RIM recently announced that the gold build of the BlackBerry 10 SDK Toolkit is now available for download. The release enables the developer community to create and integrate applications for the upcoming BB10 platform which is scheduled to launch on January 30, 2013.
The gold release is packed with all the necessary tools, components and APIs which are in their final form, for creating apps. Native C/C++ and Qt developers can adopt Cascades to design applications that are visually rich and can be deeply integrated with various key features of the OS such as BlackBerry Hub. For those who prefer building with HTML5, the company is providing WebWorks which assists in the creation of web-based tools for the platform by offering native-like performance and high integration.
Additionally, RIM is delivering various other kits for designing. With the Adobe Air SDK, developers will be able create flash-based applications and even take advantage of various attributes such as sensors, notifications, payments and a lot more through support for native capabilities. To top it off, Air apps designed for the PlayBook can even be ported to BB10. Speaking of which, there’s also an Android Runtime in the gold release. This package tags along support for various new APIs including the camera flash and various features such as multi-window, sensors, notifications, in-app payment and multimedia sync, amongst others.
When the platform is launched in January, potential users can expect to find a host of HD games from Gameloft and Magmic. There will also be various applications which fall within categories such a multimedia, business and productivity as well as published media, from companies like NewspaperDirect, Digitsecure, Viacom18 and more. In recent news, the company teased the latest BB10 hardware online showing off a textured rear panel and curved edges. Back in November, RIM hosted the Got Game Port-a-Thon event where developers were awarded with cash prizes and mobile devices for participating and creating as well as porting applications over to the latest platform.
The BlackBerry 10 SDK Toolkit gold release is available for download through the developer.blackberry.com website. And as mentioned earlier, the build is being offered in 5 different packages, namely C/C++ Native SDK, C++/QT Cascades, HTML5 WebWorks, Adobe Air and Android Runtime.