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Working 9 To 5 For BlackBerry 10: RIM Opens Developer Workspace At EMEA HQ To Help Accelerate App Development | TechCrunch

Working 9 To 5 For BlackBerry 10: RIM Opens Developer Workspace At EMEA HQ To Help Accelerate App Development
Natasha Lomas


RIM is busy beavering away on the next generation of its mobile OS � BlackBerry 10, with a launch planned for Q1 next year � but there�s more to mobile than having a shiny new OS these days. The BlackBerry-maker needs developers working in parallel making apps for its new ecosystem to be in with any chance of attracting the smartphone crowds. Today the company has opened the doors on the first global BlackBerry Tech Center at its EMEA HQ in Slough, UK, which gives BB10 developers a workspace and a team of developer helpers to help them deliver the goods.

RIM has distributed more than 5,000 BlackBerry Dev Alpha test units to app developers so far. Last week Roger Enright, regional leader for RIM�s EMEA product management, was bullish on BB10 apps � telling me: �We�ve got fantastic momentum in terms of developers�, and adding RIM is �very confident of what we�ll have in terms of apps at launch�. He would not disclose any details on how many apps are being created for BB10, however, and the launch of developer centres suggests RIM isn�t taking any chances on BB10 apps.

The Slough-based BlackBerry Tech Center opened its doors to BB10 developers today � providing a dedicated weekdays workspace from 9am to 5pm. As well as desks and chairs, developers making the trek to Slough can expect help from an on site BlackBerry developer evangelist team. Different weekdays have a different focus � with the bulk of the week given over to helping developers for alternative mobile platforms port their apps across to BB10.

On Mondays the BB10 team will focus on helping developers with Native/Cascades/Qt; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are about helping Android, iOS and Windows developers bring existing apps to BB10 �using a range of tried and tested porting strategies�; while Wednesdays are targeting guidance on developing with BlackBerry WebWorks/HTML 5. RIM says the developer space will also host a �wider range of developer engagement activities� and, more generally, function as a hub for BB10 developers to collaborate and knowledge-share.

Alec Saunders, VP Developer Relations at RIM said in a statement: �The opening of this first BlackBerry Tech Centre underscores our ongoing commitment to actively engage with and support the efforts of our developer community. This new centre in our EMEA headquarters designates space where developers can draw on the resources and skill set of our experienced developer evangelist team to help them create compelling apps for the new BlackBerry 10 platform.�

�I�m looking forward to seeing the apps that will come from the UK developer community over the weeks and months ahead,� he added.

It�s not clear how many developer-friendly Tech Centres RIM plans to open globally. We�ve reached out to ask and will update with any response.

Update: RIM says it plans to open Centres in Silicon Valley, Vancouver, India and Indonesian � in addition to the one in Slough. The company says there is also one in Waterloo, Canada.

[skyrocket9]

Thats not how you get more apps developed... if you have to spend resources as a company to maintain a continuous flow of apps it will eventually cost a lot of overhead in the long run.

IOS had a bunch of kids making random apps and playing around with it in 2007/2008 most of them did not even get paid. They were bored, infact everyone made apps for ios it was like a personal thing back then.

The fact that you have to spend resources like rim is doing to motivate app creation will not work. Apps get boring, really quickly and need to be replenished quickly. You need a fun platform where anyone can make a bunch of apps as useless as they may be without having to be a developer.

Everyone is a developer in ios... just buy the software and start making a weather app lol.



Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[playbookster]

Thats not how you get more apps developed... if you have to spend resources as a company to maintain a continuous flow of apps it will eventually cost a lot of overhead in the long run.

IOS had a bunch of kids making random apps and playing around with it in 2007/2008 most of them did not even get paid. They were bored, infact everyone made apps for ios it was like a personal thing back then.

The fact that you have to spend resources like rim is doing to motivate app creation will not work. Apps get boring, really quickly and need to be replenished quickly. You need a fun platform where anyone can make a bunch of apps as useless as they may be without having to be a developer.

Everyone is a developer in ios... just buy the software and start making a weather app lol.



Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Its a chicken before the egg scenario. If there are no apps people wont buy the phones, but on the other side devs wont develop apps unless there is a market for them. So RIM has to get the apps made in advance so people will buy their phones and that will encourage more developers to create more apps. ios and Android are so big now it is hard to encourage devs to build apps for other platforms so RIM has to guarantee success (the 10k committment), as well as make it extremely easy to port. They honestly look like they are trying a of a lot harder to create a viable ecosytem than Microsoft at the moment.

[lnichols]

Thats not how you get more apps developed... if you have to spend resources as a company to maintain a continuous flow of apps it will eventually cost a lot of overhead in the long run.

IOS had a bunch of kids making random apps and playing around with it in 2007/2008 most of them did not even get paid. They were bored, infact everyone made apps for ios it was like a personal thing back then.

The fact that you have to spend resources like rim is doing to motivate app creation will not work. Apps get boring, really quickly and need to be replenished quickly. You need a fun platform where anyone can make a bunch of apps as useless as they may be without having to be a developer.

Everyone is a developer in ios... just buy the software and start making a weather app lol.



Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Yes and when Apple start the apps thing it wasn't like it was now. App ecosystems are what people want. RIM has to have apps to get sales, and needs to get devices in hands of people that will pay for apps and/or content to get developers to keep going. Devs will go where the money is, and RIM has to kick start App World for BB10 to make sure that there is enough to get people to buy phones and buy apps. If that works then devs will develop after that to make money.

[badiyee85]

If I may provide my own input:

In the bigger picture of things to come, I think this is the best RIM move in their strategy. Let me point out a few things, if I'm allowed.

Firstly, some time ago RIM posted the "guaranteed USD10k for selected apps". I believe, the gist of the entire thing goes like this:

Research in Motion (RIM) announced today that it will guarantee a USD 10,000 payout for developers who produce a BlackBerry OS application that earns over USD 1,000.
The award may be given once per developer and only applies to applications released before the official launch of the operating system.

Now, let's go back to the idea of RIM opening up the dev workspace. I believe it can serve a few purpose:

1) direct interaction between RIM and devs (assist, help, etc)
2) direct communication in what RIM wants to see what kind of apps that populates their appworld
3) direct consolidation and reconcialiation from devs to know what kind of apps that customer wants by asking from RIM directly (while building the apps there)

So I see this is just one part of RIM's endeavour to bring devs with the right kind of appeal (when it comes to the apps)

Remember, the qualification guidelines states that its still on until the date of official launch of the operating system. That means a few good solid months left. All they need to do is reach the first USD1000, and RIM pays the REST in advance.

It may sound simple, but going from USD1000 to USD10,000 isn't as easy as some think, because your apps has to be of exceptional quality / popularity and limited to one app per developer. So I believe there will be many gunning for the prize.

This way its a win for RIM and also an attractive incentive for DEVs to come and visit these workspaces. Because the more they do, its in RIM's best interest to get them interested and start developing.