[Ment]

Amazon just announced a live app testing program similar to Betazone and Google Play Beta so devs can see how their apps work in production environments without investing in alot of hardware. After in-house testing is done devs can send their app to live app testing and select email addresses that will be notified to download the app and send back reporting of crashes/bug etc.

Sure would be nice if B10 devices with 10.3 could be a part of this, it would really help how devs see BB10 once it officially joins the Amazon app store. If not I see the real possibility that devs will start by default adding Passport et tal as non-supported devices in order to circumvent bad reviews. More info on the live app testing process here.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I don't think Amazon is doing anything for BB10 devices... they have given BlackBerry permission to use the App Store. That doesn't mean they plan to "support" BB10 or ask developer to.

[Ment]

Sadly yes that is true. Outside of an announcement that BB was joining the Amazon app store there has been zero nada engagement with Amazon devs. I suppose BB devs that port their apps over to Amazon can use the live testing by sending emails to their list to see if anyone wants to test their Android app on the runtime.

[mnc76]

I don't think Amazon is doing anything for BB10 devices... they have given BlackBerry permission to use the App Store. That doesn't mean they plan to "support" BB10 or ask developer to.

I would hope that part of the agreement includes the sharing of technical information on Amazon's Android platform. For example, Amazon has a number of proprietary replacements for various Google APIs (e.g.: Amazon has their own maps API, cloud services, and notifications APIs).

If BlackBerry could use this info in 10.3 to ensure all Amazon apps ran well on 10.3 (e.g.: If 10.3 had support for all of Amazon's proprietary APIs), then (theoretically) there wouldn't be any need for any special testing on BB10 (except for maybe the Q10 and it's tiny screen).

I really hope that BlackBerry incorporates support for Amazon app notifications.

E.g.: If I download Kik from Amazon, I expect to get Kik-message notifications even when Kik isn't in an Active Frame.

Right now, most Amazon messaging apps have very wonky notification support.

Posted via CB10

[JeepBB]

I would hope that part of the agreement includes the sharing of technical information on Amazon's Android platform. For example, Amazon has a number of proprietary replacements for various Google APIs (e.g.: Amazon has their own maps API, cloud services, and notifications APIs).

Hope springs eternal I guess, but I reckon you'll be disappointed if you think Amazon will provide any assistance to the BB10 users of their store.
I reckon their reaction to reports that an android app doesn't work properly on BB10, will be to shrug and do nothing. They might even make the cynical judgement that if a BB10 user *really* wants the feature ... they'll buy a real Android device.

[Banco]

Well, Amazon's raison d'etre is to sell content, including apps, so given a reasonable number of handsets that have effectively come to them with the BB10 deal (as an aside, how many Fires and Fire phones have been sold - is it as many as BB10 phones? ) it would make sense for them to want to sell to BB10 users.

If that's a sizeable proportion of potentials it's in their own interests to ensure compatibility not least to drive future sales.

Posted via CB10

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Well, Amazon's raison d'etre is to sell content, including apps, so given a reasonable number of handsets that have effectively come to them with the BB10 deal (as an aside, how many Fires and Fire phones have been sold - is it as many as BB10 phones? ) it would make sense for them to want to sell to BB10 users.

If that's a sizeable proportion of potentials it's in their own interests to ensure compatibility not least to drive future sales.

Posted via CB10

It would make sense that developers would port their Android Apps to BlackBerry World..... but it didn't happen.

It would make sense that with over 50 million users, Instagram would view the Kindle Devices as a pretty big market.... but that hasn't happened.

It would make sense that if BlackBerry shut down their Video and Music stores they would have had an Amazon App in BlackBerry world for users to download and start getting new content..... but it didn't happen.

[jem9777]

Anybody who thinks BlackBerry made the Amazon deal because they genuinely care about the consumer experience is sadly mistaken [in my opinion]. To me, this deal is all about "what is the absolute minimum amount of effort we can put into the consumer market?" This deal let them offload consumer app development, it let them lay off almost all of the developer relations staff, get rid of the gaming team, kill the BlackBerry Jam Rewards developer program, kill off Scoreloop, and kill off the music and video stores; all while being able to claim publicly that they are doing this great thing for users and the future of the platform, and getting "thousands of new (Android) apps" in the process. They're not combining it into one app store; they're not even giving us a native Amazon Appstore client. I seriously doubt they will even weed out the apps that won't work on the BlackBerry Android runtime. I bet most Android app developers won't provide us support if we have problems after downloading their app from Amazon.

It's a raw deal for us all the way around. There's nothing Amazon gives me that I can't already get from Snap.

[Banco]

It would make sense that developers would port their Android Apps to BlackBerry World..... but it didn't happen.

It would make sense that with over 50 million users, Instagram would view the Kindle Devices as a pretty big market.... but that hasn't happened.

It would make sense that if BlackBerry shut down their Video and Music stores they would have had an Amazon App in BlackBerry world for users to download and start getting new content..... but it didn't happen.

On the last point, we will have to wait and see. Shutting it down without replacement would be peculiar, so we need to wait till 10.3.1 to see what happens.

On the previous points, moaning about the past gets us nowhere.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

On the last point, we will have to wait and see. Shutting it down without replacement would be peculiar, so we need to wait till 10.3.1 to see what happens.

On the previous points, moaning about the past gets us nowhere.

Wait how long??? Six months after they close their store?

Ignoring the past... is what got us where we are. PlayBook showed us all of these weakness three years ago. Amazon's problems with their Kindle ecosystem was a good indicator of what BlackBerry would face with BB10. The only one that paid any attention was Microsoft.... thus they pulled out the wallet very early in the game.

[Banco]

Wait how long??? Six months after they close their store?

Ignoring the past... is what got us where we are. PlayBook showed us all of these weakness three years ago. Amazon's problems with their Kindle ecosystem was a good indicator of what BlackBerry would face with BB10. The only one that paid any attention was Microsoft.... thus they pulled out the wallet very early in the game.

So what do you want, lie down and give up? They are where they are, nothing can change that, they have to try and build from now. Whingeing about the lack of native apps is completely pointless - they've gone down the Amazon route as the only viable option, and we'll have to see how that pans out.

[MarsupilamiX]

So what do you want, lie down and give up? They are where they are, nothing can change that, they have to try and build from now. Whingeing about the lack of native apps is completely pointless - they've gone down the Amazon route as the only viable option, and we'll have to see how that pans out.

I would like a clear message.
What I would like even more, would be for BlackBerry to actually take the Amazon store seriously, as it seems to be their only hope in the short to mid-term.
I would like to see a far bigger partnership with Amazon, considering content and BlackBerry online sales.

There are a lot of other things I would like to see as well, but that's pretty much the basic level of commitment I expect from BlackBerry.


Posted via CB10

[Banco]

I would like a clear message.
What I would like even more, would be for BlackBerry to actually take the Amazon store seriously, as it seems to be their only hope in the short to mid-term.
I would like to see a far bigger partnership with Amazon, considering content and BlackBerry online sales.

There are a lot of other things I would like to see as well, but that's pretty much the basic level of commitment I expect from BlackBerry.


Posted via CB10

Sure. But since it hasn't actually started yet (and presumably pulling video and music instantly was part of the deal) we don't know what that will be just yet. So why not wait and see and then moan if it doesn't happen?

Posted via CB10

[MarsupilamiX]

Sure. But since it hasn't actually started yet (and presumably pulling video and music instantly was part of the deal) we don't know what that will be just yet. So why not wait and see and then moan if it doesn't happen?

Posted via CB10

Because we all know how BlackBerry performed in the past.
We have no indication that they are actually serious about the whole Amazon and ecosystem thing.

I know what you mean, but not complaining enough is pretty much what got BlackBerry in the place they are right now, to begin with.

Posted via CB10

[Banco]

Because we all know how BlackBerry performed in the past.
We have no indication that they are actually serious about the whole Amazon and ecosystem thing.

I know what you mean, but not complaining enough is pretty much what got BlackBerry in the place they are right now, to begin with.

Posted via CB10

And no indication that they aren't. If you're just going to slate them for every initiative on the grounds that they've handled things poorly in the last couple of years, what's the point? Either they do it properly and we're happy, or they don't and we can complain.

Moaning before the fact is just pointless.

Posted via CB10

[ljfong]

Anybody who thinks BlackBerry made the Amazon deal because they genuinely care about the consumer experience is sadly mistaken [in my opinion]. To me, this deal is all about "what is the absolute minimum amount of effort we can put into the consumer market?" This deal let them offload consumer app development, it let them lay off almost all of the developer relations staff, get rid of the gaming team, kill the BlackBerry Jam Rewards developer program, kill off Scoreloop, and kill off the music and video stores; all while being able to claim publicly that they are doing this great thing for users and the future of the platform, and getting "thousands of new (Android) apps" in the process. They're not combining it into one app store; they're not even giving us a native Amazon Appstore client. I seriously doubt they will even weed out the apps that won't work on the BlackBerry Android runtime. I bet most Android app developers won't provide us support if we have problems after downloading their app from Amazon.

It's a raw deal for us all the way around. There's nothing Amazon gives me that I can't already get from Snap.

Sigh. Ain't the truth painful they say.

[darkehawke]

The Amazon deal is a pretty poor thing for blackberry really.
You get an app store that's almost as bad as the bb10 one in terms of content.
Microsoft have been chasing the important apps while blackberry have chased an ecosystem that suffers the same problems it does.
This is why blackberry have lost the fight for 3rd position.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

[mnc76]

The Amazon deal is a pretty poor thing for blackberry really.
You get an app store that's almost as bad as the bb10 one in terms of content.
Microsoft have been chasing the important apps while blackberry have chased an ecosystem that suffers the same problems it does.
This is why blackberry have lost the fight for 3rd position.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

I wouldn't be so quick to discount the Amazon store when compared to Microsoft's app store.

Yes, MS has gotten many developers to make WP versions of their apps, but most of the time, the Android version of the app runs on BB10 and is way way better (feature wise) than the WP version.

For example, Instagram for Android has way more features than Instagram for WP. Instagram made a 'preview' version of it for WP and have seemingly not done any work on it since. There is still no 'Instagram Direct' feature (even though that came out ages ago on Android). Using Instagram for Android on BB10 is a much more feature-rich experience than using even the 'official' WP version.

Also, Android apps load way way faster on 10.3 than 10.2.1. It has been confirmed that they now load as fast as native BB10 apps on 10.3.0.700 and higher. It has also been confirmed that Android compatibility has increased substantially: most apps that would crash on 10.2.1 now run perfectly on 10.3 (not including apps that require Google Play Services of course).

And, although I have yet to confirm it, reportedly Android apps also run much faster on 10.3 as well (with lag substantially reduced or eliminated).

My point is that--yes--Microsoft has gotten a lot of developers to make first-party versions of their apps for WP, but in many cases, the BB10 experience is still better (even though we may need to run the Android version) because the WP versions lack the latest features and often get very little attention from the devs.

Posted via CB10

[Emaderton3]

Well I hope they do something soon. For a few days, all apps I have downloaded from Amazon either won't start or crash with an error saying they cannot communicate with the Appstore.

Posted via CB10

[skibnik]

The Amazon deal is a pretty poor thing for blackberry really.
You get an app store that's almost as bad as the bb10 one in terms of content.
Microsoft have been chasing the important apps while blackberry have chased an ecosystem that suffers the same problems it does.
This is why blackberry have lost the fight for 3rd position.

Posted via the Android CrackBerry App!

Uh BlackBerry didn't chase the important apps? Well they approached Netflix practically on hands and knees for them to Port their app when they refused BlackBerry then asked to license their api so they couldwrite a native app themselves and maintain it and again Netflix refused same goes for instagram and other so called top tier app devs what more could they have done?

Z30 and loving it!