J2ME MicroEmulator Sunday 2006-02-19
If you have an interest in working with Java for the mobile world, you are used to Midlets and working in the restricted libraries of CLDC and MIDP. Whether you use an IDE like JBuilder or Eclipse, or code in atest editor, you certainly have a mobile phone emulator for your workstation to test your Midlets before you deploy. Most developers use SUNS Java Wireless Toolkit. The mobile device manufacturers like Nokia and Ericsson have their own tool kits often based on SUN’s. In the test and evaluation of your Midlets, it is essential that what you see on your screen mimics the look and feel and behavior of the real device as closely as possible.
But did you know that you may also demonstrate your work on the web using Applet technique? I found an applet based Midlet runner when I was experimenting with J2ME for my now ageing Ericsson T610. Its the MicroEmulator written by Bartek Teodorczyk, a slowly developing Source Forge project.
It is a very useful and expandable CLDC/MIDP 1.0 mobile device emulator. MIDP 2 is here but a lot can still be done with the earlier standard. Not only is there an Applet version for presentation on the web of your Midlet based games, calendars or web servers, but there is also versions of the library using JFC/Swing and SWT mostly used for stand alone emulators for the workstation.
The real beauty of the MicroEmulator is that, while it comes with a default generic look, you can prepare your own skin to adapt to any mobile device featuring a set of basic functions.
Back in 2004, when I was more active in this field, than I’ve been lately, I wrote a fairly complete tutorial for Skinning the MicroEmulator. The example is not surprisingly a skin for the T610, but the technique is applicable for most mobile devices. Go have a look in my lab and feel at home. If you decide to give it shot, all source code is there as well as links to things you may need - a demo even of my results.
If you have an opinion or if you find any errors, you are welcome to drop me a line ( Contact above ).
And, don’t pay to much attention to the rest of Petit Labs, it’s a mess but I’m working on it.
- Posted in : Java
- Author : Petit
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