RIM posts new BlackBerry widget APIs, dev kit
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Oct 9th 2009 1:26PM
posted Oct 9th 2009 1:26PM
We know you love widgets, so feast your eyes on this: RIM has just announced a software development kit for creating web-based widgets on the BlackBerry platform. With new APIs that allow access to a everything from email and calendar applications to the GPS, media player, files and documents stored on the smartphone, the handset's push technology and more, hot-to-trot software developers such as yourself can build all kinds of crazy apps for OS 5. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link for everything you need -- including the Smartphone Simulator and BlackBerry Widget SDK beta. And be sure you drop us a line after creating some award-winning apps. PR after the break.
[Via PhoneArena]
[Via PhoneArena]
RIM Announces Widget SDK for the BlackBerry Platform
Enables Third Party Software Developers to Build Web-Based Applications for BlackBerry Smartphones
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 6, 2009) - ResearchIn Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced the BlackBerry WidgetSoftware Development Kit (SDK) to enable third party application developers tobuild rich, integrated applications for BlackBerry® smartphones using commonweb technologies. With the new BlackBerry Widget SDK, developers can buildweb-based applications for BlackBerry smartphones with advanced features andfunctionality, a capability only previously available for BlackBerryapplications written in Java®.
A BlackBerry Widget uses the BlackBerry® Browser engine torender an application's user interface using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.Developers are able to use existing web content to create BlackBerry Widgetsand extend the capabilities of their web applications using BlackBerry WidgetAPIs.
Using the new BlackBerry Widget APIs, developers can, forexample, create seamless interaction between a widget and the BlackBerry emailand calendar applications, create widgets with the ability to view or editfiles and documents stored on the smartphone, access location-based services orthe media player, and more. Developers can also take advantage of RIM's uniquepush technology, enabling dynamic widgets that can run in the background andprovide proactive alerts to users in a timely manner.
"BlackBerry Widgets open up a world of opportunities fordevelopers to build and bring to market web applications for BlackBerrysmartphones that offer advanced, integrated functionality and an always-on userexperience," said Alan Brenner, senior vice president, BlackBerry platforms atRIM. "We are very excited by the prospects of this new widget developmentplatform which combines the ease of development of standard web languages withthe rich functionality of Java development."
BlackBerry Widgets can be easily distributed over-the-air,via BlackBerry App World™ (www.blackberry.com/appworld)or through BlackBerry® Enterprise Server in corporate environments.
Support for BlackBerry Widgets will be available onBlackBerry smartphones that run BlackBerry® OS 5.0, which will include anenhanced BlackBerry Browser with support for Gears, SQLite and the newBlackBerry Widget APIs. A beta release of the BlackBerry Widget SDK is availabletoday at www.blackberry.com/developers/widget.
Developers interested in learning more about buildingBlackBerry Widgets are encouraged to attend the 2009 BlackBerry DeveloperConference (www.blackberrydeveloperconference.com),November 9-12 in San Francisco. More information is also available onBlackBerry Developer Zone (www.blackberry.com/developer).
Which Blackberry is the one pictured? Just a rendition? I'm used to seeing the same old look.
Oh...an iPhone
its a chop of the Bold, and the storm main screen.
it's the original simulator for the storm when it was still thought to look like a bold with a touch screen.
Well, it's about time RIM started to make the BlackBerry into more of an iPhone clone. They've finally decided that people need more than push email to get them through the day. They should do well if the quality of their phones stay high.
RIM is introducing a software dev kit? LOL, hopefully it works as well as their Blackberry Desktop client for OSX introduced recently.
/flush
That's what the new Blackberry Storm looks like? Damn, pretty neat.
cant any of android/webOD/RIM/Nokia try to work on sharing application across platforms?
That would be nice.
Would be nice if Mono kept evolving across platforms.
http://www.openscreenproject.org/
whats webOD?
It's exactly what it sounds like.
Yeah, there's an app for that!
damn this is gona push back the release date of the os 5.0.. no wonder its taking so long... i guess its worth the wait though!
That is not an actual phone people. It is just some render someone put together.
Hey RIM, how about a working web browser?! That's what we would really love. I'll never buy a Blackberry again until the browser improves. And no, Opera Mini on the Blackberry isn't much better!
go back to your iphone then.
It renders the sites I go to better than any other mobile browser i've used...
I wish I could get an iPhone (I've tested the browser and it works well), but Verizon has the best service in my area, especially on the slopes and in the mountains (two areas I frequent). I'm really hoping that one of the Android phones coming ADN (any day now) will have a browser that works with most of the sites I use.
Sorry, the BB Browser may render basic sites fine, but fails on most sites that have even basically functionality that weren't designed for mobile browsers.
You do realize that RIM nailed Iris browser right? So they are probably gonna replace the current craptastic one with a WebKit based one soon enough.
@initialxy
That's great, as long as they get that new browser out in stores for me to try out and verify that it works before an Android phone comes to Verizon and I jump ship. I'm skeptical at this point. Google's life blood is the browser, so I trust them to focus on making the best mobile browser in the world. If RIM and Android were neck and neck today, I would probably still choose Android for that reason.
why are you using the storm 1 model that turned out to be wrong...
If this was written on a Blackberry, then they need to fix the spacebar!
seriously... what is the model that is pictured... if its storm 2 then damn!!!
Its some goof photoshop job like John said earlier. Its essentially the Bold with the Storm 1 screen photoshopped on.
omg that is what the storm 2 looks like omg awesome i cant wait
I am a AT&T user for some reason I like the blackberry over the iphone. i mess with the iphone for half an hour. Yes the phone seems nice but I like the true multitask that blackberry has to offer. True the built in web browser from rim needs improvement but i am using Bolt browser. So far I like this web browser true fully rendered html pages. Opera mini 5.0 looks promising, although still in beta but looking forward to final release.
Another thing I like is the slacker radio App for blackberry which gives the ability to cache the station on your MicroSd card. this means you can listen to slacker radio without the streaming, better yet without internet connection. Just cache the stations that you want and have your pc sync it up and that is it.
Not really a hardcore mobile gamer so I could careless about mobile gaming. Sides I have my PC for that. I might get a psp though not sure.
Glad to see rim kicking things into high gear. Originally blackberries are business phones, but times are changing and now pushing blackberries to become a consumer phone with business in mind still.
I still like the trackball over touchscreens still. Though my next blackberry will probably be a touchscreen smartphone with a hardware qwerty keyboard.
Wow. iPhone like but nut good enough. Bb
Gartner predicted RIM will be the 4th largest smartphone platform in 2 years, behind Google, Apple, and Microsoft. They can only live on past glory for so long. They made several bad decisions, like treating developers like crap with a pathetic SDK and not investing in a decent web browser. It is all coming back to haunt them now. They are grasping at straws. It it quite nice to see superior technology win out.
Actually RIM will be #5. Symbian will still be #1 worldwide, though their market share is plummeting as well.