VIEWPOINT: As a follow-up to the announcements Research in Motion (RIM) made, which we reported here, here’s a ViewPoint video of the General Session keynote announcements made yesterday.

The session itself was 3 hours long, so this video is a summary of the new services, features and initiatives announced by various RIM executives to some 1,000 developers, partners and the media. We will be adding a second video soon, where we speak to a Singapore-based BlackBerry developer, show you some highlights of winning BlackBerry apps and reveal some features of the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Storm 2 smartphones. Stay tuned.

As promised, here’s the second video from the BlackBerry Developers Conference, where we interviewed two executives in RIM on some of the announcements made during the General Session.

David Yach, Chief Technology Officer for RIM, announces support for OpenGL ES so devs can create 3D games and animations for BlackBerry smartphones.

CORP TALK: Finally, Research in Motion also announced several enhancements to its BlackBerry Application Platform that will empower developers to quickly create rich content and apps for the BlackBerry platform.

OpenGL ES enables 3D games and graphics for BlackBerry smartphones

That's Electronic Arts' Need for Speed running on a BlackBerry smartphone, thanks to RIM's OpenGL ES support.

EA Mobile appeared on stage during the General Session and demoed Need for Speed. With OpenGL ES, Java developers can now build 3D games and graphics for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 or higher. The support is available via an update on the Java SDK, of which the beta is available here.

Tyler Lessard, VP for Global Alliances & Developer Relations at RIM, announces the BlackBerry Theme Studio 5.0 that allows devs to create themes for BlackBerry smartphones. Also, in-app payment and carrier billing for apps will be up in 2010.

BlackBerry Theme Studio for Theme design, illustration and animation

The BlackBerry Theme Studio was announced and it comes with a free suite of theme design, illustration and animation tools for developers to create custom interfaces for BlackBerry smartphones running OS 4.2.2 and higher, including the new Storm2 and Bold 9700.

The Studio includes the Theme Builder, for customizing the user interface, and Composer, for creating animated SVG graphics such as animted themed buttons and backgrounds. The Theme Studio 5.0 replaces the previous Plazmic Content Developer’s Kit, will feature an integrated import with Adobe Photoshop. Devs can also add ringtones and build screen transitions (zoom, slide, wipe, fade, etc.).

Theme Studio is currently free and can be downloaded here.

HWM Indonesia

Martin (HWM Indonesia): Going the “multimedia” route is the best thing that has ever happened to RIM for 2010 which has never been a strong point for BB handsets.

Encroaching iPhone and Android segments will definitely be difficult if RIM does not have a strong multimedia platform to support.

These so called platform enhancements will catapult RIM from a business-centric to a more lifestyle flavor which will provide them a longer mileage in the non-business oriented segments.

A strong and rigid business platform, combined with a multimedia flavor, will raise the smartphone landscape to a new bar where no smartphone has ever reached before.

Once these enhancements are properly in place, the rest will be just cosmetic makeovers.

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Curtis Sasaki,VP of Product Management at RIM, explains the aggregated ad network service for BlackBerry devs that will also include analytics such as advanced info from Omniture.

CORP TALK: Further to the tightly integrated collaboration RIM has announced with Adobe at the BlackBerry Developers Conference in San Francisco, RIM has also unveiled a slew of new services platform for developers that will help streamline processes and build location-aware, revenue-generating apps for BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry Advertising Service for new revenue opportunities

The new BlackBerry Advertising Service enables developers to integrate ads into their BlackBerry apps. An aggregated ad network service covering a large pool of quality and innovative ad units from networks like Jumptap, Lat49, Millennial Media, Navteq, 1020 Placecast, Quattro Wireless and Sympatico.ca.

The service will feature ads compliant with the Mobile Marketing Association’s (MMA) guidelines for rich media ads. Examples include the ability to initiate a call from an ad, add a calendar entry or contact entry from an ad, and basically link to an app in BlackBerry App World from an ad. (more…)

Co-CEO of RIM, Jim Balsillie (right), with Adobe CEO, Shantanu Narayen, on stage to welcome BlackBerry developers and members of the press.

Adobe and BlackBerry demoed how intuitive it was to have a GUI builder for BlackBerry devices integrated into Creative Suite 5.

CORP TALK: Research in Motion (RIM) opened its 2nd annual BlackBerry Developers Conference in San Francisco today with a three-hour General Session keynote.

Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of RIM welcomed partners, developers and international press and kick-started the session.

One of the announcements made was the tightly integrated collaboration RIM will have with Adobe Systems, where future versions of Adobe Creative Suite (starting with CS5) will give designers the ability to use optimized graphic assets like images and video content, in Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects for the BlackBerry platform.

These assets can then be imported into BlackBerry application development tools such as the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse and BlackBerry Web Plug-in for Eclipse. Photoshop can also used in the new BlackBerry Theme Studio to create BlackBerry themes while Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Device Central software will support the creation and testing of BlackBerry Widgets and Web content optimized for the BlackBerry browser. (more…)

Unlike Apple's App Store, US$2.99 is the min. price per app on BlackBerry's App World. However, developers get a higher rev share on apps sold but pay more on annual subscription.

CORP TALK: BlackBerry smart phone users now have an app store to call their own as Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion (RIM) has just launched its much-awaited online store today. The App World store will include programs from popular networks like The New York Times, Facebook, MySpace, Bloomberg and so on. Unlike the iPhone with its popular 99 cents apps, the minimum price for App World is US$2.99 per app.

According to an InformationWeek.com report, developers will get to retain 80% of the revenue from any sold app, 10% more than what they would get from Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. However, they also have to pay US$200 a year to put up to 10 apps in the store, which is slightly more than what they would pay for Apple or Microsoft (its Marketplace for Mobile, slated for a year-end launch).

Of course, 3rd-party programs have long been available for BlackBerrys from various sources but with the launch of its App World, RIM is now officially following in the footsteps of Apple with its centralized store. It’s definitely going to be a trend as we see Microsoft (ie. Marketplace for Mobile), Nokia (who owns Symbian) and Google (for its Android platform) doing the same for their smart phone platforms. (more…)