As many of you may already know, Plazmic, a subsidary of Research in Motion and maker of arguably the biggest BlackBerry time waster of all time, BrickBreaker, also puts out a CDK (Content Developer’s Kit) that allows BlackBerry theme developers to create BlackBerry Themes.
The Plazmic CDK was just updated to 4.6 back in October of last year. Unfortunately, however, CDK 4.6 only works on BlackBerry OS 4.6 and prior. This is why we haven’t seen any new BlackBerry Themes for the the BlackBerry Storm or the BlackBerry Curve 8900.
I think that I speak for every BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Curve 8900 user…
What is the frigging deal RIM?
I have a theory…
Could it be that RIM will require that new BlackBerry themes created with the Plazmic CDK to be available via the BlackBerry Application Storefront? This is just a theory… It isn’t based on any inside information that I have or anything like that. It is just that everyone keeps comparing RIM to Apple and saying that RIM needs to take a page out of iPhone playbook.
Well, taking a free CDK and making developers that use it host their content on RIM’s distribution channel where they untimately could take a few points off the top of everything sold sounds like something that Steve Jobs himself would have come up with.
I’m not saying… I’m just saying…
Robb, that’s actually a damn good idea from RIM’s standpoint. I wonder if they have the cajones to pull a move like that off.
I don’t know that RIM could pull something like this off because the already have an open distribution channel. It would be very difficult and possibly discourage development if RIM changed gears and started forcing publishers to host their goods with RIM.
Wow. RIM shouldn’t even try to pull something over on developers or consumers like that. Certainly no way to try to stay relevant or even come close to even half of Apple’s 500 million plus downloads in a half a year.
http://www.rimarkable.com/apple-app-store-tops-500-million-downloads
If RIM requires that new BlackBerry themes only are created with the Plazmic CDK then might as well call the BlackBerry Application Storefront a failure already, just like the RIM’s flagship BB Storm.
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/12/blackberry-storm-returns
But RIM has bigger problems right now.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/01/22/regulators-could-possibly-fine-rim-co-ceos-up-100-million-cdn-for-role-in-decade-old-stock-controversy/
@The Rock,
I don’t believe that RIM requires that all BB themes be created with the Plazmic CDK. The CDK is just a free set of tools that make BlackBerry Theme development easier.
Krellen,
We don’t know that for sure yet. We have not seen many/any 3rd party theme’s for the Bold or especially the Storm yet right?