Sun Microsystems defines J2ME as "a highly optimized Java run-time environment targeting a wide range of consumer products, including pagers, cellular phones, screen-phones, digital set-top boxes and car navigation systems."

Announced in June 1999 at the JavaOne Developer Conference, J2ME brings the cross-platform functionality of the Java language to smaller devices, allowing mobile wireless devices to share applications. With J2ME, Sun has adapted the Java platform for consumer products that incorporate or are based on small computing devices.