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Submit your Super App in the 2010 BlackBerry Developer Challenge. Contest ends Sept. 6, 2010.
Super App characteristics
Select a link below to learn more about characteristics that make an app a Super App.
BlackBerry developers talk about what makes a Super App.
in the background. Make your app context-aware and
provide location-specific features. Integrate seamlessly with the native
BlackBerry smartphone apps. Incorporate social networking into
your app. Provide near real-time proactive
alerting and notifications. Design with efficiency and scalability
in mind.
The always-on experience
When running in the background, a Super App can pull down critical data, update its Home screen icon and register custom menu items with the native BlackBerry smartphone applications. A Super App can also:
- Start when the BlackBerry smartphone is powered up
- Listen and react to events
- Listen for inbound push data
- Download content before the user needs it
- Generate notifications
- Share data with other third-party apps
Highly contextualized
Provide users with useful information when and where they need it. Your app can use the information around it to deliver content and services that are relevant in the current context.
Location-based services for BlackBerry smartphones can leverage GPS data to understand a user’s current location and deliver relevant data. Your app could also access the phone logs to understand who’s calling and then seamlessly pop up related information.
Related information- BlackBerry Java® Application Location-based Services Development Guide
- Introduction to GPS and BlackBerry smartphones video
- Advanced GPS techniques video
Tight integration with native apps
Apps can integrate in many ways with the native BlackBerry smartphone applications. Your app could:
- Add menu items to the messages application, calendar or address book to provide one-click access to the app
- Inject custom messages into the messages application with a unique icon so users can see alerts and updates within their messages list
- Invoke the messages application, address book, calendar, BlackBerry® Maps, phone and media player with relevant contextual data
- BlackBerry Java Application Integration Development Guide
- How to use email, SMS, MMS and PIN messaging video
Social and connected
Keep users in touch by building social networking and sharing into your app.
- Use BlackBerry APIs to invoke the messages application, SMS, MMS or instant messaging clients to allow users to share content from your app with contacts in their address book
- Leverage peer-to-peer communications or server-initiated push to share information within your app between two or more users
- Register with the camera to become the default handler for picture or video sharing
- BlackBerry Java Application Integration Development Guide
- How to use email, SMS, MMS and PIN messaging video
Proactive and notification-driven
Keep users informed by notifying them when certain events occur or relevant push data arrives on the smartphone. To notify users, your app could:
- Initiate a custom audible notification or vibrate the smartphone
- Change the status of its Home screen icon
- Inject a custom notification into the top banner of the smartphone Home screen
- Inject a custom message into the messages application
- Present users with a pop-up dialog screen
- BlackBerry® Push Service SDK documentation
- Alert a BlackBerry smartphone user from a background application
Efficient
An app that quickly drains the smartphone battery is an app that quickly gets deleted. Take advantage of the BlackBerry platform to deliver an app experience that’s respectful of device resources, battery life, network capacity and cellular data costs.
- Leverage push technology instead of network polling
- Download large amounts of data in the background over Wi-Fi® instead of the cellular network
- Ensure your app goes to sleep when waiting in the background
Select a link below to learn how that app demonstrates a Super App characteristic.
An always-on experience Contextual information Tight integration A social experience Proactive notifications EfficienciesWeatherBug
The Weather Bug app is always running in the background. It shows the current temperature and weather conditions, and automatically updates when the weather changes or an alert is issued.
foursquare
foursquare uses contextual data to help users quickly check into locations. Users don’t have to enter their location or search through a long list of places as the app only shows locations near where they are.
Navita Translator
The Navita Translator app is tightly integrated with the native BlackBerry smartphone applications. The app can be called upon to translate text from a web page, email or text message.
buzzd
buzzd incorporates a social element to help people decide where they want to go. Using the feed function, users can see what others have said about places near them.
WorldMate
The WorldMate app proactively alerts users about flight changes. The app can let users know about delays, gate changes and even flight departures if they need to pick someone up at the airport.
Slacker Radio
Slacker Radio is an efficient app. It caches radio stations so users can listen to their favorite stations, even when they’re not connected to the cellular network.
Join the thousands of developers already creating apps
The BlackBerry Application Platform makes it easy to create transformative mobile apps and offers the flexibility to leverage your existing development skills.