RIM revises SDKs for BlackBerry smartphones, tablets

Research In Motion has released new developer tools for those wanting to write apps for BlackBerry smartphones and tablets.

On Wednesday the company unveiled version 2.0 of its BlackBerry WebWorks software development kits (SDKs) for Tablet OS and Smartphones, which will let people code apps for both platforms using web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. BlackBerry smartphones use the BlackBerry OS, but the company's tablets run on a different OS, based on the QNX microkernel.

This is the first time that the SDKs for the two platforms have shared the same version number, and is according to RIM the "first step towards convergence of the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK forTablet OS and the BlackBerry Webworks SDK for Smartphones".

"Our development teams have spent a great deal of time re-architecting the BlackBerry WebWorks framework to prepare for bringing the two platforms together," RIM said in a blogpost. According to the post, JavaScript APIs are now separated from the OS, so developers can "easily modify and enhance the existing APIs and package them with their BlackBerry WebWorks application", and the whole WebWorks framework and all its APIs are now open-sources and available on GitHub.

In a separate post, RIM said it had also released the final version of its SDK for developers writing Adobe AIR apps for the BlackBerry Tablet OS. The SDK includes APIs for the PlayBook, plug-ins for Adobe Flash Builder and a PlayBook simulator. As well as AIR apps, Android apps will also be able to run on the PlayBook, RIM has previously said.