Java™ Platform, Micro Edition (Java™ ME), the version of the Java language that’s optimised for mobile applications, is the most widely available runtime environment on mobile devices. It offers an unprecedented opportunity to create rich, sought-after applications for the mass market.
Nokia offers the most comprehensive support for Java technology in the world’s most-popular mobile phones. In addition, to maximise your application’s market reach, Nokia is committed to reducing fragmentation in Java APIs. Nokia is doing this by using the Mobile Service Architecture (JSR-248) as a guiding framework for all new JSRs implementation, with the goal of providing increased standardisation and thereby widening the opportunities for third-party developers.
With its extensive technical resources, Nokia Developer can help you every step of the way — from writing your first line of code through to building a profitable business creating Java applications. Whether you want to take advantage of Nokia’s advanced Java APIs or build applications for the widest range of Java devices, Nokia’s support for Java technology is ready to work for you.
Why should I create Java™ applications?
Using Java™ ME to implement your application ideas opens up a huge market worldwide.
Java ME is an industrywide technology, with most major manufacturers offering a range of devices with Java ME support. This means that, in addition to addressing the huge market offered by the one billion Nokia devices in use today, your application has the opportunity to reach almost all of the nearly three billion mobile devices in use around the world.
Java applications offer the potential to reach this market because of high levels of consumer acceptance. This acceptance has been driven by the availability of a robust download-and-installation mechanism that is included with Java ME, which in turn has prompted operator support for Java application downloads. These built-in mechanisms ensure that your intellectual property is protected.
If you already know the Java language, you can easily adapt your skills to creating mobile applications. Java ME is based on the familiar Java™ Platform, Standard Edition (Java™ SE) that you already use to develop PC applications. Even if you’re not already using the Java language, you’ll find that it’s easy to learn using the many resources, including training and documentation for Java ME, that are available from Nokia Developer website.
You may have heard that in using Java technology for mobile devices you might encounter API fragmentation — slight differences in the implementations of APIs from device to device. Because Nokia has taken a platform approach to implementing Java technology in the Series 40 platform and Symbian, you’ll encounter little or no fragmentation in developing for devices based on these platforms. In addition, Nokia has implemented the subset of Mobile Service Architecture (JSR‑248) in the latest versions of the Series 40 platform and Symbian; this means that, as other manufacturers implement this JSR, fragmentation in the key Java APIs will be eliminated.
Whether you’re developing games, personal-productivity, news and information, enterprise, or entertainment applications, Java technology and Nokia’s platforms offer the APIs you need to take full advantage of mobility.
Learn more about support for Java development on Nokia Developer
Which Java™ technologies does Nokia support?
The latest Nokia platforms are based on four key enabling technologies:
- Mobile Information Device Profile 2.1 (JSR-118), which provides the basic APIs for application development, such as creating a UI or storing application data.
- Connected Limited Device Configuration 1.1 (JSR-139), which provides the low-level programming interfaces on which MIDP is implemented.
- Java™ Technology for the Wireless Industry (JSR-185), which defines a common Java application environment for mobile devices through support for JSR-118, JSR-120, JSR-135, and JSR-139.
- Mobile Service Architecture (JSR-248), which provides uniform implementation of JSR-75, JSR-82, JSR-118, JSR-135, JSR-139, JSR-184, JSR-205, and JSR-226, to help reduce the fragmentation of Java APIs.
In addition to, or included in, these enabling technologies Nokia offers implementation of many JSRs and several Nokia APIs for Java technology. More information on these APIs is provided in the wiki article Java ME API support on Nokia devices.
