The future of the BlackBerry brand may very well hinge on a thriving app ecosystem, and RIM is pushing hard to incentivize developer support. In preparation for the January 30 launch of the BlackBerry 10 line of smartphones, the struggling company has sponsored a weekend event to port apps to the App World Store for $100 apiece, with a limit of $500,000, according to a ZDNet report.
The previous porting event reportedly netted the BlackBerry 10 app store 15,000 extra apps. While the platform has a long way to go to rival iOS and Android, Research in Motion is making headway. Fierce Wireless notes that CMO Frank promises 70,000 apps, including most of the top apps around, available to BlackBerry 10 users when the gadget ships.
On the technical side of the BlackBerry 10, TechRadar recently leaked the official specs for the L-Series line of smartphones which will debut at RIM's launch event at the end of January. The all-touch variant, which includes the Z10 model, will feature a 4.2-inch screen at a 1280x768 resolution, 16GB of internal storage, 2GB of Ram, and a 1,800mAh batter. Photographers will have a 2MP front camera, 8MP back camera, and single LED flash with auto focus at their disposal. The device also allows for 1080p digital recording with 5x digital zoom.
The L-Series will launch alongside the X10 and N-Series, which carry a traditional keypad, on January 30th. Notably, "The BlackBerry London will be the only non-4G variant with support for 21Mbps HSPA+, while the BlackBerry Laguna, BlackBerry Lisbon and BlackBerry Liverpool will all feature LTE technology," reports TechRadar.
When the BlackBerry 10 launches, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have each expressed support for the RIM's final push into Samsung and Apple's territory. In the UK, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile, EE, and Orange have put their weight behind RIM as well, adds ZDNet.
Check back with Latinos Post for regular BlackBerry 10 updates.