Augmented reality company Wikitude launched the first augmented reality SDK for the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 OS.

The technology is based on Wikitude’s ARchitect engine, which allows developers to build using web technologies such as HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, meaning they don’t have to learn new programming languages to create AR-enabled apps.

The beta release of the SDK allows the creation of augmented reality apps for BlackBerry 10 from the ground up, or the addition of the functionality to existing titles. Interested developers need to register with Wikitude for full access to the resources and to enter an upcoming developer contest.

“We’re quite excited to give developers a head start on creating augmented reality based apps for BlackBerry 10,” said Wikitude lead software architect Wolfgang Damm.