Rhomobile Announces Update for Rhodes Cross Platform Smartphone App Development Framework

CUPERTINO, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Rhomobile today announced the newest version of Rhodes, the industry's first open source framework for rapidly building native apps for all major smartphones (iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Android). The latest offering provides modern, productive development capabilities not previously available in mobile such as interactive debugging, database-based logging and a framework test driven development.

"Rhodes 1.4 has become an essential part of our workflow for building smartphone apps," said Vidal Graupera, Principal at VDG Group. "The latest version enables faster delivery times while the ability to debug in realtime is extremely valuable."

The new version of Rhodes, the write-once-and-build-for-all smartphone app framework offers many new features, including support for the BlackBerry Java Development Environment v5.0, native mapping for BlackBerry and an API for returning screen size. The screensize API enables developers to conditionally handle different screen sizes smoothly, an important tool when approaching diverse platform environments including the BlackBerry and iPad. A new Mac OSX debugger for Rhodes enables debugging in realtime.

Rhodes is the only Ruby-based smartphone app framework and the new version offers Ruby developers a host of new features including an extension framework for adding third party extensions to Rhodes and support for new Ruby gems such as net/http(s), JSON and REXML (XML). Net/http can be used to connect directly to backend sites, while JSON and Rexml allow developers to work with data on the device. Support for crypt, openssl, digest and net/https allows all of this to be done securely.

"Developers are waking up to the need of cross platform diversity when building mobile apps," said Adam Blum, CEO of Rhomobile. "Our latest version of Rhodes makes it even easier to build quality native smartphone apps for all devices. No other smartphone app framework will allow you to do test driven development on your smartphone and debug in realtime."

Rhodes smartphone application framework reduces development costs by up to five times by enabling developers to code native smartphone applications in Ruby and HTML instead of in Objective-C or other complex native device operating system languages. While providing the productivity benefits of web programming, Rhodes' unique framework allows for the creation of native mobile apps that take full advantage of device capabilities such as GPS, PIM contacts, camera, push and native mapping.

Rhodes New Features

• Support for BlackBerry Java Development Environment v5.0
• Native mapping for BlackBerry
• API for returning screensize
• Mac OSX debugger for Rhodes
• Spec-driven test driven development
• Support for new Ruby gems: net/http(s), JSON, REXML (XML), crypt, openssl, digest, lang, set, fcntl
• Database-based logging (from Ruby in Rhodes)
• Extension framework for adding third party extensions (gems)

Rhodes Features:

• Built from the ground up to leverage smartphones in the enterprise
• Allows developers to write app interface in Ruby and HTML and simultaneously build as native apps (not web apps) for all smartphones
• Supports iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Android
• Makes developers five times more productive for even a single smartphone OS
• Support for Push Synchronized Data on iPhone and BlackBerry
• Allows users to work with synced local data for rapid access and ease of operation when disconnected or offline
• Full access to device capabilities: GPS, audio and video, PIM contacts, native mapping, camera

Availability

The Rhodes framework is available at http://rhomobile.com/products/rhodes. Tutorials and other documentation can be viewed at http://wiki.rhomobile.com.

About Rhomobile

Rhomobile Inc. offers the world's leading only open source framework for enterprise mobility. Founded in 2008, the company's award winning software has thousands of active developers and is ideal for independent software vendors, system integrators and enterprises of all sizes. Rhomobile offers a comprehensive, modern, highly adaptable, and low cost solution for today's smartphone app developer. Rhomobile, headquartered in Cupertino, CA, is a privately held company with backing from vSpring Capital. For more information, please visit www.rhomobile.com.

Rhomobile, Rhodes and RhoSync are registered trademarks of Rhomobile, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

Press Contact:  Anders Steele, 831-239-0960, [email protected]

SOURCE Rhomobile