Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) issued the Beta3 version of its BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS, touting a series of significant architectural changes alongside enhanced capabilities, stability and performance. Improvements include code signing enablement allowing developers to secure their applications, AJAX support for local context (promising improved BlackBerry PlayBook tablet support for JavaScript frameworks like jQuery), loading screen images to improve the user experience during app startup and a host of Mac support tweaks. For more information, check out the release notes. RIM adds that developers must re-compile their existing WebWorks-based apps if they're to run successfully on the new BlackBerry Tablet OS simulator v.0.9.4.
RIM released the first edition of the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK in mid-January, supplying web and mobile web developers a framework, APIs and tooling to build applications optimized for the PlayBook tablet, scheduled to hit retail on April 19. "If your background and skills are in using web technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, then this is the platform for you," RIM product manager Adam Abramski wrote on the BlackBerry Developer's Blog. "The platform extends some of the native device capabilities like system utilities, dialogs, and invoking other apps on the device and makes them available for you to use in your applications."
For more:
- read this BlackBerry Developer's Blog entry
Related articles:
RIM introduces BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for PlayBook web apps
RIM issues BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK v0.9.1 for Adobe AIR
RIM issues SDK for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
RIM's new PlayBook operating system to usurp BlackBerry OS