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BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK Beta now available to some developers!

by Bla1ze on 30 Sep 2011 05:02 PM
46
 

PlayBook

It wasn't all that long ago that we let you know the BlackBerry Beta Zone was accepting applications from developers for the closed beta testing of the BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK. We've been getting tipped here and there over the past few weeks of developers having recieved invites or even declination letters but nothing to indicate a mass rollout -- until today. Today, it appears quite a few developers have recieved their notifications of acceptance and as such have been given a pass word to go ahead and download the BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK v0.9.4 Beta. As noted in those emails:

Features BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK Beta 0.9.4 Include:

  • The Native SDK for BlackBerry Tablet OS is now supported on Mac host systems. Mac Developers can now take advantage of the QNX Momentics Tool Suite, which has everything you need to develop programs for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!
  • Want to extend Abobe AIR applications by writing part of the application using the Native SDK? We now provide support for Adobe AIR Extensions.
  • Updated BlackBerry Platform Services APIs and samples to help get you started developing applications right away!
  • Enhanced editing capabilities for packaging allow you to quickly update your application package for deployment, without having to edit xml files.
  • New profiles in the IDE allow you to customize the content developers see, which means seeing only functionality you need. 

With all that said, we're sure it will still be quite some time yet before we see apps built on the SDK rollout but that's not really here nor there -- we'll just enjoy the fact that those who had great ideas for apps were selected and now have better means of building those apps that will eventually be available to all in BlackBerry App World.

Thanks, Anon!

Filed Under: News & Rumors; Tags: BlackBerry Playbook, BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK
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46 Comments

Posted by Mujib Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Heey, I'm also one of those developers which received a mail that I was invited to use the NDK. But somehow it doesn't show up in my: "Eligible Programs".. So I guess, BlackBerry Dev. has some things going on..

 
 
Posted by ewakil12 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

I have the same problem...

 
 
Posted by 312 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Got the email as well. Not appearing in my programs either.

 
 
Posted by techietim Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

This is happening for me as well. Hopefully this gets resolved soon.

 
 
Posted by samab Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Mux provided a work-around.

Alright, problem solved on my end before hearing back from RIM. Rather than trying to follow the link, go to:

https://www.blackberry.com/beta/

and enter your email/password they provide. After that, update your password and LOG OUT. Only after I did that and waited a few minutes did the link appear.

Downloading stuff now and man, I'm EXCITED!

 
 
Posted by wfubball Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

I got it and got it downloaded. Now if only we had the OS 2.0 SDK with AIR 3 so that AIR native extensions support would be useful

 
 
Posted by Marc_Paradise Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

ANE works without AIR 3, it's been supported since 2.5.

I've got one in progress for BBSSH and will be posting a brief how-to to the beta forums this weekend.

 
 
Posted by wfubball Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Ah ok, I thought I had read recently that it was just supported in 3. Ill have to look into it. thanks and looking forward to the how to.

 
 
Posted by Mujib Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

When/how long ago did you received the email where it said you were invited?

 
 
Posted by 123berryaddicted Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Its about stinking time RIM!!!

Now let's see the apps start rolling out... What? Maybe a month away at the earliest?? Hhhhmmmmm.... Nows better then never I guess.

 
 
Posted by Jake2826 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Woohoo!!! Finally it arrives.

 
 
Posted by Wretch 64 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Got an invite and accepted from my BB earlier, even though I don't have a Playbook, this is still a great opportunity to make an app and earn enough money from it to buy a Playbook from it.

 
 
Posted by guerllamo7 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Nice. So, where are all the turkeys that said RIM was shutting down the Playbook just because some other turkey said he had a vision/idea that would happen.

The Playbook is awesome. Why would they stop making it. They are just getting started with it and next month is going to be a dream for BB Playbook users. DevCon is going to rock!

 
 
Posted by 123berryaddicted Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

I really hope all the v2.0 stuff has TAT written all over it... How awesome would it be if native contacts, email and such was in a TAT style format?

Ok I know... My hopes are up... The native stuff will probably look similar to the bridge stuff... Only it'll be native...

Can't fault me for dreaming :)

 
 
Posted by mchahine91 Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 234 days ago

Lol Sure hope so too!

 
 
Posted by FMB8900 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

well its about damn time!

 
 
Posted by 123berryaddicted Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

No kidding

 
 
Posted by bubi73 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

recieved? really? /*facepalm*/

 
 
Posted by mithrazor Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Lol let it go. Minor mistake.

 
 
Posted by padplaygames Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

After a few weeks of waiting and hearing nothing after filling in the request form, I received an invitation via Beta Zone about a week and a half ago. So I got things all set up, and multitasking learning that environment while continuing other things.

Today I received...an invitation via Beta Zone to join the program that I previously accepted an invitation for.

Oh well, better twice than not at all!

www.padplaygames.com

 
 
Posted by jwn66 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Shouldn't this of been done in like February / March?...

 
 
Posted by T.roy Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Why don't you research how long it took Apple to release the NDK for Ios after launch or how long Android took to release theirs.

Some of you seem to forget this is a brand new OS. Anyone who had unrealistic expectations of how fast this was going to come out or how long it will take for Native apps to trickle in need to give their head a shake.

 
 
Posted by mattv888 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

This is true, but with that said it was not a good business strategy to even launch the tablet without a NDK available to developers from day one considering the competition. Now I'm not hating, I've loved my playbook since day 1, but I think I speak for everyone when I say it's about time we got access to proper apps. The only ones that can hold a candle to iOS and android right now are dead space and need for speed. Let's roll out the quality apps so we can love our playbooks even more.

 
 
Posted by samab Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Apple didn't release a beta of their ios ndk until March 2008, nine months after the release of the original iphone.

Android didn't release their ndk until Android 1.5, seven months after Android 1.0.

Out of the 3, RIM is actually the FASTEST to release their ndk --- 5 months.

 
 
Posted by T.roy Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

hear hear

 
 
Posted by jwn66 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Doesn't change the fact that it should of.

 
 
Posted by sk8er_tor Sunday, Oct 02, 2011 234 days ago

"Should of?" Go back to school, buddy.

 
 
Posted by katiepea Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

those 2 platforms weren't competing in an ecosystem with hundreds of thousands of apps already, glad it's out, but it should have been out before the playbook launched. apple released theirs in march 2008, that was BEFORE the app store even existed, so they launched it prior to the public having access to the device.

 
 
Posted by greatwiseone Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Yes, but things take time. You can't just expect things to be done overnight...

 
 
Posted by HaTaX Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 235 days ago

Except when iOS launched it's NDK it included UI framework and such. If RIM can get the full NDK released with UI components in the following few months (Not a beta NDK with no UI framework), then they'll actually have a leg to stand on here.

I kinda feel like the Playbook should have been not marketed as ready for the consumer market until these things were in place. Leaves a bad taste in a consumers mouth when they pay full price for a tablet that is over half a year away from offering competitive apps.

Looking forward to dragging my PB out of the mothballs and seeing what kind of performance we can get out of it with some threaded applications. :)

 
 
Posted by primusd Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 234 days ago

Fair enough, but you can't compare these timelines directly, as they occurred in the context of the market at that time - a vastly different market than today. Apple and to some extent Google had the luxury of taking their time. RIM I'm afraid, does not.

I love my PB, even with 1.x, but I'm just sayin'....

 
 
Posted by DXBLouie Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

meh...

 
 
Posted by san4berry Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

can someone send it over to netflix and skype and tell them to get busy?

 
 
Posted by supraking Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Just a year late. All you PB developers out there interested in hearing some ideas for apps, please PM me in the forums, my username is supraking, I may even be able to get us some funding to get rolling!

 
 
Posted by rapsball4 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Whoo! Got the email earlier today, just got home from work and now time to download it :) I don't have any epic games in mind but I like C++ so I've still been waiting for it anyway.

 
 
Posted by Siiid Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Please, someone make a Sketchbook pro type of App :)

 
 
Posted by limh5 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

I just downloaded and opened the NDK and it's BEAUTIFUL! It's basically QNX's Momentics IDE. There's nothing much BlackBerry about it (which is good because Momentics is apparently award-winning). Developers are going to LOVE it!

 
 
Posted by trsbbs Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

Let the creative juices flow and the fingers fly on the keyboards.

Tim

 
 
Posted by Jake2826 Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

+1

 
 
Posted by frankdlr1972 Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 234 days ago

+1

 
 
Posted by jamesbyjr Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

good to know...

 
 
Posted by cmcichon Friday, Sep 30, 2011 235 days ago

While I'm not a dev by any means, this is definitely an exciting day for me - soon I will have more things to buy! Cant wait to see the apps people come up with!

 
 
Posted by infinus Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 235 days ago

i got it too....
let's see how i can play with playbook....
exited...very exited...

 
 
Posted by crwblyth Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 235 days ago

Would be handy to have a UI Framework, it's really good nonetheless, except for the worrying "You have 30 days left of the NDK license" or similar wording.

 
 
Posted by imran.ahmed Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 234 days ago

Yeh that popup of 30 days was a little discomforting considering I waited more than 30 days to get the license lol

 
 
Posted by imran.ahmed Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 234 days ago

Got my invite yesterday night, downloading the SDK as I write this post.

I know some other developers who got declined access, but nevertheless, hopefully some big things are coming to the playbook!