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18 Feb 09 Blackberry Cell Phones
When we see a mobile phone, specially a good looking one, we are inquisitive to know more about it. Among them the top classy looking phones, Blackberry cell phones are classic example of style and elegance. The mobile handsets offered by the manufacturer are quite popular worldwide. Blackberry Smartphones have features like email and text messaging, Internet browsing, instant messaging, multimedia features, camera, GPS capabilities, video recording, calendar and organizer, and much more.
These features differ from one model to another but one purpose… but all of them serve one purpose of maximizing the convenience of the customer and help them in enjoying every moment of life. Let us discuss few features of the Blackberry mobile phones and see what has made it a preferred choice. So here we go.
Built in speakerphone for superior voice experience: One can make national and international calls & talk to people with ease on hands free mode. Further, you can make convenient conference calls as well at any point of time.
Voice activated dialing: This feature has been helpful to people who are busy with their work. They can contact anyone in their contact list by just saying a word. You can use this facility by using Handsfree dialing or using the Bluetooth facility as well.
Conference call facility: Now you can talk to many people at time and take all important decisions instantly.
Good display: Color and clarity of the Blackberry Smartphones have attracted many. The high quality phones have caught the attention of many.
Great power: The Blackberry Smartphones have long lasting battery. Therefore, whether you are traveling or are going for an important meeting, no worry for battery. It can run upto 11 hours.
Beside these fast performance, Wi-Fi Support, file editing, mobile atreaming, and brilliant display, are other features that attracts everyone’s attention.
Tags: BlackBerry
18 Feb 09 Enjoying SMS Messaging With a Blackberry
With the introduction of Blackberry, SMS messaging has found a new home. SMS messaging, also known as text messaging, is just one of many things that can be completed with a Blackberry.
The Blackberry, which was first introduced to the world in 1999, is a special wireless handheld device that supports a number of technology features. In addition to text messaging, a Blackberry is also capable of acting as a mobile telephone, of performing Internet faxing, of completing push email, and even of web browsing. Some even offer two-way radio capabilities.
The Blackberry first gained attention because of its email capabilities, despite the fact that it originally only offered a monochrome display. Today, the most popular models of Blackberry have color displays and the number of features offered on the Blackberry continue to evolve.
Blackberries are also used as personal organizers, as they are capable of maintaining an electronic address book, to-do lists, calendars and more. To make their use even easier, Blackberries also have built in keyboards, making it far easier to type in text messages with a Blackberry than with a traditional mobile telephone. In addition, the keyboard is set up to be easy to type on with only the use of the thumbs.
Blackberries are also an excellent alternative to mobile phones when it comes to text messaging, as some don’t even require having mobile phone service coverage. In addition, they are Wi-Fi compatible, which is very useful for businesspeople using the Blackberry in order to maintain access to their email as they travel. With the help of the Blackberry, businesspeople can remain continually updated and in contact with their clients no matter where they may be.
Tags: BlackBerry
18 Feb 09 How to Get Started With BlackBerry Software Development
With the recent launch of the hot-selling BlackBerry Pearl, RIM (Research In Motion) has gained a toehold into the extremely competitive consumer smartphone market. If you’ve been ignoring the BlackBerry platform because it was too Enterprise-focused for your applications, it might be time to specifically target the BlackBerry. Here’s how you get started.
It’s Java Time
BlackBerry development for all recent models is done exclusively in Java. So if you’re not a strong Java programmer, now’s the time to brush up on your Java programming skills. (C# programmers will find the transition to Java fairly simple, the languages are very close in most respects.) Don’t learn about the newest Java features, however, because the BlackBerry platform is built on top of Java Micro Edition (Java ME), which is itself a derivative of Java version 1.3. So forget all the fancy (but useful) language features introduced in Java 1.5 — generics, enumerations, and so on — you can’t use these in BlackBerry programming. You can’t also use most of the library classes you’re familiar with — they’re just not there. A small subset of the Java Standard Edition (Java SE) classes are supported, as well as a number of BlackBerry-specific classes.
Java Micro Edition?
Once you’ve brushed up on your Java, you need to spend a bit of time understanding the Java ME platform, which was formerly known as Java 2 Micro Edition, or J2ME for short. You need to understand the concepts of configurations and profiles, and in particular the CLDC and MIDP standards. Refer to this article and the ones that follow for detailed explanations.
Another great source of reference material is the Sun Microsystems Mobility Development Center, which includes numerous articles and technical tips on general Java ME programming topics.
The BlackBerry Platform
After learning about Java ME, it’s time to explore the BlackBerry platform. The BlackBerry platform is based on the CLDC and includes support for MIDP 2.0. However, a large number of BlackBerry-specific classes are also provided. Which brings you to the first question you’ll face: are you going to write a BlackBerry application or a MIDP application? In a MIDP application you’re constrained to only use the APIs exposed by the CLDC and MIDP standards. Your application will run on the BlackBerry and on most cellphones, but it won’t be able to use any of the BlackBerry’s special features. You can use any MIDP-compatible development tool, such as the Sun Java Wireless Toolkit for CLDC (formerly known as the J2ME Wireless Toolkit), to create your applications.
Most application developers opt to build BlackBerry-specific applications. This means learning the BlackBerry-specific APIs — including new user interface classes — and using the BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE) to develop your applications. The JDE, which is free to download, works with the standard Java Software Development Kit and provides you with all the tools necessary to create, package, test and debug BlackBerry applications. You don’t even need a BlackBerry handheld, because the JDE includes a full-featured BlackBerry device simulator. A complete set of JavaDocs is provided that describes all the classes and interfaces available to programmers.
After downloading and installing the JDE, you’ll want to read the developer’s guides that come with the JDE and look at the sample applications that are shipped with it. Then start your development by writing a few simple applications to get a feel for the BlackBerry APIs and the tools.
Get A BlackBerry Handheld
Although you can develop and test your applications for free, at some point you’ll need to run the application on an actual BlackBerry handheld. This will cost you money, of course, and so it’s not something you’ll want to do until you’re serious about writing BlackBerry applications. On-device testing is crucial to ensuring that the application works correctly, because the simulator is not a perfect emulation system.
If you’re truly serious about BlackBerry application development, consider also joining one of the BlackBerry developer programs for additional support and early access to new devices and APIs. You should also explore RIM’s other BlackBerry developer resources. There are also third-party forums and books available to help you learn the BlackBerry platform.
Conclusion
BlackBerry programming is not hard if you know some Java and you understand the constraints and limitations of the underlying Java ME platform. You have to learn a new set of APIs and use new development tools, but in the end it’s just another kind of Java programming.
Tags: BlackBerry, BlackBerry Programming
18 Feb 09 BlackBerry Applications – What Software Developers Need to Know
As the BlackBerry smartphone gains market share, software developers are increasingly wondering if they should be writing or porting applications to run on the BlackBerry platform. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly because there are significant investments in time and effort in writing software for any mobile platform. And the BlackBerry platform is very different from the other platforms. Here’s a quick rundown on what you need to know before creating BlackBerry applications.
- BlackBerry software is written in Java. Java is the only choice for non-browser application development. You can’t write applications in C or C++, so don’t even bother going there. (The very earliest models of the BlackBerry supported C/C++, but the platform switched to Java exclusively several years ago.)
- The Java is Java ME. The BlackBerry’s Java support is for Java ME (Micro Edition), the stripped-down version of Java designed for mobile phones and other constrained devices. The language is the same (most features are supported) but the class libraries are vastly different — mostly because they’re much smaller. This makes porting code a challenge.
- But it’s also BlackBerry-specific. The Java ME class library is small, so the BlackBerry augments it with a number of device-specific APIs, including the graphical user interface APIs. You need to learn these APIs to write “real” BlackBerry applications.
- You need to test on real devices. This shouldn’t be any surprise to anyone who’s done mobile application development before, but it’s even truer on the BlackBerry platform. The BlackBerry simulator can easily give you a false sense of security when testing your application features, especially the networking aspects. There’s nothing like testing it on a real device. Preferably, several real devices.
- BlackBerry infrastructure is complex. BlackBerry programming isn’t just about understanding Java and the BlackBerry APIs, it’s also about understanding the entire BlackBerry infrastructure, from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) to the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) and everything in between.
The reality is that BlackBerry programming is a specialization that is developed over time. It’s not nearly as simple as it seems at first, as many developers have discovered to their dismay.
18 Feb 09 Blackberry Versus a Palm OS
PDAs are handheld computers originally designed as a type of personal organizer. A PDA is also called “Personal Digital Assistants”. They are also regarded as palmtops or pocket computers. PDAs have become much more versatile over the years.
Personal digital assistants have many uses. This would include being a calendar and clock or calculator. It is also suitable for access to the internet, playing computer games, receiving and sending emails, as well as word processing and typewriting. You can also include video recording and its use as a radio as well as an address book. You will also have the advantage of making and writing on spreadsheets, along with the Global Positioning System.
The latest PDAs have both audio capabilities and color screens, allowing it to be used as a web browser, mobile phone or portable media player. One of the most important characteristics of a PDA is the presence of a touch screen. The typical PDA can function as a fax sender, cellular phone, personal organizer and web browser. Unlike a portable computer, most types of PDAs began as pen-based, using a stylus rather than a keyboard for input.
Although numerous early PDAs have no memory card slots, most PDAs now have either a Compact Flash slot or a Secure Digital or SD. Although it is originally designed for memory, Compact Flash cards and SDIO are available for usage as a Web cam and Wi-Fi purposes. Several PDAs also have a USB port, mostly for USB flash drives. Thus, other types of PDAs are now compatible with micro SD cards which are much smaller than standard SD memory cards and it can carry more data.
PDAs can also synchronize data with a computer. This will allow up-to-date contact information stored in software like ACT or Microsoft Outlook in order to update the database on the PDA. The data synchronization actually ensures that your personal digital assistant or PDA has a precise list of email, appointments and contacts, letting the user access similar information on the PDA as the host computer. The synchronization also prevents loss of information stored on the PDA, in case it is stolen, destroyed or lost.
If the Palm OS PDA began the age of electronics and mobile communication as well as organization, the Blackberry Personal Digital Assistant caught up quickly. Both have internet abilities and email. Blackberry PDAs are designed for short text messages, while higher-end Palm OS PDAs pose as a convergence device, often doubling as a message and phone server.
Here are some tips on choosing between a Blackberry and a Palm OS PDA. First, determine the amount of money you are willing to spend. Both operating systems that come in PDAs vary a lot in price.
Determine your main need for a PDA. It could be for email, calendar, wireless internet access or other organization needs. It is possible that a simple Blackberry can meet your needs for a lot less money as compared to a more highly developed Treo unit from Palm.
Make notes throughout an average day and see which function of your PDA you use the most. If you frequently send larger email, Treo is the better option. Research about the products of both Blackberry and Palm and then decide which of the two can fit in your lifestyle.
Use the information you collected in testing PDAs and choose on the most precious functions a PDA should be able to offer you. Find out which gadgets are restricted in electronic shops, computer stores or cellophane shops. Find out also which ones they have in store or if they have a sale on PDAs.
Tags: BlackBerry, Palm OS
