HTML5 ARTICLE

September 28, 2012

Momentum Builds in Anticipation of BlackBerry 10 Release


Research In Motion continues to put its trust in the upcoming release of BlackBerry (News Alert) 10 to turn the struggling company around. There is a lot more than interest in HTML5 that may make the device a winner for RIM.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins recently said that BlackBerry 10 is the company’s "most important launch ever.” He predicts that RIM, via BlackBerry 10, could reach the No. 3 smartphone spot after Google’s Android operating system and Apple’s (News Alert) iPhone, according to CNET.

BlackBerry 10 will undergo testing by carriers in October. It is expected to launch during Q1 of 2013, according to ZDNet.

It was the subject of much discussion during the recent BlackBerry Jam, a developer conference.

“The response to BlackBerry 10 on all levels has been incredible and developers have certainly embraced this new platform and are taking early advantage of the tools and support we are providing to them. Our community is telling us about apps from every category that look and feel just amazing,” Alec Saunders (NewsAlert), vice president, Developer Relations and Ecosystems at RIM, said in a statement carried by TMCnet. “With our new SDK build now available, applications can really take advantage of our integration and sharing features. This really allows that heightened level of differentiation for apps that platform providers should be bringing to their communities.”

The new device will have several features that consumers may find appealing. For instance, BlackBerry Balance lets users separate out business and personal content – something needed with the current bring your own device trend in the workplace. It allows the company to manage and protect company data. Users, on the other hand, get freedom and privacy, according to a RIM video. It can also let an employee know if she/he is going to send a confidential company document to a personal contact. Work data can be prevented from being copied or shared by social media apps. If an employee leaves the company, company data can be wiped clean remotely, while still allowing the employee to keep personal data.

Some of the other strengths of the BlackBerry 10 are the keyboards, predictive text offerings, a shift to mobile computing and BlackBerry Flow. 

BlackBerry Flow “provides a series of minimized windows on users’ screens that show them all the apps they’re currently running, and it lets them easily flip through them without having to return to a central home screen and clicking on separate icons,” according to a review from BGR. Also, the review noted BlackBerry Hub, a “one-stop message center that lets users handle messages from multiple email accounts.”

It is also true that when it comes to recent HTML5 compatibility tests, RIM got high scores. “[But] at the end of the day it’s going to take more than HTML5 scores to make BlackBerry 10 a success,” Crackberry said.

There can’t be too much focus on HTML5 in marketing efforts by the company, some industry watchers have warned.

One blogger, Alex_Hong, on Crackberry pointed out that “marketing a technical term such as html5 would not work for your average consumers….Don’t just make it all about html5, or flash.”

“HTML5 itself won’t save RIM,” added Andrew4life. “BB10 will…hopefully.”

Users can learn what HTML5 and the BlackBerry WebWorks platform have to offer and built your first app at www.developer.blackberry.com/html5. A BlackBerry WebWorks application is a standalone application, which means you don’t need to point to a remote server to load a Web page or application (unless you want to). In this case, the application lives on the BlackBerry device. The application is essentially a bundle of Web assets that are packaged into a container that can be viewed by a headless browser — the WebKit engine container.  Users can also add native functionality to your HTML5 application by using the BlackBerry WebWorks platform.

Want to learn more about HTML5? Then be sure to attend HTML5 Summit- a DEVCON5 Event, collocated with ITEXPO Austin 2012 taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX.  Stay in touch with everything happening at HTML Summit. Follow us on Twitter.




Edited by Rachel Ramsey





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