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- RIM Opens the Door for Developer Contributions to WebWorks Code
- RIM Posts Nice “BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet for Business” Infomercial
- Battery Assistant App Shows (Possible) Potential of the PlayBook’s Battery
- Developers Sound Off on BlackBerry PlayBook Development
- Will the BlackBerry PlayBook Launch in March?
- BlackBerry Bold 9780 OS 6.0.0.480 Found Online
- TuneIn Radio v1.8 Improves Connection Detection and More
- BoltCloud Shows Off Upcoming PlayBook Game Demo
- New Analytics Service Requires Yet Another Redundant Form from Developers
- RIM Releases Free Analytics Service for Developers – Java Only for Now
- RIM Skipping CTIA Wireless 2011? Focusing on BlackBerry World?
- Last Day to WIN a BlackBerry PlayBook in our Rewards Contest!
- The BlackBerry Development School of Hard Knocks and What RIM MUST Do to Fix It!
- Angry Farm Game for BlackBerry is a Decent Angry Birds Knockoff
| RIM Opens the Door for Developer Contributions to WebWorks Code Posted: 01 Mar 2011 03:58 AM PST
RIM made a big splash by announcing an quasi open source project with BlackBerry WebWorks. I am loving the fact that RIM finally has a Git repository though until now you could just view the source of the current WebWorks Trunk. Tim Neil let me know on the developer forums that RIM has just opened the door to code contributions to WebWorks from lone developers and companies. They have adopted a license based on the one used by the Apache Software Foundation and is very similar to what Google uses for Android. RIM seems to still be ironing out the details but this means that if a developer finds a bug in the WebWorks framework or wants to improve it they will be able to submit their contributions. RIM mentions that you can already submit bugs and bug fix code contributions through their developer issue tracker but they still prefer to have this agreement in place. Check out the details at this link on RIM's GetHub WiKi if you are interested. From one I am hearing it seems like developers would rather RIM show the source code and allow for direct contributions to upcoming versions instead of only being able to see the current trunk. Something makes me doubt that RIM will do it but who knows! I really want to comment whomever or whichever group at RIM is driving this effort. Keep up the good work. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, March 1, 2011, 6:58 am. | RIM Opens the Door for Developer Contributions to WebWorks Code | Leave a comment |
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| RIM Posts Nice “BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet for Business” Infomercial Posted: 01 Mar 2011 02:34 AM PST
I have been dying to hear RIM talk more about why they call the BlackBerry PlayBook the first "Professional Grade Tablet." So far RIM has been very coy on the subject though we have been able to glean a bit here or there on IT policies and management. So far most of the videos RIM has put on YouTube have been showing off the PlayBook to both consumers and enterprises but they just put up a video titled "BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet for Business" as a sort of fluffy infomercial. It is light on details but Jim Tobin, SVP of Software and Business Services Unit at RIM, throws around some interesting catch phrases like:
Check out the video here: Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video LinkI really wish RIM would expound more on these features beyond saying it will have amazing security and provide a platform for instant data. I want to be able to point to some PlayBook features that no other tablet has. Here are some examples of what I want RIM to touch on:
From what I have been hearing some of these features will only be ready a month or two after launch which could be why RIM is not talking about them yet. Still I know many enterprises that are considering the PlayBook are wondering what exactly RIM is offering to make the PlayBook a "Professional Grade Tablet." The inclusion of Flash/AIR and Adobe's almost monthly critical security updates would be a great place to start to assure CIOs. It would also be great to see more of how RIM envisions the Tablet fitting into the mobile employees portfolio and how it compliments BlackBerry Smartphones beyond the Bluetooth Bridge. In short I know many CIOs are asking themselves what exactly does the PlayBook bring to the table that we cannot get in an iPad or Android tablet. I am sure there are a whole slew of reasons I just don't want to wait until May for BlackBerry World to find out! What do you think? If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, March 1, 2011, 5:34 am. | RIM Posts Nice “BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet for Business” Infomercial | One comment |
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| Battery Assistant App Shows (Possible) Potential of the PlayBook’s Battery Posted: 28 Feb 2011 06:59 PM PST
When I first saw this app, I was not extremely impressed. I thought it was just another battery monitor. As I looked closer at the screenshots I realized that not only could this be a handy tool, but we could be seeing a good estimate of what we can expect for the battery life of the PlayBook! According to these estimates, a fully charged PlayBook should be able to do the following:
If these numbers are accurate, I am more than satisfied. Need for Speed for 6 hours straight without charging? 4 movies? Not too shabby. It does say in the app description that the times are estimates and results may vary, but that can be said about any battery monitor. I do realize that these numbers could be off due to the fact that a simulator was likely used to create this app but I'd like to think that as many details as possible are included in the simulator. Let's just all agree to shake a little salt on this one. Do you think the estimates are accurate? If they are, what do you think? If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by jforce for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 9:59 pm. | Battery Assistant App Shows (Possible) Potential of the PlayBook’s Battery | 10 comments |
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| Developers Sound Off on BlackBerry PlayBook Development Posted: 28 Feb 2011 06:49 PM PST
It has been an interesting few days in the BlackBerry PlayBook development field. One potential BlackBerry PlayBook developer went on a rant and the snowball has continued. This is NOT a bad thing for RIM. They are getting feedback directly from the development community which means that there is not only interest but quite a few developers working on the PlayBook. If you are interested to see what some developers think about BlackBerry PlayBook development I highly recommend checking out these two threads on the official BlackBerry Forums:
I am finding that many developers are saying that while the PlayBook development tools are a bit clumsy they are not impossible. If you are determined to make a BlackBerry app don't let these rants deter you. The complaints are in hopes that RIM will fix the tools and offer clear plans on when they plan on doing so. Some of these things are issues RIM could fix in a few days if they put their mind to them and I am hoping they do but they are in no way deal breakers. Let us know what you think in the comments! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 9:49 pm. | Developers Sound Off on BlackBerry PlayBook Development | 8 comments |
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| Will the BlackBerry PlayBook Launch in March? Posted: 28 Feb 2011 02:51 PM PST
RIM has really be drawing out the release of the BlackBerry PlayBook. When they first announced it back in September they said it "is expected to be available in retail outlets and other channels in the United States in early 2011 with rollouts in other international markets beginning in (calendar) Q2." We have also had RIM CEO's go on record a few times over the past few months saying it would be coming out in Q1 of 2011 though I had a friend mention they seem to be trying to stretch it into April. Leaks from last month point to the 3G versions coming in March/April though RIM's official confirmation of those versions does not mention a time frame. So now that we are in the last day of February I am wondering if I will have my own PlayBook in my hands by the end of March. I am really hoping that RIM blows our mind and releases it next week but with the retail strategy RIM seems to be planning to employ I feel we would have heard more leaks about it. I am crossing my fingers and hoping that we see at least the Wi-Fi version launch in Q1! I really just wish RIM would put us out of our misery and simply announce when the device will be available. It could be they just want to be able to beat any iPad 2 to market. If you want to make it a little fun lets place some guesses in the comments on when the Wi-Fi version will launch. I am going to select March 23rd just for good luck. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 5:51 pm. | Will the BlackBerry PlayBook Launch in March? | 37 comments |
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| BlackBerry Bold 9780 OS 6.0.0.480 Found Online Posted: 28 Feb 2011 02:00 PM PST
via BlackBerryLatino via BlackBerryRocks – Thanks to everyone who sent this in! Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don't forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don't forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don't know what you're doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 5:00 pm. | BlackBerry Bold 9780 OS 6.0.0.480 Found Online | 4 comments |
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| TuneIn Radio v1.8 Improves Connection Detection and More Posted: 28 Feb 2011 12:40 PM PST
TuneIn Radio is a popular streaming radio app for BlackBerry users. They have been going through a few updates recently with the latest bringing them to v1.8. When we first heard about the update we decided to wait for a change log before posting and now we have one. The only issue is it is nice and vague… Version 1.8 of TuneIn:
If that entices you then head on over to radiotime.com/bb or App World to pick up the update. Kudos to Nikolaus & Jay for the tip! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 3:40 pm. | TuneIn Radio v1.8 Improves Connection Detection and More | 9 comments |
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| BoltCloud Shows Off Upcoming PlayBook Game Demo Posted: 28 Feb 2011 09:04 AM PST The promise of free BlackBerry PlayBooks and a whole new platform being pushed by RIM is enticing developers to create some cool games and apps. The latest I saw was spotted by Jay in the forums from BoltCloud. The game seems like a simple golf game with some fun quirks. Check out the video below to see what I mean: Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video LinkIf you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 12:04 pm. | BoltCloud Shows Off Upcoming PlayBook Game Demo | 9 comments |
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| New Analytics Service Requires Yet Another Redundant Form from Developers Posted: 28 Feb 2011 08:24 AM PST
We just covered the "BlackBerry Development School of Hard Knocks" this morning and RIM was kind enough to provide us with yet another example of this. Their newly released beta of the BlackBerry Analytics Service SDK for Developers requires developers to submit yet another form to register. I tried logging into the BlackBerry Developer Zone first and it still made me fill out the form again. RIM could pre-fill about 95% of this form without asking me for this information yet again. They already have my full name, company name, address, telephone number, and email address from my Developer Zone account. Is there a reason they need to ask for it again? The only unique information they ask for is for a BlackBerry Analytics Service Account Name and User Name. Instead of just asking for those two pieces of information we have them asking for 14. We also have to agree to yet another terms of service agreement which is FOURTEEN PAGES LONG when I copied it into Microsoft Word. Oh and you have to scroll through all 14 pages to accept the agreement which is then emailed to you in full when you complete the registration. Is RIM legal really this anal retentive? Please RIM I am begging you. Why do you have to do this to us? Is RIM's philosophy to force developers through a gauntlet of fine print every time we want to use a service? PS: So I registered and then it sent me a really complex temporary password which it made me change when I logged in. It then proceeded to log me out and ask me for my information yet again. My bank does not even do that… If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 11:24 am. | New Analytics Service Requires Yet Another Redundant Form from Developers | 16 comments |
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| RIM Releases Free Analytics Service for Developers – Java Only for Now Posted: 28 Feb 2011 08:00 AM PST
I have to commend RIM on some fast turn around for their Analytics Service Beta. Usually RIM announces services, SDKs, and APIs about a 12 to 18 months before they actually release them. With the Analytics Service they announced it in late September 2010 and now in the end of February we have a public beta available. There are some catches though. The new Analytics Service SDK is only available for Java BlackBerry Smartphone apps so that keeps PlayBook and WebWorks developers out in the cold for now. Other than that the Analytics Service Beta remains free and is still powered by WebTrends. It includes an SDK, developer documentation, and a web reporting interface. Here is a high level view of the information it provides developers:
Features include: Enterprise-class analytics
Easy
Insightful
Open
You can learn more about the Analytics Service Beta over at this link on RIM's website. Alternatively Distimo already offers a service like this for free which is already out of beta. Full announcement below: If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 11:00 am. | RIM Releases Free Analytics Service for Developers – Java Only for Now | 7 comments |
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| RIM Skipping CTIA Wireless 2011? Focusing on BlackBerry World? Posted: 28 Feb 2011 07:01 AM PST
It was just last week when I asked if RIM will be making any new device announcements at CTIA 2011 this week. I was talking the idea over with a colleague and he pointed out to me that RIM is not a listed exhibitor at CTIA Wireless 2011 this week. As far as I remember RIM has been showing up at CTIA Wireless since around 2007 so this is an interesting departure. They even used to make device announcements at CTIA instead of WES since WES was more focused on business solutions. That looks like it all may change this year now that WES has been rebranded as BlackBerry World. I was hoping to at least hear about a launch date for the BlackBerry PlayBook at CTIA but it does not look like that will happen. It also looks like the new rumored device announcements will be waiting until BlackBerry World in the beginning of May. Not a surprise but I thought some of those devices might have a chance of coming earlier… Still it means that BlackBerry World will be bigger than we expected on the consumer side. What do you think? PS: It seems like RIM might still have some involvement with CTIA this year since Tyler Lessard, VP of Global Alliances and Developer Relations for RIM, will actually be a panelist at one of the sessions. Photo Credit: CIO.com from CTIA 2009 If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 10:01 am. | RIM Skipping CTIA Wireless 2011? Focusing on BlackBerry World? | 13 comments |
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| Last Day to WIN a BlackBerry PlayBook in our Rewards Contest! Posted: 28 Feb 2011 06:35 AM PST
As many of you know every comment, forum post, and tip submission you make on BerryReview during the month of February 2011 will be counted as an entry to win. That means every forum post or comment you contribute increases your chances of winning! You must be registered and logged in to BerryReview when leaving comments for them to be included in the contest and the winner will be chosen by the BerryReview staff in the beginning of March. You can check out all the details and official rules in the announcement post. If you have any questions comments leave a comment on that post. So what are you waiting for? Today is the last chance to win this months PlayBook! Start a New Forum Discussion Visit the forums PS: With the wild success of both the January and February Rewards contest we are taking suggestions on what we should try to do for next month! Let us know in the comments! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 9:35 am. | Last Day to WIN a BlackBerry PlayBook in our Rewards Contest! | 41 comments |
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| The BlackBerry Development School of Hard Knocks and What RIM MUST Do to Fix It! Posted: 28 Feb 2011 05:30 AM PST
Over the weekend something interesting happened. The first domino to fall was an incredulous yet whiney blog post by Jamie Murai on how just getting up and running developing WebWorks applications for the PlayBook is a pain. While that is really nothing new the interesting part was that RIM actually responded to Jamie's rant on their blog. While I commend Tyler Lessard for sticking his neck out and responding to Jamies Open Letter his best response would be to actually change the parts he concedes are counter productive. The thing is that Jamie gave up early. He did not even get the chance to experience the full school of hard knocks that is starting to develop for the BlackBerry platform. It is not that developing for the BlackBerry platform is impossible its simply that RIM goes out of their way to make something simply into an overly complex process. Let me give you a perfect example. RIM came out with a wonderful newfangled technology to allow developers to push notifications to your BlackBerry. You would think developers would jump all over themselves to get in on this technology. Trust me I know why so few have. RIM first makes them fill out a 2 page form to request testing access to the push service. You then have to wait a few days for them to provision this and open their firewall to your IP address which can take forever. Once you are all up and ready you then need to request YET AGAIN from RIM a 2 page form to move the push service into production. All of this could simply have been done with a nice web form with everything provisioned automatically. I know that both Google and Apple do it that way so why can't RIM? Here are a few other things RIM could do in one day that would make the lives of new BlackBerry Developers that much easier:
Those are simply 8 examples off the top of my head where RIM adds complexity where there shouldn't be any. I am truly looking forward to the BlackBerry PlayBook to blow my socks off and have been developing some cool apps for it. Still it just saddens me that RIM seems so shocked that asking developers to have a notary public sign their proof of identity is reasonable. Maybe we need some of these Adobe Flash Evangelists to be BlackBerry Developer Evangelists at RIM? If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 8:30 am. | The BlackBerry Development School of Hard Knocks and What RIM MUST Do to Fix It! | 14 comments |
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| Angry Farm Game for BlackBerry is a Decent Angry Birds Knockoff Posted: 28 Feb 2011 05:08 AM PST When I first tried out Angry Farm I was having issues with this game lagging on my BlackBerry Torch but they seem to be resolved with a reboot. Now that I have had a chance to play this Angry Birds for BlackBerry knockoff I have to say I am pretty impressed with Smarter Apps and their Angry Farm game. The game dynamics are about the same as Angry Birds with different animals at play.
My favorite part of the knockoff is how Smarter Apps describes the game:
I think by now Rovio should have been able to put together a Angry Birds game for BlackBerry so its no surprise they already have a knockoff. If you want to get in on the Angry Farm fun you can pick up a copy of the Angry Birds clone for BlackBerry for $4.99 in the store. Let us know what you think of Angry Farm in the comments! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, February 28, 2011, 8:08 am. | Angry Farm Game for BlackBerry is a Decent Angry Birds Knockoff | 19 comments |
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BlackBerry Bold 9780 users just got a nice update thanks to BlackBerryLatino. We now have links to OS 6.0.0.480 for the device. No word on if this version is any good but it cannot hurt to upgrade if you are the "latest and greatest" type.
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