Interview with I&N MobiSoft
Please introduce yourself to the community. How did you become a developer for Blackberry and the PlayBook tablet and why?
Hello, we're I&N MobiSoft, a small team of developers who prefer to program using Qt and now Cascades. None of us is a professional developer but we all like to code. I myself, for example, am a medical image processing researcher and development comes as a side effect of my main job. We came to the PlayBook and BlackBerry in general in different ways. I found that the PlayBook is the tablet I was always dreaming about. It runs a cool OS and I can create all kind of apps I need using Qt. So, the development journey for me actually started from a point of view where I didn't find the apps I was looking for and because I had some spare time to spend .
Do you also develop for other platforms like Android or iOS?
We did develop for Symbian and MeeGo platforms and published apps in the Nokia Store. With Android most of us have serious disagreements. Things are even more dramatic with iOS. We did create a few apps but found absolutely no joy in doing so (that's why we never published them as they never were finished to a production level)
We feel that the PlayBook has great potential to become a popular tablet and we want to be part of those changes.
Why did you choose to develop for the PlayBook?
Mostly because it's a real fun. But also because we miss certain apps on the PlayBook. For example, there are only few photo-editors for the PlayBook available that are written using native tools. Android ports will always leave a better experience/performance to desire. We feel that the PlayBook has great potential to become a popular tablet and we want to be part of those changes.
You released several quality apps like the fabulous "Mono Art" and "Filter Box" (both of which we have already reviewed). What can we expect to see from I&N Mobisoft in future?
Thank you for your great reviews. Currently we're working on a full-featured photo editor and few other apps that are more specific and designed for certain professions (mostly for medical purposes).
I&N MobiSoft latest offering: Filter Box. Available here.
Do you think the PlayBook has a chance to survive with BB10? Should Blackberry release a new version of the PlayBook?
Absolutely! BlackBerry must release new OS versions for the PlayBook, preferably with different screen sizes and extra features. I, personally, would appreciate a proper stylus for my PlayBook - it'd come in handy for my work a lot.
What is it that you like so much about the PlayBook in comparison to other tablets on the market?
Its flexibility and gesture based interface. You cannot imagine how many times I was trying to swipe on the iPad when my daughter asked me to find her yet another cartoon. Some things can become really addictive and gesture based interface is one of them.
Can you make a living as Blackberry developer?
Not yet, but we're not expecting to do so. We all have jobs we like and making apps is our hobby and we want to keep it that way.
What do you love most about the Blackberry Community?
The BlackBerry community is very interesting. Most of the time they are supportive and at the same time may constructively criticize your app. It helps to stay in shape and constantly improve the apps. We really like to be a part of and develop for the BlackBerry community.
Thanx so much for the interview!
Thank you!