The final version of the RIM Blackberry 10 software development kit is almost ready, with RIM planning to release the “gold’ version into the hands of developers on the 11th of December.

While this news might be more important for BB10 developers, it matters for the everyday Blackberry enthusiast as well. It is important because it indicates that things are on track for the upcoming January 30th BB10 launch event and subsequent release of the first BB10 handsets. From what we’ve heard, the first handsets should ship within 30 days after the BB10 launch event. This means that developers should have plenty of time to use the gold version to finalize and tweak apps before sending them out to RIM for submission and approval.

With both Blackberry 10 and Firefox OS launching sometime in the beginning of 2013, the mobile OS market is certainly becoming increasingly crowded. Are you excited for Blackberry 10?

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