[Ldsoss] Blackberry / Palm apps

[Steven H. McCown]

Among a zillion other things (I do work at a gov't research lab -- which is
still hiring, btw), I've done some Blackberry R&D.  The Blackberry is a
pretty closed architecture.  They have moved away from C/C++ to a Java OS.
All programs are written in Java (J2ME).  There is no file system per se and
all storage is done via the Blackberry database.  I found it rather
confining, but the main reason that BBs are so popular is their security.
By design, they allow users to access sites/info both inside and outside of
the corporate firewall.  When you write an app for a BB (other than your
own), it must be signed by a signing key that you must purchase from RIM for
$100.  Even so, there are security policies that may preclude users from
downloading your app.  Those policies are set by the user's company, but
they do vary widely.  That's important to know at the outset, because some
users won't be able to load a non-standard reader app that you either build
or download.

I found 2 books to be pretty helpful for learning the BB:

- Blackberry Hacks by Dave Mabe
- Professional Blackberry by Craig Johnston

You can get both for ~$43 @ Amazon.  I also just stumbled across this site
(http://www.bachmannhandheldsolutions.com/hackingbb.htm) for a book that was
released Nov 6th.

There really isn't a lot of OSS for the Blackberry, although you will find
some.  Here are some sites that I found useful for learning 'non-standard'
things about the BB:

(www.blackberryforums.com)
(www.pinstack.com)

If you're interested in BB security issues, I can point you to more websites
than you ever wanted to read.  :)

I can also answer questions regarding other handheld wireless devices, but
as you've probably found, those platforms are very open for developing new
apps.

Hope this helps,

Steve


-----Original Message-----
From: ldsoss-bounces at lists.ldsoss.org
[mailto:ldsoss-bounces at lists.ldsoss.org] On Behalf Of Bill Pringle
Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2006 9:22 AM
To: ldsoss at lists.ldsoss.org
Subject: [Ldsoss] Blackberry / Palm apps

I created a reporting package that imports MLS data and creates CSV 
files, text files, and files formatted for MarkMyScriptures, that 
runs on Palm and CE.  A number of people who used my program have 
switched over to Blackberries.

The most popular option has been the MMS files, since I use the 
Book/Chapter scheme to index the files so that you can find entries quickly.

Does anyone know if skimware is / will support Blackberry?

Is anyone familiar with Blackberry that can give me some pointers on 
ways I can create files that can be imported by 
Blackberry?  Hopefully something that will support some kind of index
feature.

I used google and found lots of database import tools, but I'm not 
sure what the typical user would have loaded on their 
Blackberry.  Ideally, the import file would be for either a default 
application that would be on all units, or a freeware application 
that people could install.

I looked at mobipocket, which looks like a good possibility, but it 
also sounded like it was a fairly new product.  Does anyone have any 
experience with it?




---
Bill Pringle
work: Bill.Pringle at unisys.com   http://www.unisysfsp.com
http://www.unisys.com
home/school: wrp103 at psu.edu http://www.personal.psu.edu/~wrp103
http://CherylWheeler.com

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