Blackberry - Estimate port of Android app with GPS and Google Maps

Question

Lets say I have an Android app that uses Google Maps and GPS.Uses custom views and timers.

How much time will it require to develop it for Blackberry?

What changes will be required? Can the UI be reused?

I am totally new to Blackberry, though I know Java.

Please help me estimate the time.

Answer 1

If you are totally new to BlackBerry, then it could take you weeks to months to learn how to do things with the BlackBerry APIs. Especially if the app involves things such as networking and custom UI controls. And that's just to learn the platform - porting a complicated app from another platform will add on even more time -- but without knowing the specifics of the app you're porting or the person who's doing the porting, any guess is going to be a shot in the dark.

Answer 2

The Blackberry APIs are quite different. Some basic concepts overlap, but the classes are entirely different. You don't have views, intents, etc. To answer your question:

• Assume the UI must be entirely rewritten
• Other Java-based code can be reused, but the BB subset of Java classes available is not basically that of desktop Java, as it is with Android. Many APIs won't be available.
• I'd budget a couple months to become proficient with the BB, to test, to learn the ins and outs of each device.

Answer 3

Lets state what is different in BlackBerry:

• UI concept is completely different, see UI Guidelines, Blackberry User Interface Design - Customizable UI?
• GPS api differs and is more complicated
• strict j2me JRE 1.4 compliance level instead of extended Java in android (so forget about generics, some math functions, serialization etc)

Also you should do a little prototyping before using Google Maps. See How to use Google Map in Blackberry application? and BlackBerry and map based apps like Yelp and Google Map

Remember also there are many different bb os versions and devices, see Developing for multiple versions of BlackBerry OS

For estimates of reversed porting see port J2ME CLDC Blackberry application to Android I guess (for a newbie) it will be like x3 for your app (for at least Curve Bold and Storm devices).

Answer 4

In BlackBerry you will not be able to implement the Google MAP Api same as it is in android. But instead of that you will have to use the BlackBerry Default Map. You have to rewrite the all UI design code and also you have to implement the map functionality thorughly here for blackberry. So as about the estimated hours, yuo can kept the 60-70% estimate of Android development for blackberry.