Kicking off its annual meeting with developers, customers and press, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) officially unveiled its new BlackBerry 10 software on May 1. In addition to the software, RIM also offered a prototype of the upcoming BlackBerry phone so developers could start working their magic.

The prototype, however, comes as a big surprise: it lacks a physical keyboard, a rather defining characteristic of previous BlackBerry phones. The virtual keyboard allows for easier and more accurate typing, and brings BlackBerry more in line with the popular iPhone and Android phones.

During his first keynote address at BlackBerry World as CEO, Thorsten Heins said BlackBerry 10 is on its way, and will build on RIM's strengths to offer a powerful device that allows for easy and fast communication. "We are committed to building our platform to make mobility even more simple," said the recently-appointed CEO.

BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Prototype

Heins insisted that the prototype phone, called BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, presented at the confab will never be sold commercially, and is not what the final phones will be like. These reference devices are only designed for developers to test new apps using the new software. According to the company, new devices running the BlackBerry 10 operating system will arrive in the latter part of 2012.

"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," stated RIM on its official blog.

Virtual Keyboard

Though Heins did not go into specifics, he did indicate that the first devices will likely feature virtual keyboards instead of the physical QWERTY ones that BlackBerry users have grown so accustomed to. Showing off the prototype's new virtual keyboard, the CEO said it sums up the purpose of BlackBerry 10 - easier and faster communication. "Typing really matters to our BlackBerry users," said Heins, as reported by Cnet. "So how do we make the best keypad on the market even better on BlackBerry 10? This new keypad saves you time even on full touch BlackBerry. It's still about typing and getting things done. I love it."

$10,000 Bounty for BlackBerry 10 Apps

Along with the BlackBerry 10 OS and its corresponding prototype, RIM also issued a bounty for BlackBerry 10 apps in order to entice developers to work on the platform. In a keynote presentation at the BlackBerry Jam developer event on Tuesday, Alex Saunders, RIM's vice president of developer relations, promised attendees that their BlackBerry 10 apps will earn $10,000 within the first year of availability in App World. If not, RIM will pay developers the unearned balance.

In order to qualify for the $10,000 check, the app must be a "certified BlackBerry" application. It is not yet certain how does an app become BlackBerry 10 certified, but RIM said the full set of criteria will be available later this year. In addition to this certification, BlackBerry 10 apps also have to earn at least $1,000 on their own in their first year, otherwise they will not be eligible for the $10,000 prize. Any app that earns between $1,000 and $9,999 will win that developer check.

A smartphone platform cannot succeed without apps, therefore this bounty is RIM's way of enticing developers to create apps for its unreleased BlackBerry 10 platform. RIM will need lots of apps available as soon as BlackBerry 10 devices hit the market, or it will be dead and buried by the mobile community.

RIM is already struggling for some time to keep up with competing mobile makers, and increasingly more BlackBerry users are shifting towards Apple's or Google's Android mobile platforms. RIM's future relies heavily on BlackBerry 10.

(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Dave Clark)