RIM unveils tighter Adobe partnership, new app payment platform, OpenGL ES support, more
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Nov 9th 2009 12:00PM
posted Nov 9th 2009 12:00PM
There aren't any new devices in the mix, but RIM has unleashed a torrent of BlackBerry OS-related news today at its BlackBerry Developer Conference in San Francisco that's sure to make devs happy in the short term -- and you know how that goes: when devs are happy, it doesn't take long before end users reap the benefits. Here are the highlights:
- BlackBerry devices running OS 5.0 and higher will be able to benefit from OpenGL ES support, the 3D platform used by many of the world's high-power smartphones for delivering killer games. There's a beta of the SDK already, so let's get cracking, everyone -- we need some first-person shooters that totally negate BlackBerry's ultra-productive image.
- A new plugin for the Eclipse development environment should make building BlackBerry app GUIs easier than ever, which should hopefully lead to prettier apps; it'll be available in mid-2010.
- BlackBerry Theme Studio is now available, simplifying theme creation with support for changing the home screen layout, fonts, icons, colors, cursors, and more; it supports BlackBerry OS 4.2.2 and higher, which means that virtually every BlackBerry in a pocket (or holster) today should be able to take advantage. The timing's perfect on this one, because RIM has also announced that themes can now be submitted to App World.
- BlackBerry Payment Service has been announced for mid-2010 availability, bringing in-app payments, subscription support, and a variety of billing options, which all sounds far more robust than the PayPal-only setup they've got going today.
- The Push Service made available to Alliance Program members earlier this year will be made available to all comers in "early 2010," making it easy to push bite-sized chunks of "time-sensitive alerts" to phones quickly and easily.
- BlackBerry Advertising Service has been announced for 1H 2010 availability, bringing a unified ad platform for developers with a variety of existing ad networks on board. If this means more free apps in App World, we're all for it.
- Expanding on the Flash partnership previously announced, RIM has teamed up with Adobe yet again to unveil tight integration with Creative Suite 5 with direct file exports for BlackBerry-optimized formats and the creation BlackBerry-specific web layouts. End users will also be able to pull files directly off their BlackBerrys into consumer offerings like Photoshop Elements. This particular news seems pretty fluffy since Adobe products are already capable of opening and saving media formats that the phones can use -- but as with many of the other announcements here, we're on board as long as it means better-looking apps.
makin' moves. nice!
I want to see flash in my Storm NOW! :)
You want you Storm to choke and lose battery even more? Flash isn't the solution, it’s the problem. It needs a radical rewrite for mobile devices (not that that will mean it ever sees the light of day on an iPhone - that's Apple's constipation problem).
These new apps sound so promising. Too bad my corporation will allow Hell to freeze over before they allow any of these types of apps on company owned BB's.
I think that is why this initiative will ultimately fail. Unlike consumer grade products, corporate products come with corporate standards that aren't real big on giving the user a more "fun" experience. Corporate IT is all about shutting down and locking down, not opening up.
Great, OpenGL ES support...?
How about getting a decent processor in these bad boys. Maybe the 9700 and the Bold pack the heat but the 8900's performance is abysmal and they don't hold a candle to newer phones even with this awesome but antiquated OS. This OS should FLY on newer mobile processors.
and yes, i know OpenGL ES support is awesome, but lets get these babies rendering a half decent web page first ok?
OpenGL + Flash
????
Profit!
Exactly what I was thinking dude. Get some OpenGL based games and some FLASH animation support for a HUGE market of Gamers/PC enthusiasts. I would love to use my smartphone to play some decent games.
LOL. You all instantly think GAMES and HD MOVIES.
I was thinking this would be a great way to power a Powerpoint presentation without the need for a laptop. Bring my blackberry to a meeting, attach it via dongle or with wifi drivers to a projector: instant meeting without lugging a laptop.
Of course technology will be used primarily for the most profitable endeavour, and appealing to people's pleasures is the first rule of profit/marketing. But I can think of a lot of business uses for graphics acceleration.
RIM's been really breathing new life into my Storm lately. I'm looking forward to whats coming out around the corner.
http://crackberry.com/open-gl-es-support-announced-blackberry-developer-conference-see-it-action-need-speed-shift-demo
They should forget about this and concentrate on business oriented endusers. Trying to move in on iPhone territory is a big mistake. Not knocking'em though
A lot of students use BBs. Much more than iPhones where I am, at least.
OpenGL ES support can mean accelerated powerpoint presentations from the phone, three-dimensional modeling for science research (ground-penetrating radar, MRI, CT scans), statistical analyses.
Your imagination is definitely in want if you think OpenGL ES extensions means only games.
Yes, it is reactionary. RIM is trying to be all things to all people. The screen on the best Blackberrys (e.g. BOLD) is way too small for effective games or Internet browsing (get that Webkit browser released..... that'll help). The Storm screen is OK but its unlikely to have a large enough installed base to attract games developers. Same issue that's being hit by Palm - not enough user base to justify a developer to create an app/game first on a platform other than Android and iPhone. These developments should at least help attract ports.
Just the kind of update I needed from RIM. Might buy a Blackberry soon.
Big deal. Other phones have been doing this for half a decade. Other than business rollouts (due to cost reasons) there is NO sane reason to buy a BB over a Symbian or WM phone which can do 100x what a BB does and looks better while doing it.
Except for the fact my lame-a** IT department only supports Blackberry on a push basis.
Other phones have been doing this for half a decade.
Symbian or WM phone which can do 100x what a BB does and looks better while doing it.
exaggerate much?
I had an htc diamond and tried an iPhone... gawd email was so frustrating. Email on symbian phone, im not sure else i find all the platforms fairly equal, of course gaming and apps are more abundant on the iPhone. But I went back to bb for messenging and email.
The BB platform is not disappearing soon so its nice they have some good stuff for developers and in time for the end user.
I agree with the above commenter how some businesses only support BB, but after all these years I don't get why so many companies are so eager to hand over their private email to a third-party, one which has major outages 2 or 3 times a year, especially when you can have the same thing, locally hosted with no middleman using MS Exchange.
Sounds a bit like Microsofts latest moves with WinMo. Ok, no real game-oriented moves so far but anyway, a business-platform going consumer-oriented....and WHAT IS THIS engadget not writing biased, flame-war-arousing posts ??? Could it be true???
Why do you think its cool to post useless comments about the engadget staff? if you don't like the way they run THEIR website don't visit it. It obviously sounds like you are MS biased- and you are just being an ignorant fool.
Engadget writes/forwards articles it hopes its readers will read- something as "game changing" as RIM's new consumer platform- is obviously news.
any chance of a 5.0 update for the pearl flip..............i need better bb im goin crazy thnkin bout ditchin for a droid
Flash needs to die. Need to move on to better browsers and use technologies that are built into those browsers.
Not rely on some other 3rd party plugin.
RIM pisses me off as a software developer because the run-time interpreted Java makes the Blackberry about 100x times slower then code you can write for Win Mobile, iPhone, Symbian, old Palm OS, etc. OF course that 100x number isn't scientific at all - it totally depends on what you are doing. But generally speaking it is super-ass slow compared to the other guy even when using the same class of CPU. Thats why we see sex #D games on the iPhone (and there is some equally cool shit out there for other platforms) along with real emulators for came systems, etc BUT you never see this for Blackberry (the few attempts at 3D gaming on the Blackberry are a joke)
So how does RIM get around this performance limitation to do thing that need performance (like the upcoming OpenGL ES and Flash)? They cheat: they don't write their code using the same java API as you and me. They've had a long history of not only accessing internal APIs for their own software - but of playing favorites with brands so that multi-billion dollar companies get a special access (i'm not talking about their various Alliance program stuff - none of that gives access to internal APIs). Thats why (for example) the Facebook app was able to put icons on the homescreen when that feature was not available through the public APIs.
In this case it will be worse: OpenGL and flash wont just use internal Java APIs: they will need to compiled to native code, something that Blackberry doesn't allow others to do. If I want to roll my own h264 decoder on say - the old Palm OS) - i can do that and compile it to native code and the performance is quite reasonable (see TCPMP for an example of somebody doing just that). And that on 5 year old hardware. On the latest greatest Blackberry, i can only play video because of the hardware and firmware support - i could NEVER write my own decoder because performance would be beyond laughable using there Java API. But if my name was Adobe, then apparently i could.
great to see this stuff coming to RIM - but its all a 'work-around'; this magic comes only through backdoor access and if you want to try to do something innovative that require the same level of performance, you are shit out of luck.
Fuck you RIM.
(BTW: I use a Blackberry Bold as my daily device and my company still write software for Blackberries)
>>Thats why we see sex #D games on the iPhone
That's supposed to read 'sexy 3D games on the iPhone'.
I friggin hate my Storm 1. And by way of association I now hate RIM and Telus too.
What's that? 5.0 is out? Ok I like them now. Never mind.
Seriously. Now that my Storm is running a silky-smooth 5.0, all that's left to fix is that web browser. Flash support would be icing on the cake.
BB Browser sucks monkeys..
Creative Suite 5? Already!? Feels like CS4 just came out yesterday and now they are already adding features for the next one. Damn whippersnappers and their hiphop...
Get off my lawn!
I love using the Blackberry phones. Nothing beats the typing experience on a BlackBerry. However, they suck so bad at rendering web pages. That was the main reason I switched to a Palm Pre.
http://www.reverbnation.com/c./l14/1273568/15281/Label/396716/Fan/MissionsAgent_40455/link
http://www.reverbnation.com/c./l14/1273564/15281/Label/396716/Fan/MissionsAgent_40454/link