Some good news for Waterloo, Ont.-based BlackBerry makerResearch in Motion (TSX: RIM) this week as it gears up for the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 OS and handset on January 30th: developers want on board, and investors seem a little more positive as well.
RIM said Monday it was extending the deadline for its Built for BlackBerry incentive program after receiving more than 19,000 applications. The overwhelming response to the program, designed to showcase BlackBerry 10 apps that have received a level of review from RIM and will get an extra marketing push, ensures the rebranded BlackBerry World (formerly BlackBerry App World) will be in good shape when BB10 launches later this month.
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According to TechCrunch, RIM claims “BB10 will have more apps at launch than any other mobile operating system.”
In other positive RIM news, while U.S. markets were closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, RIM’s shares jumped by more than 10 per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange, closing the day at $17.41. RIM’s stock been rallying of late, following a low-point of $6.25 in September.
Report on Business points to two possible reasons for Monday’s rally: RIM CEO Thorsten Heins told a German newspaper, Die Welt, that he hasn’t ruled-out licensing the Blackberry OS or selling the hardware division – comments he has made preciously – and “bullish” research notes from several analysts.
