Using the AskMeNow WSDL, I prototyped a simple movie listings app. Once the basic screens were created by MDS Studio, I could retool them to my heart's content, rearranging input boxes, modifying captions, even creating new screens. MDS Studio can test the application by rendering the interface for BlackBerry devices within the Windows development environment. That's useful if you don't want to have to provide each developer with every device you have in the field. Once I created the application in MDS Studio and published it to the MDS application repository on our BES box, I easily pushed it out to my BlackBerry device by selecting it from a list of known devices running the MDS client software.
Depending on the policy set by administrators, users can also download MDS applications directly from their mobile devices. Applications created with MDS Studio can't be integrated into the automatic software configurations for installing and restoring apps on devices, however.
Third-party Blackberry Connect devices, such as the Nokia 9300 and the Palm Treo 650, weren't available to give us a chance to see how BES 4.1 fared with them. They've been slow to market in the United States, but should be hitting these shores later this quarter. Meantime, enterprises where Blackberrys are deployed will be interested in BES 4.1, thanks to the significant strides RIM has made in the new release.
Dan Renfroe is a technology associate focusing on wireless and mobile technologies with the Center for Emerging Network Technologies at Syracuse University. Write to him at [email protected].
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