Posted on August 9, 2011, at 1:39 PM .
More pictures from the event available from PhotoJunkie.ca.
First of all, can you believe these model numbers? RIM couldn’t have made them more confusing. I have been writing about BlackBerry for years and I simply cannot remember what device they’re talking about when they say 9850, 9860 or 9810. The 98xx doesn’t even represent the same device anymore. You used to be able to write 97XX and you knew the 9700 and 9780 both looked the same, but not anymore. From now on, we’re going to refer to the devices by name only. The following seem most appropriate:
Bold 9900 = Bold Touch
Torch 9810 = Torch 2
Torch 9850/9860 = Storm 3
Recently, we attended the BlackBerry 7 Fan Night in Toronto and we had an opportunity to get some quality time with RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 7 devices. There are a lot of things to say about these devices with some Pros and Cons for each of them. Generally, these devices are everything we saw last year but turned up around 40%. The user experience is faster, with homescreen switching and app launching all happening much faster (Liquid Graphics), and the web browsing experience is also much faster. The Torch 9850 and 9860, aka the Storm 3, seems to be RIM bringing back the all-touch experience (with trackpad), and it’s probably the most risky of the BlackBerry 7 devices.
Continue reading ‘First Impressions of the Bold 9900, Torch 9810 and Torch 9850/9860′
Posted on August 5, 2011, at 2:52 PM .
BlackBerry 7 looks just like OS 6 but the software performance is tweaked and the overall experience is much faster. When you’re browsing the homescreen and switching between screens, the device performs really well. One of the downsides of OS 6 was the lag you experienced when perusing the apps; but this is gone now. BlackBerry 7 also brings with it the new APIs that will help developers make more engaging apps such as Augmented Reality apps. Another major advantage in BlackBerry 7 is the updated web browser. Browsing on a BlackBerry 7 device is much faster and the browser is around 40% better than the browser with BlackBerry 6.
The real downside to all of this is that there are still a few major issues we have with the BlackBerry Platform and its user experience that are simply not addressed in the latest OS. For example, the devices still take a long time to boot up and downloading apps still makes your device nearly unusable. Alsop, while it’s great to see new APIs being released for BlackBerry 7, there doesn’t seem to be any news around improving the developer tools. BlackBerry developers are still stuck with some major frustrations such as having to use the awful simulators.
Click through for a few reasons why you should or should not care about BlackBerry 7.
Continue reading ‘First Impressions of BlackBerry 7: Great Performance, Better Web Browser and More’
Posted on July 28, 2011, at 12:54 PM .
Remember those horrible BBM lounge parties? Companies can waste lots of money trying to be cool.
With BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 now available for download through App World, users around the world will be upgrading and able to leverage the functionality of the BBM Social Platform that developers have implemented. To recap, the BBM Social APIs give developers access to the following:
- Access to user’s BBM contact list
- Ability to leverage BBM for chat in-app
- Update status and avatar
- Use BBM as a data pipe
With these features in mind, there’s plenty you can do with the BBM Social Platform to create new and innovative apps. Here are 5 apps that would be cool using these new APIs.
Continue reading ’5 BlackBerry Messenger Social Apps That Would be Really Cool’
Posted on July 22, 2011, at 12:18 PM .
Have you checked whether or not your app is being pirated? A development shop recently reached out to BBCool to say that they’ve noticed a particular Mobihand user that has been purchasing their software and then posting the JAD files on his website and Twitter. This software pirate is from Malaysia and sells a $10 VIP membership to offset the cost of buying the apps. According to the developer it’s getting really bad and the download rate for pirates apps is 2 to 1 compared to paid, and it’s all coming from this one guy. Obviously, we’re not going to write the pirate specifically because we don’t want to drive any traffic to him.
We’ve been on a tirade against Mobihand lately and this is just one more reason we don’t think developers should be giving them their intellectual property. When speaking with developers, the general consensus seems to be that only 10% or so of sales comes from Mobihand and the rest from App World. The reason why developers are staying with Mobihand these days seems to be because they want a closer relationship with the bloggers and giveways through Mobihand make it easy to reach out to the community. But if only 10% of your revenue is coming from Mobihand, you should consider simply finding other ways to reach out to the community. Sure, App World has its downsides, but if your software is being pirated then it’s worth losing that 10% revenue and finding a new way to market alongside bloggers. Gift cards are an easy giveaway as they can be sent remotely.
Continue reading ‘Developers: Maybe It’s Time to Drop Mobihand Entirely’
Posted on July 19, 2011, at 4:56 PM .
We’ve already had some really awesome submissions for the BBM Apps Hackathon Event in NYC. Remember, if you want to win a free trip and sweet prize pack, all you have to do is email us your app idea at tips@blackberrycool.com. We’ve also had a few questions from developers about what apps they should write and how they can best position themselves to win the hackathon. Here are a few tips for developers interested in the event:
Continue reading ‘How to Win the BBM Apps Hackathon Event in NYC’
Posted on July 18, 2011, at 12:24 PM .
UPDATE: Please email tips@blackberrycool.com if you are going to enter. We need to know to help give out the prizes.
RIM is hosting a BBM Apps Hackathon Event August 11-12 in NYC. It’s an exclusive event that gives developers the opportunity to participate in an apps-building marathon using the highly popular BBM Social Platform. RIM experts will guide participants through different development approaches and techniques that leverage the viral/social functionality of BBM Social Platform and best integrate with applications.
BlackBerryCool will be identifying the best developers for the Hackathon Event and giving away one trip to the event, $500 spending money, and a BlackBerry Bold 9900.
To be eligible for the Hackathon, the developer must:
- have an idea for a new BlackBerry® application that incorporates BBM
- have the capability to build a BlackBerry smartphone app with their idea
- have a laptop with all the software, accessories and equipment needed to build their app, including a laptop loaded with BlackBerry® WebWorks™ or BlackBerry® Java®
be a resident of the United States, District of Columbia (excluding Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, New York and Florida) or Canada (excluding Quebec)
- be able to travel to attend the BBM Apps Hackathon Event (“Event”), August 10-13, 2011, and be able to confirm such availability within 48 hours of potential winner notification from RIM
- understand that the Event will be filmed and that by participating in the BBM Apps Hackathon Contest, consent to the filming of their developer story and the use of their image
Ideally, the winner will have a BlackBerry app that they want to integrate with BBM.
Click through for the rules of the contest and more details or head over to bbmnyc.com to get started.
Continue reading ‘Developers: Enter Your App Idea to Win a Trip to NYC Hackathon, $500 and a BlackBerry Bold 9900′
