SAN FRANCISCO -- BlackBerry smartphone maker Research In Motion (RIM) said it will launch BlackBerry 10 developer tools in beta and will distribute a limited edition developer prototype device at its BlackBerry 10 Jam event in Orlando, Fla., in May.
The device, known as the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, will not be a BlackBerry 10 smartphone, only a prototype running a modified version of the PlayBook OS, meant to help developers design their apps for the BlackBerry 10 smartphone form factor.
“It’s not the final hardware or OS, it’s a device to help developers get started with designing for what’s coming,” RIM said on Friday, (March 23) in a statement, adding that the device would allow developers to test their applications with RIM’s BlackBerry 10 toolsets.
The Canadian phone maker hopes that by seeding the prototype devices, it will be able to build up some buzz for the new platform, which has been adapted for smartphones from QNX’s tablet OS.
“The good news is that RIM is shipping something,” said mobile analyst Chetan Sharma, though he said this was “just a small step towards a comeback strategy.”
Analyst Jack Gold said success for RIM depends on how good OS 10 turns out to be, noting that the PlayBook 2.0 is showing “the true potential of QNX” and delivering “a pretty good user experience.”
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