BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha phone gets an update

A couple of months ago, starting at BlackBerry World, RIM started handing out the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha handset to anybody claiming to be a developer. The idea is to get enough of these phones into the hands of these code jockeys so that BlackBerry App World can be populated with a decent number of applications in time for the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 handsets. The handset is unlike anything that RIM has released before with a 4.2 inch display offering a resolution of 768 x 1280. An OMAP processor of unknown speed is under the hood with 1GB of RAM along for the ride. 16GB of native storage is aboard. 

RIM has announced an update for the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha phone which takes the software to version 10.0.6.361. Unfortunately, this is not an OTA update which means you will need to hook up the phone to your PC. You will also need the latest beta version of BlackBerry Desktop Manager installed on your PC. Once you've done that, click on the sourcelink for step by step directions.

The latest build of the OS will update the BlackBerry 10 developer toolkits and will open the BlackBerry App World Vendor Portal for the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha phone. This will allow developers with the handset to access apps made by other developers and to test them. This gives all developers with the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha model the ability to see what everyone else is doing, perhaps leading some developers to enhance something that they are already working on. It leads to a feeling of "we're all in this together" which is certainly true. RIM's survival depends on everyone doing his part.

In the past, it seemed as though RIM figured with the enterprise market in its back pocket, it didn't need to catch up to Apple or Android. This time, RIM can't aim for something a little short of the competition. The Canadian based manufacturer has to come to market with something that is a few steps ahead if the company is going to remain in its current form.

source: RIM via Crackberry