BlackBerry 10 app number increases by 15,000 after events
updated 06:56 am EST, Mon January 14, 2013
Port-A-Thons promises developers cash, prizes for BB10 apps
A pair of recent Research In Motion events has led to an additional 15,000 apps being made available for users of its BlackBerry 10 devices, when they launch at the end of the month. The Android Port-A-Thon and Community Port-A-Thon, designed to allow developers to create BlackBerry 10-compatible versions of their apps for cash and prizes, reached the total within 38 hours, according to RIM vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders
Running from January 11th to January 13th, the event offered developers $100 for every app ported to BlackBerry 10, up to a maximum of 20 paid apps per vendor. Those submitting five or more would be entered into a draw for 1 of 100 BB10 Dev Alpha Devices, with the entire app drive using a specially-created $500,000 prize pool from RIM.
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has promised that BB10 will launch with at least 70,000 apps, while a number of carriers in the US and in other markets have said they will carry the smartphones from launch.
