Gaming on BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) has never been what you would call breathtaking – a few low-key casual games here and there and the preloaded Brickbreaker could handle the lion’s share of twitchy boredom. Well, the platform is taking a big jump as OpenGL ES support has gone official and is currently available in the beta BlackBerry JDE we had mentioned earlier.

The in-app purchacing sounded vaguely iPhone OS 3.0, and OpenGL even moreso, but between these multimedia improvements and BlackBerry’s existing expertise in productivity, the whole platform is feeling a lot more balanced. Shown here is Need for Speed, which we’ll have some hands-on footage of shortly, complete with gesture controls for brake and boosting, and accelerometer use for steering. There’s going to be at least one other big name game showing off what OpenGL on BlackBerry can do, and we’ll be sure to check it out.

More goodies from the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Developer Conference today: fresh location-detection options using cell site recognition, and push services for those who want to leverage RIM’s biggest advantage in mobile computing. First up, cell site recognition is a big one for location-based apps who want to keep battery drain down (GPS takes a significant toll). Anyone with 5.0 will automatically update the database of cell towers and their locations; a very cool use of crowdsourcing. There’s also new reverse geocoding that will tag specific coordinates with a proper street address – a nice addition that we’re already seeing in action in Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps for Mobile. On top of those two, RIM has introduced an API for estimated travel time within the U.S. and Canada; the time is generated based on aggregated traffic conditions and speed limits cross-referenced with distance.

Good stuff all around, but push services are probably bigger news for most developers. Push Services will enable apps to pull down up to 8 KB of data with all of the righteous immediacy that makes BlackBerry e-mail oh-so-very awesome. It’ll be interesting to see how this service will fare once it’s out in the wild and what developers use it for (push Twitter, anyone?); Web Signals have been testing the waters for a little bit with Alliance Members, but we’ll have to wait to see how much apps can really do with 8 KB. An added bonus, for devs who thought they might have to pay for it, is that Push Services will be available for free.

Both the new geolocation and push services are available specifically in devices with OS 5.0 and up, and will be available in the first half of 2010. You can try out some of these new options in the beta 5 Java Development Environment that was just released today. For more information on the upcoming push service, check out RIM’s page.

One of the many announcements made at the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Developer Conference is a new ad partner program that allows app creators to monetize their apps right away. The BlackBery Advertising Service will plug in ads from Jumptap, Lat49, Millennial Media, Navteq, 1020 Placecast, Quattro Wireless and Sympatico.ca – an impressive initial list, but I’m wondering where Google Mobile ads stand, and if their own program stands on its own just fine for BlackBerry devs. Ads offered through this program can do all sorts of stuff, like click-to-call, launching the address book or browser, or find a program in App World.

A related update on the transaction front are in-app purchases. That means you can buy new levels for a game you’re really digging, or buy songs from on-device music stores (7digital comes to mind), and similar kinds of microtransactions. Yeah, it sounds suspiciously familiar to the iPhone 3.0 announcement, but it offers BlackBerry developers some added flexibility in how they make their money.

The new ad service and in-app purchacing goes live in 2010, complete with SDKs. Keep an eye on the newly redesigned Developer Zone for more info.

The cat-and-mouse game between Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and would-be iPhone hackers is about to get a little more interesting. Following the recent release of “blacksn0w,” an iPhone unlocking tool capable of unlocking new iPhone 3GS’s running the latest iPhone OS, Apple has posted a new job listing for an “iPhone OS Platform Security Manager.” Apple is apparently looking for someone to head the development team tasked with securing iPhone boot-up and operating system installation as well as other aspects of iPhone platform security.

We’re not sure if Apple is looking for someone new to fill the position, or if Apple wants to replace the current iPhone OS Platform Security Manager. In either case, it’s pretty clear that the iPhone maker wants to make sure that hackers like George “geohot” Hotz and the iPhone Dev Team aren’t able to keep cracking the iPhone.

The back-and-forth between hackers and Apple is an ongoing saga juicier than your daily soap operas. The iPhone and iPhone 3G were initially jailbroken (the process of opening the file-system to allow unauthorized application installs) and unlocked to work with any GSM network, courtesy of the iPhone Dev Team. Apple then updated the iPhone OS to close the jailbreak exploit known as “24kpwn,” eventually updating the baseband firmware (the code that controls how the iPhone connects to wireless networks like AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)) from version 04.26 to 05.11 to prevent unlocking. iPhone hacker geohot countered with his “blackra1n” jailbreak utility, following that up with the release of “blacksn0w” to unlock the latest iPhone 3GS baseband (05.11) to work with GSM networks around the world.

That pretty much brings us up to speed (in a nutshell, from a very small nut). The iPhone platform is, at this point, jailbroken and unlocked. Now it’s Apple’s turn.

It’s conceivable that Apple’s incoming iPhone security manager will put an end to baseband 05.11 unlocks, but it’s hard to see Apple ever locking down the iPhone completely. Still, if you’re interested in jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone, you’re best bet is to jump on board soon.

[Via: NetworkWorld]

Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has recently updated its Analytics product to help developers see how people are using specific parts of their iPhone and Android applications.

As with websites, you can track pageviews and events. Since there are no HTML pages involved in mobile apps, developers should determine when their apps should trigger pageview requests. Google Analytics then aggregates this data in the “Content” reports to display the number of visits, session length and bounce rates.

In addition, developers can track visitor actions such as watching videos, button clicks, downloads, etc. – all which don’t correspond directly to pageviews using “Event Tracking.” As a result, individuals and companies behind mobile apps can know which features are most popular and eventually fine tune their products. But first, you’ll need to grab the SDK and implement the necessary code in order for Google Analytics to start doing its magic.

Finally, in case you’re wondering whether someone has tried this already, here as a video featuring Redfin’s Sasha Aickin who explains how they implemented Google Analytics in their iPhone app. That’s actually after the jump. Enjoy!

Read the full article »

Online universe of fan communities for games PlayHaven is “going iPhone” by opening up its platform to the iPhone developers. As a result, interested individuals and companies which make iPhone games can instantly establish a community presence online and in-game for free. This translates into generating some buzz for the games, as users will get the option to share, gather and interact with other members of the community.

The process seems easy (though I haven’t tried it myself) and it should apparently take only a minute or so to claim your community and integrate various social features into an iPhone app.

Around 20 games have already integrated PlayHaven’s capabilities — including Minigore, Geared, I Dig It, The Quest, Mouse House 2, SnowFerno, iSamurai, BobbleSurfer, ZombieSmash!, Transylvania, Genius Defense Force, Gang Street Wars, Hopple, Tipoli, Influence, Above and Cell War, to name just a few.

Sounds cool and I’m hoping PlayHaven will also allow other platform developers to use the same features. Someone said Android? Symbian?

Yep the hype machine is in full swing with Droid – everyone is talking about it, and I’d bet an increasing number of people are wanting it!

Well Moto have pinged me an email to say that Developers should be excited by Droid too, and Moto are there to help them – they are suggesting in fact to get your App ready for Droid! How? Well, hit up the link below and start your eyeballs off with a page of specs…

Click here to see the Motodev pages on Droid.

iPhone hacker George “geohot” Hotz has released an update to his “blackra1n” jailbreak utility that should give new iPhone 3Gs owners reason to celebrate. The blackra1n RC2 update will jailbreak factory-fresh iPhone 3GS’s loaded with iPhone OS 3.1.2 by Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), but only through a “tethered jailbreak” method.

The latest iPhone OS 3.1.2 update was released by Apple not too long ago with a nasty little trick hidden up its sleeve. It turned out that new iPhone 3GS were loaded with a version of iPhone OS 3.1.2 that closed the “24kpwn” exploit used by iPhone jailbreak community to make the jailbreak easy and convenient. That basically killed hopes of jailbreaking any factory-fresh iPhone 3GS units already flashed with the new iPhone OS. But, all was not lost. The iPhone Dev Team came out shortly after iPhone OS 3.1.2’s release, saying that a “tethered jailbreak” was still possible.

While the initial release of the blackra1n utility was capable of jailbreaking iPhone OS 3.1.2 for iPhone 3GS hardware already in the wild, it was useless in jailbreaking newer iPhone 3GS units already rocking iPhone OS 3.1.2 from the factory. The same applies to the iPhone Dev Team’s PwnageTool 3.1.4 release. The updated blackra1n RC2 utility changes all that.

This is what to expect with the blackra1n RC2 release:

• Fixed 3G issues
• Tethered jailbreak for factory-fresh iPhone 3GS’s and new out-of-the-box iPod Touch 8GB
• Fixed Icy issues
• Both Windows and Mac

Download blackra1n RC here.

So what is this “tethered jailbreak” we keep mentioning? Simply put, it’s a less convenient jailbreak method that requires the user to keep their iPhone 3GS connected to their computer during the jailbreak process. Any subsequent reboots (resulting from power loss or a manual reboot) will require a computer to boot successfully. The jailbreak is possible (using blackra1n RC2), but it’s decidedly more of a hassle. But, then again, how many times do you reboot your iPhone?

Note: if you already jailbroke your iPhone 3GS using blackra1n RC1 (the initial release), there’s no need to run RC2. Also, if you would rather wait for the iPhone Dev Team to build the tethered jailbreak option into PwnageTool, sit tight, they’re working on it.

[Via: iphonejtag]

Developer tools are making the rounds for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) OS 5.0, to work with things like Google Gears and widgets, but something that might be a little more interesting for end users is the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 device simulator. Since review units aren’t getting out yet, and there’s only a smattering of hands-on pictures/video, this is your best bet for getting a feel for the device right now.The new Bold is coming out on many North American carriers (Telus (NYSE: TU), Bell, Rogers (NYSE: RCI), AT&T (NYSE: T), T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)) and will be one of RIM’s top-of-the-line handset – 3.2 megapixel camera, optical touchpad, 256 MB of application memory, and slimmer dimensions will all set it apart from the original BlackBerry Bold 9000. To give the 9700 a spin, go ahead and download the simulator.

[via CB]

One of the biggest problems that HTC Hero modders have been coming up against in their quest to create the perfect Hero ROM has been the lack of an available open-source kernel. Without access to the full kernel, there’s only so much that can be hacked/modded. Today, that all changes. HTC has themselves posted up the full HTC Hero kernel (the operating system that runs the Hero) for any developer looking to tweak their own ROM for the Hero.

The release of the Hero kernel should allow the code-monkeys at XDA forums to make more far-reaching modifications to the Hero’s ROM. That means we may soon see the Hero getting more features, more customization (streamlining the Hero’s Sense-based UI) and possibly even more speed through tweaked ROMs. Android devs can get their hands on the HTC Hero kernel – not to mention the HTC Magic, HTC ADP1 and HTC Dream – from HTC’s developer center.

It’s probably only a matter of time before we start seeing some hardcore modded Hero ROMs hitting XDA forums.

HTC Hero kernel

[Via: HTC]