BlackBerry WebWorks 2.0 Development Platform for Tablet OS and Smartphones

BlackBerry WebWorks 2.0 Development Platform for Tablet OS and Smartphones

We are extremely excited to introduce BlackBerry WebWorks SDK 2.0 for Tablet OS and Smartphones. BlackBerry development teams have spent a great deal of time re-architecting the BlackBerry WebWorks framework to prepare for bringing the two platforms together. Some of these changes are as follows:

JavaScript APIs are now separated from the OS. This new architecture is designed to allow developers to easily modify and enhance the existing APIs and package them with their BlackBerry WebWorks application. This will also allow new APIs to be easily added to your application.

The BlackBerry WebWorks framework and all of the APIs are open sourced and available on GitHub! Developers can now contribute to and participate in the evolution of the BlackBerry WebWorks project.

This release is the first step towards convergence of the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS and the BlackBerry Webworks SDK for Smartphones. As they continue to improve and enhance the SDKs, they will better align the features and APIs so developers can easily develop and deploy applications onto both platforms.

For those of you new to the platform, the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK lets developers build rich, integrated, standalone BlackBerry applications using web technologies (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript). These applications are designed to allow full integration into the BlackBerry ecosystem and can be distributed and monetized like traditional applications running on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry smartphones (via BlackBerry App World).

We want the web community to know that Research In Motion (RIM) is committed to meeting web developers on their playing field. No need to learn native programming languages to build mobile applications – just use your existing web skills to build compelling BlackBerry applications. It’s that simple!

Existing BlackBerry WebWorks developers will notice that BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS is jumping from 1.0.0.23 to 2.0, and our BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Smartphone from 1.5.1 to 2.0. For greater consistency and alignment with each version we have synched up the versioning of the two platforms, and going forward, as we continue to merge the SDKs, you’ll see more of this.

Reminder to BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS Developers

We have ensured that all BlackBerry WebWorks applications submitted to BlackBerry App World leading up to the release of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet work properly with the first revision of the BlackBerry Tablet OS. Like any release, when you move from Beta to Gold, we are instructing those who have built BlackBerry PlayBook tablet applications using the Beta BlackBerry WebWorks SDK to please re-package and re-submit your application to BlackBerry App World. This will ensure that you have the latest fixes and enhancements and that your app is compatible with upcoming BlackBerry Tablet OS upgrades.

This release is the first step towards convergence of the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK forTablet OS and the BlackBerry Webworks SDK for Smartphones. As we continue to improve and enhance the SDKs, we will better align the features and APIs so developers can easily develop and deploy applications onto both platforms.