Bring Your Android Apps to BlackBerry 10 in minutes

Bring Your Android Apps to
BlackBerry 10 (in minutes)
Ranbijay Kumar
Developer Relations - BlackBerry

• What is the BlackBerry Runtime for
Android Apps?
• BlackBerry 10 Features
• New Features Demo
• Development Basics
– Converting Existing Android Apps
– Signing and Publishing to BlackBerry World
• Q&A
2
Overview

What’s BB Runtime for Android Apps?
► It’s Android Open source
v2.3.3 aka “Gingerbread”
Application Framework
running on top of
Playbook/BB10 OS and
Libraries
► Enables Android apps to
be installed and run inside it
► Deep integration with BB
native framework with the
objective to make Android
app indistinguishable from
native apps
Core Android AppsApplication Framework
Activity Mgr
Package Mgr Resource Mgr
Window Mgr View System
Location Mgr
Notification
Mgr
Core Apps App 1 .
BlackBerry PB/BB10 OS
Surface Mgr
WebKit
FreeType SGL
SSL
SQLite
OpenGL ES
Media Fwk libc
Java Runtime
Dalvik Virtual Machine
Core Libraries
Library
App 2 App 3
3

4
What is the Android Runtime?
5 Minute Overview

• Android open source version 2.3.3 aka
“Gingerbread” application framework running on
top of BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 10
• Enables ported Android apps to be installed and
integrate with BlackBerry PlayBook OS and
BlackBerry 10
• Deep integration with BlackBerry native
framework with the objective to make Android
apps almost indistinguishable from native
applications 5
Overview

• About 70% of all Android apps are compatible today
• Not all Android APIs are supported
►Hardware and OS limitations
• Android Apps are limited to the personal perimeter
►No Enterprise support
• Full compatibility list see:
►http://developer.blackberry.com/android/apisupport
6
Compatibility & Limitations

BlackBerry 10 (Z10 and Q10)
BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps
• Improved Usability
– Integration with virtual keyboard
– BlackBerry Permission Prompts
– Support for BB10 screen resolution
– Intents invoke core BB10 apps
– Notifications mapped to BlackBerry 10
– Supported multiple form factors
• Improved Compatibility
– PIM APIs
– Telephony APIs
– Push Features
7
► 4.2″ screen
► 1280×768 resolution
► Micro USB
► Micro HDMI
► Bluetooth, WiFi, microSIM
► 3.1″ screen
► 720×720 resolution
► Micro USB
► Micro HDMI
► Bluetooth, WiFi, microSIM

8
BlackBerry 10 Features
Usability and Compatibility

Improved Usability
• Text input controls are now
integrated with the BlackBerry
10 virtual keyboard
• Support for notifications
– Integrated with BlackBerry Hub and as a splat on
your application icon
• Multimedia sync
– Multimedia created using Android apps is visible
to native BlackBerry 10 multimedia applications.
This includes pictures and videos
9

Improved Usability
• New intent support for
BlackBerry 10 apps and cards
– Share via Email or SMS
– Create Calendar appointments
– Add information to Contacts
– Contact Picker
– Launch links via native Browser
– Dialer Support
– File Picker
10

Improved Compatibility
• New API support in BlackBerry
10 Runtime for Android Apps
– Camera API
– Camera Flash API
– Camera AutoFocus API
– In-App Payment API
– C2DM/GCM Support
– Ambient Light API
– Proximity sensor API
– Telephony APIs* (Not all
supported) 11

BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps
• What’s coming with Keyboard
devices?
– Continued support for Android Runtime
– Support for 720x720 screen resolution
– QWERTY keyboard support
12

• Support for location based intents to display maps
• Use WebView + web services (Google, Bing, etc.) to
display map content within apps
• More details on mapping support can be found on
the API Support Page
– http://developer.blackberry.com/android/apisuppor
t 13
Want to use Maps?

@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
WebView webView = (WebView) findViewById(R.id.mywebview);
webView.getSettings().setJavaScriptEnabled(true);
webView.loadUrl("http://maps.google.com/?ll=36.97,-
122&lci=bike&z=13&t=p");
}
14
Want to use Maps?

15
• In-App Payments supported through BlackBerry World
• Use the same Digital Good SKUs used for Item IDs in the
Android payment system
• Couple of items to remember:
– Only one purchase can be made at a time (No
concurrent transactions)
– Refunds are not supported
– Subscriptions are not supported
– Transaction responses are not signed
• http://developer.blackberry.com/android/apisupport
Want to use In-App Payments?

16
• Push support for Cloud to Device Messaging(C2DM) and
Google Cloud Messaging(GCM)
• To create a push-enabled Android app, you need to:
– Register with the Push Service
– Create the configuration file
– Specify Push as a required permission in the .bar file's
manifest file
– On the push-initiator server side, format the data to be
sent to BlackBerry application servers instead of
Google application servers
• http://developer.blackberry.com/android/apisupport
Want to use Push?

BlackBerry Development Basics
18
Convert, Sign and Submit!

• Tools
– Online Conversion Tool - Quickest way to get
apps converted Free
– Eclipse Plug-in - For most Android developers Free
– Command-line Tools - Advanced development
options Free
– Simulators - BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry
10 Free*
• Basic concepts
– Code Signing Free
– Development Debug Tokens
19
Development Basics
Simple Process
Android RuntimeAndroid Runtime

20
Converting Existing Apps
Online Conversion Tool
► Select the
location of your
APK file
► Select the
location of your
Android SDK
folder

21

22
► Warnings range
from mild (level 1) to
severe (level 5)
► Apps that receive
warnings less than
level 2 are considered
compatible
► Apps which receive
warnings of level 2 or
higher are generally
considered to be
incompatible

• ADT Plug-in for Eclipse + BlackBerry Plug-in
for ADT
23
► BlackBerry PlayBook,
BlackBerry 10 and
simulators are just another
device target for your
existing Android project
► Debugging applications on
BlackBerry just like on
other Android devices
Eclipse Plug-in for Android 1.5

Single Android project can
target both of the BlackBerry
10 form factors within the
same release build.
24
ADT Project Structure

• What’s new in BlackBerry Plug-in for ADT
– Support for Windows 8, Mountain Lion 10.8, Ubuntu
12.04
– Added support for ADT 21.0.1
– Icon size now includes support for xhpdi and hdpi
Android icons
• High resolution icons will be converted to 114x114 for
BlackBerry 10
• xhdpi 96x96 icons will be resized for PlayBook or
BlackBerry 10 if higher resolution icon is not present
– Support for BAR manifest additions
25
Eclipse Plug-in for Android 1.5.2

Repackage your APK to a BAR file in 4 easy
steps
1) Check your APK for compatibility
apk2barVerifier
2) Repackage your APK file as a BAR
apk2bar
3) Sign your application
batchbar-signer
4) Deploy your application
blackberry-deploy
26
C:Program FilesAndroidandroid-sdkbin>
apk2barVerifier HelloWorld.apk
apk2bar HelloWorld.apk
batchbar-signer HelloWorld.bar author.p12
p12password rdkpassword
blackberry-deploy –installApp –device
169.254.0.1 –package HelloWorld.bar
–password devicepassword
Development Basics
Command-line SDK

• When you run verification on your application,
you might see warnings or errors
• These not errors. Features requiring minimal
OS verison
– uses-feature: android.hardware.camera:required minimal OS version=2.1:impact=2
– uses-permission: com.google.android.c2dm.permission.RECEIVE:required minimal OS version=10.0.9:impact=2
– uses-feature: android.hardware.telephony:required minimal OS version=10.0.6:impact=2
• These are features not supported
– native-code: armeabi:impact=5
– uses-library: android.test.runner:impact=4
– uses package: com.google.android.maps:impact=3
– targetSdkVersion: 14 is higher than 10:impact=1
27
Development Basics
Common Verification Errors

• A code signing key is required to test your app and to
publish your app to BlackBerry World
• They can also be used to generate a debug token for
your BlackBerry PlayBook or BlackBerry 10 Device
• Request code signing keys here
– http://developer.blackberry.com/android/signingkey
28
Sign Apps for BlackBerry World

• What do you need to submit your application
– Application for membership Account
– Application and a great app name
– Great description and details about your application
– Create an icon, screen shots, vendor logo
• App Icon – 480x480
• App Screen Shots – 1280x720 or 720x720
• Submit your app!
• developer.blackberry.com/devzone/blackberryworl
d/preparing_your_app_for_blackberry_world.html
Development Basics
Submit to BlackBerry World
29

• Global marketplace
• FREE to register as a vendor
• FREE to submit apps and upgrades
• 70/30 revenue share
• Credit card, PayPal, carrier billing
• Free and paid apps catalog
• Integrated barcode scanning
30
Development Basics
Submit to BlackBerry World

• PineLake Communications on Porting Cubifice
to BlackBerry 10
– Ported existing OpenGL
Android application
– Porting process took 1 hour
– 25x more downloads in
BlackBerry World versus
Google Play
31
Success Stories

34
Success Stories
Photo Studio

For More Information
• BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps homepage
– http://developer.blackberry.com/android/
• BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps Roadmap
– http://developer.blackberry.com/android/tools/roadmap/
• Repackaging and Development Tools
– http://developer.blackberry.com/android/tools/
• Getting started tutorial
– http://developer.blackberry.com/android/documentation/gettingstarted.htm
l
36

developer.blackberry.com/android

Bring Your Android Apps to BlackBerry 10 in minutes

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