The Pros and Cons of the BlackBerry App Development Platform
BlackBerry, one of the veterans in the world of OS platforms for mobile devices, has seen its fair share of hits & misses in the competitive mobile market. The year 2009 was perhaps the best year for development of apps running on the BlackBerry development platform.
BlackBerry,
one of the veterans in the world of OS platforms for mobile devices, has seen its fair share of hits & misses in the competitive mobile market. The year 2009 was perhaps the best year for development of apps running on the BlackBerry development platform. Though designed keeping the interests & functions of the corporate world in mind, BlackBerry has evolved over the years to incorporate several features aimed to meet the expectations of the common user. Does the operating system provide exciting opportunities to an app developer? Or is BlackBerry a not so perfect choice, at least for developers who are not involved in corporate app designing? The list of pros & cons of the BlackBerry app development platform given below will help you to answer the question.
Pros of BlackBerry App Development Platform
1. Push Email Technology – When it comes to messaging or emailing, there is no better OS platform than BlackBerry. The integration of push mail technology in this operating system allows a user to receive messages on the main screen at the same moment as they are sent to one’s inbox. Therefore, for professionals or common users who have to constantly send & receive messages, BlackBerry is the best platform.
2. Excellent Data Management – The reason why most corporate houses still opt to deploy the BlackBerry OS in spite of the invention of several other operating systems is the stability shown by this platform & its ability to handle a large amount of data by compressing it. The BlackBerry devices can compress data to half of its original size; this also helps to save costs for the user since he/she does not have to invest in expensive bandwidth.
3. Hardware – The QWERTY keyboard of BlackBerry allows customers to type faster and also accurately. Not only does a BlackBerry device possess the most elegant keyboard, its hardware is also considered very rugged; this means that the hardware used for designing this OS platform is more durable and less prone to abuse when compared to its competitors.
4. Battery Life – When fully charged, BlackBerry devices can operate for one whole day even if used constantly. This platform provides the best battery life.
Cons of BlackBerry App Development Platform
1. Slow Web Browser – Users refrain from accessing the internet from the BlackBerry platform since this is a very sluggish experience. It is indeed surprising that though BlackBerry compresses data so well, it cannot load web sources like images or wallpapers fast. This is the reason why BlackBerry app developers are in less demand.
2. App Store – Taking a leaf from the pages of the Apple App Store, RIM introduced its own store called the BlackBerry App World. Though the store featured a decent number of mobile applications, it failed to capture the interest of the users since BlackBerry’s app store sells applications with poor performing user interfaces.
3. Too Business Oriented – The BlackBerry platform still has not managed to come it of its corporate outlook. Though the operating system promised to bridge the gap between business professionals and the average consumer, in reality the BlackBerry tools are still suited to corporate interests rather than satisfying everyday needs of an average mobile user.
Despite the limitations in the BlackBerry platform, it is one of the major choices among mobile application developers. One of the first operating systems to have been introduced, BlackBerry is still a favorite among large sections of the society.
