RIM has filed an official opposing action against Apple’s trademark filing for “WebKit” in Canada. Currently, WebKit is an open source project, but the term “Webkit” seems to be first used by Apple as far as we can tell. It’s not clear on what grounds RIM is going to defend the trademark filing and we’ll have to wait for the official documents. Continue reading after the break.
Continue reading ‘RIM Opposes Apple’s Trademark Filing for “WebKit” in Canada’
Tag: open-source
RIM has made some updates to its GitHub open source projects. Both the Individual Contributor Agreement and the Corporate Contributor Agreement to the BlackBerry WebWorks Open Source Software Project have been added, which allows the community to participate in the contribution of both source code and bug fixes to the project. The company has also posted the source code to the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK and APIs for the BlackBerry Tablet OS in the project. Lastly, RIM has updated the list of new APIs that the team is currently developing for the BlackBerry platform. We’ll be keeping an eye on this list to see if there’s anything new and exciting opening up for developers in the near future.
Verizon has recently deployed the Perst Lite object-oriented, open source embedded database system from McObject in BlackBerry software for service and repair technicians. The application will eventually be rolled out for use by thousands of Verizon personnel. The company has said that they have sold up to 5,000 licenses of Perst Lite to Verizon, which is a great deal for any organization.
Continue reading ‘Verizon Deploys Open Source Database Perst Lite for Field Technicians with BlackBerrys’
When we first saw the news that RIM purchased Torch Mobile, and they would have access to the Webkit open source code, it was somewhat officially confirmed that a WebKit browser was in development.
Well now we have more proof that this browser is in development as RIM has posted a job on LinkedIn, looking for someone with “expert knowledge in C++ programming.” According to the post, “the successful candidate will be working in a fast-paced, dynamic development environment to develop a WebKit-based browser for the BlackBerry Platform.”
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Gartner has released a slightly revised version of their outlook for the 2012 mobile operating system. The latest predictions put Symbian as the top OS, followed by Android, with BlackBerry in third and iPhone in fourth.
The interesting part of this research is the positioning of BlackBerry relative to the iPhone. The advantage of BlackBerry is that it will always have enough devices to cover the entire gamut of potential smartphone users. While you may not love every device that RIM ships, there will always be a device for you.
While Gartner believes that Open Source OS markets are the future, we aren’t seeing much proof of this. Developers aren’t making enough money on either platform for the devices to be of much of use. We have said this countless times on BlackBerry Cool, it’s the software that determines the winner and hardware is fast becoming secondary with regards to the competitiveness of a device.
Gartner has placed a large degree in confidence in Nokia after their partnership with Microsoft. The thought is that the partnership will allow Nokia to deliver Office Mobile, as well as full SharePoint integration, allowing Nokia to steal some of RIM’s enterprise market share. Perhaps this may look good to an analyst at Gartner, but it simply won’t happen. Unless Nokia comes out with a product that rivals BES, hosts an equally robust developer community as well as provides the security of a BlackBerry, the partnership is just talk. If SharePoint is the only advantage, you will have to prove that it is significantly better than what Wicksoft can offer.
Overall, the predictions are as follows:
1. Symbian
2. Android
3. BlackBerry
4. iPhone
5. Windows Mobile
While we may not know the final outcome until 2012, rest assured it’s the developers who will decide the final victor. So if you’re a developer looking to make that killer app, don’t let Gartner become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go to the brand you trust and ultimately, go to the brand that’s making you money. I guarantee you it’s not Symbian, Android or Windows Mobile.
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The BrightKite blog has announced an open source BlackBerry app called BrightBerry. The code was made open source by Chris Hallgren, and is available with OS 4.5 and higher.
BrightBerry currently lets you:
* View and navigate your streams (Friends, Nearby, Universe, Mentions, and User)
* Post a Note to your current location
* Check in to Placemarks
* Send and receive Direct Messages
* View and post comments on a post
The following features are not yet available with BrightBerry but are currently being worked on:
* Posting photos from camera capture and media viewer
* Sending and responding to Friend Requests
* Creation of Placemarks
* Viewing a Place Stream
* Improving load times on streams
* Creating a better GUI based on the iPhone app
Download BrightBerry by visiting bbhn.mobi from your BlackBerry Browser.
If you’re a developer, feel free to contribute to the project and visit the GitHub project profile for more info.
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