One of my biggest complaints with BlackBerries, and the main reason I’ve moved on to the iPhone and soon Android is the fact that the OS feels old. Sure there are tons of themes to pretty it up, but at the end of the day even the leaked 5.0 beta is essentially the same 4.1 OS from years before. RIM is taking baby steps in the right direction however with their release of an official BlackBerry widget SDK. The widgets will pull from several languages including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Also included in this new release are widget API’s that will be able to tie into other native BlackBerry applications making the widgets even more useful. In order to take advantage of BB widgets when they do become available you’ll need a BlackBerry running OS 5.0+ as well as a browser that supports Gears, SQLite and the BlackBerry Widget APIs.
Even though I knock the BlackBerry for being the old guy in a room full of young hippies, I am excited to see how these widgets will be used and ultimately how they will look, and blend in with the rest of the BB environment. Excited?
PhoneScoop > RIM
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**Disclaimer: As to not confuse anyone, Flash web browser support (read: watching/listening/viewing flash based content via Mobile Safari) is still unsupported and not possible at this time. However, Flash inside of applications is an entirely different story.
Flash, the often sought after white knight of the mobile web is coming to an iPhone/iPod Touch near you. In fact, it’s already here. More about that in moment though**. While the story we discussed earlier pinned just about every mobile device under the sun receiving Flash support in the not too distant future with the iPhone sadly absent, this new venture for Flash means the iPhone will finally be graced with Adobe’s baby. Today at Adobe’s Adobe MAX event, Adobe Labs took the covers off of a generous helping of Flash based applications. The whole reasoning behind Flash based apps is richer, more engaging content that more tightly integrates across platforms with other Adobe products. The Flash goodness continues right inside…
With all of the controversy and public fixation on the Apple App Store approval process (or lack thereof) and the seemingly increasingly ridiculous app rejections that are coming to light, many have called for an explanation. Being the tightly run and secretive company that Apple is, answers to such pleas have gone largely ignored until recently when the FCC jumped in on the bandwagon with the Google Voice rejection. However, the real sweet bit of information came when Apple revealed exactly how apps get approved/rejected and just how many bodies are responsible. The glaring truth: Apple needs to hire more people…
Push capabilities is by far one of the Blackberry’s strongest and most often talked about strong points. Even today, no other phone hardware or software operates and functions as easily or efficiently. It is with great happiness and excitement that I let you all in on some exciting news. The full push API for Blackberry is now available outside of the beta stage meaning developers can finally create apps with full, 100% push technology incorporated into their apps. Crackberry addicts know how important push technology is and how much of a deal breaker it can be. Now, any developer can take it upon themselves and create a “consumer” oriented BES type of server/push set up allowing people outside of a corporate network, or those without enough money to pay for more expensive BES hosting plans the ability to sync not only mail, but contacts and calendars as well. Exciting? Most definitely! A few apps that are already in development with the new full push API include: DevelopIQ, Handmark, SalesPlace, and the Hockey News. These apps are but the beginning of an exciting change and new direction for RIM, Blackberry smartphones, and Blackberry apps in general. Are you excited?
If you’re a developer who is interested in learning more about the new full push API, or simply an average Joe who just wants to learn something new, you can find out more on RIM’s push API page.
Source: Berry Review, Image Source
It’s no secret that the App Store wars are nearing full swing in a multi manufacturer sense as you app stores already launched or in the process of from Apple, Android, Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM. RIM’s much hyped Blackberry App World has the Blackberry user base in a frenzy as they have for quite a while now wanted a more unified app system. After Apple’s amazing success with their app store everyone changed course from hardware being number 1 to software and app stores. However, unlike Apple, RIM has several “in-house” competitors breathing down their neck from the likes of Crackberry.com and Mobihand. What do these other Blackberry app stores have to offer? Come inside for a shmorgusboard of pictures and words that will fill completely fill your head.
In what was most certainly a ridiculous and blatant move centered around greed, Microsoft was imposing a $99 fee for app submissions over 5 submission in a year. Ok so that wasn’t that bad. The real kicker was that app updates were included. A developer can easily go through 5 updates in a year for a single app let alone a library of apps. Under the old rules, if a developer released an update as simple as a bug patch longer than a week after the original apps release, that update was counted against their app submission count. Many suspected that this new rule on updates would have caused developers to forgo updating their apps leading to an app store full of buggy software. Though, Microsoft probably meant to deter rushed apps to market instead wanting developers to actually test, retest, and re-retest their apps before submitting…getting it right the first time. Thankfully Microsoft has seen the light and realized their wrongdoing and has announced that they are no longer going to count app updates against your “submissions” credit. Gee thanks Microsoft…damn decent of you. So WinMo developers, will you sleep a little more soundly tonight, or, is this not really a big deal to you. Let our dear readers know.
Source: Electronista, Cnet
