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BREW applications are mobile programs that are created for Qualcomm’s BREW platform. (BREW stands for Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless.) BREW is embedded directly into the hardware of the mobile device and is used as an API (Application Programming Interface) to access the GSM or CDMA chip sets that uses it.
Techopedia Explains BREW Applications
BREW is a cross-platform application runtime environment is targeted to run in wireless applications on mobile devices. It acts as the intermediary between the application and the mobile device on-chip OS.
In developing BREW applications, the first thing you need to do is to download the BREW Software Development Kit (SDK) from Qualcomm’s website and register online as a developer. There are various programming languages that are available to BREW developers such as C, C++ and Java. The freely downloadable BREW SDK includes a BREW emulator or simulator which can be used to test applications that are written in C (or the desired compatible language) while they are in the development process.
Before these applets however can be distributed to the end users, it has to pass rigorous tests in a certification laboratory. This is one downside of BREW since certifications are not free and the process usually lengthens the time to market the developed application.
The deployment of BREW applications again is a downside to developers since it is a process that is jointly done by Qualcomm and the telecommunications company. This method attributes heavy reliance on Qualcomm and the carrier.
