BlackBerry Themes & Animated Graphics

[nmd]

Dear RIM,

It shouldn't have to come this - that is developers pleading with you. 

In an increasingly crowded smartphone market, to have a device that can be customized and personalized is a good thing - and should be supported, promoted and better managed.  BlackBerry Themes are a key product differentiation.  Themes represent a healthy revenue stream to both you and your developers, and judging by the response from customers, it's quite a dissapointment - maybe even a detractor to adoption - in your new OS7 devices.

We urge you to fix whatever is preventing the update and release of BlackBerry Theme Studio 7.  And I would strongly suggest including a theme component to your planned BBX platform.  So help us help you make BlackBerry the No.1 sought after smartphone again.

Kind regards,

NuMentis Designs

[Juggalo20]

After the service outage, dissapointing app gifts (check the ratings) and the DevCon with no real exciting announcements (we already knew QNX was coming to phones and Tablet OS2 was coming). now would really be a good time to actually deliver something for us to be thankful and excited about.

[nmd]

I joined the insider event hosted by Annu Dawar, Senior Product Manager at RIM, and inquired about when Theme Studio 7 is expected to be released and I thought I'd share his response:

"We hear you loud and clear and appreciate the enthusiasm around the desire for Theme Studio specific to BlackBerry 7 and the planned BBX OS devices. Theme developers are very important to us and our overall operation, and we will keep you all posted with any potential developments and timing."

This is encouraging and confirms RIM's commitment to releasing Theme Studio 7 - just a matter of time, as you can see from the next statement in his response:

"I'm sorry I can't give you the hard timing you are looking for but I'm confident we will have something more concrete soon."

[deyadama]

My name is Deyanira and my pseudonym DeyadamaThemes, I agree with what espone our friend Marcos, because devices with OS7 are using many consumers and are needing the themes to have personalized your BlackBerry, and we as designers are somewhat tied hands because we do not have the theme builder for OS7 for what we do a so-called ah that is prompt response which presents the program to be able to continue working What we like is designing themes for BlackBerry. Thanks a lot. DeyadamaThemes

[Angus-Black]

I develope themes on OS6 devices for people with low vision.

This is a necessity that RIM has ignored since the Clarity theme for OS5.

The default font scalibility isn't enough as it doesn't address icons, banners, tabs, unread message alerts, incoming call name and number, active call name, number and call time and the Setup page icon fonts.

I have low vision and started developing themes so I could use a Blackberry.  Others with and without low vision have started using my themes because the screens are more readable

My Torch 9800 is due to be replaced in May 2012.  I would like to know that I will have the ability to use a Blackberry when that time comes.  If I can't develop my own themes for OS7 I will have to look elsewhere.  I don't want to look elsewhere. 

I also own a Playbook.  I like the functionality and speed of the Playbook but again RIM has dropped the ball when it comes to accessibility.  I haven't seen a device in years that doesn't have some kind of screen font adjustment until the release of the Playbook.

I try to promote Blackberry devices for people with low vision but am finding it increasingly difficult.

Please RIM, take accessibility more seriously or at least supply the tools that I and others need to take care of ourselves.

Thank you

Dan Harper

Visabled Icons theme for Blackberry Torch 9800 (OS6)

[ale7714]

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Angus-Black wrote:

I develope themes on OS6 devices for people with low vision.

This is a necessity that RIM has ignored since the Clarity theme for OS5.

The default font scalibility isn't enough as it doesn't address icons, banners, tabs, unread message alerts, incoming call name and number, active call name, number and call time and the Setup page icon fonts.

I have low vision and started developing themes so I could use a Blackberry.  Others with and without low vision have started using my themes because the screens are more readable

My Torch 9800 is due to be replaced in May 2012.  I would like to know that I will have the ability to use a Blackberry when that time comes.  If I can't develop my own themes for OS7 I will have to look elsewhere.  I don't want to look elsewhere. 

I also own a Playbook.  I like the functionality and speed of the Playbook but again RIM has dropped the ball when it comes to accessibility.  I haven't seen a device in years that doesn't have some kind of screen font adjustment until the release of the Playbook.

I try to promote Blackberry devices for people with low vision but am finding it increasingly difficult.

Please RIM, take accessibility more seriously or at least supply the tools that I and others need to take care of ourselves.

Thank you

Dan Harper

Visabled Icons theme for Blackberry Torch 9800 (OS6)

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RIM there's a lot BlackBerry Developers giving you EXTREMELY good reasons to keep the theme develpment tool updated. And it bothers (and dissappoint) me a lot that they don't care.

[Angus-Black]

It doesn't look promising.

This is a quote, I just discovered, from RIM's VP of Developer Relations, Alec Saunders.

Source: CIO article on Nov 3, 2011.

Though a compatibility issue with the new "Liquid Graphics" engine in the BlackBerry 7 OS has kept RIM from releasing BlackBerry Theme Studio tools for the latest BlackBerry OS, Saunders says these tools will become available mid-2012, he says.

This would be approximately 1 year after the release of OS7 devices.

[Juggalo20]

Yup. RIM doesn't care. Themers have already discovered how to create themes. Though they're not as perfect as those created with Theme builder, they are as good as RIM will allow.

Basically. RIM has now created two themes. The default os7 one and the theme for the P'9981. AND themers have found a way to create usable but less than perfect themes. Yet RIM refuses to endorse or help themers make perfect themes.

RIM knows how to make themes, and the theme community only needs a little help to get their job done.

Another pathetic example of RIM's business stratagy. Burn bridges with theme developers, deprive their loyal customers with things we've come to expect, and delay every feature possible. Oh that includes lying to sell PlayBooks of course.

[ale7714]

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Juggalo20 wrote:
Yup. RIM doesn't care. Themers have already discovered how to create themes. Though they're not as perfect as those created with Theme builder, they are as good as RIM will allow.

Basically. RIM has now created two themes. The default os7 one and the theme for the P'9981. AND themers have found a way to create usable but less than perfect themes. Yet RIM refuses to endorse or help themers make perfect themes.

RIM knows how to make themes, and the theme community only needs a little help to get their job done.

Another pathetic example of RIM's business stratagy. Burn bridges with theme developers, deprive their loyal customers with things we've come to expect, and delay every feature possible. Oh that includes lying to sell PlayBooks of course.

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What RIM are doing is a mistake, they actually have good development tool that separates from the other platforms and they decide to ignore it... Come on!... I'm very loyal to RIM, I think if they want to and listen to the developers they could do big big things.... 

[gritsinct]

I read that the reason they haven't put out a new theme builder is because they are having problems with making it work with the new OS. That stands to reason since often when you change coding for one thing it breaks something else.

So take that into consideration and don't just accuse them of not doing it!

At the same time, there are obviously manual work-arounds since there are people out there doing it - so it would be awesome if RIM would produce intructions on how to theme manually until theme builder is fixed!