With things winding down here at BlackBerry® Jam Americas 2012, it’s time to wrap up the week and it has definitely been a busy one on the Inside BlackBerry blog family. Donny, Luke and I all agree: It has been one fantastic week here in San Jose. We saw new BlackBerry 10 announcements, great workshops, new tooling, partner demos and even a music video tribute. We were here capturing all the action as it happened. Check out our BlackBerry Jam Americas wrap video. Listen to what the attendees wanted to share and you’ll see what an awesome vibe the show had.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Thanks for tuning in to another great BlackBerry Jam event, keep it locked to the Inside BlackBerry blogs for more details on upcoming BlackBerry Jam events in Europe and Asia, the new BlackBerry Jam for Enterprise events and of course all your official BlackBerry 10 news.

Did you join us at BlackBerry Jam Americas 2012, or catch all the action from home? Give us a shout out in the comments below.

Quality matters. You heard it from Alec Saunders in May at BlackBerry® 10 Jam in Orlando. Quite simply, better apps have a greater chance of success. We feel the best way to help you reach that success is to be fully committed to supporting our developer community’s efforts. Quality is the cornerstone of the developer experience improvements we’ve been working on, and RIM® is dedicated to working with developers to bring the best apps to our customers.

Two of the ways Alec outlined our commitment to quality in the developer community and app ecosystem are with regards to app reviews and the 10K commitment. Today we’re excited to share more information on these initiatives: Built for BlackBerry and the $10K Developer Commitment.

In the Built for BlackBerry program coming this fall, you will be able to submit BlackBerry® 10 WebWorks™ or BlackBerry® 10 Native apps for third-party review. This will be free (for now). BlackBerry 10 apps that pass will receive “Built for BlackBerry” quality status, which you can display on your site, in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront – anywhere you market your apps. This is a great opportunity for professional developers to powerfully differentiate their apps in BlackBerry App World.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Developer Blog »

We are thrilled to provide every developer who attends BlackBerry® 10 Jam a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device. This is a prototype device created for the purpose of testing BlackBerry 10 applications during development. Did I mention it’s a prototype? The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha is not a BlackBerry 10 smartphone for end users nor does it run the final BlackBerry 10 software – it’s been created just for our developer partners to help them prepare for the launch of BlackBerry 10.

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha has a 4.2″ screen with a resolution of 1280×768. It has Micro USB for debugging and charging. It has a Micro HDMI port for displaying video on a television or monitor with a HDMI port. It has Bluetooth and WiFi radios and is cellular ready (micro SIM).

It’s important to get this prototype into the hands of our partners now so that you can help us deliver the type of high-quality content that will make BlackBerry 10 so special. With the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, you can test your apps on real hardware to work out interface, ergonomic and usability issues. This device is also a show of our commitment to helping developers build engaging apps for BlackBerry 10. Developers have told us they wanted hardware to test on before the platform launches and we are delivering.

Later, we’ll be posting interviews with some of our partners so you can hear first-hand what it’s like to build for BlackBerry 10

We’re all incredibly excited to be able to share the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha with you. We can’t wait to see the amazing things you’ll build for BlackBerry 10!

Registration for BlackBerry® 10 Jam in Orlando is underway and we’re getting excited about all the speakers, sessions, and labs that you’ll be able to experience.  Did I say labs?  Yes, labs – and lots of them – run by our BlackBerry 10 development experts.  But for labs, you need tools, right?  You do. And we will have them. We will release the first beta of the BlackBerry ® 10 Developer Tools at BlackBerry 10 Jam! These toolsets will include:

• BlackBerry® 10 Native SDK
• BlackBerry® 10 WebWorks™ SDK
• BlackBerry® 10 SDK for Adobe® Air®
• BlackBerry® 10 SDK for Android™ apps

One of the best parts about BlackBerry 10 Jam will be the opportunity to have hands-on time with the tools and access to BlackBerry platform experts, who can help guide you, give tips and tricks and other info as you get started building apps for BlackBerry 10.

Not only will developer attendees get access to the BlackBerry 10 Developer Tools, but they’ll also be receiving a limited edition developer prototype device – the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha™.  This is not a BlackBerry 10 smartphone – it is a prototype running a modified version of the PlayBook OS which will help developers design their apps for the BlackBerry 10 smartphone form factor.  Just to be 100% clear – it’s not the final hardware or OS for BlackBerry 10 – it’s a device to help developers get started with designing for what’s coming.  BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha is only for developers – not end users – and is only available to developer attendees at BlackBerry 10 Jam.

I also want to let you know now that space is limited at this show, so register sooner than later. We’ll have more information on the BlackBerry 10 Developer Tools as we get closer to the show – so keep checking back here to the Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog for more updates.

We knew developers were excited about our latest BlackBerry® PlayBook™ offer for Android™ developers when we announced it two weeks ago. You asked that Native C/C++, HTML5, Adobe® AIR®, and Qt developers have a chance to participate and we answered by opening the offer to all developers.

Today was going to be the deadline for the offer – but due to the overwhelming interest in the offer, we’re extending it one more time. How much interest? There have been over 1,500 app submissions as of last Friday and over 6,600 new developers registered in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront.  We have teams working around the clock to approve vendor registrations and app submissions.  Because of the high demand, approvals are taking longer than normal – we appreciate your patience.

To help speed up the approval process of your application, we strongly recommend the following:

• Before submitting your application to BlackBerry App World, please make sure to remove all mention of the word “Android” from your application – both in the application description and the application itself.
• Please remove all links to Android Marketplace from within your application.
• When submitting your Android application to BlackBerry App World, please make sure to select a minimum OS of 2.0.
• Please make sure your application is signed. For more information on code signing, please view the code signing documentation on the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps webpage.

If you’re not a registered BlackBerry App World vendor, you now have until 11:59 PM EST on February 15, 2012 to register at
http://appworld.blackberry.com/isvportal
.

All vendors (new and existing) now have until 11:59 PM EST on March 2, 2012 to submit your application to BlackBerry App World. Check out our offer FAQ and we’ll be updating the official terms & conditions later today.

The BlackBerry® Native SDK for Tablet OS gives you the power to create rich C/C++ games. For those of you just getting started with developing for the BlackBerry platform, these links will help you quickly get a jump on making your own games using the BlackBerry Native SDK.

• Download the BlackBerry Native SDK for Tablet OS for Windows®, Mac OS X or Linux.
• Get started with the BlackBerry Native SDK for Tablet OS by creating and deploying your first OpenGL ES application.
• Learn about the QNX® Momentics® IDE with full suite of debugging and profiling tools.

Once you’ve gotten a good start, be sure to check out the Developer’s Guide, Tutorials and Libraries available in the BlackBerry Native SDK including:

• STL and POSIX library support
• OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 for 2D and 3D graphics
• OpenAL for cross-platform 3D audio
• libpng and libjpeg for encoded images
• FreeType for fonts
• Scoreloop SDK for integrating social gaming capabilities

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog »

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

Earlier this week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I met up with Eric Wood from Electronic Arts to have a chat about the gaming experience on BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets. While we did cover the benefits of the 7-inch form factor and the performance of top titles like Dead Space, what I was super excited about was the sneak peek of Plants vs. Zombies – a wildly popular game that is on its way to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet platform in the near future. I gave it a shot during the video and Eric was even kind enough to impart some wisdom and strategy for keeping those zombies off of my lawn. Check out the video above for the full scoop!

Have you played Plants vs. Zombies before? What’s your strategy? Share in the comments!

[YouTube link for mobile viewing]

One title we’ve been really excited to see launch is ZeptoLab’s “Cut The Rope”. It’s one of the most successful games out there, and there’s a reason for that – you can’t put it down once you start playing. Carolyn hasn’t put down her BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in over an hour, and that’s not good – we’ve got a lot of blogging to do for CES! Check out the video above to view a chat with Diana from Zepto Lab on Cut the Rope for BlackBerry PlayBook.

The object of the game is simple – cut the ropes (and avoid the spikes) to feed candy to Om Nom (the cute green monster). It’s easier said than done, though – and you have hundreds of levels to play through. What’s more awesome? Cut the Rope is one of the first apps with ScoreLoop integration – letting you share your score with your friends. For more info on ScoreLoop, check out their site or this blog post.

Download Cut the Rope from BlackBerry App World and get started on those levels! We’ve got some more great apps coming to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet over the next few days – stay tuned to the Inside BlackBerry Blog and @BlackBerry for updates!

Attention BlackBerry App World™ storefront shoppers! We’re excited to announce the global launch of BlackBerry App World™ v3.1. You’ll be receiving an upgrade notification over the next few days – or if you can’t wait, click here to download now. The latest version of BlackBerry App World introduces exciting new features to help you personalize your BlackBerry® smartphone.

Requesting a Gift

They say “it’s better to give than receive,” but in the case of BlackBerry App World v3.1, you can do both! The new ‘Request Gift’ feature lets you send a gift request to one of your BBM™ contacts so they can buy it for you if they choose!

With multiple payment methods, you can buy the gift in the way that’s most convenient for you. You can use PayPal®, your credit card, or charge the purchase directly to your wireless bill (where supported by your wireless carrier). You can also decline the request if you decide it’s not in your budget (or if they’re on the naughty list).

Content Rating and Filtering

With the launch of BlackBerry App World v3.1, we’re introducing an industry standard content rating system which is designed to give users the ability to restrict content of specific ratings. It’s a great feature for parents who want to keep certain types of content from their children, and it’s also great for any BlackBerry smartphone user who wants to block adult or mature content. The content rating system is based on CTIA Wireless Association’s “Guidelines for App Content Classification and Ratings”. For more info on how RIM and our developers rate the apps, check out this post on our Developer Blog.

Setting your personal preferences (or content controls for the phones on your family account) according to the content rating levels is simple All you need to do is upgrade to the latest BlackBerry App World storefront client which will become available on December 19th, 2011 and set the rating by accessing “My Account > Content Controls” as shown below:

There are four content classifications available for personalization – Adult, Mature, Teen or General. As you navigate throughout the BlackBerry App World storefront to view and discover content, the rating level will be indicated on the application detail page. For example, content that has been rated suitable for teens will be marked by a “T”; content that has been rated suitable for all ages will be marked by a “G” to indicate it’s for general audiences; and so on. The BlackBerry App World storefront is designed to provide you with the details about each setting to help determine which filters are right for you.

Download when on Wi-Fi only!

We’ve worked with our partners and are happy to announce that the BlackBerry App World storefront is now available for browsing, purchasing, and downloading apps via Wi-Fi – even if you’re out of cellular range or have your cellular radio turned off! Why does this matter? There are areas where you won’t get a cellular signal or you may be in places where you’re not allowed to turn on your cellular antenna , but you may be able to hop on a Wi-Fi network. And where there’s Wi-Fi, you can now stay connected to BlackBerry App World and grab new apps and updates any time.

Your feedback is important to us. Download BlackBerry App World v3.1 and let us know what you think!

We’re very excited to bring a new feature to the BlackBerry App World™ storefront that is designed to make publishing and discovering amazing apps on the BlackBerry® platform much safer for everyone involved. On Wednesday November 30th, 2011 we will be performing a server upgrade that will bring content rating to the storefront. Our content rating system has been planned out based on input from our carrier, consumer, and developer partners to make sure we’ve implemented a content rating system that helps parents control what types of content their children have access to.

After the upgrade is complete, all applications and themes in the BlackBerry App World storefront will receive a default rating. The majority of apps will be rated G (General). If your app or theme is in one of the categories listed below, it’ll receive a rating of T (Teen).

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Developers Blog »