MIDP:
The Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) is the main element of the
Java 2 Platform, Mobile Edition (J2ME). When combined with the Connected
Limited Device Configuration (CLDC), MIDP provides a standard Java runtime
environment for today's most popular mobile information devices, such as cell
phones and mainstream personal digital assistants (PDAs) etc. The MIDP
specification was defined through the Java Community Process (JCP) by an expert
group of more than 50 companies, including leading device manufacturers,
wireless carriers, and vendors of mobile software. It defines a platform for
dynamically and securely deploying optimized, graphical, networked applications.
CLDC and MIDP provide the core application functionality required by mobile
applications, in the form of a standardized Java runtime environment and a rich
set of Java APIs. Developers using MIDP can write applications once, then deploy
them quickly to a wide variety of mobile information devices. MIDP has been
widely adopted as the platform of choice for mobile applications. It is deployed
globally on millions of phones and PDAs, and is supported by leading integrated
development environments (IDEs). Companies around the world have already taken
advantage of MIDP to write a broad range of consumer and enterprise mobile
applications.
Specifications
MIDP 2.0 (JSR 118) is a revised version of the MIDP 1.0 specification.
New features include an enhanced user interface, multimedia and game
functionality, more extensive connectivity, over-the-air provisioning (OTA), and
end-to-end security. MIDP 2.0 is backward-compatible with MIDP 1.0, and
continues to target mobile information devices like mobile phones and PDAs. More
detailed information on these features can be found in What's New in MIDP 2.0.
MIDP 1.0 (JSR 37) is the original specification, which provides core
application functionality required by mobile applications, including basic user
interface and network security.
Reference Implementations:
MIDP RI 2.0 is based on the MIDP 2.0 specification and CLDC RI 1.0.4.
The MIDP RI has been created for device manufacturers who want to port this J2ME
profile to another platform.
MIDP RI 1.0.3 is based on the MIDP 1.0 specification and CLDC RI 1.0.3.
Its target audience is manufacturers who want to implement MIDP 1.0 on their
devices.
Technology Compatibility Kit:
The MIDP TCK can be licensed from Sun to certify a CLDC/MIDP
implementation on a particular platform. For information about licensing terms,
please contact Sun's Java Partner Engineering group.
Development Tools:
The Sun Java Wireless Toolkit provides complete development support for
developing MIDP applications, and works in combination with today's leading IDEs.
Sun ONE Studio, Mobile Edition is a Java-technology IDE for developing
applications that can be deployed to Java technology-enabled mobile devices.
Optimized Implementation:
MIDP for Palm OS is a J2ME implementation based on the CLDC 1.0 and MIDP 1.0
specifications, optimized for Palm OS 3.5.
Benefits of midp:
Rich User Interface Capabilities: MIDP applications provide the foundation for
highly graphical and intuitive applications. The graphical user interface is
optimized for the small display size, varied input methods, and other native
features of modern mobile devices. MIDP provides intuitive navigation and data
entry by taking full advantage of phone keypads, extra buttons such as arrow
keys, touch screens, and small QWERTY keyboards. MIDP applications are installed
and run locally, can operate in both networked and unconnected modes, and can
store and manage persistent local data securely.
Extensive Connectivity: MIDP enables developers to exploit the native
data network and messaging capabilities of mobile information devices. It
supports leading connectivity standards, including HTTP, HTTPS, datagrams,
sockets, server sockets, and serial port. MIDP also supports the Short Message
Service and Cell Broadcast Service capabilities of GSM and CDMA networks,
through the Wireless Messaging API (WMA) optional package.
Multimedia and Game Functionality: MIDP is ideal for building portable
games and multimedia applications. A low-level user-interface API complements
the high-level UI API, giving developers greater control of graphics and input
when they need it. A game API adds game-specific functionality, such as sprites
and tiled layers, which take advantage of devices' native graphics capabilities.
Built-in audio provides support for tones, tone sequences, and WAV files. In
addition, developers can use the Mobile Media API (MMAPI) optional package to
add video and other rich multimedia content to MIDP applications.
Over-the-Air-Provisioning: A major benefit of MIDP is its capability to
deploy and update applications dynamically and securely, over the air.
End-to-End Security: MIDP provides a robust security model that complies
with open standards and protects the network, applications, and mobile
information devices. HTTPS support enables applications to use existing
standards such as SSL and WTLS to send and receive encrypted data.