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Tuesday, September 28, 2010
RIM Unveils The BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet, Social and
Enterprise Apps
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Onstage at the BlackBerry developer conference, DEVCON 2010, in
San Francisco today, Research In Motion today unveilled its
new professional-grade BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and
BlackBerry Tablet OS.
The BlackBerry PlayBook is designed to give users web browsing,
multitasking and high performance multimedia, while also
providing advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise
support and a development platform for IT departments and
developers.
The powerful tablet is ultra portable. Measuring less than half
an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, the BlackBerry
PlayBook features a 7" high resolution display. At its heart,
the BlackBerry PlayBook ispowered by a 1 GHz dual-core
processor and the new BlackBerry Tablet OS which supports
symmetric multiprocessing.
The tablet support Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR
and HTML-5, it includes dual HD cameras for video capture and
video conferencing that can both record HD video at the same
time, and an HDMI-out port for presenting one's creations on
external displays. The BlackBerry PlayBook also offers rich
stereo sound and a media player.
For those BlackBerry PlayBook users who carry a BlackBerry
smartphone, it will also be possible to pair their tablet and
smartphone using a secure Bluetooth connection. This means they
can opt to use the larger tablet display to view any of the
email, BBM, calendar, tasks, documents and other content that
resides on (or is accessible through) their smartphone. They
can also use their tablet and smartphone interchangeably
without worrying about syncing or duplicating data. This secure
integration of BlackBerry tablets and smartphones is a
particularly useful feature for those business users who want
to leave their laptop behind.
The BlackBerry PlayBook is enterprise ready and compatible
(out-of-the-box) with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. When
connected over Bluetooth, the smartphone content is viewable on
the tablet, but the content actually remains stored on the
BlackBerry smartphone and is only temporarily cached on the
tablet (and subject to IT policy controls).
The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built upon the QNX Neutrino
microkernel architecture. Neutrino has been field hardened for
years and is being used to support mission-critical
applications in everything from planes, trains and automobiles
to medical equipment and the largest core routers that run the
Internet.
The Neutrino based microkernel architecture in the BlackBerry
Tablet OS delivers performance, high scalability, Common
Criteria EAL 4+ security, and support for industry standard
tools that are already familiar to developers. The OS is fully
POSIX compliant enabling easy portability of C-based code,
supports Open GL for 2D and 3D graphics intensive applications
like gaming, and will run applications built in Adobe Mobile
AIR as well as the new BlackBerry WebWorks app platform
announced today (which will allow apps to be written to run on
BlackBerry PlayBook tablets as well as BlackBerry smartphones
with BlackBerry 6). The BlackBerry Tablet OS will also support
Java enabling developers to easily bring their existing
BlackBerry 6 Java applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS
environment.
Key features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook
include:
- 7" LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, touch screen with full
multi-touch and gesture support
- BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric
multiprocessing
- 1 GHz dual-core processor
- 1 GB RAM
- Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing),
supports 1080p HD video recording
- Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
- Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
- HDMI video output
- Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
- Open, flexible application platform with support for
WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe
Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
- Ultra thin and portable:
o Measures 5.1"x 7.6"x0.4" (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
o Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or
400g)
- Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry
PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is
launched in retail outlets.
- RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.
The BlackBerry PlayBook 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.
RIM will begin working with developers and select corporate
customers next month to begin development and early testing
efforts.
The BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK is planned for release in the
coming weeks and developers can register for early access at
www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos.
WebWorks app platform
RIM also today announced its next-generation web-based
development platform, BlackBerry WebWorks, which enables web
developers to build full-featured applications for BlackBerry
smartphones entirely in HTML-5, CSS and JavaScript.
BlackBerry WebWorks also includes updates to the web
application packager, new web APIs and the BlackBerry Web
Plug-Ins 2.5.
Web application packager 1.5
The web application packager is used by developers to package
their web applications in the same way a BlackBerry Java
application is packaged, and with the same file formats.
BlackBerry web applications can then be distributed via
BlackBerry App World, BlackBerry Desktop Manager, OTA
(over-the-air) or BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
BlackBerry Web APIs
BlackBerry WebWorks includes a set of new web extensions that
enable a deeper integration with native applications and other
functions of the handset.
- Send a text message from within the application
- Read call log data from the phone application, check if the
phone is currently in an active call, check the number of
missed calls
- Play an audio file as well as create APIs for playing,
pausing, stopping and seeking of the audio file from within the
application?s UI
Web Plug-Ins 2.5
Updates to the Web Plug-Ins for BlackBerry WebWorks include
multiple entry points, which give developers the ability to
start their application in the background, in addition to
launching from the homescreen or a download folder.
Applications can also continue to run in the background. Web
Plug-Ins 2.5 also gives developers the ability to cache web
pages and content to the handset's system memory for faster
performance.
RIM is working with the open source developer community to
allow developers to access and contribute to the BlackBerry
open web application platform and tooling components. In
addition to sharing source code for the BlackBerry web
platform, RIM is working with open source JavaScript framework
companies DoJo, GitHub, JQuery, Nitobi and Sencha to encourage
developers to create web applications with advanced web and
AJAX functionality.
The BlackBerry open web platform is available within partner
open source communities now:
http://www.github.com/blackberry
BBM Social Platform
RIM also today announced the BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) Social
Platform, giving developers the tools to build applications
that take advantage of the social aspects of the popular BBM
service.
Developers will be able to integrate various functions of the
BBM service into their applications including chat
capabilities, content sharing, and invitations. For example,
users will be able to invite their BBM friends to join them in
a game and then chat with one another while the game is being
played.
Other BBM functionality accessible to developers through the
BBM Social Platform includes:
- Contact list ? allows users to choose from their BBM contacts
from within another application in order to initiate social
interactions such as chatting or initiating game play
- BBM user profile ? an application can insert application
status updates into the user's BBM profile allowing it to be
launched or downloaded from BBM by the user?s friends
- Application-specific communities ? users can create BBM
friend groups specific to an application
- Data Transfer ? allows users to transfer pictures, audio,
video and other content directly from an application to their
BBM contacts or groups
- Invitations ? allows users to invite new friends to BBM,
invite their friends to interact within or download an
application, and accept invitations, all from within an
application
The BBM Social Platform is expected to be available in the
spring of 2011.
"Super Apps" for business
Onstage at the BlackBerry developer conference Research In
Motion also previewed BlackBerry Enterprise Application
Middleware ? an application development platform that will
enable commercial enterprise and corporate developers to more
easily build "super app" enterprise applications and services
for BlackBerry smartphones. IBM Interactive and ING DIRECT,
Oracle, and SAP joined RIM on-stage at the conference today to
present their plans to enable "super app" development solutions
and services using the new platform.
BlackBerry Enterprise Application Middleware will include a set
of application programming interfaces (APIs), libraries and
server software that will make it easier for developers to
build "super apps" that can access instant data push and
alerts, use efficient file transfers with enterprise
applications, and make it easy to query a user?s device for
geo-location, presence, current camera image, calendar
availability, device type, and much more. It will be possible
to use it with popular application development platforms such
as IBM WebSphere, Oracle Fusion Middleware and the mobility
platform from SAP and Sybase, and can be integrated with these
platforms to give access to developers.
These capabilities are combined with the advantages of the
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution offering real-time communication
via push technology, cost-effective data usage, efficiency over
carrier networks, easy web-based administration of smartphones,
servers, users, groups and applications, single sign-on, and
secure wireless access to enterprise systems.
"BlackBerry Enterprise Application Middleware will make it
easier to build essential enterprise functions in BlackBerry
smartphone applications that are currently not available or
easily built on any other mobile platform," said Alan Brenner,
Senior Vice President at Research In Motion. "It also presents
new opportunities for innovation in enterprise application
development by our strategic alliance partners, enterprise
customers, systems integrators and independent software vendor
community."
IBM Interactive, Oracle and SAP are currently using BlackBerry
Enterprise Application Middleware in early trials.
IBM Interactive, which specializes in providing clients with a
think-tank environment to collaboratively work with user
experience, industry and technology experts to plan, develop
and launch mobile, next-generation business solutions, is
utilizing the features of BlackBerry Enterprise Application
Middleware together with IBM WebSphere to help develop a
business-to-consumer application with ING DIRECT.
Oracle is integrating BlackBerry Enterprise Application
Middleware into Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF)
to enable Oracle developers to build enterprise applications
that can communicate with their BlackBerry workforce using
development tools that they are already familiar with.
SAP works with RIM to offer new opportunities to extend the
reach of SAP Business Suite on BlackBerry smartphones. Through
close integration of BlackBerry Enterprise Application
Middleware with the mobility platform from SAP and Sybase,
partners and customers will be able to quickly build mobile
applications that connect business data to their workers on
BlackBerry smartphones.
RIM will be previewing the first BlackBerry Enterprise
Application Middleware libraries -- Alert/Notifications Push,
Files Transfer, and Device Information to Server App - at
BlackBerry DEVCON this week.
Alerts/Notifications Push Library ? Enables developers to build
secure instant delivery of data between back-end enterprise
systems and BlackBerry smartphones in under a hundred lines of
code. Data can be pushed to an application on the device or
directly to the BlackBerry inbox, calendar or tasks via
personal identification number (PIN), email or phone number.
This library is ideal for simplifying the delivery of
enterprise work flow to BlackBerry smartphones for immediate
response by mobile workers rather than waiting for them to get
back to their desk to respond. Use cases include a travel
request sent to a manager?s BlackBerry smartphone for approval;
a patient status update sent to a doctor or nurse; product
price change requests sent in by a salesperson; an alert to an
executive about a decrease in revenues/margins as the
information becomes available; or a system alert sent to an IT
manager.
File Transfer Library ? Enables developers to build
applications with efficient large file transfers between
back-end systems and BlackBerry smartphones, and all in under a
hundred lines of code. Data can be programmed to be viewed
only, downloaded, uploaded or saved to device memory or a media
card on a BlackBerry smartphone. The complexities of efficient
wireless data transmission are automated and kept transparent
to developers so that they can focus on application logic.
Device Information to Server App Library ? Enables querying of
a device by back-end enterprise systems that can be built into
a mobile application in under a hundred lines of code. Examples
of data that can be queried include geo-location, presence,
current camera image, calendar availability, device type, and
much more.
The initial set of BlackBerry Enterprise Application Middleware
libraries are expected to be available in closed beta later
this year. Additional libraries are expected to be released in
2011.
For more information, visit www.blackberry.com/developers/beam. |
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