RIM is preparing for the imminent launch of its BlackBerry 10 operating system and smartphones powered by the platform by offering dedicated developers the first Dev Alpha C handset.
During the Canadian company's BlackBerry Jam event in Asia, it confirmed that developers who had submitted two or more apps would be ranked by a series of criteria; the top 1,500 received priority on the Dev Alpha C unit.
The Alpha C will be the first developer handset to feature the trademark BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard. Research in Motion has ultimately given over 7,500 handset to developers to encourage app submissions.
Following BlackBerry 10's launch on January 30, 2013, it's said that the platform's first two smartphones will launch a month later. RIM's CEO later stressed that the company is aiming to release the devices as soon as the OS launches.
For the first time in several months, RIM shares increased due to a Goldman Sachs analyst raising her rating of the firm to a "Buy" due to optimism surrounding BlackBerry 10. Still, the company was dealt a blow when a judge ruled it must pay Nokia royalty fees after the latter won a court case against its rival.