RIM Release Android Runtime for BlackBerry 10 Beta 4

Today, Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion made available for download a new beta version of its Android Runtime for BlackBerry 10.

The new flavor of the development tools brings along support for the building of apps with push capabilities, which should enable software developers with the possibility to expand the capabilities of their apps. At the same time, the new release features support for the ambient light and proximity sensors in the upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices. Those developers with applications that take advantage of such sensors can now port them from Android to BlackBerry 10 without having to change the code, RIM notes. To test whether their apps work well on the platform, developers simply have to download and install the latest BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha update or the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Simulator.

As for the aforementioned Push support, RIM notes that apps with Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) will have to be repackaged to take advantage of the technology on BlackBerry 10. RIM also explains how devs can build push-enabled Android apps:

• Register with the BlackBerry Push Service.
• Create a configuration file for your Android app.
• Specify Push as a required permission in BAR file’s manifest file.
• On the push-initiator server side, format the data to be sent to BlackBerry application servers.

Those who would like to learn more on the matter should head over to the Android Runtime API Support Page for extended Push API Support. To get started, devs will need the BlackBerry Eclipse Plug-in for Android Development Tools and Command-line tools, which will help them start using new Android Runtime features for the BlackBerry 10 Beta. Specific details on porting Android apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook or BlackBerry 10 are available on this page on RIM’s developer website.

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Image credits to RIM

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