Developing for the 8700

[biffs]

A little new to developing on the Blackberry scene, and i just got a BB7290

how much of a difference is there going to be in developing for the 8700? I know the OS is pretty much the same, but does anyone know if its going to use some different APIs or anything like that??

Will the new processor have any difference on developing? Speed/architecture wise?

Possibly soon there will be an application to create your own themes??

Just some thoughts..

[fbrimm]

Hi Biffs,

Since the 8700 uses a different CPU, I suspect there will either need to be a different JDE for the 8700 or the current JDE will need to be upgraded to support the new CPU.

Hopefully RIMM will try to keep everything else the same, after all its java based and that's supposed to mean little or no changes. I would imagine there could be some new API's specific to the 8700, but that's no different than any of the previous models that had new/different features.

Like you, I'm also curious to see what tools will be available for the themes.

fbrimm

[biffs]

about the new apis - I really hope that programs written for OS 4.1/4.0 (on a 7200 series) will work fine on the new 8700 without any changes.

also, if an application is done for a 7200 series, generally how far back is it compatible? I know that depending on certain api and features used, that limits it. in general though, what is the limit?

[eradis]

There wasn't a major change to the api's. Basically they just added to the existing api's so everything **SHOULD** be backwards compatible - from 4.0 at least.

The best thing to do is download JDE 4.1 and give it a try on the simulator.

[arconsulting]

While the CPU, performance and screen are different, development should be the same. Apps developed with v4.0 of the JDE should run fine. To utilize some of the new APIs, develop with the v4.1 JDE.

[rcbjr]

Wirelessly posted (8700c: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0) BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

Posted By: biffs

about the new apis - I really hope that programs written for OS 4.1/4.0 (on a 7200 series) will work fine on the new 8700 without any changes.

I don't know how well the 8700 will handle all third party aps, but the Freenews RSS reader installed and runs just fine on my 8700c.

Hope this helps.
Rcbjr

[Mark Rejhon]

Most software, such as Idokorro's products (MobileSSH and Mobile Admin), were able to run off the 8700 unmodified in most cases -- and only minor changes were needed to fix issues.

Others such as VeriChat and Google Maps (freek.ca version) worked out of the box on the 8700 too.

Most older BlackBerry software that are able to function on older models will work on the 8700. Most software already gracefully scales the screen for 240x160, 240x240, and 240x260 so most are able to scale to 320x240. Some software need minor modifications.

[Boy Genius]

Isn't it funny that all the software Mark mentions are software he is affiliated with? Haaa. I like you Mark, your sneaky...

[Mark Rejhon]

Isn't it funny that all the software Mark mentions are software he is affiliated with? Haaa. I like you Mark, your sneaky...Of course I am affilated with those -- I've mentioned several times that I am employed with Idokorro Mobile Inc. It's not a secret here; and Idokorro is a sponsor of BlackBerryForums.

And boygenuis, I know you can be affilated with quite a few parties too. After all, this gets you access to all these devices, even those I do not have access to. :smile: I envy you for that, LOL.

You have noticed that occasional message that I encourage people to try competitor products such as midpssh and compare to MobileSSH. That is the philosophy I'm encouraged to do around here.

Also, one correction to make. I don't work with PDAApps at this time (VeriChat) though I was a beta tester for it. You may have noticed my complaints about it and me trying out alternatives YakOn, but I haven't had the time to do so. When VeriChat first came out, it blew away all the alternatives in user friendliness and user interface, although that has clearly changed now with all the improved user-friendly competition. I used to be a beta tester for new versions of VeriChat software and it previously had made major strides with my feedback, even if not quite at the connection-stability I want it to be at, compared to other software... Also, not affilated with freek.ca either, though I know the guy behind it. Google Maps is an excellent test for EDGE bandwidth though!

[Boy Genius]

Haha I know man I'm just giving you a hard time...I happen to love MobileSSH...By the way Mark, what happened to you and WebMessenger? They have an updated GUI and I find that they are the best with constant use, they actually save messages when you lose service and deliver them as soon as you get service back, etc. I finally dumped the sidekick (only thing I used on it was AIM) and now switch between WMP and Yak-On

[Mark Rejhon]

Haha I know man I'm just giving you a hard time...I happen to love MobileSSH...By the way Mark, what happened to you and WebMessenger? They have an updated GUI and I find that they are the best with constant use, they actually save messages when you lose service and deliver them as soon as you get service back, etc. I finally dumped the sidekick (only thing I used on it was AIM) and now switch between WMP and Yak-OnWebMessenger has made many improvements since, so I may yet give them a try again. I still have an old WebMessenger registration that I think hasn't yet expired.