RIM unveiled new tools and features for developers building apps for its current BlackBerry mobile devices and PlayBook tablet computer at the BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011 developer conference.

The first major announcement was the release of Native SDK 1.0 for BlackBerry Playbook OS, which provides tools for building C/C++ applications for the current version of the PlayBook tablet and future devices running the next-generation BBX platform.

The tools include a compiler, Eclipse-based QNX Momentics integrated development environment, command line tools, samples and libraries. There is also a Developers/Native microsite with related information for developers and an SDK for Adobe AIR.

A range of open source libraries, in addition to those already included in the BlackBerry PlayBook, have been introduced with the Native SDK. These include physics engines and scripting language libraries.

A developer beta of the PlayBook OS 2.0 has also been released, giving developers early access to the codebase and supporting tools.

Among the tools is the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and BlackBerry Plug-In for Android Development Tools, which help Android developers tweak their apps to run on the PlayBook. The BlackBerry Packager for Android Apps provides guidance on how to tweak and test and sign apps before submitting them to the App World app store.

BlackBerry also updated its WebWorks platform, which assists developers building apps for existing and future BlackBerry devices. WebWorks SDK 2.2 supports apps built on HTML5, CSS and JavaScript and includes a PlayBook Simulator.

WebWorks APIs are supported by the Ripple Emulator – currently in beta form – which provides emulation for developers to debug their apps on different platforms.

Meanwhile, the BlackBerry Cascades UI framework for advanced graphics – which RIM says brings “super app” capabilities such as deep integration between apps and the BBM social platform – is available in beta and will come to the BlackBerry Native SDK in the near future.

RIM also used DevCon to outline a new strategy for its developer relations work. The BlackBerry Jam programme includes the online developer resource site Jam Zone, the Jam Sessions developer hackathons, and the Jam Community support forums.