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MIDP 2.0 Style Guide for the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition Review by Charles Ashbacher
Solid giudelines for development for the really small screen
The move from the full screen of the desktop to the significantly reduced screen of a handheld is similar to the re-formatting of a movie made to be viewed in a theater to one presented on a television. However, beyond the problems of reducing the size, there are vast differences. Movie and television screens engage in one way interaction with the viewer, and the effective use of handheld devices necessitates that the viewer be able to discern every detail and interact with the screen.
The problems of compressing a fourteen inch square image into one two inches square are extensive, what is minor on the large screen often becomes significant on the smaller one. This book lists a series of style guides for the small screen presentation, placing them in three categories: strongly recommend, recommend and consider. A guideline is listed as strongly recommend if not following it could render the application unusable. If it is placed in the recommend category, then not following it will lead to an application of reduced usability, although it will still perform as expected, but nowhere near optimal. Being placed in the consider group means that following it will lead to a somewhat improved application.
The guidelines listed in the book can be placed into two general categories, those that apply to all screens and those that are specific to the very small screen. Examples of those that apply to all would be the rules that all error messages should describe the problem and the selected item should always be clearly highlighted. Organizational rules for forms, lists and other structured presentations of data are quite different when the available screen real estate is so limited. It is of course these rules that should receive the bulk of your attention, because for most of us, they are new.
When developing for the handheld, it is necessary to adopt a different mindset, and this book is an excellent primer pushing you into that mode. It shows you a very large number of the critical rights and wrongs, and it should be read by everyone who is shifting to that type of development. There are many things acceptable in the desktop that are unacceptable in the handheld and it is necessary that you learn them before you begin.
The improving combination of better batteries, more electronic power in a smaller space, higher quality wireless signals and improved content means that developing for the handheld is an expanding market. From this book, you can learn the fundamentals of presentation, a necessary first step in creating the applications that will continue to feed the expansion.