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The most eye-catching of the many sessions at RIM’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium was the introduction of BlackBerry widgets, which are built entirely on web-based languages. This is the horn Palm is busy tooting for WebOS, but RIM’s take will be a little different. They’re essentially working on a hybrid system which will allow developers to write apps entirely in JavaScript (and other web coding languages), but have them packaged in the BlackBerry operating system’s native Java. This makes a lower barrier for entry for developers who wouldn’t otherwise be able to work in Java, and could result in more efficiently-running apps since some of the heavy lifting will be left to the web. This will present a whole new class of applications in the BlackBerry App World, that is once devs get the tools for Eclipse and Visual Studio, which will be made available shortly.
As far as when you can get started on making your own BlackBerry widgets, it’s safe to assume we’ll see more details around the BlackBerry Developer Conference in November. For a closer look at Java widgets on BlackBerry, check the WES presentation slides.
Thanks Josep!
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
