BigTinCan

BuzzMe Open Plugin Architecture
What is BOPA?
BOPA is an open architecture published by BigTinCan that allows 3rd party application developers to create software that is able to connect directly to BuzzMe. This allows the phone user to select t he alert type, LED color, vibration length and other settings for how that application alerts them.

What is BuzzMe?

BuzzMe is a suite of applications including a free standard version and a $2.99 once off PRO version.

BuzzMe has over 2,000,000 users on BlackBerry phones worldwide.

It is the de-facto leader in phone management on the BlackBerry platform.

BuzzMe controls the LED color, and vibration length for calls, emails and SMS/MMS messages, and even provides great features like a customizable missed call reminder, and "facedown mode" where a phone using an accelerometer can be placed facedown to stop vibration and other alerts from being shown on the device.

Why Now?
Thousands and thousands of BuzzMe users contact BigTinCan every month asking for ways of being able to control other applications using the BuzzMe interface. They want to be able to control how those applications alert them, and they want to be

able to set those alerts all in a single place that is easy to use and that they trust. We believe that the time is right for BOPA.

How does it work?
BOPA is an open architecture built around an open API that will be very familiar to BlackBerry developers. It is based on the RIM GLOBAL EVENTS API and allows a 3rd party app to register a global event and communicate with BuzzMe through this event whenever there is an action that has to be communicated to the user. The user can then decide how they want to be alerted to the event - as a LED flash, TONE, or vibration. to ensure that all plug in 3rd party apps are well behaved and conform to the API and BOPA specification, developers must apply for an appid in advance of their application release.Developers will be given a "appid" that is used by the GLOBAL EVENTS API and is passed to BuzzMe with any alert information.

I'm a BlackBerry Developer - why should I care about this?
BOPA is a great tool that can help you to:

Make your life easier as you no longer have to worry about how the alerts from your app are presented to the user.

Makes your app more appealing to end users as it allows the user to control in an single place how your alerts work in a way that they can easily see, control and ensure that they know what alert comes from your app.

Get access to the "facedown" mode in Buzzme Pro that allows users to silence your events when the phone is set "facedown".

Gives you access to the over 2,000,000 BuzzMe users - who can not see your app as part of the BOPA family and will be more likely to want to download and install your app most importantly BOPA is easy to use and work with - we provide sample code, and full example applications that you can download and use.

What's in it for BigTinCan?
We believe that by offering this service we will create more users for our free and paid services. We also want to work with 3rd party developers to create a more powerful and more streamlined alerting system for end users on the BlackBerry platform.

User Interface
The user interface for BOPA is really simple. Users can select your app from a list of apps in the PLUGINS menu in BuzzMe. BuzzMe v3 is a BIS-B PUSH enabled service, so users will be pushed information about new updates and integrated apps when they become available. The user simply selects your app and then sets the configuration for alerts from the app. In Version 3.0 users will be able to select the LED color; Vibration length; Facedown mode on/off; and TONE for the alert.