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!
Reader comments
BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK Beta now available to some developers!
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!
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.
Yeh that popup of 30 days was a little discomforting considering I waited more than 30 days to get the license lol
i got it too....
let's see how i can play with playbook....
exited...very exited...
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!
good to know...
Let the creative juices flow and the fingers fly on the keyboards.
Tim
+1
+1
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!
Please, someone make a Sketchbook pro type of App :)
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.
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!
can someone send it over to netflix and skype and tell them to get busy?
meh...
Shouldn't this of been done in like February / March?...
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.
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.
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.
hear hear
Doesn't change the fact that it should of.
"Should of?" Go back to school, buddy.
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.
Yes, but things take time. You can't just expect things to be done overnight...
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. :)
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'....
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
recieved? really? /*facepalm*/
Lol let it go. Minor mistake.
well its about damn time!
No kidding
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!
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 :)
Lol Sure hope so too!
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.
Woohoo!!! Finally it arrives.
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.
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
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.
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.
When/how long ago did you received the email where it said you were invited?
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..
I have the same problem...
Got the email as well. Not appearing in my programs either.
This is happening for me as well. Hopefully this gets resolved soon.
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!