RIM unveiled a new service platform for Blackberry developers which will enable the developers to build highly responsive, location-aware and revenue-generating applications for BlackBerry smartphones. This new services platform will offer advertising, payment, content push and new location services.
The Advertising Service will enable developers to integrate advertising into their BlackBerry applications, helping them generate revenue and simplifying the business of mobile advertising. The other services offered in this advertising category are ads compliant with the Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) guidelines, real-time, detailed, consolidated reporting of advertising across ad networks, including ad impressions, clicks, conversions and earnings, as well as integration into the Omniture Online Marketing Suite for more advanced analytics.
The Payment Service will help developers to monetize applications by selling digital content such as premium, monthly or annual subscriptions, and additional levels or upgrades for games and other entertainment applications from within their applications.
The Push Service allows developers and content providers to deliver time-sensitive alerts and up to 8 KB of data to applications.
Also RIM will introduce three new location-based services for developers to build highly responsive, location-aware applications for BlackBerry smartphones. The three new location-based services include
- Cell site geolocation – provides developers with an alternative to GPS, providing an estimate of a smartphone’s location based on cell tower triangulation,
- Reverse geocoding – converts geolocation coordinates to a specific address for use in BlackBerry applications and
- Travel time – which will incorporate estimated travel time within their applications for almost any destination in the US and Canada.
Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion(RIM) said, “The BlackBerry ecosystem is thriving and with the new services platform announced today we will help developers further monetize their applications and build breakthrough, highly responsive, location-aware applications for BlackBerry smartphones,” .“RIM is continuing to provide the tools, technologies and business services that developers need to create and market even more powerful and successful applications on the BlackBerry Application Platform.”