Java ME on Symbian OS: Inside the Smartphone Model

Foreword

James Coplien

It was great re-discovering through this book just how much of a nerd I am. Roy's descriptions and exercises painted amazing pictures in my head of the internal workings of my own Nokia S60 phone, to the extent that I unearthed new and useful menus previously invisible to me. While I can't promise that every casual reader will find this book suitable as a user's guide, and while I can't promise that every programmer will become an expert user of their own handset by reading the chapters that follow, I can promise the intent programmer a treasure chest of knowledge not only for understanding what goes on inside your phone but also for changing what goes on inside your phone.

Java ME on Symbian OS is a title that sounds like nerd's heaven – and it is (though it's more than that, as I'll come back to below). Though the title bears two trade names, the meat of the book proudly displays its inclusiveness across the market: Sun, Symbian, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola... It's the ultimate mash-up. This is a book less about niche technologies than about a broad phenomenon. It isn't only a technological phenomenon but a sociological one; if you don't view it that way today, I believe that vision is rapidly approaching tomorrow.

To the everyday programmer, I think this book will open a new world of wonder, as history has similarly favored our industry several times in the past. Twenty years ago, someone would have thought you to be drunk if you asked him ...