Currently out, as a free public download is the java development environment for Blackberry phones.  The download, currently in its public BETA, will enable any developer to make new programs for Blackberry Storm, Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Pearl Flip smartphones, as well as desktop simulators for the Blackberry Storm, Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Pearl Flip smartphones that accelerate mobile application testing.

These tools are known as the Blackberry JDE v.4.7 for short.  New API’s available with Blackberry JDE v4.7 that enables developers to take advantage of the new features of the Blackberry Storm smartphone.

Some of the features that you may see based on these tools include:

• Touch-screen support-receive input from taps, slides and other gestures.
• Orientation and rotation support-support portrait and landscape orientations and re-draw the screen when rotated.
• Camera and Media Integration- Build camera and video recording capabilities into a custom application.
• Set Homescreen Background Image- set the background image on a smartphone’s home screen

What does Blackberry think about that?  “The latest versions of the Blackberry Java Development Environment present developers with opportunities to create innovative, mobile-savvy applications that take advantage of the robust feature sets of the Blackberry Storm, Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Pearl Flip smartphones,”

said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, Blackberry platforms at Research in Motion.  “Each new Blackberry smartphone presents an opportunity for mobile developers to create new applications or extend their innovations with the latest advances in mobile technology and application development.”