BlackBerry App World to launch April 1, says BusinessWeek
By Nilay Patel 
posted Mar 26th 2009 1:06PM
posted Mar 26th 2009 1:06PM
[Via Boy Genius Report]
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Umm, April Fools???
Yeah, April 1st isn't the best day to lunch products.
It worked for Gmail!
That's the perfect date for BlackBerry Fools' Day. They'd better hope their server doesn't go down. I'm curious to see how long it takes before they get their 1 billionth download. That's if I'm still alive. I sincerely hope that their store is filled with Fart Apps up the wazoo.
RIM ain't so smart. Apple can start raising App prices anytime it wants. They've already got the suckers roped. All Apple has to do is reel them in. Besides with in-app transactions, users will be nickel and dimed and quartered at Apple's leisure. A user will buy a game for a buck and by the time all the levels and weapons get added, they'll have blown a fiver without even realizing it. Go Apple. Get that piece of the action till it makes 'em cry. RIM, you are only the Master of Texts. Apple, you are the Master of Profits.
Nope....not till next week. That would make you a March fool.
Every blackberry user I know has one because it was supplied by their company. They're not allowed to purchase anything on them or install any additional software. I don't think this is going to take off like crazy because of the "sophistication of business users" if those sophisticated blokes aren't allowed to install new software.
maybe that will change when it goes through an official store like the app world?
I bet we'll see corporate bigwigs forcing IT admins to loosen restrictions for apps from the 'official' store.
I have one for personal use (the iPhone doesn't cut muster, only cheese), and use apps from all over the place. The per-app submission fees should keep the clutter down.
If the companies gave their employees the phone I doubt it would change because its 2.99 your charging to the company unless they deduct it from your paycheck.
Their strategy for use outside of the business world is the MyWorld function of Blackberry App World, which allows users to download their purchased apps to any device that they own. MyWorld stores an unlimited amount of you previous purchases and allows them to be downloaded multiple times if you switch devices, own two devices, etc. Fairly smart... read FAQs here for more info, I just read this today http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/appworld/faq.jsp
I just went back to the iPhone. The Storm is the worst phone I have ever owned. Pure junk!
What operating system did you have on it cuz the new leaks make the phone amazing. Even my buddy with an iphone wishes he had some of the features that the storm does.
MCP, that's not saying much.
I've had iPhone users wish they had features a non-smartphone does.
Not that I'm knock the iPhone, it's just that for what those monsters cost you'd expect a little more. But that should be fixed soon.
why not a multi-touch alternative for single-touch devices like this: http://concepts.shpe.ro/ZoomRotate.php
come on, really? have no one think about this? because is really simple to implement, at least in flash :)
Wonder how many hours after the App World launches before we have 100 apps that are tip calculators and fart makers.
Well. Considering it costs (afaik) $200 per app to submit, there may be only one or two, really well polished, push-enabled, encryption-optional, Enterprise enabled fartmakers.
I tip my hat to Research In Motion - "App World" is a great name and should appeal to corporate types eager to conquer the "world". But I can't see oodles of apps going to that platform other than business-oriented ones. Sure, there will be a few fun or media center type apps that will rise to the top of the pack but my impression is that, like Microsoft, BlackBerry apps will largely be business-oriented in nature.
Now, of course, if some lucky developer does manage to build something business users will enjoy en masse they'll almost certainly be able to market it at higher prices than on the other platforms, maybe even get some licensing deals. But games, "silly" apps and media center type apps - I don't see it at this point. I think Android has the edge on appealing to all kinds of users after the iPhone.
That's what I said!
Apple didn't invent the concept of 3rd party software.
There have always been "App Stores" for Blackberry, Palm, and Winmo platforms. Apparently their users are just as interested in flashlight apps and fart apps as iPhone users.
http://store.blackberrycool.com/homeSoftware.asp
http://blackberry.handmark.com/
http://www.blackberrymarketplace.com/
@ Darren
I think we got that Apple didn't invent such stores. We got that they were not the first with the iPhone. Or the first with a smartphone. Or the first with the iPod. Or the first to offer digital music download etc. etc. etc. We get that already. Now when will you "Apple did not invent { add product here } people get Apple, and learn why they've been so succesful?
Aaaaaaaaaaaand the storm bashing/iphone ftw roxorz beginnnsssssssssss.
NOW!
Its the launch of a service people. Noone cares why blackberry/iphone rules/sucks.
*yawn*
please, stay quiet in your momma's basement.
Actually people do care about who makes the best overall use handset in the world. So far it's been determined by impartial group of brilliant intellectuals that the iPhone is the finest. So, there you have it. If you disagree, then your unqualified opinion really doesn't matter. ;)
I just adore the "App Store" imitations. Apple set the grounds and everyone wishes to grab a piece of the pie; thing is Apple Pie is not replicated or triumphed with knock offs ;)
Toast to iPhone for setting the bar and being yet again a pack leader!
Apple pie is sour...
...and sweet too!
RIM makes an awesome product and has for years. They are to busy trying to chase the Iphone. Apple developers aren't going to jump ship and only develop for RIM. Don't forget Apple has another touch screen device called the Ipod touch. I think RIM won't see the success as Apple. As chefgon_ign states the truth about blackberry's. The Iphone and Ipod touch are a far better platform. Android is the only other platform worth developing for not RIM.
"Apple developers aren't going to jump ship and only develop for RIM."
No s****.....
"RIM makes an awesome product and has for years."
Until they came out with the Storm.
The Storm has a horrible launch but the leaked operating systems have improve it to the point where it is pretty damn fast. RIM has sold a million plus Storms so there is a pretty damn good base for devs to put out products for.
Having had the Storm for several months with each of the latest "leaked" OSs... the Storm still is not a great device. The software is still slow and not as responsive as the competition. It has been a frustrating experience to the end. I am back on my old phone and I can really appreciate how responsive and easy to use it is.
The storm is not the best phone RIM makes. I am not bad mouthing RIM. It just gets old to see a company always going after Apple and the Iphone. The Iphone was far from perfect when it was released. It has had plenty of ups and downs. I love my Iphone and probably wouldn't ever get rid of it. I am hoping for a big upgrade this summer.
Aren't those icons the same as the one used in Synaptic, the Debian apt frontend? Were those there when App World was announced?
I saw that too, the Synaptic icon and the "square with a star" icons. Are these actually what they plan on using, or is this a mock-up / PS job? I don't follow RIM news very closely, so I'm not sure.
Now, we are talking!
Test
Not sure I really care too much about apps. In fact, I think the only app that would be worth it: a dictionary and thesaurus or a beefed up facebook/twitter app.
There are tons of Blackberry owners that aren't just corporate types, I mean come on there's between 20million-30million ACTIVE blackberry users and I bet a large portion of those will buy a few apps... Put in perspective they've sold about 15million I phones... Blackberry has sold more than 50million devices but only around 20million active users, and that's a pretty big pool of money especially when you factor in that most of these people spend $90-$100 a month on there phone plan... Please no I-Fart Apps or all the countless number of crap-apps like the I Phone is drowning in!
Having both the Storm and an iPhone 3G I must say that the Storm is by far the worst phone I have ever used. Switching between landscape and portrait is awful. Sometimes you need to shake it to get it to switch. Typing in landscape is nearly impossible and incredibly slow. The click screen was a horrible idea. The browser is awful as well. Most of the time I receive an error message that the page is to big. I am responsible for ordering phones for my company and have ordered about 20 Storms. Six users have kept them, the rest went back to the Curve or Pearl. Apps won't help this phone.
The click screen feels great. I find it difficult to type on normal touch screens due to the lack of feedback. I can type as fast as most of my coworkers on their Bolds and Curves.
I've never had nor have I ever heard anyone complain about a "page too big" bug. Though I have been running leaked OSs for a while.
RIM's biggest failures with the Storm were releasing too early and not getting an official update out in a short amount of time.
Anyone who buys a cell phone for the "apps" needs Android, plain and simple. Bye bye, Blackberry.
Wow, a market UI that actually makes the Android Market look appealing. What happened to BB?? They're giving phones away like crazy, prices dropped everywhere, etc... I had a BB Curve and I loved it, the Storm must really blow.
MOMMY MOMMY, CAN I GO TO APP WORLD FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!???
PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE
$2.99 per App?
Back in the day, Palm was the de facto corporate (and student and medical and legal) device - the Blackberry of their day - and they benefited hugely by the vast community of freeware development that went on. It created a library of Apps that even Apple could only wish for, even today.
Corporate ennui killed off Palm (0.9% worldwide market share in smartphones), but both Blackberry and Apple could benefit from encouraging - and promoting - an enthusiastic community of freeware developers and not try and nickle, dime and dollar their end users with 'Worlds' or 'Stores' for much that is available.
I'm a Storm owner and I've grown to like/gotten used to the phone...mainly due to the new leaked OS and new themes. That being said, the Achilles heal of the App World is that Blackberry's can only use the 128mb or 256mb device memory (depending on the model) to store apps whereas the iPhone has gigs of application space.
I can't wait to have thousands of great apps available on App World and no room on my phone's memory to run them!
Looks promising. Just got the Storm and I like it. There are some quirks with it, but the VZ guy I spoke to said the 3rd official upgrade is coming soon, which he was told would fix the responsiveness. I've gotten used to the click screen--like being able to hover before clicking. I've downloaded apps from a variety of places but having an "app world" will be nice. As far as cost, if that encourages better development, that's fine with me. Nothing worse than junk apps. $2.99 isn't exactly breaking the bank... considering you pay, what, a minimum of $70 for monthly service?
app world is now open
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/appworld/?
i just dL'ed the iHeartRadio app from BlackBerry App World and im loving it even tho its been like 3 hrs since i got it =) i didn't feel like paying the 3 bucks for any other app so i browsed around and found the free (sweet) iHeartRadio app.!! it's also available on iheartmusic.com but i didn't know till a friend told me..i figured goin to a blackberry app store was enuff to find all my blackberry app needs!! i rilly like how it looks on my blackberry storm too!! overall i think it's a great radio app for the blackberry - and definitely glad that iheartradio came out with a storm version =) thanks!!!