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BlackBerry to host hackathon

Kathryn McConnachie
By Kathryn McConnachie, Digital Media Editor at ITWeb.
Johannesburg, 19 Oct 2012
RIM says the BlackBerry Jam Sessions Super Hackathon is a chance to build relationships with local developers.
RIM says the BlackBerry Jam Sessions Super Hackathon is a chance to build relationships with local developers.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) is calling on local developers to participate in a 10-hour hackathon in Cape Town on 3 November.

The BlackBerry Jam Sessions Super Hackathon will see developers working individually or in teams of up to six people, to create a business model and develop apps in just 10 hours.

Prizes will be awarded in categories including best app, best game, best e-commerce app and best user-interface design. Participants will stand the chance to win cash prizes, BlackBerry Developer Kits, BlackBerry gadgets and media exposure. Developers can register online to participate for free.

RIM is seeking to spur developer interest and support for its new upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. According to RIM, BlackBerry 10 is the "most open ecosystem in mobile".

"Developers can choose to develop apps with the languages and frameworks they're comfortable using, including: Native C/C++, Qt, HTML5, Adobe AIR and Android Java runtime technologies. Developers can use the skills and knowledge they already have to quickly and easily build high quality and engaging apps."

Explaining the concept of the "super hackathon", RIM says: "We go to your cities, we bring the experts, feed you with breakfast, pizza, coffee and Red Bull, honour you with prizes and rewards but mainly, we work to create relationships with you.

"These hackathons are more than a 10-hour-long programming session. They will be your chance to learn, practise and create your applications with support like you've never experienced."

RIM has said countries like SA and Nigeria are "priority one" markets for the company, and will be among the first to receive the new BlackBerry 10 devices next year. The new operating system has been labelled as 'do-or-die' for RIM, as the company has continued to lose market share to competitors in mature markets.

BlackBerry handsets currently dominate SA's smartphone market, with an estimated 4.5 million BlackBerry devices in use. By comparison, it is estimated that there are currently under a million active Android devices in SA and less than 500 000 iPhone users.

According to RIM, BlackBerry 10 is set to launch with 100 000 apps in its app store - a figure which would be a record for a new platform. RIM also says its new platform is 40% more profitable for developers due to active efforts to reduce costs.

In July, RIM announced the BlackBerry App World had reached three billion downloads, with a total of 90 000 apps available on the platform at the time.

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