Datasheet
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Chapter 1: Gathering What You Need to Develop BlackBerry Apps
actual devices, so you can be sure that if your app works on a simulator,
it will work on a real device.
✓ The BlackBerry is widely used in corporate enterprises. From CEOs to
administrative assistants and everyone in between, you have a market
for business-specific apps that could link everyone in the enterprise.
✓ RIM provides the BlackBerry App World for you to showcase and sell
your app. This venue removes the responsibility of credit card handling,
hosting, downloading, and notifying users of updates. The App World
comes with a variety of pricing tiers, including free and Try & Buy. RIM
keeps 20 percent of your application price to cover some of its costs.
Submitting your app to the App World incurs a $20 fee per submission,
which you can buy in blocks of ten for $200.
Discovering Apps, BlackBerry Style
BlackBerry users are on-the-go, fast-paced, living in the moment, and your
app will need to behave accordingly. BlackBerry users are interested in getting
their information now; they can’t wait more than a few seconds after launching
your app to get to the stuff they expect your app to deliver. Your application
must accommodate your users and provide them with a means of getting
to the value your app adds to their mobile existence. Whether it provides a
world traveler with a list of restaurants open around the clock for the city
they just arrived in, or merely provides a few moments of entertainment
while they’re waiting to board their next flight, your app must be easy to use,
simple to learn — and, as much as possible, fun.
Getting familiar with standard apps
The best way to find out more about BlackBerry applications is, well, to use
them. Look at the apps that run on a BlackBerry out of the box. You can use
a real device or use the BlackBerry simulator that comes with the JDE. Every
BlackBerry comes with the following standard apps:
✓ Browser
✓ Messages (Email and SMS)
✓ Contact Manager
✓ Calendar/Address Book
✓ Memo Pad
✓ Tasks
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