Ask HN: Is anyone doing Blackberry app development?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=439959

by rms • 18 years ago

18 15 18 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I know coding in Java is unappealing, but it seems like there is a lot of opportunity for the Blackberry appstore launch in March 2009. Do you think Blackberry users will be less likely to buy apps than iPhone users?

gsmaverick• 18 years ago

Since lots of BB users are enterprise they may be less willing or able to install apps. But if you build a great app there's always customers for your app.

martythemaniak• 18 years ago

Yes, kind of. I have a neat little app on the Android Market (http://phonalyzr.com), which I am going to port to the Blackberry in time for their store launch. The reason I'm targeting Android and BB is because of the iPhone's ridiculously restrictive SDK - on these devices the OS notifies the user that my app will be reading their call log/contact list and the user can choose to proceed or not, whereas on the iPhone that decision has already been made for the user by someone in Apple's HQ.

At my day job I use python and js to do web development while this is my spare-time project and to be honest, Java isn't so bad. Yes, it's tiresomely verbose, but Eclipse and the Android plug-in are an awesome IDE and since you're dealing only with the mobile-specific SDK, you don't have to contend with issues that make Java bad in other contexts (heavy frameworks, endless XML config files, etc). Perhaps someone with experience in both can clue me in, but I doubt Objective C is less verbose or more dynamic than Java.

But I think you're right in that people might be missing an opportunity by focusing so heavily on the iPhone. The BB SDK is more powerful than the iPhone's, there's more than twice as many BB users than iPhone users and I don't think anyone will argue that they're any less affluent than iPhone users.

Mostly, I think, it'll depend on how RIM promotes the app store and the kind of deals it manages to get the carriers to accept. I worked for RIM a few years ago and saw how incredibly difficult and demanding it is to work with carriers, as they are the actual manufacturer's "customers" and their interests are frequently at odds with those of users.

brandonkm• 18 years ago

I've been using phonalyzr for about a week and absolutely love it. Just wanted to say thanks for that awesome app.

MrRage• 18 years ago

> I doubt Objective C is less verbose or more dynamic than Java

Oh, Objective C is certainly more dynamic. It uses a message passing mechanism. You can do this in Objective C without a compile error (note "id" is a generic object type)

id anObject = Do some initialization; [anObject passSomeMessage];

The closest in Java would be:

Object anObject = new SomeClass(); anObject.callSomeMethod();

Which wouldn't compile.

(Please note I haven't used Objective C nor Java in a while. Please excuse any errors.)

zacharydanger• 18 years ago

Brilliant app, just installed on my dev G1. Now if only I had a good idea for Android...

wallflower• 18 years ago

I wanted to create an iPhone app that tells me who I haven't called in a while and should. One opinion on networking is that someone is in your network if they know what you are up to, can recognize you in person, and you have contacted them in the last three months.

Can Phonealyzr and the BB SDK do that?

And judging by the number if people I see using their BB when they are not at work - I think there is a huge market for a networked entertainment diversion.

vetinari• 18 years ago

Great app, I installed it few weeks ago.

But I have a question - do you have some bug tracker, where your users can put bugs and suggestions? I would like to suggest to split the minutes in usage summary by the direction, incoming and outcoming calls separately (in addition to weekdays/weekends as it is now).

kapitti• 18 years ago

We do, but for enterprise apps only - there may be decent sales for consumers with the Storm, but the BB will almost always be an Enterprise Play.

paulgb• 18 years ago

I haven't myself, but I've worked at a company that did. Here's what I picked up: BlackBerry users tend to use their devices a lot and are not afraid to download things.

It's not going to be nearly the same market as the iPhone reaches, so iFart and the like would, IMHO, fail miserably on the BlackBerry. I bet there is money to be made in apps targeting certain verticals where BlackBerries are common. Law, real estate, and investing come to mind.

rms• 18 years ago

My understanding of the ifart/novelty apps is that people with disposable income bought them to entertain their kids randomly for 3 minutes. Why will that be so much less common on the Blackberry? Do people not want to pervert their business device with things so frivolous?

fatdog789• 18 years ago

On a business device, usually paid for by the company?

Many companies don't allow their Crackberries to be used for personal crap; iFart and other novelty apps definitely fall into that category.

DenisM• 18 years ago

On a related note, how complex is BB development compared to Andorid, iPhone or WinMob?

I think I might want to port my app, but I'm afraid to get stuck in it without the end in sight.

shimi• 18 years ago

I have to disagree about the Java part.

After developing for WM, j2ME, BB and Android I found iPhone is a mystery. Apple knew what they were doing making people downloading those applications. You've have got fart apps for all platforms and no one could turn them to a profit until iFart.

BB is a different market, I'm sure that if you'll investigate you'll be able to come up with an idea.

BB can be a potential good market but

fpotter• 18 years ago

Yep, I've been working on a downloadable app store for BlackBerry devices for a while called BerryStore (http://berrystore.com) and it's been getting decent uptake from BlackBerry users. I started way back in August, long before RIM had announced any of their plans.

There is a lot of opportunity for RIM here, but there are also a lot of things they would have to get right. For example, I've heard rumors they might only support newer phones or OS versions. That would be a mistake - Curves running really old versions of the OS are still being sold today. Another rumor I heard was that they might only work with developers who are part of their Alliance Program which costs $2,000 to join. Then, there is the hurdle of getting the app store onto devices in a way that makes carriers comfortable. Presumably some sort of revenue share has to be negotiated with each carrier. RIM certainly doesn't have an easy road ahead of them.

Also, if you read RIM's October press release announcing the Storefront, they claimed they would be letting developers submit apps starting this past December. December came and went and I didn't see anything. That means they're either behind in schedule, or worse, they're only working with Alliance partners and that's why we didn't see anything.

farmerwu• 18 years ago

Looks like RIM has begun accepting applications to their store. Has anyone gone through the application process yet? I'm glad they got it out, and its not the much past their original December launch date.

Ask HN: Is anyone doing Blackberry app development?

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