It is with great joy that I’ve traveled to Bangkok for the first time to attend BlackBerry® Jam Asia and to announce the release of the fourth Cascades™ Beta. It’s been less than a month since I came back from a long trip to Latin America where I joined several #BBJam Sessions and met hundreds of BlackBerry® 10 developers; I’m already super excited to meet their Asian counterparts again.

This beta release contains some API additions and a few visual tweaks here and there. The purpose of this build is mainly stability and performance. This is also the first time we are API compatible with the previous beta release — no more rewrites of your Cascades application. Some of the new stuff:

• Updated visuals on some controls, mainly the TitleBar and the font metrics of some controls
• APIs to track and manipulate content in text controls (TextEditor API)
• An updated and greatly improved UI guidelines documentation

Slowing down the feature pace and letting APIs harden also makes it possible for me as a product manager to see what we actually accomplished with this beta, and I have to admit it makes me really proud.

We started out with nothing but a low level C SDK – fast, efficient, lean and clean, but in need of a thick, yummy crust on top to attract the common app developer. Taking TAT’s existing Cascades engine, Qt, and a uniquely skilled team of UI engineers and UX designers, we built the most productive, beautiful and performing UI framework out there. Perhaps the aspects I’m most proud of are:

• A true separation between rendering and application logic.
• The complete QML/C++ duality.
• High-level structural components such as TabbedPane and NavigationPane that help you build the structure of your application quickly and provide you with BlackBerry 10-branded interaction design, such as peeking.
• Extremely easy integration with the sharing and invocation framework together cards. It has never been easier to create connected and deeply integrated applications.

Perhaps the best part of it is that this is only the beginning. The architecture of Cascades opens up for tons of interesting future features and directions and there are already lots of ideas cooking… 2013 will be an interesting year for sure

But it still 2012 and first we have to get this version out the door. Enjoy this fourth beta – we are almost gold!

#BBGotGame Port-A-Thon Update
http://devblog.blackberry.com/2012/11/got-game-port-a-thon-update/

Using the Invocation Framework with BlackBerry Messenger
http://devblog.blackberry.com/2012/11/bbm-invocation-framework/

Be Bold and Vote: What’s Your Reason to Believe in BlackBerry 10?
http://blogs.blackberry.com/2012/11/blackberry-10-believe-poll/

Near Field Communication: Just a Payment Tool? Debunking a Common NFC Myth
http://bizblog.blackberry.com/2012/11/nfc-myths/

Here are some highlights for the 48-hour event that you won’t want to miss:

Tuesday, November 27th and Wednesday, November 28th | 9am to 6pm ICT

Training, workshops, labs, whateveryou want to call it – learn the BlackBerry 10 fundamentals before hitting the BlackBerry Jam Asia sessions! Check it out here.

Thursday, November 29th | 9:30am to 10:45am ICT

Hear from Alec Saunders, Chris Smith, Marty Mallick and Urpo Karjalainen as they bring us through the exciting BlackBerry 10 platform. No one should miss this!

Thursday, November 29th | 6:00pm ICT

Are you ready for the next app sensation? Coming hot from winning last month’s BlackBerry JamHack – a series of 10 simultaneous Asia-Pacific hackathons across ten cities – the ten winning teams go head-to-head to pitch for the fame, the glory and the grand prize of $10,000. Attendees get to vote for their favorite to win the Dev’s Choice Award! Details here.

Thursday, November 29th and Friday, November 30th | All Day

Jam Space has something for everyone! Head over to Jam Space for some activities you shouldn’t miss – Ask the Experts area, BlackBerry Booth, 10K Reasons to Believe booth, App Generator corner, Social Lounge, Coding Lounge, BlackBerry Store, Gaming stations, and more.

Also, our very own BlackBerry App World™ team is running an onsite contest – come by the BlackBerry App World booth and tell us why your app deserves a feature on BlackBerry App World. If we are convinced, you will be featured on BlackBerry App World for two weeks! Check out the BlackBerry App World booth at Jam Space for more details.

On Day Two, you can have some fun with your BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing device by competing in the Code Hunt. Visit the Social Lounge or the Porting Lounge in the Jam Space to download the Code Hunt app, and then start collecting pieces of code using the NFC functionality on your device.

Friday, November 30th | 4:45pm ICT

It may be the last slot of the entire conference, but the session to look out for at this conference is JAM867 – Market Insights – Perception vs Reality. The session will be invaluable for developers who want to target the right audience with the right app! Let us bring you through what are perceptions of app usage are versus the actual usage patterns, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot for the best app.

As you can see, there’ll be loads to do at BlackBerry Jam Asia – pack your bags and be prepared for the action!

Haven’t registered yet?

There’s only one week left to register online for BlackBerry Jam Asia, 29-30 November in Bangkok, Thailand. Register by November 28th to secure your spot among the game-changers of the mobile developer community.

So without further ado…and pardon the #Movember mustache….

What do you think of this new series?  We want to know!

BlackBerry Jam Asia Registration

Icon Sizes Updated For BlackBerry 10!

BlackBerry Got Game Port-A-Thon

Pre-event training courses, exclusive Market Insights session, and so much more – are you ready for BlackBerry® Jam Asia?

We’re counting down – exactly 30 days to BlackBerry Jam Asia 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand! Have you registered, or do you need more reasons to? Here are some updates that might nudge you to register now:

Pre-event Development Training

Don’t worry if you are new to BlackBerry® 10 development and think you may not be able to follow the sessions at the conference. Other than having sessions of different technical levels, we are offering complimentary one-day training courses where you will be able to learn the fundamentals of BlackBerry® WebWorks™ or the Native SDK/Cascades on the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform before you head to the BlackBerry Jam Asia breakout sessions! Workshops – which will be held on November 27 and 28 – will be available in either Thai or English, and seats are limited. Sign up during the registration process to secure your seats, or check out more details about the training sessions here:
http://www.blackberryjamconference.com/asia/content/training

Market Insights Session to be announced

If you haven’t noticed, in the session catalog we have already announced 38 breakout sessions for the conference, with more to come. One upcoming announcement is the Market Insights session (you heard it here first!), where the RIM® Asia-Pacific Market Insights team will share consumer insights about smartphone users and their relationships with the mobile applications. Join us as we share what we found about consumer behaviors when it comes to applications, and how you can make sure your app speaks to them! Check back after your registration to see when this session is scheduled for.

Last chance for early bird registrations

With three days left for early bird registration, don’t miss the chance to gather with some of the greatest minds for BlackBerry 10 development at BlackBerry Jam Asia at low rate of $99 USD – register now, and we’ll see you there!

You heard it first from Alec during BlackBerry® Jam Americas, and today, we’re super psyched to be announcing the start of registration for BlackBerry Jam Asia 2012 (previously known as DevCon Asia)! And this time, we’re bringing the show to Bangkok, Thailand!

Two weeks ago at BlackBerry Jam Americas in San Jose, CA, our CEO, Thorsten Heins shared the vision and promise of BlackBerry 10 with developers. Now you can join us as you find out how to create apps and compelling content for BlackBerry 10 and have your apps ready to launch with BlackBerry 10 in the first calendar quarter of 2013.

Taking place on 29-30 November 2012 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, BlackBerry Jam Asia will give developers access to RIM experts, hands-on tutorials, labs and in-depth sessions to help them build on the new BlackBerry® 10 platform.

Why Jam with us?

Carrying on with our commitment to the developer community, we are excited to provide a BlackBerry® 10 Dev Alpha testing device to qualified developers who attend BlackBerry Jam Asia! Introduced in Orlando in May, the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing device was created exclusively for developers for the purpose of testing and debugging BlackBerry 10 apps during development.

Not that you need more reasons, but we want to convince you 110%! Developers, designers, enterprise partners and industry leaders attending the conference will gain hands-on experience with the latest application development tools for the BlackBerry 10 platform. Did I mention we are delivering a wide range of sessions? We’re pleased to launch our session catalog today too – check it out here.

Even more reasons to Jam with us:

• Learn how to take advantage of the BlackBerry platform’s key differentiators – integration at deep levels of the OS, sharing through social APIs, and integration with other third party applications for smooth and seamless interaction between apps
• Collaborate with experts on code and finding a path to port or convert without learning new languages, a key benefit of the BlackBerry 10 platform’s open ecosystem
• The unique opportunity to explore the new BlackBerry 10 tools and application capabilities. The BlackBerry 10 platform leads in open source standards and offers features that can be built into apps that drive user engagement and loyalty, enthusiasm, and the ability to share apps and app experiences
• Dive into the new APIs and features through Sessions, Hands-on labs, and Expert meet and greets

Great conference at great rates

Discounted rates are available for attendees who register early:

• Early Bird Rate $99 USD Expires 02 November 2012
• Regular Rate $199 USD Expires 30 November 2012
• Student / Faculty Rate* $99 USD Expires 30 November 2012
• Faculty Member Rate $99 USD Expires 30 November 2012

* Student status and faculty member credentials must be verified in order to register at the Student or Faculty Member Rates. Find out more about the verification requirements.

Each package allows participants with the following benefits:

• Access to the BlackBerry Jam Asia Keynote
• Access to breakout sessions, Lab sessions and Ask The Experts
• Admission to the BlackBerry Jam Appreciation Event
• Admission to the BlackBerry Jam Space during open hours
• Lunch and breaks on conference days
• Complimentary access to Conference Wi-Fi® internet in the conference center
• Access to the online portal for conference content
• Registration gift

What’s your #BB10Believe?

What are you waiting for? Register now on the BlackBerry Jam Asia 2012 website!

* Qualified developers will be determined by RIM using applicant information from the registration system. If you have already received a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device at a previous event or from RIM, you are not eligible for this offer. Quantities are limited.