blackberryappworld
Latest
Blackberry App World store makes early switch to Blackberry World, but no music or video yet
We're still a few days away from BB10's genuine debut, but RIM's decided to press on early with its app store changes. Starting with the webstore front (which is rolling out in the next 24 hours, depending on your territory) then moving on to the PlayBook and existing BlackBerry phones, the renamed BlackBerry World store will also offer up access to videos and music -- RIM reckons it'll be your "one-stop shop" for mobile entertainment, but those channels aren't live just yet. Test out the store's new offerings at the source link to the right.
RIM taps 7Digital to power official BB10 music store
RIM is already well acquainted with 7Digital thanks to joint efforts on smartphones and tablets, and now its chosen the firm to power the official music store of BlackBerry 10. Not only does 7Digital bring its tech and catalog of downloads to the table, but the duo are promising to integrate the service with BB10 to provide features including recommendations and social integration. When RIM's fresh slate of devices launch next year, folks in the Americas, Australia, Europe, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa will be able to purchase tunes from the new storefront.
RIM opens BlackBerry 10 app submissions
Any BlackBerry 10 developers sufficiently entranced by their Dev Alpha units can now make good on the work they've accomplished so far. As promised, RIM is accepting app submissions for the platform ahead of its launch early next year. Fast-acting teams who jump in today should see their titles at the front of the queue when BlackBerry App World starts supporting the modern platform. They'll have to focus on full-touch hardware rather than mixed QWERTY and touch devices, however. There's no guarantee that RIM will see a flood of apps after opening its doors, but the company reminds us that there's incentives to move quickly -- 10,000 incentives, in fact.
Facebook Messenger for BlackBerry reaches App World, sates compulsive chatters
If you own a BlackBerry, it might not have been immediately apparent that Facebook Messenger has been an option since October; unlike with Android or iOS, you had to track down the download on Facebook's website. We don't know why it's been kept out of a more accessible channel, but that ends today with Facebook's chat-focused app arriving on BlackBerry App World like most any other title. There don't appear to be any new tricks included with the expanded availability, although we'd say that the wider exposure is enough of a highlight for an audience that just needs to get by until BlackBerry 10. Those who don't use BBM for all their instant messaging can find what they need at the source link.
BlackBerry App World to sell music and movies, open to BB 10 app submissions on October 10th
In addition to sharing new details about its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, RIM used today's BlackBerry Jam keynote to make an announcement about App World. The company just revealed that in addition to applications and games, the store will sell music, movies and TV shows -- a move that brings it more in line with rival stores like Google Play and Apple's App Store. That should please App World's 80 million subscribers (a nice little figure RIM dropped in its keynote just now). Another stat: there are currently 105,000 apps in the store, with 3 billion downloads logged since the store's opening. And, RIM says, BB 10 applications will join the herd soon: the company will begin accepting submissions on October 10th. Get it? BB 10 on 10/10? Clever, Thorsten.%Gallery-166503%
Facebook's latest update to BlackBerry app brings improved notifications and reminders
Worry not, BlackBerry folk. Facebook hasn't completely forgotten about you. Earlier today, The Official BlackBerry Blog let it be known that Zuckerberg's social network had pushed out version 3.2 of its friendly application on the platform. With the new features bundled in this release, the Facebook app should make it easier to keep up with your internet-based interactions, giving you the ability to finally sync birthday reminders (and other notifications) with the native BlackBerry calendar. That's not it, however, events have also been improved and will now allow you to receive alerts, post messages and check out guest profiles -- you know, in case you're feeling extra creepy nosey. We're not seeing Facebook's refreshed goods show up in BlackBerry App World just yet, though it shouldn't be too long before it makes an appearance and can be downloaded to your device.
Video Store application for BlackBerry PlayBook now available in Canada
We all know things aren't exactly looking bright over at RIM's Waterloo HQ, but, thankfully, that's not keeping the company from taking care of its current and very valuable customer base. How so? Well, earlier today the BlackBerry maker announced its official Video Store application is now live in Canada's App World, giving the PlayBook crowd a hub to buy / rent "thousands" of movies and TV shows. Obviously -- similar to iTunes and Google Play on their respective slates -- folks will also be able to preview content before taking the plunge, and as a Berry rep told us, there should be no problem with streaming videos to a high-def television via the tablet's HDMI output. Video Store Canada, as it's known by its formal name, is up for download now at the source link below.
Finally: BlackBerry App World gains 'upgrade all' command
Ready for some good news out of Waterloo? Well, hold onto your hats, BlackBerry fans, because the latest update to App World introduces a feature that's been a long time coming: the ability to upgrade all apps at once. That's right, now, whenever you see a notification for multiple app updates, you'll no longer want to bellow at the top of your lungs out of sheer frustration, as the "upgrade all" button will manage everything for you with a single click -- which really beats the hell out of the individual update method. The latest version of App World also brings the ability to view and share lists of installed apps with friends via NFC and adds Finnish language support. So go ahead and snag the latest update, and while you're at it, you might as well upgrade all of those apps that you've been neglecting.
RIM marks three billion BlackBerry app downloads, wants to set the record straight about App World
Not all of the numbers are bad around RIM headquarters. The company's celebrating the big three billion -- that's the number of app downloads it's seen since the launch of App World. According to RIM, that number amounts to 2.5 million downloads a day -- certainly nothing to sneeze at. Naturally, Research in Motion is using the opportunity to do some "myth busting," regarding the perceived lack of selection for BlackBerry handsets and the PlayBook tablet. At present, there are 90,000 apps "up for sale" through the mobile app market.
Spotify now official on BlackBerry App World for compatible handsets
Spotify's been available to a certain segment of the BlackBerry population for some time now, but as of today it's become an official listing on RIM's app store. The app, which exited beta last December, hasn't changed -- there aren't any UI or performance tweaks in tow, simply a more convenient means of accessing the application without having to redirect to a dedicated mobile site. You can hit up the source below to start your download, but bear in mind you'll need a premium account to take advantage of the company's streaming service on-the-go.
Foursquare adds NFC to its BlackBerry app, hopes you'll touch base
Hot on the heels of a recent update for its Twitter app, BlackBerry users can now grab a refreshed version of everyone's favorite check-in network. While there's no news of the beleaguered phone manufacturer offering up free Butterfingers (yet), the geographical social app has cranked up the app's load speeds and also transplants its notifications to your BlackBerry inbox. It's all looking to be a pretty tasty NFC carrot to dangle in front of BlackBerry World attendees later this week in Orlando. If you're Florida-bound (and even if you're not), you can grab the update from the source below.
Twitter and Facebook for BlackBerry get BBM connected, BBM gets some animated avatars
BlackBerry fans of the world over rejoice: some of your favorite social apps have just become slightly more connected to your favorite smartphone ecosystem. RIM announced today via its official blog that the 3.0 versions of Facebook and Twitter for BlackBerry have become BBM connected, meaning, among other things, that you can share status updates, tweets and the like with your BBM contacts. The Canadian smartphone maker also used the opportunity to announce a handful of additional updates to fellow BlackBerry App World apps like BBM itself, which is getting BlackBerry Tag integration and, hold onto your BlackBerry hats, new animated avatars. You can find all of the relevant updates by clicking the source link below.
Twitter for BlackBerry 3.0 brings easier photo-uploading, automatic link-shortening, BBM integration
Listen up, you BlackBerry users, you: RIM's just released a new version of its Twitter app, and though the list of new features is hardly earth-shaking, they should all be welcome additions to those of you who've been making do with version 2.0. On board we've got automatic link-shortening, for starters, along with BlackBerry Messenger integration (read: the ability to link your Twitter account with BBM). So far so good, right? You can also upload photos to pic.twitter.com directly from your device's camera, or as you're composing tweets. Finally, Twitter says it's made it easier to share websites from within the browser. So long as you've got BlackBerry 5 installed as your OS, you can get your download on at the link below. Still haven't upgraded from 4.6? Sorry, folks, you're stuck with version 2.0.
Flurry's analytics: Apple's App Store revenue still leading, but Amazon Appstore close behind
Not like we haven't seen this dog-and-pony show before, but Flurry's latest round of analytics -- which measured revenue of 11 million daily active users from mid-January through the end of February 2012 -- shows Amazon's Appstore pulling in a shocking amount of revenue given the short life that it has lived. Apple's strength in sales has been well documented, but the latest report shows that for every $1 generated in the iTunes App Store, $0.89 is being spent in the Amazon Appstore. Looking more broadly, the numbers show that just $0.23 are generated in the Google Play halls for every $1 spent in the App Store, but that's hardly a new phenomenon; the ease of sideloading (amongst other factors) has raised complaints from Android developers for years now. Flurry's conclusion is that Google's core strength simply isn't in running a store -- something it's about to do once more with Android slates -- while both Apple and Amazon excel in doing just that. Curiously, Windows Phone and BlackBerry were left off of this report, but we're hoping to see those cats thrown in the next 'go round. After all, RIM sure seems certain that its developers are making out just fine.
Zinio finally hits the PlayBook, becomes your Berry own magazine stand
Zinio's had a comfortable spot sitting on the Android and iOS stores for months, but up until now, it'd been steering clear of a certain App World. Fast forward to today and the digital magazine service is staying true to its tweet, at last making its way to that 7-inch BlackBerry slate. The PlayBook flavor brings along the usual traits, including over 5,000 mags in 33 different languages, multiple device syncing, as well as full subscriptions or à la carte issues . Early adopters have already taken the app for a spin, giving it mixed reviews, and you can do the same directly from your two-dot-oh slab or via the source link below.
Dolphin Browser arrives in BlackBerry App World, now with developer's permission
Everybody loves happy endings, so it's with this in mind that we bring you news of the official "sanctioned" arrival of Dolphin Browser within the BlackBerry App World. At version 7.2, this app isn't quite as fresh as its native Android counterpart -- which sits at version 7.5 in the Play Store and offers Sonar voice features -- but it still brings its webzine and gesture-driven mannerisms that many appreciate. As you may recall, this isn't the first time that the Dolphin Browser has graced the App World, but this time around, it was submitted by MoboTap -- so yeah, they know it's in there. If you happen to have a PlayBook and would like to try the alternative browser, be sure to hit up the source link.
Is your Android app on BlackBerry App World without you knowing?
In our review of PlayBook 2.0, we were eager to check out how well Android apps worked on the platform, and one of the first we reached for was the Dolphin HD browser. Curiously enough, it turns out Dolphin's makers MoboTap had no idea their app was available via BlackBerry's App World. The discovery came after we were notified by developer Steve Troughton-Smith that Dolphin HD had been submitted to App World by white label store Handster (owned by Opera). We reached out to MoboTap who confirmed they didn't authorize any submission by Handster, with a spokesperson telling us "We do not condone Handster submitting our Dolphin Browser app to BlackBerry's App World for us and are currently working to take it down and assure Handster will not submit our app for us again. We will assess developing for BlackBerry when the time is right." Dolphin HD may be a free app, but the question remains: why is Handster submitting it without permission? Has your app been submitted to App World without your knowing?Update: We received the following statement from Handster regarding their policy: Handster aggregates over 8500 developers with 55.000 apps and serves them for distribution to Handster/Opera appstores, as well partner distribution network consisting of LG, Ericsson, Alcatel Lucent, MTS and number of other partners. Recently we also signed a deal on providing aggregated content for RIM. By the Handster standard distribution agreement, we can distribute apps via our main store and our partner network. Most of the developers use this agreement. Handster serves as hub, where you can publish app and cover multiple channels. As a result, developers generate higher revenue and more downloads for their products. Before publishing any app to new partner channel, we sent notification email to all developers, with information about the partnership. Except notification email, there is usually prior press release and about the coming partnership. We also asked if there are any objections to distribution of apps in the channels, but so far getting only positive feedbacks from the developers. But of course you should consider that in some cases notification email is not read, or responsible person changes and doesn't notify new people at the developer company of all channels. We contacted Dolphin team to clarify the issue, and expecting soon resolution. Our partnership with RIM opens new distribution channel to Android developers, by allowing to receive revenue stream from Blackberry devices, without additional efforts. The team established complex process on verification of apps, conversion of APK to BAR files, retesting on Playbook devices and submission integration. These processes are quite complicated for each individual developer to implement.
New privacy policy standards agreed to by world's major app store owners
The California Attorney General has struck a deal with the world's major app store operators that will see new privacy policy standards put in place. Apple, Google, Microsoft, HP, RIM and Amazon have all agreed to require any software that uses personal information to provide a privacy policy that can be viewed in the store before an app is downloaded. The agreement will bring the various markets in line with the California Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires developers provide such a policy. In addition to providing links to the relevant documents in an obvious and consistent location, the companies will have to offer a simple way for users to report devs that violate the rules. For more details about the deal check out the PR after the break.
Citrix Receiver comes to PlayBook, RIM maintains enterprise credentials
RIM has always been a business thoroughbred, and this lineage continues with the release of Citrix Receiver for its PlayBook slab. Currently in beta, the remote access / virtualization tool is available via the BlackBerry App World, and boasts a smorgasbord of features sure to keep even the most tortured of Sys-Admins happy. Like? The ability to control which of your company's applications are available, multitasking, single sign-on access, and of course secure access to your enterprise systems. This ain't the first slate to offer up the service -- HP's now-defunct TouchPad had it months ago -- but at least it's keeping the enterprise happy while dodging that consumer-focused firestorm.
RIM officially trots out BlackBerry App World 3.0
Better late than never, ey? RIM finally got with the program and rolled out their official version 3.0 upgrade to BlackBerry App World. The updated application portal had already been available to Beta Zone members early last month and was slated for an August 22nd debut, but apparently missed that release window. We've already seen the cosmetic improvements the Waterloo-based company's brought to the app hub, with a redesigned home screen, refreshed icons, MyWorld downloads folder and the ability to share apps via your choice of social messaging service. The service still lacks the compelling selection of rival OS app markets, but hopefully the company's renewed focus'll bring more devs to its OS club. If you're rocking a BB handset, drop us a line below and let us know your take on RIM's refresh.
