BlackBerry 7

Updated rich graphics

BlackBerry smartphones with BlackBerry 7 OS support accelerated graphics and the Open GL ES 2.0 standard. With the Open GL ES 2.0 Graphics APIs, you can incorporate compelling graphics and create a better mobile gaming experience for your users.

Rich multimedia

Enhance the multimedia experience in your app with several new APIs:

• Native Window API: display Open GL graphics, UI and information (stats, subtitles, etc.) over native screens such as the camera viewfinder, video, browser and pictures to provide an experience that combines the real and virtual worlds
• HD video recording: users can record stunning videos with a default setting of HD (720p), then share them via MMS with the MMS Mode (176x144)
• Audio Buffering API: allow your app to set the buffer size (in milliseconds) before playback starts
• Audio Bitrate: change and retrieve the audio bitrate during video recording and specify the audio bitrate for AMR codec for video recording
• OpenVG API enhancements: support common OpenVG operations and simplify porting 2D canvas style code to OpenVG
• UDP Multicast API: receive multicast packets and send UDP packets to multiple destinations with a single multicast group ID

Device integration

Integrate your app with BlackBerry smartphone features with these APIs:

• Magnetometer (Compass) API: detect magnetic fields in your app to determine the smartphone's direction and orientation relative to the real world
• Send Menu API: provide a "Send..." menu and allow users to share your app content with contacts the same way that core BlackBerry smartphone apps do
• Geofencing APIs: specify geospatial boundaries and provide notifications when a user crosses the boundary
• Maps APIs: add complex geospatial shapes such as polygons, images and markers to a MapField and create items that inform the MapField when their state has changed
• Travel Time API enhancement: allow users to find out the departure time needed to arrive at a location at a specific time based on current traffic conditions
• Unified Search enhancement: dynamically add or remove indexed keywords for an indexed object and use a single interface to provide "searchable data" to the Unified Search Service
• FM Radio APIs: allow applications to interact with the radio on BlackBerry smartphones with supporting hardware
• Profile APIs: create new device and contact profiles, query profiles, and get and set the active profile for the device or for a contact

Near Field Communication

Leverage the NFC capabilities of the BlackBerry smartphone to read and write NFC tags. With the API functionality available, you can access a secure element (JSR 177) for mobile commerce and loyalty apps, and include tag/Card emulation, and tag reading and writing in your app. Your app can also include support for NFC IT Policies.

The new NFC P2P APIs available in the BlackBerry Java SDK v7.1 allow apps to transfer and share data between users with a "tap". Applications may hand over the connection to Bluetooth, so that larger files or data may be transferred over Bluetooth, rather than relying on NFC, which has a limited range. Content-based apps can leverage NFC P2P to share files and gaming apps may leverage NFC P2P to initiate multiplayer sessions through tapping two NFC-enabled devices together.

Enterprise support

BlackBerry® Balance™ technology enables BlackBerry smartphones to be used for business and personal purposes without compromise. When connected to an organization's BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express1, specific IT policies along with features built into the device software2 help keep personal information separate and business information highly secure, allowing users to enjoy the fullest BlackBerry experience on a single device.

• Learn more about BlackBerry Balance technology