Whether devices are new or more powerful versions of existing products, all are becoming increasingly interconnected over a network. In the four years since Sun's introduction of the Java platform, Java technology has become the platform of choice for getting work done on the network. With the advent of the PersonalJava TM , and the EmbeddedJava TM application environments, and other Java technologies, the benefits of Java technology use were extended into screen phones, set-top boxes, and even into deeply embedded devices. The J2ME environment is a very small Java application environment that Sun will provide in configurations suitable for different market segments. In this way a Java 2 ME environment can be dynamically configured to provide the environment the consumer needs to run an application, regardless of whether all the Java technology based libraries necessary to run the application were present on the device when it shipped.
Configuration is performed by server software running on the network.
To further enhance the value of the Java 2 ME environment and ensure a thriving community of independent software vendors, Sun will allow industry groups to define Java technology-based profiles specific to their industry. Furthermore, profiles built on top of the J2ME environment guarantee independent software vendors that consumer devices possess certain minimum capabilities. Nonetheless, if a developer wishes to provide an application that requires more capability than is offered in a profile, the network service provider can provide that capability at run-time utilizing the J2ME environment's ability to configure dynamically. The foundation of the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition on devices like cellular telephones, pagers, and small point of sale systems is the K virtual machine. A Java virtual machine is the foundation for Java technology, allowing applications written in the Java programming language to be portable across different hardware environments and operating systems.