RIM offers Blackberry 10 prototypes

Mobile phone maker Research in Motion has kicked off its annual conference by handing out thousands of prototypes for its next line of smartphones. The devices - dubbed Blackberry 10 Dev Alpha - also offer a sneak preview of RIM's new operating system. Both the OS and the new range of handsets is seen as a hugely important as RIM struggles to compete with Google's Android and Apple's iOS. RIM hopes it will inspire developers to create much-needed apps. The prototype bears more of a resemblance to smartphones from competitors than its previous handsets. It comes without a keyboard, a feature which had previously set RIM apart from its rivals. It is not the first time the company has relied on an on-screen keyboard, but a previous effort - in the Torch 9850 - was criticised in some reviews for being too cramped. The firm was keen to stress that neither the hardware nor software released was a final version. "The Blackberry 10 Dev Alpha is not a Blackberry 10 smartphone for end users nor does it run the final Blackberry 10 software - it's been created just for our developer partners to help them prepare for the launch of Blackberry 10," RIM said on its official blog. "It's important to get this prototype into the hands of our partners now so that you can help us deliver the type of high-quality content that will make Blackberry 10 so special," it added.