What about Dev Alpha B devices?

We’ve got an update for that too! With this release you’ll be able to check out how your Z10 apps will run on the 10.1 OS, and make all the necessary changes, if needed.

Have you already submitted your awesome app and received your LE BlackBerry 10 device? Or have you already picked up your own BlackBerry Z10?

We certainly want to see more of your great app ideas come to life, so you’ll also be seeing a 10.1 SDK OS update for these devices as well.

Will the simulators be getting an update too?

Yes! There will be a 10.1 SDK OS build for the BlackBerry 10 simulator, so whether you test on a device or a simulator, know that you’ll be able to test on the most recent build available. You won’t see two different simulators available but you will get one simulator with the option to boot to a Z10 or Q10 resolution.

Let’s recap the updates that you’ll be seeing:

• Dev Alpha C device
• Dev Alpha B device
• BlackBerry Z10 devices
• Simulator for Z10 and Q10

So how can you get these updates for your device?

The 10.1 SDK OS will be available for each device through its own autoloader – you’ll see one each for the Dev Alpha C and the Dev Alpha B.

For developers who want to test it on their BlackBerry Z10, you’ll need to find out your device model number and grab the corresponding autoloader. The device model can be found under Settings> About. See the example screenshot below.

Note: This SDK OS update is only for testing purposes and does not replace your full BlackBerry 10 OS. To revert your BlackBerry Z10 to a public OS release, please follow the steps outlined in this KB Article. Using BlackBerry Link, you will be able to reload your device software to a full OS and, if needed, download any OS updates from your carrier.

Device targets for the Momentics IDE will also be updated. If you need a refresher on how to download the target OS and configure it, we’ve got a detailed description right here.

Now that you’re ready for the Q10 (and subsequent 10.1 release!), we can’t wait to see and use your apps! Go on and grab the updates and the simulator at developer.blackberry.com!

The beginning of summer heralds the arrival of a new BlackBerry® smartphone simulator model, the BlackBerry® 9310 smartphone. This model shares much in common with the recently-released BlackBerry® 9320 smartphone and BlackBerry® 9220 smartphone models. Applications adapted for these two models should run well on the BlackBerry 9310 smartphone.

Read on for information you need to get your apps ready to support this new device, or go immediately to the simulator download page to download the simulator right away. You can also download it directly using this link:

• BlackBerry 9310 smartphone simulator

Alongside the launch of the new simulator, we have also opened up the BlackBerry App World™ storefront to allow you to start posting your applications for sale. We encourage you to test your applications as soon as possible using the new simulator, and then navigate to the BlackBerry App World vendor portal to post your applications for the BlackBerry 9310 smartphone running BlackBerry® 7.1 OS.

The BlackBerry 9310 smartphone will support Bluetooth® 2.1 and include the following profiles:

• Headset Profile (HSP)
• Hand Free Profile (HFP)
• Address Book Integration using AT commands or OBEX (Object Push)
• Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP)
• Dial-Up Networking (DUN)
• Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP / AVRCP)
• Serial Port Profile (SPP)
• Secure Simple Pairing (SSP)
• A/V Remote Control Version 1.3
• Bluetooth Message Access Profile (MAP)

BlackBerry 9310 smartphone – Device Info

• 320 x 240 resolution, 164 dpi
• Application Icon size: 46 x 46 pixels
• Memory: 512 MB Internal Persistent Storage, 512 MB RAM
• 3.2 MP Camera, 4 X digital zoom
• QWERTY keyboard
• Networks: EVDO, CDMA
• FM Radio
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• Autonomous and Assisted GPS
• Browser User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9310; en-GB) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.396 Mobile Safari/534.11+

BlackBerry 9310 smartphone – Multimedia Capabilities

We have a new batch of BlackBerry® smartphone simulators ready to download. There are multiple previously released models with new operating system versions and one brand new model with this group – the BlackBerry® 9320 smartphone. We also have a BlackBerry® Curve™ 9220 smartphone simulator that includes the keyboard and plastics. Here is the list of the latest simulators:

• BlackBerry® 9320 7.1.0.405
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 9220 7.1.0.405
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 (Japanese) 7.1.0.318
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 6.0.0.707
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 9300 6.0.0.723
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 6.0.0.723
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 7.1.0.219
• BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 (Asia) 7.1.0.267
• BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 7.1.0.342
• BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 7.1.0.342
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 7.1.0.342

The BlackBerry 9320 smartphone is very similar to the BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone we wrote about in this post. Applications compatible with the BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone should also run correctly on the BlackBerry 9320 smartphone. Enable your applications for the BlackBerry 9320 smartphone in BlackBerry App World™ using the storefront Vendor Portal as soon as possible; this will ensure that your applications can be approved by the BlackBerry App World team in time for device launch.

Here are the specifications for the BlackBerry 9320 smartphone:

BlackBerry 9320 – Device Info

• 320 x 240 resolution, 164 dpi
• Application Icon size: 46 x 46 pixels
• Memory: 512 MB Internal Persistent Storage, 512 MB RAM
• 3.2 MP Camera, 4 X digital zoom
• QWERTY keyboard
• Networks: UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, EDGE, GPRS, GSM
• Integrated GPS with A-GPS
• FM Radio
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
• Mime type: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9320; en-GB) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.316 Mobile Safari/534.11+

BlackBerry 9320 – Multimedia Capabilities

You’ve asked us to let you know when we make new BlackBerry® smartphone simulators available to download from our BlackBerry developer website. We heard your request loud and clear and will now be posting a notice right here on the Inside BlackBerry Developers Blog to let you know when we release new simulators. Without further ado, here are the simulators that were posted today – Wednesday, April 4th, 2012.

• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9930 – 7.0.0.574
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 9380 – 7.0.0.608
• BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 – 7.1.0.267
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 – 7.1.0.267
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 (Asia) – 7.1.0.267
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 – 7.1.0.318

Don’t forget about our Ripple emulator for testing BlackBerry® WebWorks™/HTML5 apps. It supports both BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and smartphone testing.

Two new BlackBerry® smartphone models were recently announced: the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9790 smartphone and the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9380 smartphone. From a developer’s perspective, here is what you need to know about these new devices.

BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone

• Support for NFC (Near Field Communication) technology
• 480 x 360 screen resolution 246 dpi, 16 million colors supported (24-bit)
• 5 MP camera
• Integrated GPS with A-GPS
• Capacitive touch screen, optical trackpad, 35-key backlit QWERTY keyboard
• Wi-Fi®: 802.11 a/b/g/n UMA support
• Networks: HSDPA, HSUPA, UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Memory: 768 MB RAM, 8 GB eMMC
• Mime type: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9790; en-GB) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0.0.496 Mobile Safari/534.11+

BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphone

• Support for NFC (Near Field Communication) technology
• 480 x 360 screen resolution, 188 ppi, 16 million colors supported (24-bit)
• 5 MP camera
• Integrated GPS with A-GPS
• Capacitive touch screen, optical trackpad, on-screen keyboard: portrait, QWERTY and multitap, and landscape QWERTY, dedicated keys: Send, End (Power), Menu, Escape, User Configurable (Camera default), Volume Up/Down/Mute (Fwd/Back/Pause for media), Lock
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n UMA support
• Networks: UMTS, GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Memory: 512 MB DDR SRAM / 512 MB eMMC
• Mime Type: Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9380; en-GB) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0.0.497 Mobile Safari/534.11+

Also, both of these devices make use of the powerful BlackBerry® 7 OS, which includes such features as:

• OpenGL® ES 2.0
• Native Window API
• HD Video recording
• UDP Multicast
• Magnetometer
• Unified Search
• Travel Time API
• NFC technology

You can find out more about the new features and APIs in BlackBerry 7 OS at our BlackBerry 7 development page.

Want to give the new smartphones a test drive for development? Head over to the BlackBerry smartphone simulator download page to download BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone and BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphone simulators today! After testing your applications in these new simulators, remember to enable them in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront to ensure your applications are available for download when these devices are launched.

Let us know if you have any questions about developing for these two great new devices in the comments!

As you’ve been following the Inside BlackBerry® Developer’s Blog over the past few months, you’ve probably noticed that the BlackBerry® Java® SDK v7.0 is available for download in BlackBerry Developer Zone, as well as BlackBerry smartphone simulators for the recently announced BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 smartphone, BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 smartphone, and the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone, all running BlackBerry® 7 OS. Along with the tools, there’s also supporting documentation guiding you through the work of migrating an existing BlackBerry Java app to BlackBerry 7.

While BlackBerry smartphone simulators do provide a very accurate representation of what the experience will be like on a live device, there’s just no substitute for the real thing. Or is there?

Perfecto Mobile, a global provider of cloud-based testing, automation and monitoring solutions for mobile applications, is starting a special limited-time offer to test your applications on BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones, using Perfecto Mobile’s cloud-based mobile application testing solution. The exclusive promotion offers you a free 2 hour testing trial period on Perfecto’s MobileCloud™ for BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones and additional testing hours can be purchased at a discounted rate of $4 USD plus tax per hour beyond the initial 2 hour period.*

How does it work? Perfecto Mobile essentially hosts live BlackBerry smartphones and provides you remote access to them, allowing you to install and test your app on real devices, on real carrier networks.

To get started with this free trial and see how your applications run on the new BlackBerry 7 OS, check out Perfecto’s MobileCloud for BlackBerry 7 Smartphones. Once you’ve tested your app, submit it to the BlackBerry App World™ storefront! Also, make sure you check out the MobileCloud for BlackBerry webpage for updates on more supported smartphones coming up, including the newly announced BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones.

*Exclusive promotional offer available for a limited time only. Regular price of additional testing hours can be found at Perfecto’s website.

We also saw an increase of users with BlackBerry® smartphones running 6.0 OS downloading free applications in BlackBerry App World – 31% of free app downloads come from a 6.0 smartphone. Also, the majority of free application downloads in App World originate from smartphones running OS 5.0 and 6.0 smartphones, totaling 88%.

Looking at the numbers in terms of paid apps downloaded from App World, 94% of BlackBerry smartphone users have devices with OS 5.0 and 6.0 software. An increasing number of customers with 6.0 devices are now purchasing paid apps as compared to last quarter; with 6.0 devices making up 54% of all paid app downloads.

These stats reflect a growing opportunity for developers to target a customer base with applications that support the latest smartphone OS, 5.0 and especially, 6.0, so if you haven’t yet updated your app for 6.0 support ensure you check out the 6.0 development tools, simulators and development guides.

We’ve also recently released BlackBerry 7 simulators on Developer Zone. Don’t be late to the party – download the new simulators today!

Have you already written a BlackBerry® WebWorks™ application for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet or BlackBerry® smartphone platform, and now you’re wondering how to port it from one to the other? We’ve got some tips for you right here!

There is a great opportunity for vendors to provide versions of their applications that run on both the BlackBerry® 6 smartphones and the BlackBerry Tablet OS. In fact, due to the nature of Web technologies such as HTML and CSS – as well as how the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK is designed – vendors can easily port their applications from one platform to the other. There’s never been a better time to port with big prizes up for grabs in the Most Innovative BlackBerry WebWorks app on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry 6 challenge*!

Additionally, the latest in-market and BlackBerry App World™ storefront device breakdown stats show that an increasing number of users who download applications (both free and paid) have a smartphone running BlackBerry® 6. The upcoming BlackBerry® 7 devices will also expand the market opportunity for developers who ensure BlackBerry 7 compatibility. To get a head start on testing your application on these new devices, learn about the new screen resolutions and download the latest simulators. Also, if your app supports BlackBerry 5.0 and BlackBerry 6 smartphones, you will be able to address the largest market of potential users as possible. Vendors can easily port their applications to BlackBerry 5.0 by checking out which APIs are supported in this version in the BlackBerry WebWorks API guide discussed below, as well as testing with the simulators on BlackBerry Developer Zone.

Here are a few tips and tricks to consider before starting your porting efforts:

BlackBerry WebWorks APIs: There are differences between the BlackBerry WebWorks API sets for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the BlackBerry smartphone, which are documented in the BlackBerry WebWorks API Reference Guide. Some APIs are available only in the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS, while others are only available in the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for smartphones. This gap in functional parity is due to the availability of the given feature in the underlying OS. We’ve also recently updated the BlackBerry WebWorks API reference guide to make it more developer-friendly by bringing together both sets of APIs into a single view that makes it easy to see which APIs are supported on each platform. Note that custom JavaScript® extensions are only available on the smartphone version, so if you’ve implemented any of these extensions, they will not be supported on the BlackBerry Tablet OS. Check out the latest BlackBerry WebWorks API Reference Guide.

Optimization: Your BlackBerry WebWorks application may render faster or perform better while running on the tablet, since its hardware specifications are more advanced as compared to the smartphone. However, the BlackBerry 7 OS introduces a “Just In Time” loader for JavaScript which, coupled with the new smartphone hardware, should vastly improve performance. If you are using JavaScript to perform animations, transitions or to conduct intensive computations in your BlackBerry smartphone application, you should look at ways to optimize your code to improve performance. Download the device and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet simulators to validate performance.

Adobe® Flash® Content: If your application contains Adobe Flash content, note that it will be supported on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet only.

Icon Sizes: Icon sizes are different on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet as compared to the BlackBerry smartphone. Take a look at the UI Guidelines document for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and UI guidelines for smartphones to understand best practices for creating application icons.

Ripple Development Tools: Our friends at tinyHippos have created a tool called Ripple that allows you to easily develop, test, and debug your application for both the BlackBerry smartphone and tablet platforms. Check out the blog post on the Ripple Emulator beta program here. We highly recommend using this tool to develop your BlackBerry WebWorks applications as it provides an easy way to develop for both platforms.

Code Signing: There are separate code signing processes for signing BlackBerry PlayBook tablet versus BlackBerry smartphone apps. Take a look at the guide here on how to sign tablet applications and this knowledge base article on signing your BlackBerry WebWorks application for a smartphone.

We hope these tips help you with your porting efforts and we look forward to seeing your apps in the challenge!

* No purchase necessary. Entry deadline 11:59PM ET on August 26, 2011. Available to be won: four (4) Grand Prizes (ARV: $32,497USD), four (4) First runner-up prizes (ARV: $17,497USD), four (4) Second runner-up prizes (ARV: $9,097USD), one (1) of each per Region; and one hundred Incentive Prizes; ARV: $550USD. The odds of winning a Grand, First Runner-Up or Second Runner-Up Prize depends on the total number of applications received and how the application satisfies the selection criteria as outlined in the Official Contest Rules. The odds of winning an Incentive Prize depend on the time at which an application is submitted and the number of applications received. See Official Contest Rules for complete challenge details at http://www.blackberrypartnersfund.com/webworksrules.

Back at our BlackBerry World™ conference in May, we introduced the world to the new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9930 smartphones and the new BlackBerry 7. We recently followed that up by launching a BETA of the BlackBerry 7 SDK with the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 simulator on our BlackBerry® Developer Zone website to enable developers to start testing and optimizing their BlackBerry® applications for BlackBerry 7. In addition to that, we have opened up the BlackBerry App World™ storefront to enable vendors to start posting their applications for sale in time for launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930. We’ve seen great adoption of the new tools already and have heard from many developers that their existing BlackBerry® 6 applications are running as-expected on BlackBerry 7 without change. However, it is important to note the following two key items as a BlackBerry developer regarding BlackBerry 7 and how you can prepare for launch:

1. Re-Posting Your Apps in BlackBerry App World for BlackBerry 7: Applications that are currently posted for download or sale in BlackBerry App World will not be automatically posted for sale for BlackBerry 7 smartphone customers. BlackBerry App World vendors are encouraged to test their applications as soon as possible using the new BlackBerry 7 SDK, and then return to the BlackBerry App World vendor portal to post their applications for sale for the new BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 running BlackBerry 7.

2. Preparing Now for New Screen Sizes and Resolutions Supported by BlackBerry 7: Though BlackBerry 7 retains binary compatibility with our BlackBerry 6 platform, it will support a variety of new screen resolutions and screen sizes that will require some developers to update and re-compile their existing applications. We’ve heard loud and clear from our developers that they want to know this type of information well in advance so that they can build and test their applications ahead of time and have them ready for future devices as they launch. To address this, we have now posted new information on what screen characteristics will be supported by BlackBerry 7 along with new BlackBerry 7 smartphone simulators to emulate each of these different configurations. Read on for more information!

New Screen Characteristics Supported by BlackBerry 7 and New Simulators for Testing

The new BlackBerry 7 smartphone operating system will support the following new screen characteristics on BlackBerry smartphones:

To assist our developer community in preparing their applications for BlackBerry 7, we have now posted new BlackBerry 7 smartphone simulators to emulate each of these form factors and screen resolutions. Each simulator has an associated simulator model number as referenced in the above table. With these new simulators, you can now start to test and develop your applications for BlackBerry 7 while working to ensure compatibility with various form factors and screen characteristics that it will support.

Posting Your BlackBerry 7 Apps to BlackBerryApp World

BlackBerry App World is now open for new app submissions and re-posting of existing applications that are compatible with the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 running BlackBerry 7. As additional new BlackBerry 7 smartphone models, that correspond to the additional screen characteristics and form factors outlined here, are introduced, we will open up BlackBerry App World for posting of applications to these new smartphones as well. In the interim, we encourage all developers to test your apps across these various new simulators to ensure you’re ready for upcoming launches.

Additionally, you can attend our webcast “What You Need to Know To Develop for BlackBerry 7” on June 29 at 2:00 pm EST to learn more about developing for BlackBerry 7 and the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, as well as other BlackBerry 7 form factors. And as always, we will have an interactive Q&A session to directly answer your questions.

We thank you for your ongoing support and hope that this new information will help you get your apps fully tested and posted to BlackBerry App World in time for our new BlackBerry 7 smartphone launches!

- Tyler Lessard, VP Developer Relations and Alliances