BlackBerry smartphones have been around for a while, but with record numbers of devices sold and the launch of BlackBerry App World, there has never been a more exciting time to get into BlackBerry application development.

Assuming only some programming background in Java or a similar language, this book starts with the basics and teaches you what you need to know to get started developing native applications for BlackBerry. Step by step tutorials will take you through downloading and installing the BlackBerry development environment, creating your first applications, and exploring the BlackBerry API.

You’ll learn how to use the BlackBerry user interface components to create the look and feel you want, how to use networking to create applications that can talk to servers anywhere on the internet, how to manage application lifecycle and data storage, and how to use the GPS and mapping functionality included on many devices to create location-aware applications.

You’ll also learn about the different ways you can package and distribute your application, from deploying an application on your own website to listing your application for sale on App World.
What you’ll learn

* Complete BlackBerry native application development
* How to work with the BlackBerry JDE and the JDE Plug-in for Eclipse
* How to debug your application, and deploy onto real devices
* How to work with networking, GPS and maps, and persistent storage
* How to work with and customize the BlackBerry UI
* Ways to distribute your application, from hosting on your own website to listing on BlackBerry App World

Who is this book for

Software developers who have little or no experience with BlackBerry development and are interested in developing native applications for BlackBerry. Ideally, you’ll have some background in Java or a similar langua