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- Truphone Shares Story of Porting Their VoIP App to BlackBerry 10
One area where current BlackBerry OS Java developers have long struggled with is true VoIP communications. That is the reason I was very happy when Tru decided to share some of the details of how they ported their VoIP app to BlackBerry 10. They have been documenting some of the steps on their blog but they recently shared some more info in a Q&A on the BlackBerry DevBlog.
Tru details how much easier it has become to bring software to the BlackBerry PlayBook now that it is standards compliant by "building on the shoulders of giants." in short that means making use of the wealth of open source libraries and software stacks built for Linux and similar POSIX systems. They used the opensource PJSIP multimedia stack to bring Truphone to BlackBerry 10 using its audio, video, presence, and IM capabilities.
If you are a dev I recommend checking out the full Q&A on the DevBlog
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- Top Dev Motek Mobile Shares Their Experience With BlackBerry Development
- Porting WebOS Enyo Apps to the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10
- RIM Shares Some BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour Stats
- RIM Shares BlackBerry Development Community Milestones for Q4
- BlackBerry MVS 5.1 Adds Support for BlackBerry 7 Devices & AudioCodes VoIP
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 3:20 pm. | Truphone Shares Story of Porting Their VoIP App to BlackBerry 10 | Leave a comment |
Переслать - BlackBerry Mobile Voice System v5.2 Adds Wi-Fi to Cellular Handoff
Awhile back RIM added a key feature to BlackBerry Mobile Voice System which allowed it to handoff phone calls from cellular connections to Wi-Fi connections. They have now updated MVS to v5.2 which adds a few key features. The one that really caught my interest was the automatic network handoff between Wi-Fi back to wireless cellular networks mentioned here. Its actually cool how RIM pulled this off (some details here) by automatically triggering a PBX initiated call to your BlackBerry when handing over the call back to your cellular connection.
Also added in this version:
- Call forwarding – incoming calls can be automatically forwarded to a different phone extension or a different phone number altogether.
- Enhanced reliability in areas of poor or no mobile data coverage – BlackBerry Mobile Voice System is designed to support the placing of calls on mobile networks that have little or no data coverage. This is especially important when roaming internationally and it is a distinct advantage since many competitive systems require a data connection to complete a phone call.
- Additional business phone systems support – BlackBerry Mobile Voice System v5.2 now supports these additional phone systems: Cisco Business Edition 5000 and 6000 and Siemens OpenScape v5.
Check out the details in RIM's announcement or at http://www.blackberry.com/mvs.
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- RIM Adding Voice Over Wi-Fi Calling to BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5
- BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5 Now Supports Avaya Systems
- BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5.1 SP1 MR1 Released With Siemens OpenScape Voice Support
- Press Release: BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5 with Voice Over Wi-Fi Calling for Avaya and Legacy Nortel Communications Systems
- BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5.0 Released with Wi-Fi Calling!
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 11:12 am. | BlackBerry Mobile Voice System v5.2 Adds Wi-Fi to Cellular Handoff | One comment |
Переслать - Desktop Manager v7.1.0.31 Now in Beta Zone
RIM has just put out a new version of BlackBerry Desktop Software v7.1.0.31 in the Beta Zone. This version offers some improvements for consumers along with allowing developers to hook up Dev Alpha devices. (Thankfully I have not needed it with mine) RIM provided this change log for the v7.1 branch including
Add a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet that has BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.1 or later installed on it
- Sync your music by individual songs or by collections of music, including albums
- Sync all of your configured data at one time by toggling the sync button in a synchronization screen and selecting sync all
- Drag and drop picture and video folders from your computer into the BlackBerry Desktop Software to sync with your smartphone or tablet
- Learn about Music, Pictures, and Videos before configuring the features
Check out the latest Desktop Software in the Beta Zone
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- BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac v2.2 in Beta Zone for NA Users
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 10:44 am. | Desktop Manager v7.1.0.31 Now in Beta Zone | Leave a comment |
Переслать - Free Photo Frames App From S4BB Offers 10 Photo Frames
S4BB just released another one of their photo apps this month called Photo Frames. This app seems to be free for now though I am not sure if that will last forever. Either way the app now lets you add fun themed frames to your pictures ranging from the holidays to a slick Valentine's day theme though there are a few duds in the 10 available. If you want a bigger selection you can purchase Photo Frames Pro for $0.99 in App World to get 17 more frames.
Check out Photo Frames free in App World
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- Free Photo Studio App Updated With Valentine’s Day Frames & More
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- Free PrankCam Adds Funny Frames to Pictures As You Take Them (OS 7.0+)
- Photo Pro Free & Premium Photo Editor for BlackBerry Smartphones
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 10:34 am. | Free Photo Frames App From S4BB Offers 10 Photo Frames | Leave a comment |
Переслать - Free Slots King Casino Beta Updated to v0.7
Magmic has updated their new casino style game, Slots King, to v0.7 in its public beta. Slots King remains free but they still require you to login with your Facebook account to play so keep that in mind. With that said NerdBerry scored the change log for the new update:
What's new?
- Completely redesigned menu and in-game look
- Added new paylines
- Added pay tables to slot machine
- Fixed Facebook issues
- Fixed sound issues & syncing errors
- Fixed minor bugs
You can pick up Slots King free in App World
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- Free Slots King Beta from Magmic with BBM & Pretzil Integration
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- Free Blackjack King Game for BlackBerry Comes Out of Beta
- Free Texas Hold’em King LIVE v1.1.1 Released With More Languages
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 9:51 am. | Free Slots King Casino Beta Updated to v0.7 | Leave a comment |
Переслать - App World Website Also Gets Small Update to v3.1.2 MR4
RIM seems to proactively avoid providing change logs for some of their apps but that has not stopped them from providing some solid ones for the BlackBerry App World website. There is nothing drastically new in this update but it brings us to v3.1.2 Maintenance Release 4 from the previous MR2 in April. On of my favorite fixes is the larger font for product descriptions but here is the change log BJacklin provided from RIM:
- BWP transport (Anyone know what this means?)
- Carrier Merchandising changes
- NFC changes (customer facing)
- BBM API integration upgrades (customer facing)
- Interrupted downloads to appear in My Word
- Integration with CCL on the Handheld
- Finnish language support
Also worth highlighting is the full documented change log RIM put up in their documentation library for developers here. It highlights:
- Vendor logo - You can now upload a vendor logo that displays beside your vendor information on the BlackBerry App World storefront.
- New fields to specify tax information - Additional fields were added to the payment information tab allow you to specify tax identification or registration information for the United States, Canada, and Europe.
- Try & Buy license type deprecated - You can no longer select the Try & Buy license type for new products that you want to make available on BlackBerry App World. If you have an existing Try & Buy product available on BlackBerry App World, you can continue to submit new releases that use the Try & Buy license type, but you cannot submit a new release that uses the Try & Buy license type and also supports BlackBerry 10 or later or the BlackBerry PlayBook OS.
- Cannot change license type for products after adding a release - After you add a release for a product, you cannot change the license type, regardless of the status of the release or the product. To change the license type of an approved product, you must make the product unavailable on BlackBerry App World and submit it again as a new product with a different license type.
- Restriction for products with the same name - If you add a product that has the same name as one or more products that you added previously, you can only make one of the products available for sale on BlackBerry App World.
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- BlackBerry App World Website Update Include Mac Support
- RIM Makes Cosmetic Changes to App World Website Product Pages
- App World Website Homepage Gets Revamped – Clear Your Cache
- BlackBerry App World 3.0 Change Log – Website Getting Iterative Updates
- Breaking: Install and Purchase Apps from BlackBerry App World Website!
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 8:55 am. | App World Website Also Gets Small Update to v3.1.2 MR4 | Leave a comment |
Переслать - BlackBerry App World v3.1.4.25 Adds "Upgrade All" Button!
The happy day has finally come. After testing in the Beta Zone RIM has released BlackBerry App World v3.1.4.25. This new version of App World for BlackBerry smartphones packs a bunch of additions but the main one is a new "Upgrade All" button. This allows you to update all of your apps at once without having to do it one by one.
The full change log includes:
- Download all app updates with the new "Upgrade All" button
- Share your list of installed apps using NFC technology
- View lists of installed apps from multiple friends using NFC technology
- Connect BlackBerry App World to BBM to display a variety of new BlackBerry App World actions in your BBM personal message
- Finnish language support
- Various bug fixes
Check out the latest version of App World at www.blackberry.com/appworld
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- App World 3.1.4.20 FINALLY Adds Upgrade All Option in Beta Zone
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- BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour Adds Five More Cities
- RIM Adds * Thank You Gift * Category to App World for Outage Apps
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 12, 2012, 4:28 am. | BlackBerry App World v3.1.4.25 Adds “Upgrade All” Button! | Leave a comment |
Переслать - RIM Rolls Out New Webinar Series on BlackBerry Mobile Fusion
Many organizations have been taking a closer look at BlackBerry Mobile Fusion since RIM launched it with Universal Device Service earlier this year. Their previous webinars covered that Universal Device Service for managing iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. They have now renewed the series to delve deeper into the BlackBerry Device Service portion of Mobile Fusion which manages BlackBerry PlayBooks and future BlackBerry 10 devices. Here is the remaining schedule for July:
July 12, 2:00pm Installing Universal Device Service
July 17, 2:00pm BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Overview
July 19, 2:00pm Installing BlackBerry Device Service and Mobile Fusion Studio
July 24, 2:00pm Installing Universal Device Service
July 26, 2:00pm BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Overview
July 31, 2:00pm Installing BlackBerry Device Service and Mobile Fusion StudioNOTE: The password for the webinars is "Fusion"
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio Launches for Enterprise PlayBook Management & More
- Mobile Fusion Documentation & PlayBook IT Policy Docs Now Available!
- BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Webcast Recording Now Available
- BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Details, Slides & Screenshots – Late March Launch
- BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Universal Device Service Launches! (iOS & Android)
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 5:55 pm. | RIM Rolls Out New Webinar Series on BlackBerry Mobile Fusion | Leave a comment |
Переслать - WhatsApp for BlackBerry Updates to v2.8.198 – No Change Log
The free cross platform messenger WhatsApp just got an update to v2.8.198. Ofutur pointed out to me that this update brings them from v2.7 to v2.8 for the first time so it may be worth downloading. In typical WhatsApp fashion there is no change log available but hopefully we can crowdsource one.
Check out the latest version of WhatsApp in App World or directly from WhatsApp
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
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- BlackBerry App World 3.0 Change Log – Website Getting Iterative Updates
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 12:00 pm. | WhatsApp for BlackBerry Updates to v2.8.198 – No Change Log | One comment |
Переслать - T-Mobile US Now Offerring Insurance on Prepaid Devices
With the world becoming increasingly dependent on their smartphones, the thought of having your precious BlackBerry stolen cuts deep. I’m not saying that people think they can’t survive without them – I’m just saying they don’t want to risk it. According to some recent numbers (PDF) put out by Kelton Research, over 20% of users would be willing to fight a thief who was trying to steal their smartphone while close to 60% would reach into a toilet bowl to rescue theirs.
Not only is the attachment to smartphones quite significant, the risk of losing or damaging them is quite real, too, as 40% of smartphone users have had their devices lost, damaged or stolen. Among those who lost their smartphones, the unlucky location was most often public transportation, but plenty lost their devices in other places including 23% who lost them in bars or nightclubs.
T-Mobile shared some of these crazy stats to convince users to put a skin or case like an OtterBox along with a screen protector to cover damage. They also recommend using antitheft software like BlackBerry Protect or Lookout. In their own way they are trying to push customers to get insurance on their devices now that T-Mobile offers insurance on both post paid AND prepaid devices. (Detail PDF on the handset protection – $7/month)
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
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- Full Details on T-Mobile Complete Prepaid BlackBerry Package
- Boost Mobile Getting BlackBerry Style 9670 Prepaid
Posted by Shlomo for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 11:45 am. | T-Mobile US Now Offerring Insurance on Prepaid Devices | 2 comments |
Переслать - ScoreMobile v1.9.3 Released With New Olympics League & More
The best sports app for BlackBerry smartphones just got a nice update to v1.9.3. This new update adds a new Olympics league to show medal alerts or news along with a link to their microsite. Along with that we have bug fixes and other improvements.
Here is the change log provided by ScoreMobile (Kudos to Grimreaper @BBOS for transcribing)
- Added a new Olympics league to provide medal alerts, breaking news alerts and a link to a micro-site for detailed coverage.
- NCAAF, NCAAB, and NCAAWB will now remember the last conference viewed.
- Tour de France now defaults to the correct tab, depending on the state of the stage.
- Fixed a bug where the auto-refresh in PGA would show the wrong tournament.
- Fixed a bug where ICC schedules were not loading.
- Fixed a bug where F1 race commentary was getting cut off.
- Fixed a bug where soccer substitutions were being cut off.
- Minor bug fixes and enhancements.
Check out ScoreMobile v1.9.3 in App World
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- ScoreMobile v1.6 Released With MMA and Other Enhancements
- ScoreMobile v1.8 Lets You Track Live Games with Push Alerts and More
- ScoreMobile 1.2 Released – Free Sports App Improved
- ScoreMobile Updates to v1.9.1 With Performance Improvements
- ScoreMobile App Gets Small Update to v1.4.1.2
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 11:03 am. | ScoreMobile v1.9.3 Released With New Olympics League & More | Leave a comment |
Переслать - TripAdvisor Goes Augmented Reality With Free BlackBerry Smartphone App
TripAdvisior has travelled into augmented reality land this week with a new app powered by Wikitude. The free new app allows BlackBerry OS 7.0+ owners to explore the world around them using TripAdvisors data. It requires you to have Wikitude installed since it uses their engine to show you the ratings and reviews for restaurants, hotels, attractions and more. It packs over 60 million traveler reviews into your pocket.
Check out TripAdvisor Augmented Reality free in App World. I just wish I could use it when I go to Italy next month though I am sure the roaming charges would be exorbitant.
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- Layar Brings Their Free Augmented Reality Browser to BlackBerry 7 Devices
- Free Wikitude Augmented Reality App Updated to v6.0.11 For OS 7.0 Devices
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- Wikitude myWorld Lets You Create Your Own Augmented Reality World
- Explore the BlackBerry Torch 9800 in Augmented Reality 3D
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 10:46 am. | TripAdvisor Goes Augmented Reality With Free BlackBerry Smartphone App | 3 comments |
Переслать - AT&T Launching Blocking Service for Stolen Devices
According to a report on The Verge, AT&T will be launching today a new service which will allow customers to block service to stolen devices. Any customer whose phone or tablet has been stolen should submit their phone number to AT&T who will add them to their “blocklist.” Any number on the blocklist will be denied voice, data and texting services without putting in a full SIM block. This service will be available to pre-paid and post-paid phones as well as tablets. The new service supposedly starts this week so hopefully we will see more info soon.
For more information, check out The Verge. Anyone else shocked it took US carriers so long to get around to this?
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
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- BuzzOff: Cheap BlackBerry Call Blocking Application
Posted by Shlomo for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 9:54 am. | AT&T Launching Blocking Service for Stolen Devices | Leave a comment |
Переслать - Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I Comes to the PlayBook
Sonic the Hedgehog fans can rejoice now that SEGA has brought Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I to the PlayBook. This revival of the Sonic platformer is 16 years in the making with improved gameplay picking up where Sonic and Knuckles left off. There are even two games designed specifically for the accelerometer.
Features include:
- NEW MOVES – All of Sonic’s classic moves are available, including the newer Homing Attack which will add a new level of control and excitement.
- CLASSIC SONIC STAGES – Race through 4 unique zones containing 4 acts each as well as 7 special stages.
- SPECIAL STAGES RETURN – A staple of the Genesis-era games, the special stages return allowing fans to collect the 7 Chaos Emeralds and unlock Super Sonic.
- REVAMPED CLASSIC BOSS BATTLES – Dr. Eggman returns with new and improved mechas and will go berserk when he accumulates damage.
You can find Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I for $6.99 in App World. Check out this cross platform trailer below to get an idea of gameplay:
Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video Link
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 8:50 am. | Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I Comes to the PlayBook | Leave a comment |
Переслать - Free GeoMinder Utility Lets You Set Reminders Based on Location
The developer of one of the more innovative BlackBerry GTD apps, Wise Tasks, just released a new app called GeoMinder. While Wise Tasks lets you set location based contexts for tasks GeoMinder is more for people who just want simplistic location reminders. For example, it will let you set a reminder to pick up food on the way home when you get near your house or pick up your kids.
Check out GeoMinder free in App World and let us know what you think! Thanks Tuggy for letting us know about the new app in the forums.
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
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- Free TheBirthdayApp Lets You Set Custom Birthday Reminders for Contacts
- Buzzd Adds Free Location Based App for Their City Guides
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, July 11, 2012, 5:31 am. | Free GeoMinder Utility Lets You Set Reminders Based on Location | Leave a comment |
Переслать - BlackBerry Protect Gets Nice Update to v1.1.1.73 With Loads of Improvements
BlackBerry Protect is one of those services that I really hope RIM tightly integrates into BlackBerry 10. They pushed out a new update to the app for BlackBerry smartphones today bringing us to v1.1.1.73. This update brings a boatload of improvements and fixes including:
- Support for backing up additional databases like password keeper and Wi-Fi network profiles
- Improvements to backup and restore feature
- Enhancements to application deletion protection
- Ability to stop and resume BlackBerry Protect service
- Ability to automatically return your device to silent mode after making it play a sound
- BlackBerry ID enhancements and setup fixes
- Expansion of supported wireless service providers and BlackBerry device models
- Support for additional display languages
If you are not on a BES there is absolutely no reason not to have BlackBerry protect installed to backup your critical information on your BlackBerry. Hell I think every carrier should make it required for users to set it up so they no longer lose their contact info and other precious data. Check out the latest version of BlackBerry Protect in App World.
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
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- BlackBerry Protect Beta Now Available in Europe, Middle East, and Africa
Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, July 10, 2012, 4:15 pm. | BlackBerry Protect Gets Nice Update to v1.1.1.73 With Loads of Improvements | 3 comments |
Переслать - Understanding Mobile Apps for Automotive (QNX Auto)
We have covered RIM’s QNX Automotive group quite a few times especially as RIM presents BlackBerry 10 as a mobile platform solution beyond the mobile space. We can all understand how apps are helpful in mobile products. But how can automotive apps help us and and how do they differ from those in the mobile space? That is exactly what QNX Auto is doing with the QNX platform and BlackBerry 10 in the future.
QNX, the company which was acquired by RIM in 2010 and whose operating system is the basis for BlackBerry 10's OS, set out to answer these questions in a webinar entitled "Understanding Mobile Apps for Automotive" which they presented earlier this month. Automotive Product Marketing Manager Andy Gryc led the webinar and attempted to explain how developers could get their mobile apps into the car.
One important thing to realize, according to Gryc, is the differences in requirement for mobile apps when compared with apps for cars. In mobile, production time and life-cycle time are both very short – possibly as short as a few months. In vehicle electronics, on the other hand, production time can take years. This is not due to incompetence on the part of car manufacturers, but due to the very nature of the automobile: When dealing with a product, like a car, which is very expensive and which has a great potential for danger, great care has to be taken when designing the apps and the infotainment system.
The biggest concern of all with mobile apps is driver distraction. Obviously, it’s everybody’s concern if drivers are focusing their attention (not to mention their eyes) on infotainment and not on the road. Because of this, apps should be designed differently for the automotive space. For example, animation in apps, which can be cool in a mobile unit, can be deadly in a car and should obviously be kept to a minimum.
However, looking at car infotainment systems as an evil which should be contained is only looking at half of the picture. Various technologies, some of which exist today and some of which are not too far off in the future, can actually help keep eyes on the road. For example, voice recognition technology which can dial phone numbers – and which could one day post statuses to Facebook – can play a big role in keeping drivers from taking their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road.
Some of Gryc’s talking points, though not necessarily directly relevant to developers, were interesting in and of themselves. One of these concerned the necessity of relegating apps to sandboxes so as to allow the vital car infotainment features (i.e. navigation) to operate even when other applications crash. Another was the importance of “fast boot” – having the infotainment system power up quickly. This is necessary because, as Gryc put it, people don’t want to have to plug their cars in and have them charge all night. Due to that, the entire infotainment system is generally turned off along with the car, and the ability to boot quickly becomes most important.
Bringing the mobile app into the car might not be as simple as it sounds. Because of the nearly unlimited warranties commonly found on cars, customers expect to be able to have their cars serviced at the dealer and expect the dealer to fix or replace the defective parts. So dealerships have to have the parts to fix the infotainment systems even ten years after the car is purchased.
Also, as mentioned earlier driver distraction is a big concern. Conginzant of that, Gryc gave some distraction avoidance guidelines for developers. Some of these were suggestions that developers should: limit the amount of time required for offroad glances (to 2 seconds or less); use speech recognition technologies when possible; minimize total task duration to 15 seconds; keep apps predictable and consistent (i.e. shifting menus should certainly be avoided); and last but not least, make applications ignorable (in case you really have to pay attention to the road).
With regard to how to developers can get their existing mobile apps into a car, there are a few different options. Mirrorlink (which used to be called Terminal Mode) is an existing standard which can take a phone app and adapt it into an app for a car. Another possibility is using a QNX CAR based platform. Discussing that angle, Gryc stated that in the near future they hope to have a QNX CAR SDK with Webworks and Ripple that will allow applications in HTML5 to be deployed in various devices.
The automotive space, while intriguing, has its own challenges and should not be treated by app-developers as though it were just another mobile platform. Driver distraction is an issue that must be dealt with and even putting existing apps into the infotainment systems is not necessarily that simple. But whatever obstacles there may be, there’s no question that the automotive space can provide an alluring opportunity to motivated developers.
If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
- Understanding The BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (MVS)
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- Polar Mobile & The Hockey News Creating Apps for Every NHL Team
- Polar Mobile Signs Deal with RIM for Over 100 PlayBook Apps
- Twibble Mobile – FREE BlackBerry Compatible Twitter Client With GPS Location Support, Images, & Auto Update
Posted by Shlomo for ©BerryReview, July 10, 2012, 3:49 pm. | Understanding Mobile Apps for Automotive (QNX Auto) | 2 comments |
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