Developers

App developers continue to choose iOS, Android and BlackBerry fall behind

I'm just curious as to what kinds of experiences developers are having making apps for the PlayBook or just BlackBerry in general. Almost all the reviews that I've seen of the PlayBook have made mention of its 'potential' yet according to this report, developer interest is dropping at a rapid rate. Me not being a developer is just curious as to why, because based on my logic (however warped it may be) developing for a platform with great potential seems more feasible than trying to get your app recognized among 500,000 others. Is it really the bad press surrounding RIM that is causing people to shut them out or are there more development specific factors?
I once heard that it was very hard to write apps for BlackBerry�s, but to my understanding they have increased developer support in that regard. Some actual developer feedback would be nice.

Perhaps it is just that you are reading a post on the most anti-blackberry and anti-android website there is. BGR has become so biased it looks like they go out of their way to find anything negative about anything put i-Land and report on it, not matter how bad or in-accurate it may be.

It's not so much the website but he idea behind the content. Regardless of how credible they are, it just got me thinking about the mindset of developers towards the PlayBook. I've considered making an app myself but have come to the realization that I'm not creative and anything I include in it (pictures, icons backgrounds) would be pirated and I'm not comfortable doing that for personal gain. I'm really just curious to know what developers think when they hear BlackBerry.

I personally don't pay much attention to surveys. They usually tell us what we already know. More professional developers are interested in making a living and it is no surprise that they gravitate to iOS where the most apps can be sols. Some (not many) surveys yield some surprising results. For example one survey indicates that BlackBerry is second in terms of the number of paid app downloads beating out Android by a significant margin. Such surveys do not capture the imagination of the more biased analysts and so we do not hear about them.

More recently there has been anecdotal evidence that BlackBerry deserves more attention from potential developers. Here is a CrackBerry story from a few days ago:

http://crackberry.com/android-develo...rld-experience

Lol BGR...Enough said...

I think you have to make the distinction between developers who are getting paid from their own apps, versus those who are also doing contract app development for bigger companies.

For the latter, iOS and Android are all that matter right now because that's what 99% of clients are asking them to write.

And, of course, as has been said a million times now, as a developer I'd be a heck of a lot more interested when they finish the NDK.

Originally Posted by app_Developer

I think you have to make the distinction between developers who are getting paid from their own apps, versus those who are also doing contract app development for bigger companies.

Makes sense. I did mean individuals but I can also see why bigger companies would steer away.

I'm really enjoying it my application Frozen Bubble has been available for 3 days, and has more than 200 downloads already! Great platform for development, keep up the good work RIM! :D

I for one have found it pretty difficult to go from developing for android, then trying to develop for BB. I am still trying to figure BB out. Would be nice if they had a fully functional installer that allowed packaging and unpacking of "unsigned" bin files. Unfortunately you have to go through a pretty extensive amount of work to package your product for compatibility then go through the process of signing. Signing is not so bad once you have everything done the first time. Once I figure all this crap out, I will be compiling an installer with everything needed to package and edit your bin files. If that is already done, please email me, as this would save a lot of time.

You may or may not have seen some of my articles on BerryReview.com about my experiences developing for BlackBerry...

I got drawn in by the free PlayBook offer last year and discovered how much fun it is making mobile apps, especially on such pretty hardware as the PlayBook.

As an example of how lucrative the BlackBerry platform can be, I have made $50,000 in the last four months or so, and I'm only making apps during my recreational coding time.

So yes, there's some good anecdotal evidence for RIM to support the claim that App World represents a fantastic opportunity for devs.

Originally Posted by po8pimp

I for one have found it pretty difficult to go from developing for android, then trying to develop for BB. I am still trying to figure BB out. Would be nice if they had a fully functional installer that allowed packaging and unpacking of "unsigned" bin files. Unfortunately you have to go through a pretty extensive amount of work to package your product for compatibility then go through the process of signing. Signing is not so bad once you have everything done the first time. Once I figure all this crap out, I will be compiling an installer with everything needed to package and edit your bin files. If that is already done, please email me, as this would save a lot of time.

Signing made easier. Click here. (Yes, I know it says APK to BAR however believe me it is faster.) :)

Originally Posted by danielbigham

You may or may not have seen some of my articles on BerryReview.com about my experiences developing for BlackBerry...

I got drawn in by the free PlayBook offer last year and discovered how much fun it is making mobile apps, especially on such pretty hardware as the PlayBook.

As an example of how lucrative the BlackBerry platform can be, I have made $50,000 in the last four months or so, and I'm only making apps during my recreational coding time.

So yes, there's some good anecdotal evidence for RIM to support the claim that App World represents a fantastic opportunity for devs.

Congratulations, 50K! Pretty good amount, especially for just 'recreational coding time'... ;)

Originally Posted by danielbigham

You may or may not have seen some of my articles on BerryReview.com about my experiences developing for BlackBerry...

I got drawn in by the free PlayBook offer last year and discovered how much fun it is making mobile apps, especially on such pretty hardware as the PlayBook.

As an example of how lucrative the BlackBerry platform can be, I have made $50,000 in the last four months or so, and I'm only making apps during my recreational coding time.

So yes, there's some good anecdotal evidence for RIM to support the claim that App World represents a fantastic opportunity for devs.

That 50k is exactly what got me thinking about developing. I know that's probably not a guarantee, the way I see it is if I make a 99 cent app and there are 1million playbooks out there that's potentially $1million just like that. Unlikely that it would happen, but one can hope. But realistically this is the type of feedback I'm talking about. What are the draws to or the fears related to the BlackBerry platform.

Originally Posted by itwascasper

That 50k is exactly what got me thinking about developing. I know that's probably not a guarantee, the way I see it is if I make a 99 cent app and there are 1million playbooks out there that's potentially $1million just like that. Unlikely that it would happen, but one can hope. But realistically this is the type of feedback I'm talking about. What are the draws to or the fears related to the BlackBerry platform.

Hey, you never know if what will happen! :)

Also of potential interest is this article that RIM recently published about my efforts:

https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/...y/danielbigham

And other articles here:

https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/...kberry/stories

An article on CB today about Rebuild coming to Playbook from iOS

"I'd like to let other developers know how easy this was and hopefully it will help bring more apps to the PlayBook."

http://crackberry.com/escape-zombie-...berry-playbook


I bought it, im definitely enjoying this game.

Hey Buzz, you and Neil should get together and make an app!

Originally Posted by r0v3rT3N

Signing made easier. Click here. (Yes, I know it says APK to BAR however believe me it is faster.) :)

Congratulations, 50K! Pretty good amount, especially for just 'recreational coding time'... ;)

I already have the ability to sign apps. It is packaging them into a bar file. I can make an apk and port it over to a bar format, however it is not the same. I started using Adobe Editor to make the file, just need to know how to get it to bar from there.

Originally Posted by po8pimp

I already have the ability to sign apps. It is packaging them into a bar file. I can make an apk and port it over to a bar format, however it is not the same. I started using Adobe Editor to make the file, just need to know how to get it to bar from there.

Oh sorry, however I don't have any problems wth that... :confused:

Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps