BlackBerry maker woos app developers

Research In Motion says it has opened a walk-in center in Britain to help developers build or port apps to its upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. The struggling Canadian company is increasing its efforts to convince developers to get behind the next version of its operating system by opening its first developer center in Slough near London, ZDNet.UK reported Wednesday. At its BlackBerry Jam event in September the company had said it would set up BlackBerry Tech Centers around the world to help programmers looking to create or port apps for BlackBerry 10. An on-site team of helpers is available in the British center to give advice to developers, RIM said. The BlackBerry 10, expected to arrive early in 2013, is regarded as a do-or-die product for RIM, which has seen the BlackBerry line lose ground to mobile rivals running Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating system. The availability of good apps is considered vital when the new device is unveiled. "The opening of this first BlackBerry Tech Center underscores our ongoing commitment to actively engage with and support the efforts of our developer community," Alec Saunders, head of developer relations at RIM, said in a statement. RIM said it plans to open more developer tech centers in Silicon Valley in California and in Canada and Indonesia among other locations.