RIM opens the BlackBerry Application storefront, says it's going to shake up "Music 2.0"
Better late than never, we suppose -- joining Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Palm, RIM's officially opened the BlackBerry Application Storefront to submissions, just a hair after the December launch we'd originally heard. It sounds like RIM's going to be doing more an Apple-style closed market than an Android-style free-for-all: apps will be "considered" for inclusion in the Storefront, which is scheduled to go live in March at CTIA. The lockdown's not a big shocker considering RIM's corporate userbase, but we're can't say we're huge fans of this new trend toward closed stores. In any event, it sounds like RIM's seeing big potential for its fledging shop -- co-CEO Jim Balsillie recently told a panel that he's expecting "dozens of music apps" in the store, which he thinks will be able to capitalize on the (sigh) "birth of digital music 2.0." We're not sure exactly what Jim means -- he mostly said things like "remarkable revenue enhancement strategy" and "radical and dramatic enhancing set of opportunities" -- but we're all for shaking up the music business, so bring it on. It can't be any worse than SlotMusic.
[Via Boy Genius Report]
Read - BlackBerry Application Storefront submission page
Read - Balsillie wants to shake up music
