RIM is so determined to recover much of the lost ground taken by Google and Apple that it has released 2,000 prototypes of its latest BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Since ditching many of the company’s previous experiments, such as PlayBook, RIM has been concentrating on the launch of the latest version of its popular platform. To this end, the release of the prototypes is to help developers see what all the fuss is about. Assuming they like it then it will give RIM confidence that its fight back will be permanent.

Alec Saunders, who heads developer relations at RIM, said: “Developers building for BlackBerry 10 will be able to easily create the kind of cutting-edge apps that deliver truly engaging experiences.”

How smart this move turns out to be will probably determine whether RIM and BlackBerry both have a future. In a recent survey developers were not too keen on creating apps for the BlackBerry operating system. In fact, less than 16% said that they liked the platform and would be very interested in creating applications.

This figure contrasts with the 80% and 90% who prefer to work for Apple and Android.

RIM itself was rumoured to be up for sale at one time. However, the new chief executive of the company, Thorstein Heins, rejected this. He believes firmly that RIM needs to get back to what it does best – making and selling BlackBerry devices.

With a lot riding on this, both he and his employees will be hoping that this is the right decision.