolution. Originally, analog technology was sufficient
to handle voice services, but the quality of the calls was sketchy and multiple radio networks competed with one
another.
Today we take advantage of the second generation of networks and services (2G networks), which use digital
networks and web browser technologies. This provides access to data services, but markup languages present some
limitations. Markup languages are a step in the right direction, but browser-based applications don't work when out of
coverage-require air time for even simple operations (such as entering appointments in browser-based calendar) - offer
a limited user interface paradigm (character-based, static black and white images, cumbersome navigation interface).
When Java technology is added to this environment, it brings additional benefits that translate into an enhanced user
experience. Instead of plain text applications and latency associated to a browser-based interface, the user is presented
with rich animated graphics, a fast interaction, the capability to use an application online, and maybe most interestingly,
the capability to dynamically download new applications to the device.
For application developers, this means that you can use your favorite programming language and your favorite
development tools, rather than learning a new programming environment. There are over 2.5 mil-lion developers who
have already developed applications using the Java programming language, primarily on the server side. Once these
developers become familiar with the small set of J2ME APIs, it becomes relatively easy to develop small client
modules that can exchange data with server applications over the wireless network.