RIM Finally Opts For Standardized Screen Resolutions For Blackberry 10

By Thea Neuman (Google)

RIM has finally decided to take a step in the direction of making BB 10 platform developers’ tasks easier and less complicated. RIM knows the significance of developer’s interest and their support, which is extremely crucial for success of BB 10 platform. It is through the great work of developers only that RIM can ensure outstanding BB 10 device experiences to its end-users. Recently, RIM announced that it is opting for standardization, which implies that the new BB 10 smartphones will be bearing standardized screen resolutions.

Many developers have been expressing their dissatisfaction over diverse screen sizes. Different screen resolutions create obstacles and pose more challenges for developers when it comes to fabricating new apps. With the release of new BB 10 smartphones, all complaints regarding different screen size resolutions will resolve automatically.

Following are the two standardized resolutions chosen by RIM:

• Full touch smartphone models: 1280 x 720 (16:9)
• Devices featuring QWERTY Keyboard: 720 x720 (1:1)

Out of these two BB 10 smartphone models, full touch smartphone model features 1280 x 720 screen resolution and bears a striking resemblance with Blackberry 10 Dev Alpha. The screen resolutions are similar because of the complicated manufacturing process. Any change at the stage of manufacturing would have caused further delay in the release of BB 10 smartphone models. This made RIM refrain from making modifications to the screen resolutions of its new devices.

There is no doubt that standardization of screen resolutions will offer multiple benefits for developers, since they will not have to create separate apps for wide-ranging BB devices featuring different screen resolutions.
A developer, who was familiar with the entire BB 10 development process, revealed that he knew about this forthcoming modification. He opined that since RIM has completed the task of standardization ahead of the release of BB 10 devices, developers will be able to make some changes in the unreleased BB 10 devices.

Tim Neil has summarized the whole information on the Developers blog of Blackberry. He specifically mentioned that if developers want further details, they may soon have access to updated developer tool that might be released by the company in the near future.

Now, there will be two ways for developers to build new apps for BB 10 platform. Developers have the choice of amending their apps according to different resolutions, so that their apps can employ BB 10 smartphone’s full resolution. Their second option is to opt for letter boxing. Developers can use this feature for creating apps for BB smartphone model featuring 1280×720 resolution, by leaving extra 24 pixels on either side of the screen.

According to some people, letter boxing is not a feasible option for RIM, and also not for those developers who are keen on developing apps for the new BB 10 platform. On a positive note, standardization will surely facilitate developing of new apps on BB 10 platform. However, different developers will have different views over this new modification. Only time will tell how it fares in easy app development.