Ahead of this month’s BlackBerry 10 release date, parent company RIM has revealed that more than 15,000 BlackBerry 10 apps have already been submitted for the upcoming platform.
Getting the jump on the yet to be released mobile operating system, developers topped the 15,000 BlackBerry 10 app marker in a little over a day and a half with company representatives taking to social media site Twitter in order to proclaim the pre-release milestone.
Although the Canadian handset manufacturer has as yet failed to offer details on which high-profile and recognisable applications will be available on the BlackBerry 10 platform from launch, the company’s recent ‘port-a-thon’ saw a number of developers transform their existing apps into BB10 friendly offerings.
“Well there you have it. 37.5 hours in, we hit 15,000 apps for this portathon,” Alec Saunders, Vice President of Developer Relations at Research in Motion announced via Twitter. He added: “Feel like I’ve run a marathon. Thanks to all the devs!”
Saunders’ comments were echoed by an official BlackBerry spokesperson who told Trusted Reviews: “With the launch of BlackBerry 10 just round the corner, more than a year’s worth of developer engagement is culminating in a series of ‘Port-A-Thons’ to help developers get their apps on to the new platform.
“This weekend, RIM held a virtual ‘Port-A-Thon’ for Android developers to port their apps to BlackBerry 10. The virtual event was a huge success, attracting 15,000 BlackBerry 10 app submissions in just 37.5 hours.”
They added: “For developers still working on making their apps ready for BlackBerry 10 there’s one last chance to take advantage of the support offered by BlackBerry’s developer relations team at the final ‘Port-A-Thon’ on January 18th.”
With the official BlackBerry 10 UK release date scheduled for January 30, much speculation is now circulating around the repeatedly delayed OS launch and the impact it will have on the smartphone sector currently dominated by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platforms.
Seemingly set to see keen uptake from consumers, the new BB10 handsets, which are set to launch alongside BlackBerry’s all-or-nothing OS release, are to be adopted by a number of UK retailers with EE, Vodafone and O2 all confirming their intent to stock the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones.
“With our longstanding success at putting BlackBerry smartphones into the hands of the youth market, and historically selling more BlackBerry devices per store than any other retailer in Europe, we’re really excited about today’s announcement,” Phones 4u’s COO Scott Hooton said prior to the Christmas period.
“A significant proportion of Phones 4u customers returning to our stores in Q1 next year will be BlackBerry customers looking to upgrade, and we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to offer our upgrade and new customers BlackBerry 10 devices. We believe that BlackBerry 10 is going to exceed all expectations and strengthen the brand’s position at the forefront of mobile technology.”
Are you in the market for a new smartphone? Will you be holding out for a new BlackBerry 10 handset or are you intent on plumping for an Android or iOS offering? Let us know via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds or through the comment boxes below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
