The BlackBerry PlayBook OS v1.0.8.4985 contains the following fixes and updates:

• Updated version of Adobe® Flash® Player version 11.1 and Adobe AIR® 3.1
• Daylight savings time updates for time zones in the regions of Latin America, Australia and Central America
• Updated Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi® software to help to improve connectivity
• Fixed issues some users were experiencing with account payments in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront
• Improved synching when restoring applications with BlackBerry Desktop Software

This update also includes a security update for Adobe Flash Player, as noted in Adobe Security Bulletin APSB-11-28, which addresses issues that can potentially affect any PC, tablet, or other device with an operating system that supports Adobe Flash. While there are no known reports of any BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users being affected by these Adobe Flash Player issues, we (as always) encourage all BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users to update to the newest version of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS.

How to update your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

Existing BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users will automatically receive a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet status ribbon, or they can check for the software update at any time in the settings menu under “Software Updates”. Users who purchase and activate a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on or after Thursday November 24th, 2011 will automatically be updated to v1.0.8.4985 or later as part of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet setup process.

For users who are already running BlackBerry PlayBook v1.0.7.2942 or higher, the update to this new version (v1.0.8.4985) will include only the Adobe Flash Player update and is expected to take only a few minutes to install.

On September 21st, Adobe issued an update for Adobe Flash Player, as noted in Adobe Security Bulletins APSB-11-26, which addresses issues that can potentially affect any PC, tablet, or other device with an operating system that supports Adobe Flash.

While there are no known reports of any BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users being affected by these Adobe Flash issues, we (as always) encourage all BlackBerry PlayBook users to update to the newest version of the BlackBerry Tablet OS. For more information about what these security updates mean to the BlackBerry PlayBook, please see our security advisory.

How to update your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

Existing BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users will automatically receive a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook status ribbon, or they can check for the software update at any time in the settings menu under Software Updates. Users who purchase and activate a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on or after Thursday October 6th will automatically be updated to 1.07.3312 or later as part of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet setup process.

For users who are already running BlackBerry PlayBook v1.0.7.2942 or higher, the update to this new version (v1.07.3312) will include only the Adobe Flash update and is expected to take only a few minutes to install.

(Originally posted on the Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog)

Lots of developers work day (and night) to try out a new technology until they understand it completely – but BlackBerry® DEVCON Americas 2011 has a shortcut. Research In Motion® (RIM®) and training partner New Toronto Group (NTG) are pleased to announce the launch of two new application development courses at this year’s conference. Choose between two one-day training opportunities that are intended to improve your skills for developing for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet OS!

Develop for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Using Adobe® Flex® or Adobe® AIR® is a great course if you’re an experienced developer working with Adobe Flex or Adobe AIR and need hands-on experience with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS. You’ll create your own code and work through various features of a sample application, focusing on fundamentals such as designing the user interface, geolocation, consuming XML data and JSON data and deploying the app.

Develop for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Using BlackBerry® WebWorks™ is a course designed for experienced HTML5, JavaScript® and CSS developers. This course will teach you how to create, compile, package and deploy a BlackBerry WebWorks -based application for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. As well, you’ll focus on details like debugging an application using the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Simulator and using an offline database within an application.

Both courses are offered at BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011 on Monday, October 17, from 9 am to 5 pm at the rate of $499 USD per person (lunch and refreshment breaks included). The course fee is in addition to the registration fees for access to BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011.

In one day, you can come away with skills that can make your apps better or your development process faster. And you can do it all while taking advantage of the resources offered at the biggest BlackBerry developer conference in the world. Register now and receive a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet when you arrive at the conference!

I am very pleased to announce today that we are moving to the next stage in our launch plans for the Native SDK for BlackBerry® Tablet OS (‘Native SDK’) tools targeted at game developers. As of today, developers from around the world can apply to participate in our closed beta program to get access to these new and exciting tools.

The Native SDK provides you with the ability to create rich and compelling games for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet using C/C++, the Standard Template Library (STL) and Open GL ES 1.1/2.0. The Native SDK includes a number of POSIX compliant libraries, as well as support for accelerometer, device orientation, and a variety of other functions to make porting your existing games as easy as possible. When you check out games like Need for Speed: Undercover or the new Dead Space from EA, what you are seeing is the Native SDK in action, providing the framework for EA to build incredible gaming experiences on our platform. We are incredibly excited to see what the broader developer community can do when provided with access to these tools.

The Native SDK includes the industry leading QNX® Momentics® Tool Suite, which is an Eclipse-based integrated development environment. QNX Momentics provides unparalleled memory profiling, application debugging, and memory usage statistics, giving you the tools you need to debug sophisticated programs, including hardware accelerated OpenGL applications. QNX Momentics is designed to provide you with a safe, secure, and powerful environment to quickly and efficiently build applications for the BlackBerry Tablet OS.

During the beta we will be providing periodic updates to QNX Momentics to include additional APIs to further enhance your games on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet platform.

To apply to participate in the closed beta, please fill out the form, and we will contact you with more information. Space is limited in this preview and space will be granted on a first come first served basis. We will work to expand the program in the coming weeks for anyone interested in C/C++ development for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet platform.

Hi all, Michael here once again to tell you about the latest update available for your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. BlackBerry® Tablet OS v1.0.7.2942 is available today and it introduces one small but very important new feature: differential updates. The differential updates feature allows us to update only the sections of the BlackBerry Tablet OS that require updating. This should result in smaller download file sizes and therefore faster updating for you! Of course, the differential updates feature will also come in handy as we prepare for more feature-packed BlackBerry Tablet OS updates later this year. =D

Note: BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users must already have BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7.2670 installed to experience differential updates. Going forward, all BlackBerry PlayBook tablets running v1.0.7.2942 or higher will experience differential updates.

In addition to adding new features to the BlackBerry Tablet OS, the BlackBerry PlayBook team at Research In Motion® (RIM®) is always looking for ways to improve your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet experience. As such, we’re thrilled to tell you that we’ve also improved the performance of two key features in BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7.2942.

• Improved Wi-Fi® connectivity to WEP networks
• Faster pairing between a BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet via the BlackBerry® Bridge™ app, and faster attachment opening via BlackBerry Bridge.

How to update to BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7.2942

BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7.2942 can be downloaded over-the-air from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Users who purchase and activate a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on or after Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 will be automatically updated to v1.0.7.2942 as part of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet setup process. Existing BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users will be presented with a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet status ribbon, or they can check for the software update at any time in the Settings Menu under Software Updates.

There will also be an update to the BlackBerry Bridge application at this time, so make sure to install it on your BlackBerry smartphone for maximum compatibility!

We’ve held some fantastic “Meet the PlayBook” events across Europe in the last month – be sure to check out our blog post about the first few dates. Now, we’re excited to announce further event dates and locations!

These half-day events have been a great success so far, and our delegates have learned a lot about developing rich applications for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet using Adobe® Flex®, Adobe® AIR® and the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ SDK! The hands-on sessions with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet have been extremely popular, so don’t miss your opportunity to get a look at our new tablet device!

The event comprises two parallel sessions, one business and one technology focused, and technical teams from Research In Motion and Adobe will also be available to answer your questions.

Our next events are as follows. Places are limited, so early registration is recommended!

• 14th June in Milan
• 21st June in Istanbul
• 21st June in Malmo
• 28th July in Cologne – tbc

BlackBerry Tablet OS Development Resources:

BlackBerry – Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR Development Resources
BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS

Michael here again with more exciting news for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet owners: a new BlackBerry® Tablet OS update is now available! BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 introduces a variety of new features and enhancements, so similar to our BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.3 update post, I’ve compiled a handy list of important need-to-know information so you can hit the ground running with your updated BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Let’s do this!

Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Update and Preload

In addition being available on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, the first tablet-optimized Facebook® application will come preloaded within BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5. The Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet app has been updated to include video uploading, Message deletion, Facebook Search enhancements and more! There’s so much in the Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet update that we gave the app its own post, so click the link and check it out!

Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Update Now Available!

In-App Payments Support

The BlackBerry App World storefront now enables BlackBerry PlayBook applications with in-app payment support. Whether it’s buying another level in a game, or a new edition of a magazine, in-app payment support means dynamic possibilities for BlackBerry PlayBook applications and better apps for users. Developers should read this important post, Introducing the BlackBerry Payment Service and BlackBerry Payment Service SDK, to learn more about updating and submitting their apps to include in-app payment support.

Additional BlackBerry Tablet OS Enhancements

BlackBerry PlayBook Charging and Battery Pop-up:

• The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can now be charged even when fully powered down.
• BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 now alerts you if you are using an incorrect charger with your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. For example, if you accidentally plug an incompatible BlackBerry smartphone charger into the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet you will now receive an alert on the screen to let you know that this charger will not charge your tablet.
• After touching the battery indicator on the top right corner of the home screen, a pop-up will appear and you can now choose to restart the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, turn it off, or put it into standby mode. You can also adjust the screen brightness from this same pop-up.

Additional Language Support:

With BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5, we have added support for the following languages: French, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, and UK English.

Video Chat Connectivity:

We’ve added support for the TURN (Traversal Using Relay NAT) protocol, which enhances Video Chat connections between users when their call is crossing between a public network and an enterprise network behind a firewall.

Wi-Fi Hotspot Detection:

Automatic Wi-Fi hotspot detection in the BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 makes it easier to connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot (at a coffee shop or airport, for example) during the set up process.

Headset Audio Boost:

This new option allows you to add an extra level of volume to help maintain an enjoyable audio experience with your headset in noisier areas, such as airplanes.

How to upgrade to BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5

Users who purchase and activate a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on or after Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 will be automatically updated to v1.0.5 as part of the BlackBerry PlayBook setup process. Existing BlackBerry PlayBook users will be presented with a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook status ribbon, or they can go check for the software update at any time in the Settings Menu under Software Updates.

Post a comment and let us know what you think of these new features added to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

Exciting news! An update to the BlackBerry® Tablet OS is coming to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet this week. BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.3 brings a bunch of new features to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, including a Video Chat application and BBM™ support via BlackBerry® Bridge™, so we’ve compiled a list of important need-to-know facts and tips so you can take advantage of these features right after you install the update. Let’s get started!

BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat

The Video Chat application enables video and voice over Wi-Fi calling between BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in peer-to-peer or enterprise environments using your BlackBerry® ID profile. Here are some of the features I’m really excited about:

• One-Click Calls – With just one click you can make a call from your Video Chat contact list, log of recent calls or simply by entering the BlackBerry ID email address of the person you want to call.
• Incoming Call Notifications – You will receive a notification pop-up when a new video call comes in, allowing you to accept the call as either a video or voice call, or decline the call. For those quiet moments — such as when you’re watching a movie, playing a game or listening to music — you will also have the ability to simply set the “Do Not Disturb” option and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will automatically ignore all incoming calls.
• Powerful In-Call Functions – By using the picture-in-picture function you can easily preview what your camera is seeing prior to placing the call to see the video feed you will be sending. You can also easily switch cameras from front to rear so your friends can see what you see, and for private moments you can mute/unmute audio or make or take calls using voice only.
• Friends List – BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat comes complete with a Friends List for maintaining your contacts. A friendly name and a picture can easily be added to a contact to personalize the entry and a Call Log makes it simple to keep track of who called, as well as when and what calls were missed. Friends are added using their BlackBerry ID profile.
• Video Chat Multitasking – Thanks to the power of the BlackBerry Tablet OS and its true multitasking capabilities, video and voice over Wi-Fi chats can continue running in the background while you interact with other applications.
• HDMI Video Chat – In addition to chatting using the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s high-resolution screen, Video Chat supports HDMI output when in ‘Mirror Mode’, allowing you to output what is on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s screen to a larger HD television or monitor.

BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) Support via BlackBerry Bridge

BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.3 expands the BlackBerry Bridge experience to include BBM (woot! Ed.). BlackBerry smartphone users with BlackBerry Bridge enabled can now mirror their smartphone BBM on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s large high-resolution display over a secure Bluetooth® connection. BBM via BlackBerry Bridge features:

• Full BBM Chat Functionality – Either one-to-one or multi-person chats.
• BBM Status Updates – Let your friends know how you feel about your new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!
• Photo Sharing – Via the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or your BlackBerry smartphone SD card.
• BBM Alerts – New BlackBerry Messenger alerts will appear on the BlackBerry PlayBook notification ribbon.

Document Editing via BlackBerry Bridge

In addition to BBM, BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.3 now adds document-editing support via BlackBerry Bridge to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. This means that documents sitting on your BlackBerry smartphone can now be accessed via secure Bluetooth connection, edited on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s large high-resolution display and then saved back to your BlackBerry smartphone. Here are some important aspects of document editing via BlackBerry Bridge to note:

• File Access – Access to your pictures, documents, spreadsheets and slideshows via either email over BlackBerry Bridge or the BlackBerry Bridge files application. With BlackBerry Bridge, you can view photos and office documents and edit spreadsheets and text-based documents.
• BlackBerry® Internet Service Support – When bridged to a BlackBerry smartphone with a BIS service plan, users can select to either save their document locally on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or back onto their BlackBerry smartphone SD card.
• BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Support – When bridged to a BlackBerry smartphone operating on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, documents automatically get saved back to the BlackBerry smartphone SD card to help ensure corporate data is kept secure.

Home Screen Browser Bookmarks

Users can now quickly save a BlackBerry PlayBook Browser bookmark to the PlayBook tablet home screen for easy access. Select the browser bookmark from the home screen, and the BlackBerry PlayBook browser will automatically launch the webpage you want to see!

How to upgrade to BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.3

Users who purchase and activate a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on or after Tuesday, May 3rd will automatically upgrade to v1.0.3 as part of the BlackBerry PlayBook setup process. Existing BlackBerry PlayBook users will be presented with a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook status ribbon, or they can go check for the software update at any time in the settings menu under Software Updates. The BlackBerry Tablet OS update must be performed over a Wi-Fi® connection and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Post a comment and let us know what you think of these new features added to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Earlier this week, we showed you some BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet applications being demoed by The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) at Mobile World Congress 2011. Both the ‘Scrapbook’ app demo and BlackBerry® WebWorks™ videos were great demonstrations of the power the BlackBerry PlayBook platform has for providing a rich application experience – and that wasn’t all TAT had on hand for us!

The above concept demo, which shows a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet outputting stereoscopic 3D visuals, demonstrates many of the hardware features of the tablet: 1080P HD visual, micro HDMI output, and multi-touch support. It’s also really cool to look at, whether you’re wearing 3D glasses or not! Check it out and let us know what you think of the possibilities of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to catch up with recent acquisition The Astonishing Tribe this week at Mobile World Congress 2011. In the short amount of time since joining RIM, they’ve already built a variety of fun apps demonstrating the performance of the BlackBerry PlayBook platform. One application that caught our eye was the “scrapbook” app, which demonstrates advanced four-finger multi-touch controls and rich graphics in the above video.

Like Need For Speed Underground, the “scrapbook” application is a great example of the power BlackBerry developers will be able to utilize in quickly making their own PlayBook applications with the native BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK. We can’t wait to see what our friends at TAT will show us next!