14 DAY TRIAL // Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is making a series of changes to the manner in which users can load and run applications on their BlackBerry devices.
RIM has just stepped up and provided a series of additional details on the matter, to clarify reports regarding its intent to get rid of sideloading of apps on the PlayBook tablet PC.
While these reports weren’t entirely inaccurate, it seems that RIM has a different vision of the move, and that sideloading will remain active for app developers.
According to Alec Saunders, RIM's vice-president of developer relations, sideloading will be available both in the next flavor of BlackBerry PlayBook OS, and in BlackBerry 10.
“Side-loading on our platform is changing in nature. Side-loading is a developer feature. It exists so that developers can load their apps onto their own devices to test,” he notes.
“It’s there so developers can send a beta release to their testing community for review. It is definitely not there for some people to side load a pirated app.”
However, the same does not apply when it comes to end users. In fact, RIM will limit the access they have to applications, so that it would prevent software piracy.
“Starting with our next release of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS, we’re introducing a feature that will encrypt apps so they can only be run by the user who purchased the app,” Saunders explains.
The handset vendor will be working closely with developers, to ensure that they will continue to enjoy access to full device resources to test their applications.
Moreover, the company will come up with prototype devices for app builders to facilitate their access to the upcoming platform releases.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re kicking off BlackBerry 10 Jam by giving each developer attendee a prototype device to start building on. I’ll be on-hand at the show to answer your questions – look forward to seeing you there,” Saunders concludes.