RIM has announced that it will introduce standardised screen resolution for future devices powered by its BlackBerry 10 platform, in an effort to make it easier to build apps.

Developers have told RIM that late notice of screen resolutions for new devices makes it difficult to optimise apps and games in time to support launches.

The company is new responding by standardising its screen resolution for forthcoming BlackBerry 10 devices to 1280 x 720 (16:9) for full touch devices and 720 x 720 for keyboard-equipped models.

However, the first full-touch BlackBerry device, and the Dev Alpha prototype smartphones being distributed to developers, will have a non-standard 1280 x 768 resolution.

The company said that this is because the long gestation period means that supply chain and manufacturing specifications have already been fixed.

It suggests that developers should either alter their apps for subsequent BlackBerry 10 devices or build apps now to the 1280 x 720 scale, with 24 pixels of blank space on either side of the screen, to support future devices.