Missing 3rd party apps from PB App World

Howdy,

As pointed out in another thread it seems that some apps for the PB are missing.

While we see a tons of other apps coming into App World the following seem
to be conspicuously missing:

Email Client
Contacts
Calendar
Twitter
Instant Messaging

If you have developed one of the above and submitted it to App World
please let us all know when.

An example is AiFlex who has produced, submitted and is now waiting for their
email client (aMail) to hit PB App World.

AiFlex has a VNC client on App World, but it seems odd that the email client is not.

When you look at what App World has and then see what it does not have
it appears that RIM is holding back "the good stuff". Why?

Seems clear to some, they don't want some 3rd party apps out before their own
applications. (the ones we have not seen on our PBs yet).

What do you think?

Should Crackberry look into it? Do a write up about it? Ask RIM for comment?

If this fair play?

Thanks,

Tim

This kind of gaming was one reason that I stayed away from the iPad. I really didn't want Apple (or anyone else) telling me what I could or could not run on MY equipment. If RIM is going to play the same game I'll return my PB and just go with an Android tablet.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that once the Android player is out we'll be seeing mostly Android apps on the Playbook anyway.

This trend is starting to really worry me as well. One of the biggest reasons I'm a BlackBerry faithful on the phone is that they don't restrict software installation in any way. (Aside from requiring code signing, which anyone can do.)

If they move towards a platform just as locked down as what Apple does, then maybe its time for me to finally give up and switch.

One thing I do promote, is that if you wish to change something you must
be part of it. To return your PB takes you out of the game. Being a user
and asking questions, supplying demand is the way to go.

Solutions come from those involved and active.

Tim

there is a contacts app, and there is a calendar/scheduler app.

Originally Posted by BBThemes

there is a contacts app, and there is a calendar/scheduler app.

True and perhaps I should remove them from the above list.

But the others still hold true.

Tim

Originally Posted by trsbbs

True and perhaps I should remove them from the above list.

But the others still hold true.

Tim

Before you remove them, do they pose a threat to RIMs efforts? If they are limited in some way or are not able to "interlace?" (not sure if that's the word I want) with other PIM type apps, perhaps they were approved due to that?

Anyway, just saying....:)

Originally Posted by dkingsf

Before you remove them, do they pose a threat to RIMs efforts? If they are limited in some way or are not able to "interlace?" (not sure if that's the word I want) with other PIM type apps, perhaps they were approved due to that?

Anyway, just saying....:)

why? how does any prospective 3rd email client integrate with contacts/calendar? it doesnt. and what would you expect a contacts app to integrate to? bearing in mind the API`s for bridge arent out there yet.

@trsbbs I agree that change comes from within. However once RIM has sold me a device I have in essence rewarded them for whatever practices they institute.

If I keep the PB and RIM banks my money what incentive do they have to change anything? My 'evaluation' ends 5/20 that's when I have to decide whether to keep the PB or return it to Best Buy. Right now I'm only mildly impressed. The ONLY app that has given me ANY reason to keep the PB is aVNC and the ability to get into our servers. Pretty sure I can do the same thing on the other two platforms so it's RIM's game to lose. They currently have my money, question becomes whether they get to keep it.....

Locking down how we get apps into the PB isn't going to win my heart or mind.

Lets try to keep on the topic here. Reasons for taking a PB back can be posted
in a number of other threads.

Not trying to be a moderator here, but would like to hear more about what I was asking about.

Thanks,

Tim

Originally Posted by BBThemes

why? how does any prospective 3rd email client integrate with contacts/calendar? it doesnt. and what would you expect a contacts app to integrate to? bearing in mind the API`s for bridge arent out there yet.

Not trying to be argumentative, but they could integrate with Exchange, Google Contacts/calendar, Lotus Notes, etc. All sorts of wireless synching opportunities to make them useful, but they don't have any sort of functionality like that, making them pretty much useless (and not a threat to RIMs upcoming apps).

See Touchdown on Android as an example.

Okay back to your post..... No it isn't fair, yes CB should look into it, and we all should let RIM know that we'd like to see apps, ALL apps, released as quickly as possible without suffering delays so that they can position their apps better if that is in fact what is happening.

Sure, I conceptually get that a 3rd Party native email client (or calendar, contacts, etc.) would be in theoretical competition with the pending bundled RIM native apps promised sometime this summer. But how does this usually go? The big manufactures and developers plod along and gradually add more and more features to their products, and then that becomes something the 3rd Party App developers have to deal with, not the other way around. Let's hope the missing apps show up soon. If RIM is going to take most of the "native email and BBM this summer", then lets have the 3rd party apps in the interim. If that happens, and in mid July RIM releases a QNX update that includes native BB email, what, we're all going to boycott the use of it? The likelihood is that there will be some integration feature not available to 3rd party developers and we will mostly all migrate to the RIM app. I can't even remember the names of the mail and txt'ing 3rd party apps that were out there, because I just use what comes loaded. So I don't think RIM is quaking over this, but there may be some other hold that we are not aware of.

Originally Posted by mmcpher

Sure, I conceptually get that a 3rd Party native email client (or calendar, contacts, etc.) would be in theoretical competition with the pending bundled RIM native apps promised sometime this summer. But how does this usually go? The big manufactures and developers plod along and gradually add more and more features to their products, and then that becomes something the 3rd Party App developers have to deal with, not the other way around. Let's hope the missing apps show up soon. If RIM is going to take most of the "native email and BBM this summer", then lets have the 3rd party apps in the interim. If that happens, and in mid July RIM releases a QNX update that includes native BB email, what, we're all going to boycott the use of it? The likelihood is that there will be some integration feature not available to 3rd party developers and we will mostly all migrate to the RIM app. I can't even remember the names of the mail and txt'ing 3rd party apps that were out there, because I just use what comes loaded. So I don't think RIM is quaking over this, but there may be some other hold that we are not aware of.

All well and good, but aMail STILL has not been released. We all know what they are waiting for....... their own slow to market effort, once again.:mad:

Originally Posted by dkingsf

We all know what they are waiting for....... their own slow to market effort, once again.:mad:

How do we know this?