Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ:RIMM) announced that the updated toolkit for independent developers to create applications for the Blackberry 10 is now available for them to download.
The company’s updated tools provide two key sets of APIs for developers. The key sets include the application invocation framework, which allows Blackberry 10 applications to interact seamlessly, while the Push API allows developers to send notifications and other content to Blackberry 10 devices, using the global Blackberry infrastructure.
RIM also opened its Blackberry App World Vendor Portal for Blackberry 10. The company aims to provide an opportunity for developers to test devices, as well as access and share their applications to their fellow developers.
In a statement, Christopher Smith, RIM’s vice president of Handheld Application Platform & Tools, expressed enthusiasm that developers will be able to create powerful apps for customers using the updated Blackberry 10 tools. According to him, “Developers have been making remarkable progress with BlackBerry 10. We’ve seen amazing examples of apps from every category being built for the BlackBerry 10 platform, often in just a matter of days.”
The launching of the Blackberry 10 has been delayed twice. It is obvious that the company is trying its best to introduce a more competitive device to increase its profitability and global market share for smarthphones. Based on the results in the study conducted by the International Data Corporation (IDC), Blackberry’s global market share for smartphone plunged during the first quarter of 2012. Its shipments declined by 29.7 percent to 9.7 million.
The global smartphone market is dominated by Google’s Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) iPhone. Thorstein Heins, CEO of RIM, previously stated that the company is trying its best to create its own powerful platform and operating system, and to be different. Heins believed that the company has a good future ahead, and it will be a successful smartphone manufacturer. RIM hopes to launch the Blackberry 10 as a strong competitor with other platforms.
According to Tim Shepherd, senior analyst at Canalys, he observed that developers who attended the Blackberry Jam World Tour showed real interest and enthusiasm on RIM’s new platform. Blackberry 10 is expected to reach the market in the first few months of 2013.
RIM’s stock value fell by 70 percent during the past year. As of today (Thursday 1:00 ET), the company’s shares gained 0.17 percent to $6.96 per share.
