Welcome to

The Next Level

BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Overview of the
BlackBerry Solution and
Development Options
John Edward
Product Manager
Research In Motion
 Welcome to
Agenda The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• BlackBerry Wireless Solution Overview

• BlackBerry Application Platform
• BlackBerry Development Approaches
• BlackBerry Browser
• MDS Runtime
• Java ME
• Getting Started
 Welcome to
BlackBerry Wireless Solution Overview The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Leading wireless solution for enterprise and mobile

professionals
• BlackBerry is a complete solution, composed of
multiple components and services
• Wireless Smartphones
• Simplified Wireless Connectivity to the Enterprise and Internet
• Always-On “Push” Technology & Network-Independence
• Security, Deployment & Management
• Wireless Application Development Platform
BlackBerry Application Platform Welcome to
The Next Level
Overview BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Simplifies the development, deployment and

management of wireless applications
• Leverages the strengths of the BlackBerry solution to
mobilize additional business processes and applications
• Security & Encryption
• Managed Connectivity & Push
• Centralized Management
• Designed for Wireless!
• Offers a choice of standards-based development options
 Welcome to
BlackBerry Enterprise Solution The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

.NET Corporate
Application Servers

J2EE Corporate
Application Servers
XML /
2.5G Networks
GSM/GPRS
SOAP /
iDEN Custom
CDMA 2000 1XRTT

TCP/
HTTP(S)
BlackBerry Enterprise Corporate Systems
3G Networks Server with MDS Domino Corporate (ERP, CRM,
Services Application Servers Databases, File
Systems etc.)

Wi-Fi
Web Servers (IIS,
Apache-Tomcat)
 Welcome to
BlackBerry Internet Solution The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Internet

2.5G Networks Carrier Internet Public Web

GSM/GPRS
Gateway Servers
iDEN
CDMA 2000 1XRTT

Internet
BlackBerry Internet Public Web
3G Networks Service Servers

Internet
Wi-Fi
BlackBerry
Enterprise Server
 Welcome to
BlackBerry Wireless Solution Overview The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

From a developer’s perspective…

• Standard Protocols such as HTTP enable access to existing enterprise
servers and applications
• BlackBerry platform provides End-to-End Security, Device and Network
Independence, and Managed Connectivity

BlackBerry
Browser
HTML, WML, SVG
TCP / HTTP(S)

XML, Custom Data, etc.

BlackBerry Corporate
Client 3DES / AES Encryption Web / App
Push & Pull of Data Server
Application Network-independent
 Welcome to
Agenda The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

•BlackBerry Wireless Solution Overview

•BlackBerry Application Platform
•BlackBerry Development Approaches
•BlackBerry Browser
•MDS Runtime
•Java ME
•Getting Started
BlackBerry Application Development Welcome to
The Next Level
Options BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Java ME

MDS Runtime
Flexibility

Browser

Ease of Development
Application Development Welcome to
The Next Level
Options – Browser BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

•Standard Markup Support

•WML, cHTML, xHTML, and HTML
•Dynamic Content Support
• JSP, ASP, PHP, etc.

•JavaScript™ & CSS

•Offline Forms Queuing
•Browser Push
•View supported document formats
•PDF, Word, Excel, PPT etc.
 Welcome to
Browser - Push The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Channel Push
• Push a custom icon along with the web page
• Icon appears on the BlackBerry Home screen
and acts as a permanent ‘channel’ to the
referenced URL
• When pushing an update to this page at a later
time, the icon can change to an “unread” state
• Message Push
• Push a message to the user’s inbox that
automatically launches the browser to a specified
page
• Cache Push
• Push a page to the browser’s local cache,
but do not notify the user

© 2007 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved.

 Welcome to
Browser – Content Optimization The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Optimize Content for Mobile Use

• Detect BlackBerry Browser requests
• Leverage text entry
• Email addresses and phone numbers
automatically act as hot links to the
BlackBerry Email and Phone applications
• Use cookies and cache controls
to manage sessions and expiry
• Only use scripts, tables, images
when they add value
• Leverage push!

© 2007 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved.

Application Development Welcome to
The Next Level
Options – MDS Runtime BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

BlackBerry rich-client development for the non-Java

developer
• Rapid Application Development (RAD) approach to
creating rich-client applications for BlackBerry devices
• Targeted at Solution Integrators and Enterprise
Customers
•Simplifies integration with heterogeneous back-end enterprise systems
•Lowers client development time and removes Java ME skills requirement
• Abstracts away the complexity of wireless Java
development
•Automation framework presents a tradeoff in client flexibility for ease of
development
•Well-suited for forms-based applications and custom queries that require
client-side functionality such as offline operation, data management and
flexible user interface
MDS Runtime Developer Tools – Welcome to
The Next Level
BlackBerry MDS Studio BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Eclipse-based IDE
• Visual “drag and drop”
approach
• Applications are “assembled”
from components
•UI Components
•Data Components
•Message Components
• JavaScript for client-side
coding
• Optimized for wireless
connectivity
•XML Web Services (utilizing SOAP)
•Database connector (utilizing SQL) for
workgroup applications
MDS Runtime Developer Tools – Welcome to
The Next Level
BlackBerry Plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

BlackBerry rich-client development for the Visual Studio

developer
• Plug-in to Visual Studio
2005
• Familiar Visual Studio
development experience
• Simplified integration with
back-end systems via .NET
Web Services
• JavaScript for client-side
coding
• Sample applications
included
 Welcome to
Application Development Options – Java The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• BlackBerry devices are designed from the ground-up to run Java

applications
• Native BlackBerry applications are written in Java
• All BlackBerry devices run the BlackBerry Java Virtual Machine (JVM) with full
support for Java ME standard
• BlackBerry devices are software-upgradeable
• New versions of BlackBerry O/S and JVM can be loaded onto existing devices to
provide new features and APIs
• BlackBerry exposes thousands of Java APIs
• Extensive Java ME JSR support
• Including Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI), Wireless Messaging,
Mobile Media, Bluetooth, Location and Web Services
• BlackBerry APIs that offer tighter integration with BlackBerry Smartphones
BlackBerry Java Development Welcome to
The Next Level
Environment (JDE)
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• BlackBerry JDE used to build, test and

optimize Java ME applications for
BlackBerry
• Free download from
www.blackberrydeveloper.com
• Supports Java ME as well as many
BlackBerry APIs
• Includes a robust set of wireless
debugging, profiling and optimization
tools
• Secure code-signing infrastructure
• JDE Component Pack enables
choice of Java-based IDE
 Welcome to
Java APIs for BlackBerry The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• BlackBerry exposes thousands

of Java APIs
• Standard Java Micro Edition APIs and
enhanced Java APIs for BlackBerry

• Access to every functional

component enables powerful
wireless development
• Secure access to the Internet and
corporate intranet
• Rich multimedia features
• Location and mapping services
• Data storage / access
• Application integration
• Messaging
 Welcome to
BlackBerry Simulators The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

•BlackBerry Smartphone
Simulators
•BlackBerry MDS Connection
Service Simulator
•Simulates TCP / HTTP connections for
BlackBerry Smartphone simulators
•Allows simulation of push functionality to
BlackBerry Smartphone simulators
•BlackBerry Email Server
Simulator
•Simulate email functionality with the BlackBerry
Smartphone simulator
 Welcome to
Agenda The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

•BlackBerry Wireless Solution Overview

•BlackBerry Application Platform
•BlackBerry Development Approaches
•BlackBerry Browser
•MDS Runtime
•Java ME
•Getting Started
 Wireless Application Design Welcome to
The Next Level
Considerations BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Nature of the Mobile User

• Anytime, Anywhere Access
• Immediacy
• Specific Data Requirements
• Nature of the Mobile Device
• Limitations
• Screen Size & Input Paradigm
• Memory & Processor
• Wireless Bandwidth & Coverage
• Battery Life

© 2007 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved.

Wireless Application Design Welcome to
The Next Level
Considerations BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

•Network Communication
•“The best wireless solutions
use wireless the least”
•Send only the necessary data
•Send data only when necessary
•Leverage push (rather than
request/response) to better
optimize network use
•Context-sensitive applications!!
Wireless Application Design Welcome to
The Next Level
Considerations BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Effective User Interface

•User Experience Drives Adoption!
•The Smartphone
•What are the limitations of the
device screen or input mechanisms?
•Tips
•Don’t try to exactly emulate the desktop
•Be consistent and predictable
•Don’t give the user too much information
(or too many options) at once
•Remember the nature of the wireless user!
Wireless Application Design Welcome to
The Next Level
Considerations BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

• Storing Data On the Smartphone

• Memory can be very limited on wireless
devices
• Don’t store everything on the device
• BlackBerry smartphones are frequently
connected, leverage
the wireless connection
• Store what’s needed
• Store the most used or most frequently
accessed data
• Remember the nature of the smartphone!
 Welcome to
Emergency Contact List Sample The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Domino DB / Excel / Access /

Domino / Java / .Net
MS SQL / Web Service
BlackBerry
Browser

Custom BlackBerry
Java ME
Application

Push

Data Push BlackBerry Wireless BlackBerry

Resource Server Enterprise Server Firewall Network Smartphone
with
BlackBerry MDS
Services

© 2007 Research In Motion Limited. All rights reserved.

 Welcome to
Emergency Contact List Sample The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Download the ECL Sample at:

www.blackberry.com/go/ecl
 Welcome to
BlackBerry Developer Resources The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

BlackBerry Developers Zone www.blackberrydeveloper.com

•Incident-based developer support
•Developer tools, documentation &
sample code
•Knowledge base & discussion forum

BlackBerry Alliance Program

•www.blackberry.com/go/alliances
•Sales and Marketing Support
•Product and Technical Support

BlackBerry Technical Support

Services
•Enterprise developer support
Welcome to
The Next Level
BlackBerry Technical Seminar 2007

Thank you!