14 DAY TRIAL // Application developers interested in coming up with software for the BlackBerry PlayBook can already benefit from a wide range of resources for that, including the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK or the Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR, but RIM has in store for them even more tools and resources.
The BlackBerry Tablet OS was designed to run WebKit and Adobe Flash, offering support for Web development standard HTML5 and Adobe AIR. Soon, it would run apps built for BlackBerry or Android, via two app players, RIM unveiled.
Moreover, the handset vendor has decided to expand the available development tools released for the PlayBook, with a BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (NDK), which should be pushed out in a beta flavor in summer.
The new tool is currently in a limited alpha release, should be demonstrated at the BlackBerry World, and was meant to offer support for the development of high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications.
Advanced 2D and 3D software can be built using this tool, which would also offer the opportunity to create special effects through “leveraging programmable shaders available in hardware-accelerated OpenGL ES 2.0,” RIM announced.
The new BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK should offer developers the possibility to:
- Take advantage of the QNX POSIX library support and C/C++ compliance for quick and easy application porting and for creating native extensions for both BlackBerry and Android applications - Easily integrate device events like gesture swipes and touch screen inputs Integrate the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment into existing code management and build systems using industry standard Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools) - Leverage work done in standard C/C++ to make it easier to bring applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS - Find and fix bugs quickly with provided debug and analysis tools
At the same time, RIM announced plans to make available new tools for game developers interested in targeting the PlayBook with their products. Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies already committed to offer tools for the building of games and other applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook.
The Ideaworks Labs Airplay SDK should soon come with support for the BlackBerry Tablet OS, so that devs could easily deliver games to the tablet PC through using their existing code.
“RIM has also been working closely with Unity Technologies, providers of the highly popular, multi-platform Unity development platform and Union, the firm’s games distribution service. Through Union, dozens of high-quality Unity-authored games are slated to make their way to BlackBerry App World for the BlackBerry Playbook,” the handset vendor announced.