RIM and Marmalade to offer developers free SDK Licences and a BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet


Participants Eligible to Receive over $700 in Free Goods to Help with Application Development

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) and Marmalade, makers of the world’s most powerful cross-platform SDK, announced a special offer that reinforces RIM and Marmalade’s commitment to developers.

The offer highlights BlackBerry® 10 as a powerful gaming platform as well as RIM’s dedication to open standards and platforms, and encourages Marmalade developers to bring their games and applications to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ and BlackBerry 10 platform. The offer means that all eligible mobile developers can experience the benefits of mobile app development using the Marmalade SDK targeting the BlackBerry platform.

Initially available for a limited period, qualified developers who register will receive a Marmalade SDK license for the BlackBerry platform as well as a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Once the developer has published their app on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, they can unlock the full cross-platform power of the Marmalade SDK by upgrading to the Marmalade Indie licence for free*.

Developers can leverage this offer to take advantage of the powerful gaming capabilities of the BlackBerry PlayBook as well as the first-to-market opportunity that the BlackBerry 10 platform presents. Then through the powerful Marmalade SDK developers can target other platforms. The Marmalade SDK also offers developers the option to develop natively with C/C++ or create hybrid apps in HTML5, targeting mobile devices as well as desktop and laptop computers.

Harvey Elliott, Managing Director & COO, Marmalade said, “At Marmalade, we are thrilled to help developers discover the power and agility of the BlackBerry 10 platform. We passionately believe that more platforms mean more possibilities, and this fantastic offer really makes that a reality for all indie developers. Develop a brilliant app for BlackBerry and then target other platforms later on.”

The offer is designed to attract world-class content to the BlackBerry 10 platform, while making it easy for developers to manage their content across multiple operating systems, and is expected to deliver thousands of new apps in the lead up to the launch of BlackBerry 10.

Alec Saunders, Vice President of Developer Relations and Ecosystem at RIM said, “This offer showcases the power and flexibility of BlackBerry 10 for gaming. No other platform offers the same openness and flexibility as BlackBerry 10. Together with Marmalade, we’re working to make it as easy as possible for mobile developers to bring their apps to the BlackBerry platform.”

BlackBerry App World is one of the most profitable mobile app stores for developers, with more than 6 million applications downloaded every day. According to market analysis and strategy firm Vision Mobile, BlackBerry developers generate, on average, 4 percent more revenue per app per month than iOS developers and almost 40 percent more than Android developers.

 Developers can sign up now at http://madewithmarmalade.com/blackberry.

*Or up to two Marmalade Licences per organisation.  Offer subject to terms and conditions.