BlackBerry APIs Supports Mobile Applications

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RIM added APIs to the BlackBerry JDE to facilitate mobile application development. Third party applications for will be facilitate. More than 125,000 registered developers have downloaded the BlackBerry JDE, which exposes thousands of Java APIs that developers can utilize to create powerful and innovative applications on the BlackBerry platform.

The Java APIs are a rich collection of programming controls based on the industry standard Java Micro Edition along with an extensive set of Java APIs for BlackBerry that enable tighter integration with the unique features of BlackBerry smartphones and applications.

Some APIs available for BlackBerry smartphones are:

* Mobile Multi-Media API for Java (JSR 135) allowing developers to embed custom audio and video content into applications; invoke the BlackBerry Media Player to play video or audio content; record audio or voice and save recorded files to the handset or send it over the Internet
* Camera APIs that allow developers to invoke the camera application and access pictures taken with the camera; support for registering listeners with the Camera application that enable an application to be notified when a new picture is taken
* Support for MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC and AMR audio formats with support for routing audio playback to the external speaker, connected headset and Bluetooth
* XML and Web Services support to help simplify communications with existing Internet applications
* BlackBerry Messenger APIs allowing access to presence and contact information and the ability to send peer-to-peer messages
* File System Access APIs (JSR 75) to provide access to documents and other files stored locally on the smartphone or on the microSD expansion memory; support for registering listeners with the file system that enable an application to be notified when a new files are added or removed
* GPS APIs (JSR 179) that provide access to location information from local GPS chip or external GPS receiver connected over Bluetooth
* BlackBerry Maps API providing access to the map application to display an address or a route with BlackBerry Maps providing all of the geo-coding and mapping data for free
* Wallpaper and Ringtone Customization Java APIs to enable custom applications to add new wallpapers and ringtones to the smartphone
* Planned support for 3D Graphics API (JSR 184) and SVG API (JSR 226) to enable more powerful gaming and rich-media content
* Planned support for MMS Java APIs (JSR 205) to complement the existing SMS and Phone APIs which enable third party applications to listen for incoming phone calls and SMS messages, invoke the phone application to place a call, and compose SMS messages for peer-to-peer messaging