RIM releases BlackBerry PlayBook v2.0 Native SDK beta

Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) issued version 2.0 beta 1 of its Native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, available for download here. The release includes a new Sensors API with magnetometer, gyroscope and accelerometer support as well as Payment Service support for subscriptions and in-app purchasing. The revamped PlayBook SDK also touts Scoreloop SDK 1.0 Beta 1, enabling developers to trial social gaming features like leaderboards alongside a host of usability, performance and reliability enhancements. To upgrade their BlackBerry PlayBook to the new beta release, developers must first register their tablet PIN using a form hosted on the microsite.

Earlier this month, RIM debuted an updated version of its BlackBerry PlayBook OS v2.0 Developer Beta, which contains support for BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps as well as the latest versions of the BlackBerry WebWorks and Adobe AIR SDKs. According to RIM, BlackBerry PlayBook OS v2.0.0.3894 also contains two improvements to aid developer testing: BlackBerry WebWorks apps can now successfully call GPS, and Wi-Fi profiles are now saved and no longer disappear during tablet reboots.

RIM recently announced it will delay the official release version of BlackBerry PlayBook OS v2.0 until until February 2012, further casting doubt on the manufacturer's ability to effectively compete with market leader Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the fast-moving tablet segment. RIM initially stated it would release version 2.0 of the PlayBook OS sometime in October.

"As much as we'd love to have it in your hands today, we've made the difficult decision to wait to launch BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 until we are confident we have fully met the expectations of our developers, enterprise customers and end-users," RIM senior vice president David J. Smith wrote last month on the Inside BlackBerry blog. Smith adds RIM will defer including its signature BlackBerry Messenger solution to "a subsequent BlackBerry PlayBook OS release." For now, BlackBerry smartphone users may continue to access BBM on the PlayBook via the BlackBerry Bridge solution.

For more:
- read this Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog entry

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