We have been hearing about enhancements coming for BlackBerry developers, specifically in the push API department, for a while now. The most recent news, before now that is, was at the Breaking New Ground With BlackBerry technical seminar with Mike Kirkup where it was revealed push services would be fully extended to BIS users devices and that developers would have many new options in the way of API's to assist them with making this happen.
The press release went out today and has quite a few details in it that end users will love and BlackBerry developers are already making great use of when it comes to creating new applications, some of which we will be seeing come to life at WES. Read on for the full press release and get a good overview of how the new services are being used.
PRESS RELEASE
RIM Further Extends Push Technology to BlackBerry Developers
Real-time content delivery builds value into mobile applications for consumers
WATERLOO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 05/04/09 -- Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of a new BlackBerry push API (application programming interface) that will enable developers to push real-time content to BlackBerry® smartphones.
RIM is extending its existing, well-proven push technology from the enterprise into the consumer space, allowing developers to leverage push technology for BlackBerry® applications targeted at consumers. Push technology provides a proactive mechanism for developers to deliver data to BlackBerry smartphones as it becomes available. It brings immediacy to mobile communications with real-time content, preserves battery life, and minimizes data usage by eliminating the need for "poking" and "polling" servers. RIM's unique push technology significantly enhances the user experience and provides a proactive mechanism for developers to deliver data to BlackBerry smartphones as the data becomes available.
"Push technology has previously been available to corporate developers with the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution, and is built into a range of smartphone applications for business," said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Platforms at Research In Motion. "With the availability of this push API, BlackBerry developers can build true push technology into their Java-based consumer applications and enhance the user experience by delivering valuable content to users in real time."
The new BlackBerry push API allows developers to push content, as well as alerts, to BlackBerry smartphone users. Users will not have to wait for lengthy content downloads once alerts are received.
Push APIs for browser content are the foundation of the BlackBerry® Web Signals service launched by RIM in October 2008. (http://press.rim.com/release.jsp?id=1870.) BlackBerry Web Signals technology enables online content providers to push alerts to BlackBerry smartphone users when relevant content has been published or updated and supports one-click access from an icon to the online information.
The BlackBerry push API is ideal for mobile applications that deliver value by providing real-time content and updates, including news, weather, banking, medical, IT services applications and games. Several organizations are already developing applications with the BlackBerry push API, including:
- DevelopIQ - The 7digital Music Store allows users to browse,
search, discover and purchase high quality, DRM-free MP3 music from
their BlackBerry smartphones. Purchases made on the move are
automatically replaced with high quality versions when the user returns
home via Wi-Fi Auto-Sync. The 7digital Music Store will use the
BlackBerry push API to ensure that purchases the user makes on
7digitial.com are automatically delivered to their BlackBerry
smartphone.
- Handmark® - With the new BlackBerry push API technology, the
Pocket Express® news and information service from Handmark can alert
customers of breaking news, sports stats, weather alerts, flight status
updates and other information immediately as it happens. This offers a
more timely, relevant and engaging experience for customers.
- Salesplace - SalesNOW will leverage the BlackBerry push API to
give customers the ability to send immediate notifications, such as
sales leads, service requests, client calls and appointments, to sales
and service reps in the field.
- The Hockey News - Powered by Polar Mobile, The Hockey News
application gives fans real-time score updates, late-breaking news
headlines, player statistics, team standings and expert analysis from
across the NHL. The Hockey News will leverage the BlackBerry push API
to keep fans up to date with the latest scores sent directly to their
BlackBerry smartphones.
The BlackBerry push API is available exclusively to BlackBerry® Alliance Program members. For more information about the BlackBerry Alliance Program, visit www.blackberry.com/go/alliances.
For more information about BlackBerry push APIs, visit www.blackberry.com/developers/pushapi.
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15 comments
Can't wait to see what kind of apps developers are going to continue to come up with. Seems to open up a bigger world!
I'm guessing Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and all those can get pushed immediately soon?
I get facebook text messages well before the app notifies me of any update.
The Facebook App. uses the email message to trigger the notification.
Hopefully Google will update their Gmail and Sync apps to utilize push technology!
i too am hoping the exact same thing! if the gmail app can utilize this new push api it would be soooooooo awesome! the current 20 minute polling in the background is so fail. 5 minute polling with the app in the foreground is also fail. having the gmail app push is gonna be great.
suddenly i became less optimistic about push coming to gmail app. wouldn't this rival and directly compete with rim's own push service for email? if this was to work, i wouldnt really need BIS anymore as gmail would be able to support multiple gmail accounts as well as pop/imap.
but i also read on another site, the push API would only push like 8kb of data and i'm not sure how this affects things. still hoping push comes to gmail app as you can do so much more in the app than the default messaging client. *crosses fingers*
I suspect that the push services will requires BIS or be a function of BIS.
yeah i also suspect that. simliar to how myspace and facebook app's notification work right now. the notifications are triggered by the email you receive from your BIS email associated with the myspace/facebook account. so mayybe something similar.
Does this mean that I could sync contacts and calendars OTA with an OWA work e-mail?
Who knows if Viigo is part of the BB alliance program? Viigo with push content would be outstanding! I am very excited by this news.
amen...the idea of having all the different stuff that you can do with viigo with push built in would be pretty slick.
duplicate post...
Hopefully ESPN will take note of this and we can look for a gamecast app coming out in the future! I know you can already go on the web and view 15 second updates, but then you are still reloading every 15 seconds and that is time and battery consuming.
obviously with social networking, this will open up for faster content delivery, but things like pageonce will be able to possibly push out updates to your cc info, flight arrivals, etc. maybe google will take a break from android and update some of their apps, maybe latitude being able to push alerts to when you have someone coming close to you. no need for the update channels in viigo or setting a refresh time in twitter apps.
Second the sports app. Between ESPN, Sportsline, and SI someone needs to step up and make the perfect real-time score updater.
Good stuff! I hope Viigo, BeWeather, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitterberry soon implement the push APIs!