The Port-A-Thons are now closed and it’s time for you to be rewarded.

Some of the Port-A-Thon rewards required draws. We needed to wait until the app approval deadline (April 9, 2013) to draw the names of the winners.

We are pleased to announce that the draws have taken place for trips to BlackBerry Live 2013 and BlackBerry Dev Alpha B devices.

Notifications are being sent out this week to the developers that have won and all winners will be contacted via email by the end of next week. Please check your spam folder for any messages from blackberrydeveloperprogram@blackberry.com that might have snuck in.

Again, thank you for your incredible dedication and support. More importantly thank you for your patience. We were humbled by the turnout at these events and worked as quickly as possible to work through the unexpectedly large number of applications that were submitted.

If you have any more questions please contact us at blackberrydeveloperprogram@blackberry.com. Let us know in the comments what you thought about the Port-A-Thons and if you think we should do them again.

We are working hard to get your apps approved. We have teams around the globe approving BlackBerry 10 apps as fast and as accurately as possible.

Here is the important information about the All Aboard, Android, Community and Last Chance Port-A-Thons.

• We will have all app reviews completed by March 12, 2013
• You will have until March 26, 2013 to resubmit fixes
• All resubmitted apps will be reviewed by April 8, 2013
• To be eligible for Port-A-Thon rewards, the cutoff date for having your app approved and up for sale in BlackBerry World is April 8, 2013
• Your rewards will only be delivered once all of your apps are approved and up for sale
• The draw for BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha B devices and BlackBerry Live trips will take place on April 9, 2013 and those winners will be contacted

If you have any questions please email blackberrydeveloperprogram@blackberry.com, or leave your feedback in the comments.

Thank you for supporting BlackBerry and BlackBerry 10.

Momentum for the BlackBerry 10 platform has been explosive since the launch of BlackBerry 10 on January 30^th. BlackBerry World currently has over 70,000 apps and games and is growing every day.  There hasn’t been a better time to start building for BlackBerry.

Wavefront and BlackBerry are teaming up to present hands-on development workshops to support your app building and get you prepared to submit to BlackBerry World.

The BlackBerry Jam Starter Session will take you through the basic principles of building BlackBerry apps, with an overview of what to expect through the process.  After the session, you will have the opportunity to start building your own BlackBerry apps with support from on-site BlackBerry Evangelists.

Who should attend?
•    Developers with a HTML5, Adobe AIR, or Android app ready to port to BlackBerry 10
•    Experienced developers wanting to learn more about the BlackBerry opportunity

Why develop apps for BlackBerry?
•    Increase your reach to a new audience of early adopters looking for great quality apps
•    Showcase your apps that may be buried or lost in other saturated stores

What to bring & prepare:
•    Laptop running Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X
•    Download and install the free current versions of BlackBerry 10 WebWorks or BlackBerry 10 Native SDK (Cascades) developer tools

Vancouver

When:
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
8:30am – 5:00pm

Where:
SFU – Harbour Centre
Room 7000
515 West Hasting St
Vancouver, BC

When:
Thursday, March 21, 2013
8:30am to 5:00pm

Saskatoon

Where:
TCU Place
Gallery Room D
35 – 22nd Street East
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan  S7K 0C8

Agenda:
08:30AM – 09:00AM – Registration and Breakfast
09:00AM – 9:30AM – Presentation Overview
09:30AM – 10:30AM – Intro to HTML5
10:30AM – 10:45AM – Coffee Break
10:45AM – 12:30AM – Hands on Lab – Getting Started with WebWorks
12:30PM – 01:30PM – Lunch
01:30PM – 02:30PM – Intro to Cascades
02:30PM – 02:45PM – Coffee Break
02:45PM – 04:30PM – Hands on Lab – Getting Stared with Cascades
04:30PM – 05:00PM – Wrap Up and Prize Draws

Fee: $25 + HST, includes breakfast, lunch and refreshments.

Register now to learn how you can develop cutting edge BlackBerry apps that will increase your reach and grow your revenue.

We spent part of last week at BlackBerry Jam Europe, which is generally a conference dedicated to those who already develop apps for BlackBerry. However, there are also many programs for beginners. Since I’ve never created an app, I decided to take a run at developing an app for the Inside BlackBerry Blog. As I have literally no experience developing apps, I asked Alex and Luke for some help.

We used the BlackBerry App Generator to automatically pull content from the Inside BlackBerry Blog, and the BlackBerry Facebook and BlackBerry YouTube pages. It took us only about 10 minutes from start to finish and it was absolutely free. The result is a great-looking app that pulls in all of our articles, posts and videos. Let’s have a look as Alex walks us through the process.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

See how easy it was? Using the BlackBerry App Generator you could have your own app up and running in just a few minutes, even with no development experience. Do you have a blog or content and think it would make a great app? Give the BlackBerry App Generator a try for yourself and let us know.

This weekend during the BlackBerry Community & Android Port-A-Thons we witnessed something very special happen, something which can energize all our developer community!

We had over 1,000 people around the globe come together for 37.5 hours and submit over 15,000 apps for BlackBerry 10. After five hours we had over 4,000 apps submitted and after nine hours we had over 6,300 apps submitted. One of the developers put this into perspective when he tweeted

@lougazzola Impressive. I remember it taking over a year for AppWorld to get its first 6,300 apps…

— Eric Harty (@Ebscer) January 12, 2013

The Twitterverse was a buzz with over 1,200 #BB10Portathon mentions. 15,060 apps submitted shows that it’s easy to build a BlackBerry 10 app.

We’ve witnessed a huge transition of developers who now believe in the potential for success on the platform and take the time to create an incredible number of apps. The RIM team creating our developer SDKs and tools have made it easy for developers to bring their apps to BlackBerry 10 – in the language you like writing in. Here’s what our community is saying:

@lougazzola @leinir @4shelbysdevs I agree with this. I can even port my android app/webworks/phonegap in under 1 minute really.

— NemOry Oliver (@NemOry) January 14, 2013

@nemory @lougazzola @leinir @4shelbysdevs agreed.. I ported my Adobe Air app in around a minute packaged and signed.

— Stephen (@NZCoderGuy) January 14, 2013

Erik Oros (Application Development Consultant) fielded questions in his area of expertise (HTML5) and I (Lou Gazzola, Senior Marketing Manager) hosted the event. Both of us were on for the complete 37.5 hours. RIM had over 20 experts from around the world that helped developers and I am blown away by the community support with “Oliver”, “K Cheung” and “Michael K” spending most of the time porting apps AND helping the community.

We also had our partners available with representatives from Marmalade, AppendTo (jQuery), PhoneGap, and Appcelerator participating. After witnessing what was happening many of our partners stayed well beyond their scheduled hours.

What an incredible effort from the entire community!  I want to extend a very heart felt Thank You to everyone that participated!!

Guest post from Roberto S. – Ed.

Since the introduction of Cascades in May, developers have been asking us one question: Is there something I can do to make my app start faster? Cascades is a marvelous piece of technology, but like any new technology, it takes time to work out the kinks and optimize performance. It took a while, but the Cascades team figured out a way to make it faster. Let me introduce you to Project Zygote.

When a detailed performance analysis was conducted on a Cascades application while it was starting up, it was discovered that loading shared libraries was taking up the majority of time. Cascades uses a number of different Qt and platform-specific libraries, so this made sense. After some investigation, we learned that you can save a lot of time by pre-compiling these shared libraries into one library that could be pre-loaded. Thus, Project Zygote was born.

How do you get in on the party? With this latest beta release of BlackBerry 10, all new Cascades projects will have Zygote enabled by default. You get it for free!

For those with pre-existing projects, there are some minor changes you need to make to your existing projects to enable Zygote for your release target. A little bit of work that goes a long way!

Let’s start by looking at the original project file for the Cascades Cookbook sample app:

TEMPLATE = app
TARGET = cascadescookbookqml

CONFIG += qt warn_on debug_and_release cascades

INCLUDEPATH += ../src
SOURCES += ../src/*.cpp 
HEADERS += ../src/*.h 

device {
	CONFIG(release, debug|release) {		
		DESTDIR = o.le-v7		
	} 
	CONFIG(debug, debug|release) {
		DESTDIR = o.le-v7-g
	}
}

simulator {
	CONFIG(release, debug|release) {
		DESTDIR = o
	} 
	CONFIG(debug, debug|release) {
		DESTDIR = o-g
	}
}

OBJECTS_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.obj
MOC_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.moc
RCC_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.rcc
UI_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.ui

As mentioned earlier, Zygote is configured primarily for release targets. The reason behind this is that the differences in packaging make it difficult for developers to debug applications built in this way. The first step to upgrading the project configuration is to add a template override from app to lib in the device-release configuration section:

TEMPLATE = app
TARGET = cascadescookbookqml

CONFIG += qt warn_on debug_and_release cascades10

INCLUDEPATH += ../src
SOURCES += ../src/*.cpp 
HEADERS += ../src/*.h 

device {
	CONFIG(release, debug|release) {		
		DESTDIR = o.le-v7
TEMPLATE=lib
QMAKE_CXXFLAGS += -fvisibility=hidden
	} 
	CONFIG(debug, debug|release) {
		DESTDIR = o.le-v7-g
	}
}

simulator {
	CONFIG(release, debug|release) {
		DESTDIR = o
	} 
	CONFIG(debug, debug|release) {
		DESTDIR = o-g
	}
}

OBJECTS_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.obj
MOC_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.moc
RCC_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.rcc
UI_DIR = $${DESTDIR}/.ui

These changes switch the target from an executable to a library and hide the symbols to minimize the size.

The next thing that needs to change is the main.cpp file. Change the main() declaration as follows:

Q_DECL_EXPORT int main(int argc, char **argv)

The last step is to update the bar.descriptor.xml file as follows:

    <configuration id="com.qnx.qcc.toolChain.1485069140" name="Device-Debug">
       <platformArchitecture>armle-v7</platformArchitecture>
       <asset path="arm/o.le-v7-g/cascadescookbookqml" entry="true" type="Qnx/Elf">cascadescookbookqml</asset>
    </configuration>
    <configuration id="com.qnx.qcc.toolChain.1120265426" name="Device-Release">
       <platformArchitecture>armle-v7</platformArchitecture>
       <asset path="arm/o.le-v7/cascadescookbookqml" entry="true" type="Qnx/Elf">cascadescookbookqml</asset>
    </configuration>

Changes to:

    <configuration id="com.qnx.qcc.toolChain.1485069140" name="Device-Debug">
       <platformArchitecture>armle-v7</platformArchitecture>
       <asset path="arm/o.le-v7-g/cascadescookbookqml " entry="true" type="Qnx/Elf">HelloPhone</asset>
    </configuration>
    <configuration id="com.qnx.qcc.toolChain.1120265426" name="Device-Release">
       <entryPointType>Qnx/Cascades</entryPointType>
       <platformArchitecture>armle-v7</platformArchitecture>
       <asset path="arm/o.le-v7/cascadescookbookqml.so" entry="true" type="Qnx/Elf">libcascadescookbookqml.so</asset>
    </configuration>

After making these changes, export your project to a zip file. If you haven’t already done so, create a new workspace. Import the project into the new workspace, change the active build to Device-Release, and clean and rebuild the project. You should have a Cascades Cookbook sample app that starts up faster! My testing showed a reduction in start time from 1.96 seconds to 0.68 seconds. Feel free to convert all of your Cascades apps and spread the word!

Here’s our ten favorite #BB10Believe tweets from the past week:

OMG – BB10 invocation is FAST! Not only is the application switch like lightening – but the web page loads speedily too! #GoQNX #BB10believe—
Liz Myers (@LizMyers) November 11, 2012

Rooting for the home team. #BB10Believe—
Chris Atkinson (@c__atkinson) November 09, 2012

BlackBerry apps are integrated perfectly,Tasks,dates,memos &projects are shared with BBMGroups & Twitter account #BB10Believe. @BlackBerry—
Eng. Ever Reyes  (@everreyes) November 12, 2012

@BlackBerryDev #BB10Believe because the BETA device is the FASTEST piece of mobile hardware I've worked with, and this is just a preview.—
Mark Dineen (@DineenMa) November 13, 2012

Another reason to #BB10believe, I got a call from #RIM today asking how my development was going. Real people, not machines.—
Mikel Calderon (@mikelcal) November 10, 2012

Let's unite in Jan 30th, 2013. One touch One finger, let's swipe all the way Peek for newest info, and let it flow #gobb10 #bb10believe—
Romadhoni Yosa (@Yosa7998) November 12, 2012

The revolutionary BlackBerry 10 is becoming very real! January 30 launch date. Don't stop believing #BB10BELIEVE—
NickyHope™ (@NickyHope96) November 12, 2012

#BB10Believe Brand new Os! Can't wait for BlackBerry Flow, Active Frames, BlackBerry Hub! Bring on the heat!—
Andrew Pranoto 17 (@AndrewPranoto) November 13, 2012

Building BB10 Cascades Beta 3 Samples and running on my Dev Alpha developer.blackberry.com/cascades/sampl… – some superb examples give reason to #BB10Believe—
Angus Fox (@nuxnix) November 14, 2012

The Flow is coming. The tide is about to change. #BlackBerry10 #BB10Believe #BB10—
Greg Wesson (@lombaki) November 13, 2012

As you will see below, there’s very little (usually just an icon change) required to transition you app from the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ to BlackBerry 10, or the other way around. So even if you haven’t submitted your Android app for distribution to BlackBerry App World™ yet, now is a great time to do so.

Icon size

The main difference to consider when you migrate your app from BlackBerry PlayBook to BlackBerry 10, is a change in the recommended icon size. Be sure to update your app’s icon to take advantage of the higher resolution and have your app stand out in the app grid. The suggested icon sizes are as follows:

BlackBerry PlayBook: 86x86px

BlackBerry 10 full touch devices: 114 x 114

BlackBerry 10 keyboard devices: 114 x 114

Fixed orientation

BlackBerry 10 smartphones are fixed to display content in the portrait position, unless your app uses the accelerometer to adjust the UI layout based on the portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) positioning of the device.

API (sub) set

The good news on the API front is that once your app is functional on the BlackBerry PlayBook, than it will have no problems running on BlackBerry 10 smartphones. You can think of the supported APIs on BlackBerryPlayBook as a subset of the BlackBerry 10 APIs. Everything that is supported on PlayBook, will be supported on BlackBerry 10 and more. Feel free to reference our API support page, as well as our API roadmap.

Resolution Differences

If your application is drawing the UI directly, take note of the change in resolution for both the full touch and keyboard devices. Otherwise, the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps will scale your app accordingly to fit on the screen.

BlackBerry PlayBook: 1024 x 600

BlackBerry 10 full touch devices: 1280 x 720 (16:9)

BlackBerry 10 keyboard devices: 720 x720 (1:1)

Vendor portal

BlackBerry App World has already opened its doors for you to submit your Android app for BlackBerry 10 full touch model.  To support BlackBerry 10 with an existing Approved/Up for Sale application, please submit it as a new release. Otherwise, when you’re creating a new release in the BlackBerry App World Vendor Portal, you will now see a new Family called “BlackBerry 10” and one new device “All Touch”. You can select “All Touch” to target your app for BlackBerry 10. The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha is also still available for targeting your app for testing purposes.

We’ve reached many key dates for developers building for BlackBerry® 10, and we want everyone to mark December 11th, 2012 in their calendars. On that date, we will release the gold version of the BlackBerry 10 SDKs. When the Gold SDK is released on December 11th, you can complete your final testing and tweaking and submit your app knowing it will run on the commercial release of BlackBerry 10 smartphone OS.

There will be one other important date before the tools come out of beta – November 29th, 2012. We will release a beta update on November 29th that includes bug fixes, but also an important update for Web developers as our BlackBerry® WebWorks™ HTML5 tools will be updated to offer more functionality and to draw closer to parity with our Native tools. We encourage developers to get their apps ready using this beta SDK release.

A quick recap on calendar:

November 29 – BlackBerry 10 SDK update
November 29-30 – BlackBerry® Jam Asia (in Bangkok, Thailand)
December 11 – BlackBerry 10 Gold SDK launch
January 21 – Deadline to have apps submitted to the BlackBerry App World™ storefront for the 10k Developer Commitment where we guarantee $10,000 USD revenue in the first year (1,2).
January 30 – BlackBerry 10 launch events
February 5-6 – BlackBerry Jam Europe (in Amsterdam)

1) “Earns” refers to the amount that consumers pay for both paid downloads and in-app payments using BlackBerry Payment Service less any refunds and less applicable taxes included in the amount consumers pay, multiplied by the proportion of sales owing to the Vendor as defined by the Vendor Agreement. “Earns” does not include any advertising revenue. See Terms and Conditions for complete details.
2) A maximum of $10,000,000USD will be distributed under this Offer. Limit one (1) payout per Vendor. Twelve month period to be determined by RIM.

We’ve been overwhelmed with all of the amazing “Reasons to Believe” in BlackBerry® 10 that we saw on Twitter® this past week. We are well on our way to 10,000 reasons but still need your continued support to achieve this goal! If you haven’t already shared yours, or if you have a second or third reason to believe, please submit it either through our online portal or through Twitter using the hashtag #BB10Believe. And remember, your tweet could be featured in next week’s blog post!

Here are our ten favorites from the past week:

Broken Record, BB10 IS AWESOME!!!! Every tidbit I'm fed just perpetuates my excitement…I may start bleeding from my ears…#BB10Believe—
Chaz Ermini (@ChazBerryJam) November 02, 2012

Just watching some more #blackberryjam video on #BB10 this thing looks sweet! #cantwait #BB10BELIEVE #rim—
Denys Phaneuf (@theGHkidd) November 03, 2012

@BlackBerryDev I'm looking forward to native development using Qt/C++ – these are powerful tools! #BB10Believe—
  (@yalnte) November 05, 2012

Just saw the latest video update on #blackberry upcoming Blackberry 10 phone and I'm sure it will be a big win for RIM. #BB10believe—
Ian Tolentino (@thebil22) November 07, 2012

Blackberry 10 OS looks awesome. It is certainly worth the wait. Can't wait to get one for myself. #BB10Believe—
YJ (@yashrajjadhav) November 07, 2012

@blackberry #10 is almost here I can almost feel it in my hands already!! #anticipation #hurry #bookingthedayoffworktoget #BB10Believe—
Jamie Page (@Jamiepage1000) November 08, 2012

@blackberry the swipe down on keyboard to get to the symbols keys on #OS10 is pure friggin genius! #keepitup #BB10believe—
AllAboutMyBlackBerry (@AllAboutMyBB) November 09, 2012

$RIM #BB10 is CBA : Certified BEFORE Arrival #BB10Believe #TeamBlackberry—
Antoine Bapst (@superfly_FR) November 08, 2012

@BlackBerryDev secure Enterprise support for a stylish and function work experience #BlackBerry10 #BB10Believe—
Eric Wilborn (@ericwilborn) November 05, 2012

Waiting for #BB10 has been hard, but I can and will do it #BB10Believe.—
Age for short (@Ages3Cents) November 07, 2012

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