Photo by Bob Mical http://www.flickr.com/photos/small_realm/

Do you like Candy? How about a big bowl of Jelly Beans? Well, I’m happy to satisfy your sweet tooth with the Beta release of the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and Plug-in for Android Development Tools for BlackBerry 10.2.

If you didn’t get the hint, this release includes the first beta release of Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). All the great features that were previously available in Gingerbread will continue to be supported, as well as some specific Jelly Bean OS features such as Fragments, embedded fragments, animation framework and hardware acceleration. Keep in mind this is the first beta release, and there will bound to be some bugs as we work our way towards the gold release later in the summer.

If you want to start testing your app on Jelly Bean, just grab the BlackBerry 10.2 Beta SDK OS.  Support for Jelly Bean in the BlackBerry 10.2 device simulator will be coming later in the summer.

Additionally, our Android Runtime tools have been updated to support Eclipse 4.2, Android Development Tools v22 and can now target Android SDK level 10 to 17.

How do you start using these new tools? Jump to the Runtime for Android Apps microsite. There is an updated 1.6 release for the BlackBerry Eclipse™ Plug-in for Android Development Tools and Command-line tools to help get you using all these Android Runtime features for BlackBerry 10. For the Eclipse users, make sure to point your update site to:

http://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/downloads/eclipseplugin/

To see the full details and known issues, check out the release notes for the BlackBerry Plug-in for Android Development Tools and BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps.

BlackBerry developers that rely on a simulator for app development, listen up, because you need to read this! The latest simulator release for BlackBerry 10 brings a heap of new improvements, features and core apps, taking development one step closer to using a physical device.

In the latest BlackBerry 10.1 simulator release we now offer the ability to select which form factor you want to launch the simulator with. In this release, we support the layout for both the Z10 and Q10 devices. No more need to download multiple simulators! You’ll see these boot options listed as follows:

1. BlackBerry 10 All-Touch [1280x768]
2. BlackBerry 10 Keyboard [720x720]

Once the boot option is selected, you’ll notice some handy tool tip information during the simulator boot up screen. These tips will highlight new features as well as suggestions for maximizing simulator performance. Additionally, the simulator adds support for multi-touch input where developers can simulate up to 10 individual touch paths. For example, you can simulate using a two finger pinch and zoom. For more details, check out the documentation for simulator gestures.

The simulator controller joins the new feature party with added support for automatic simulator connection, incoming and outgoing phone call simulation, and mouse mode selection for controlling touch events. If your application supports incoming phone calls, you can test this by sending a call from the simulator controller. The incoming number will be detected by your application. For all the details on what is available in the simulator controller, check out the documentation.

Now let’s talk about what applications come with the simulator out of box. Previously, we supported a basic set of core applications including:

• BlackBerry Hub
• Contacts
• Calendar
• Browser
• BBM
• BlackBerry World
• Phone
• Settings

Today, we have added a whole bunch more; including support for social connect accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Evernote and LinkedIn. These new apps include, but are not limited to:

• Calculator
• Facebook
• File Manager
• Games
• Help
• Maps
• Pictures
• Remember
• Smart Tags
• YouTube
• Weather

So, what are you waiting for? Grab the latest simulator download and get started using all these great new features today! For additional information, please see the release notes.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastiandooris/3177145670/

Well my Android Runtime friends, it is finally here! Not the massive plate of gingerbread cookies or candy-decorated houses, but the Gold release of the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and Plug-in for Android Development Tools for BlackBerry 10.

Before we get into some of the new functionality in this release, I wanted to take a moment and review what we have added to the Android Runtime for BlackBerry 10. Our goal has been to provide an integrated experience to the BlackBerry 10 platform, without requiring code changes to ported Android applications. These features, including all the teams’ performance and quality improvements, help to increase this platform experience. New API support and major features for BlackBerry 10 include:

• Calendar Event Creation – Intent support to create a calendar event using the native BlackBerry 10 app.
• Camera and Camera Flash API – Take pictures and make flashlight apps!
• Compose Support – Intent support to create an email or SMS message. (BlackBerry Hub is required)
• Contact Support – Email and phone numbers can be added to a new or existing contact using the native BlackBerry 10 contacts application.
• Dial Support – Phone numbers that are selected within an Android app will launch the phone dialer. The Phone application is required.
• File Picker Support – Support for the native BlackBerry 10 File Picker when selecting files within an Android app.
• In-App Payment API – Sell your virtual goods!
• Multimedia Sync – Multimedia created using Android applications are visible to native BlackBerry 10 multimedia applications. This includes pictures, videos, etc.
• Multi-Window – Each Android app will now run in its own application shell.
• Notifications – Provide notifications for your application. These can be made visible in the integrated BlackBerry 10 Hub, or as a splat on your application icon.
• Push API
• Sensor API – Support for the Ambient light and Proximity sensors.
• Telephony APIs – This includes support for cell locations and access to information about the network services on the device.

In this release, we were able to add support for the Camera Flash API and the native BlackBerry 10 File Picker. If you want to use these new features, no code changes are required — just grab the latest BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha update or BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Simulator and get testing.

Additionally, our plug-in tools for Eclipse have added support for Windows 8 and Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion, xhdpi Icons, and Android Development Tools v 21.

How do you start using these new features and tools? Jump to the Runtime for Android Apps microsite. There is an updated 1.5 release for the BlackBerry Eclipse Plug-in for Android Development Tools and Command-line tools to help get you using all these Android Runtime features for BlackBerry 10. For the Eclipse users, make sure to point your update site to:

https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/downloads/eclipseplugin/

To see the full details, check out the release notes for the BlackBerry Plug-in for Android Development Tools and BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanf/5502687193/

Howdy, it’s Matt here again with some new features to share with you regarding the BlackBerry® Runtime for Android™ Apps in BlackBerry® 10.

In this release, I’m very excited to announce the arrival of Push support for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps (more details on this in a second). Additionally, we have added support for the ambient light and proximity sensors for BlackBerry 10. If your application uses either of these sensors, no code changes are required, just grab the latest BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha update or BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Simulator and get testing.

Let’s get back to Push support. If your Android app uses Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM), when you repackage your app, you can use the Push technology on the BlackBerry 10 platform to provide a similar functionality. To create a push-enabled Android app, you will need to do the following:

1. Register with the BlackBerry Push Service.
2. Create a configuration file for your Android app.
3. Specify Push as a required permission in BAR file’s manifest file.
4. On the push-initiator server side, format the data to be sent to BlackBerry application servers.

For all the details, check out the Android Runtime API Support Page for extended Push API Support.

How do you start using these great new features? Jump to the Runtime for Android Apps microsite. There is an updated 1.4 Beta release for the BlackBerry Eclipse™ Plug-in for Android Development Tools and Command-line tools to help get you using all these new Android Runtime features for the BlackBerry 10 Beta. For the Eclipse users, make sure to point your update site to:

https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/downloads/eclipseplugin/beta/

To see what’s coming next, remember to check out the flight arrival board for the all the Runtime for Android App features and tooling releases.

Calling all Java® developers: We have some news regarding the BlackBerry® Java® Plug-in for Eclipse™!

We are pleased to announce a new Open Source project for the BlackBerry development platform. While we have stopped SDK work on BlackBerry® 7 OS, we’ve decided to make the source code open for all those developers using the Java Plug-in for Eclipse. The BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse is now available as a repository provided under the Eclipse Public Licenses 1.0. The BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse lets you develop, test, and debug BlackBerry Java applications using the Eclipse IDE, in combination with the BlackBerry SDK appropriate for the BlackBerry OS your application is targeting.

The readme file on the project page details all the information you will need to build the source code for Windows or Mac, build your own update site for the plug-in or even build your own full installer. For all the details, jump to the project page.

Additionally, the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse 2.0 is now available for download as a complete install for Windows and Mac, or as an update via our Eclipse update sites. For more BlackBerry Java related information, tool downloads, sample apps and documentations, please visit our Java development page — and make sure to fork us on Github!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dichohecho/4279468557/

It’s Matt here again with some new features to share with you regarding the BlackBerry® Runtime for Android™ Apps in BlackBerry® 10.

Before we talk about what’s new in BlackBerry 10, let us recap what was available for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps in Beta 2. There were four major enhancements added to the Android Runtime: Multi-Window, Camera support, In-App Payments, and Telephony APIs.

Building on all these great features, there is now even more support for Android Runtime in the BlackBerry 10 Beta 3. This includes support for:

• Compose message – Intent support to compose and send an email message.
• Contacts support – Contact information can be added to a new or existing contact via the BlackBerry 10 contacts app.
• Calendar Events – Intent support to create a calendar event via the native BlackBerry 10 calendar app.
• IMF Support – Android text input controls are now integrated with the BlackBerry 10 virtual keyboard. This makes it possible to utilize keyboard features such as text prediction and dedicated numerical input.
• Notifications – Provide support for notifications for your app.

All these features are now available for the Android Runtime on the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing device and simulator. How do you start using these great new features? Jump to the Runtime for Android Apps microsite. There is also an updated 1.3 Beta release for the BlackBerry Eclipse™ Plug-in for Android Development Tools and Command-line tools to help get you using all these new Android Runtime features for the BlackBerry 10 Beta. For the Eclipse users, make sure to point your update site to: https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/downloads/eclipseplugin/beta/

To see what’s coming in the next beta, remember to check out the flight arrival board for the all the Runtime for Android App features and tooling releases.

Before we talk about what’s new in BlackBerry 10, let us recap what is available for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps for BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1. There were three major enhancements added to the Android Runtime in 2.1:

• Each Android app will now run in its own window. This greatly improves the user experience and consistency among the other application runtimes.
• Access to the cameras is now supported for Android apps, allowing many more application types to work on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
• In-App Payments are now supported through the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, so Android applications can include virtual items for sale in their applications.

Building on this fantastic set of features, there is now support for telephony APIs for the Android Runtime in the BlackBerry 10 Beta. This includes support for cell location, and access to information about the network services on the device. For additional information, head on over to our API support page. We have completely revamped our Documentation and API Support page to make it easier to find the information you need! Let us know what you think.

All these features are now available for the Android Runtime on the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device and simulator. How do you start using these great new features? Jump to the newly updated Runtime for Android Apps microsite. There is an updated 1.2 Beta release for the BlackBerry Eclipse™ Plug-in for Android Development Tools and Command-line tools to get starting using all these new Android Runtime features for the BlackBerry 10 Beta. For the Eclipse users, point your update site to https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/downloads/eclipseplugin/beta/

Calling all Java® developers: There’s an update coming for the BlackBerry® Java Plug-in for Eclipse! I’m happy to announce some great new features coming in our next release.

New features in BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse 1.5.2 include:

• Installer now embedded with Eclipse 3.7.2 (Indigo)
• BlackBerry® Java SDK 7.1 is now default
• New BlackBerry process view for optimizing battery life
• Ability to export XML data from the profile view
• Automatic downloading of debug files for device debugging

Helping our Java developers create the most efficient, best-in-class, and bug-free applications is very important to us at Research In Motion® (RIM®). To help make that even easier, we have added some new features in the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse that will help you optimize your apps even more. With the new BlackBerry process view, you can optimize your code by observing CPU time for active processes. Additionally, you can export your XML data to view your app profiling usage of memory, CPU and wireless traffic to allow further optimizations.

With a single download and quick installation, developers can start developing with the BlackBerry Java SDK 7.1 right away. To find out more about developing BlackBerry Java 7.1 Super Apps, check out the Getting Started page. Don’t have the right simulator bundle downloaded? Relax – you can still debug your BlackBerry app directly on your devices and the right debug files will be downloaded for you!

For more BlackBerry Java-related information, tool downloads, awesome sample apps and documentation, please visit our Java development page.

Hey everyone! It’s Matt here with some exciting news to share with you regarding support for new BlackBerry® Runtime for Android™ Apps APIs in BlackBerry® 10.

Since the launch of the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps on BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, we have had thousands of Android apps successfully ported and posted to the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. We’ve also heard many requests for additional features and APIs for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps, and today I’m happy to share with you what some of those new features will be in BlackBerry 10.

A feature request we heard from both developer and end user alike was for multi-window support. Applications built for the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps will now launch in separate windows, allowing for multitasking and viewing just like regular native BlackBerry 10 apps!

Additionally, we have added API support for Camera and In-App Payments. With these additions, we now support even more potential Android apps and offer an additional way for developers to monetize their applications. In-App Payments will work with user’s existing BlackBerry® ID and be processed through BlackBerry App World.

These new features will be available in the BlackBerry 10 Runtime for Android Apps beta, and will be coming as an update to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet later this summer. More Runtime for Android Apps features will be coming to BlackBerry 10, so stay tuned!

For additional information on the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps, please visit our Runtime for Android Apps site.

Nothing is more frustrating than putting countless hours of hard work into your BlackBerry® app, making sure every subroutine is perfect and every millisecond of performance squeezed, only to find out that users are displeased with some aspect of layout or interaction. Speaking from experience, I find that numerous times we all too often dive into architecting and developing the meat and potatoes of an app, leaving the user interface to get created ad hoc. Yet behind every good app there is a great user interface!

Now, you might be saying: “But Matt! I do think about layout and design – but I can’t design for every user’s tastes.” While we do typically put some thought into layout and design, I find we (as developers) rarely think about it from an end user’s perspective. We are too close to the project, and end up seeing aspects of the application from a specific view. Think of it this way – every parent thinks their baby is the cutest ever…but what do the rest of us think? What a good app developer/designer needs to do is take a step back and look at the design from others’ points of view and, better yet, gather points of view from others.

Nothing helps guide a design better than real world feedback. Take your design and layouts and talk to your peers, your mother, your granddad, or even your future end users (basically anyone that will talk to you.) You can even solicit feedback from a limited beta of your app or use various online solutions such as getsatisfaction.com. Ask your users what they like, what they don’t like, how they would expect things to flow, and so on. Taking this feedback and integrating it into your app will help ensure users are happy – and happy users mean good BlackBerry App World™ storefront ratings!

If you cannot easily gather end user feedback on the design and flow of your app, here are some other points to keep in mind at the beginning of your project:

• Keep the user interface and design as simple as possible. Your app should require a user to have little to no instructions in order to get started.
• For touch screen devices, ensure proper spacing of objects that a user will interact with. Nothing will frustrate your users more if their touch events are misread.
• The layout of the screen should be well used, but not too cluttered. For objects in groups, space them evenly for a clean look.
• Make use of menus when required. Menus are great when there are additional options or settings that you want a user to have access to, but don’t want to have them always displayed on screen.
• Lastly, remember to keep your app consistent. Every screen within the app should offer a similar user experience in layout, theme and flow. A user should know this is your app regardless of the screen they are looking at.

Hopefully you have found these tips useful. If you have your own, please share them in the comments section below or head on over to the BlackBerry Developer Support forums and post them there.