back to article RIM bribes coders: Make BlackBerry 10 apps, GET A FREE SHINY

The first 100 developers to build applications for BlackBerry OS 10 using Appcelerator's Titanium cross-platform kit will get free devices as RIM attempts to kickstart its mobile platform. The next 10,000 developers will get free access to cloud services. Those wanting the freebies will have to download the BB10 version of …

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  1. MikeyD85

    100 quickly coded

    fart apps are on their way!

    1. LarsG

      Freebies

      Tried it with the 'new' windows 8 and look where that went...

      In return for an app you get a shiny new phone?

      There were but four takers.

  2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Business logic

    So in return for giving me a gadget that is worth about an hours contracting - you want me to do how much work to port my app to a dead platform?

    Perhaps this could catch on in other areas of business?

    Replace your fleet of 747s with A380s and receive this handsome carriage clock.

    Choose Merryl Lynch for your IPO and receive a coupon for 20% of at A&W burger.

    1. Oninoshiko

      Re: Business logic

      slight difference, if you have any competence what-so-ever, the port should be fairly easy. So you get free phone, and a hedge that it might take off. for a couple of hours work.

      Doesn't seem that unreasonable to me.

      Now if you've written a completely importable mess of code, thats your problem.

  3. J. R. Hartley

    Call me a fool but...

    Do BB devices not also run Android apps? If so, why would I waste time writing a native BB app?

    It's the OS/2 effect.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Call me a fool but...

      BB devices don't run Android apps.

      SOME applications MAY be able to COMPILED to run on Blackberry with a little modification if the developer can be bothered to cater for a mostly obsolete platform.

      big difference...

      1. RyokuMas
        Trollface

        Re: Call me a fool but...

        "if the developer can be bothered to cater for a mostly obsolete platform"

        Which particular framentation of Android is that then?

        Sorry, couldn't resist.

  4. Levente Szileszky
    WTF?

    Only 100?

    Considering the size of hole they are in... very stingy.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Meh?

    Does anyone even care about Blackberry or Windows Phone anymore.

    It's been a two horse race for well over a year now...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Meh?

      When did anyone care about Windows Phone?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Meh?

        Good point...

  6. Justin Clements
    FAIL

    100?

    100 developers get free kit? Why bother?

    If they want to get serious with the developers, then they need to put aside 20-30k units, and ship them to the developers who did anything for the previous BB platform.

    1. Katie Saucey

      Re: 100?

      Apparently they did throw developers a few (about 7500).

      http://business.financialpost.com/2012/11/29/rim-unveils-qwerty-prototype-and-rebrands-app-world/

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why bother - spend the time making iOS apps and actually make some money.

    1. handy

      Unless you have a really novel idea, your probably better off trying a different platform other than Andriod or IOS.

      I could make an angry birds clone, or defend the fort, or copy of temple run. But while you have a bigger audience, no one will buy it, because people have done it before you, probably better than you, or even worse they charge nothing.

      Do it on BB10 you have a captive audience, often with no alternative to what you offer. Provide easy DNLA streaming for playbook, you are the only one. Get video working with Skype you have thousands upon thousands who want your app, because no one else has done it (or any other decent video streaming option)

      .

      1. RyokuMas
        Angel

        Exactly.

        I write games primarily because I enjoy doing it - any money I make is an added bonus. I chose XNA because it was simple to get into and required minimal financial outlay (no new gear, no SDK costs, first year subscription on the store free thanks to Dream-Build-Play). I got into Windows Phone development through a contest from a local user group - build a WP7 game, best one gets an Xbox.

        I've stayed with Windows Phone because of the amazing level of support I've had from Microsoft and Nokia in promoting my games - I've had several in the featured on the store in a number of countries, and a number of my titles have even been on the main feature panorama. I'm not trying to compete for attention against a hundred-and-one fart apps, or big studios with huge advertising budgets.

        The future for WinPhone? I don't know. Especially with XNA being deprecated for WP8. I'll probably be looking at WP8 - again because the only financial outlay I need to make to get going again is to upgrade my PC to Win8, and get a new handset - once again, the SDK is free. I'd love to go cross-platform, but until I can justify the costs of the kit/framework licences to do so, it's unlikely to happen (yes I know there's free dev. tools for 'droid - tried 'em, too horrible for words). So I'll probably stick with WinPhone for the time, and get on with enjoying my game development.

  8. Valeyard
    Meh

    I got a free playbook with an app I made, and an email a few days ago from them saying something along the lines of "We've automatically ported and tested your app for 10"

    thanks guys. you still have my address for the new shiny ;)

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