RIM to give out BlackBerry 10 devices for free – to developers

BlackBerry has had it rough of late with a PlayBook that never fulfilled its potential and an App World near devoid of good, original software. But RIM isn’t taking it lying down – hot on the heels of the successful OS 2.0 release, it's planning to dole out BlackBerry 10 handsets for free in a bid to up BlackBerry app developers.

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha devices that'll be given out at the BlackBerry Jam event in May aren’t the final version of the BlackBerry London we expect – instead, they're a medium for developers to work from. It’s hoped the 2,000 code-wizards given the phones will be wooed away from iOS and Android and will start working on BlackBerry apps using the QNX software, found in the PlayBook and the BlackBerry 10.

Apple already proved that making apps open source really works – and it charged developers. With BlackBerry dishing out its Dev Alpha handsets for free – without a thought about appearing desperate – the humbled RIM may have found its road to retribution just in time for the BlackBerry 10 super handset.

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