RIM announced its US$10K Developer Commitment, in an attempt to lure developers to its BlackBerry 10 platform ahead of device launches scheduled for early 2013.

The launch is tied-in with the introduction of the Built for BlackBerry programme later this year, which will see BlackBerry 10 apps receiving a free third-party review, with successful titles receiving a quality endorsement which can be used in promotions.

The company will pay up to US$10,000 to developers (on certain conditions), for apps submitted to BlackBerry App World ahead of the BB10 launch. To qualify, an app has to independently earn at least US$1,000, with RIM making up the shortfall to US$10,000.Developers are only eligible to receive the payments once, and any app that earns more than US$10,000 will not get a RIM uplift.

Built for BlackBerry is open to WebWorks or native apps, and the company said it is “free (for now)”. It said that Built for BlackBerry status offers “a great opportunity for professional developers to powerfully differentiate their apps in BlackBerry App World”.