Posted on November 9, 2009, at 4:30 PM .
The BlackBerry Developer Conference kicked off with Jim Balsillie announcing a wide range of new tools available to BlackBerry developers that are going to redefine what we think of as a BlackBerry app.
The latest set of APIs available to BlackBerry developers are focused on making ad-supported apps easier to develop, and help to more easily monetize the developer’s hard work. The new BlackBerry Advertising Service will allow developers to integrate ads from networks such as Jumptap, Millennial Media, Navteq, 1020 Placecast, Quattro Wireless and Sympatico.ca. The Advertising Service and SDK will be available in the first half of 2010.
Click through for more announcements from the BlackBerry Developers Conference
Posted on November 9, 2009, at 4:28 PM .
The latest location services from RIM offer some great implications for BlackBerry apps.
The latest location services from RIM use cell tower triangulation to help with location based apps. Using cell tower triangulation, you can get location services inside a building where you wouldn’t normally get a GPS signal.
Another feature of the new location services is that it leverages a community generated database of information. An example of this is pictured above where a map displays all the available cell towers around the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco.
For a good example of an app that leverages these new services, check out Loopt in App World.
Powered by Vayyoo (http://getvpost.com)
Posted on November 9, 2009, at 4:23 PM .
At the BlackBerry Developer conference we got a sneak peek at the upcoming ebay app for BlackBerry.
The app features a deal of the day where you can bid on the day’s hot item. Another great feature of the app is the ability to add a reminder to bid on an item, with a fully integrated calendar alert system.
If you’re an ebay fan, be sure to pick up this app when it goes live. We’ll keep you posted on pricing and release date, but so far all we know is it will be available in App World later this month.
Powered by Vayyoo (http://getvpost.com)
Posted on November 9, 2009, at 4:17 PM .
BlackBerry apps are going to get very consumer friendly, very fast as RIM keep making announcements about new features and services for developers that appeal to the consumer market.
Today, at the BlackBerry Developer Conference, RIM and Adobe announced that creative professionals and application developers will be able to use the Adobe Flash Platform and Adobe Creative Suite content development and authoring tools, to easily create rich content and application experiences for BlackBerry.
With Flash, OpenGL support and the new GUI builder, BlackBerry apps in 2010 are going to look very different than in 2009.
For more information, developers can visit the BlackBerry Developer Zone and Adobe Developer Site.
Posted on November 9, 2009, at 2:38 PM .
The BlackBerry Developer Conference has kicked off with a great start as RIM have announced a host of great features for developers that are going to help them make richer and more attractive content.
The first major announcement is the addition of OpenGL ES support that will help developers make 3D games and graphics. The high performance rendering engine is available on the Storm2, and it makes games like EA’s Need for Speed Shift, look really impressive.
Another announcement is a GUI builder, integrated into the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse. The builder will make it faster and easier for Java developers to build user interfaces for BlackBerry applications.
The next big announcement is the BlackBerry Theme Studio 5 that replaces the previously available Plazmic Content Developer’s Kit. The studio allows developers to make themes with the ability to import Adobe Photoshop files to BlackBerry Theme Builder, add ringtones and build screen transitions such as zooming, sliding, wiping and fading within themes. Ringtones and screen transitions are supported for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 and higher.
So stay tuned because we’re about to see some very compelling applications for BlackBerry that have rich 3D graphics and more integration with the device.
Posted on November 9, 2009, at 1:03 PM .
RIM have a great new initiative called the BlackBerry Academic Program that will provide colleges and universities around the world with a curriculum and course content to offer courses in administering and supporting the BlackBerry solution and developing for the BlackBerry platform.
These courses are going to be good for helping boost not only the BlackBerry developer community, but the smartphone industry. The more young, bright students that are interested in these technologies, the better.
Course content is currently available for mobile application development for BlackBerry, administration of BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and support for BlackBerry.
For more information, see the BlackBerry Academic Program official page.
