RIM has released version 2.1 of its BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook, which brings a number of new features including support for in-app payments, access to the tablet’s camera and microphone and more.
The goal of this release, says RIM, is to narrow the gap between the WebWorks API functionality on the BlackBerry Smartphone OS and the APIs available on the tablet OS.
The WebWorks SDK is RIM’s open source toolset that allows mobile developers to build applications using standard Web technologies. Version 2.0 of the SDK was originally released back in April, at the same time that the BlackBerry PlayBook went on sale in the U.S. and Canada.
What’s New?
This release, version 2.1, introduces several new capabilities, including:
In App Payment API: Allows developers to monetize applications using in-app purchases
Camera API: Take pictures or video from within applications
Microphone API: Record Audio in application
PIN API (Identity API): Allow apps to retrieve info about the BlackBerry PlayBook PIN
File and Directory APIs: The File I/O API lets apps read, copy, and write files to the Tablet OS file system; a File Properties API is also available
App Securities Permissions: Aids in configuring security permissions for features such as GPS and file access
Home Screen Category: Configuring the home screen category for applications
In addition, version 2.1 of the SDK now allows many of the WebWorks APIs to be called using AJAX, for developers who prefer RESTful or URI implementations.
The API Reference Guide has also been updated and now includes an additional mechanism to call some of the WebWorks APIs. The WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS is available for download here.
