This book is part of the Basic series which means we will start at the very beginning of the learning curve. We start with the simplest task of getting the right tools downloaded and installed. We then take you through to the final stages of putting the last finishing touches on your application and then submitting it to the BlackBerry App World so that the world can use it. Along the way, we will cover each of the major areas of application development: user interface, storage, connectivity, and interfacing with other applications in ways that are clear and useful.

There are a few things that we assume and that you should be familiar with before starting down this road. The first is an understanding of an object-oriented programming language. BlackBerry development is done using Java, but you don't need to be a Java expert to get started. Experience in C#, C++, or some other object-oriented language is enough to get started.

Most of what we do will use the BlackBerry-specific APIs, but there are times when an understanding of basic Java framework is important, such as when we need to use threads. For this I recommend having a Java book available as well.

The second is an understanding of general operating system concepts such as a file system, messaging, events, processes, and threading. The BlackBerry APIs actually do a very good job of hiding many of these details, but they are there and understanding them will help to understand the big picture.