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Twitter for BlackBerry 1.1 hits beta, adds new notifications and geotagging
The official Twitter app for BlackBerry has gotten a nice little bump today -- though you'll need to be a member of RIM's BlackBerry Beta Zone to get it at this point, since it's not quite gold yet. The new version adds a bunch of "features users have been asking for" including support for geotagging tweets, new push notifications for mentions, threaded direct messages, integration with BlackBerry OS' Social Feeds functionality, support for gestures on touchscreen devices, and new languages (Polish and Czech, it seems). As long as you've got a data plan and a device with BlackBerry OS 4.5 or higher, you should be good to go.
Apple maintains lead in mobile app store revenues, but its share is shrinking fast
Growth. You don't have to be Gordon Gekko to recognize that exponential growth in revenues is the mark of both a buoyant industry and, on an individual level, a healthy participant within it. Kudos must, therefore, be handed out to all the top four app stores globally, as each one expended its total revenues by over 130 percent between 2009 and 2010. Interestingly, Apple's growth looks to be slowing down as the App Store begins to reach a saturation point on smartphones, while Nokia's Ovi Store and Google's Android Market blossomed during 2010 by multiples of 7.2 and 8.6 times their 2009 size. Apple's share at the top has shrunken as a consequence, a trend that looks likely to continue when Windows Phone 7's Marketplace and the Ovi Store are melded into one through this year and beyond.
RIM adding BBM app gifting to BlackBerry App World
So you've got this hot new "super app" off BlackBerry App World, and want to share it with a friend? You could message them the name of the program, but that's so 2010. Soon, BlackBerry's going to have its very own "Gift This App" functionality through BBM, which will let you take advantage of that handy new carrier billing to debit the cost of the item and wing it to your recipient. RIM envisions the functionality used by parents who want to limit their children's access too, by taking full control of their purchases and subscriptions from their own remote handset. Now, we'll just sit back, relax and wait for RIM to ping us with a release date. PR after the break.
BlackBerry App World 2.1 gets in-app payments, too
Well, isn't that just an adorable quirk of corporate timing? RIM just announced that BlackBerry App World 2.1 is now live with support for in-app payments using the BlackBerry Payment Service, matching Google's similar Android Market announcement earlier today. Users should see the 2.1 update rolling out over the course of the day, and devs have had the appropriate SDK since January 5, so progs that use the service should be arriving shortly. Ah, commerce -- ain't it grand?
RIM exec talks PlayBook, App World, QNX on phones, and more
While we wait for the PlayBook to released in its WiFi- and WiMAX-equipped forms over the next few months, RIM's taking every opportunity it can to talk about the platform -- and the latest comes from an interview between FierceDeveloper and the company's veep of developer relations, Tyler Lessard, who played a prominent role at BlackBerry DevCon '10 a while back where the PlayBook was first announced. When asked about RIM's decision to partner up with Sprint and deliver a WiMAX version first before looking at bigger carriers with more broadly-used technologies, Lessard says that they "were really excited about was Sprint's interest and excitement in coming to the table and working with us on a product like that" -- which we take as code for either "they paid us the most" or "no one else bit." Either way, interesting verbiage to say the least -- though he does say that there are other versions in the pipe. On App World, Lessard notes that BlackBerry's third-party app platform has taken in some 5,000 apps in the last couple months alone -- not a big number, necessarily, until you consider that they're only up to 17,000 total, so they're definitely seeing some nice growth percentages there. Turning the attention to the perennial question of when QNX will come to smartphones, he basically echoes a sentiment first shared by bossman Lazaridis back at D: Dive Into Mobile: dual-core processors are key, so the new platform won't filter down until the hardware gets beefier. He says that "we really want to make sure we don't back-step from that and offer a degraded experience because hardware is not ready or the performance isn't there," which is arguably odd wording considering that BlackBerry 6 is already well behind the curve -- how much worse could QNX on a single-core 1GHz-plus processor really be? [Thanks, Ben]
Just got a BlackBerry? The best apps, accessories, and tips
So you just got a BlackBerry, huh? First off, welcome to the world of glorious hardware keyboards and the holy grail of mobile messaging we mortals call BBM. Once you get past the novelty of sending the obligatory "mypin" texts to everyone you know, you're probably thinking to yourself -- what now? Luckily for you we've compiled a list of our favorite apps and accessories, as well as some veteran tricks of the trade, so head past the break for a crash course in doing more than just playing BrickBreaker on a BlackBerry. Hey Android friends, we got you covered, too! Did you get an iPad? Check out our guide here! Found an iPhone in your stocking? Read our list of must-haves!
Amazon MP3 app hits BlackBerry phones
It may not quite be enough to bring non-BlackBerry users into the fold, but RIM has finally scored one long awaited coup to keep its current users happy -- it's just announced that the Amazon MP3 application is now available for download from the BlackBerry App World. While still technically in beta, the app will let you purchase and download music both over WiFi and over the air, and it includes plenty of BlackBerry-specific functionality, including sharing via BBM in addition to the usual social networking features, and full integration with BlackBerry's Universal Search and Media Library. Hit up the link below for a closer look, or simply download it yourself to try it out first hand -- it is free, after all.
BlackBerry PlayBook app submission is a go, free tablet offer detailed
Adobe Air veteran: print out that code, fold it neatly into a secure envelope, affix two (or more) stamps, address it to Research in Motion, drop it in the nearest outgoing, and rejoice! The Haus of BlackBerry's now accepting app submissions for the upcoming Will.I.Approved PlayBook tablet -- and just as promised, it's giving free PlayBooks to developers who get their work accepted and ready for the App World store before the tablet launches in North America. Limit is one per registered dev no matter how many times you submit or how simple / complex the app is, so long as RIM gives it the thumbs up. Interested in the grand prize of full acquisition? Sorry, that seat's been taken.
RIM: Kik was pulled from App World over 'breached contractual obligations'
Looks like RIM has made a final decision on the Kik situation after having pulled the wildly popular upstart instant messaging app from the BlackBerry App World a few days ago -- and for current and hopeful Kik users, the news isn't good (bold added by us): "RIM became aware of a number of issues and customer concerns regarding the Kik app and service. Following discussions with Kik, the app was removed from BlackBerry App World on November 12. Upon further investigation, RIM concluded that Kik had breached contractual obligations. Based on the broad scope and seriousness of the issues and concerns, RIM terminated its agreements with Kik and withdrew RIM's support for Kik's service." Now, Waterloo is still being pretty coy about what exactly Kik did to rock the boat so badly, but there are two obvious theories floating around: one, that Kik's contact harvesting was a big privacy no-no; and two, that the product came a little too close to BBM's functionality for RIM's comfort. Hard to say what went down, and Kik's official response doesn't do much to clear up the situation. Though the company has thrown up a public response on its blog, it doesn't clarify what transpired, what "contractual obligations" were allegedly breached, or what (if anything) Kik might do to attempt to smooth over the spat. Instead, the post is more of a PR play, praising the relationship Kik's had with RIM in the past and saying it doubts rumors that BBM envy could account for the pull. It does say, however, that RIM has fully revoked Kik's access to push notifications and the BlackBerry SDK, so it's going to be tough for these guys to stay relevant on Bolds and Curves across the land unless RIM reverses its decision.
RIM pulls Kik Messenger from App World, cites 'number of issues and customer concerns'
Kik Messenger -- the real-time mobile messaging service that's seemingly taken the world by storm over the past couple weeks -- has been pulled from RIM's App World, making it a bit trickier for BlackBerry users to get hold of the app. It's easy to formulate conspiracy theories here considering that Kik might provide the single most legitimate cross-platform threat to BBM at the moment, and frankly, RIM hasn't actually said much with its official statement on the matter: "RIM became aware of a number of issues and customer concerns regarding the Kik app and service and, following discussions with Kik, the app was removed from BlackBerry App World. RIM is actively reviewing the issues and potential resolutions, and is also continuing its discussions with Kik." To be fair, Kik's contact farming -- a big contributor to its exponential growth -- is a totally valid privacy concern and probably plays a big role in RIM's decision here... but for the moment, we're only left to wonder. The company says it'll let us know "when further information is available," so we'll be sure to pass it on.
Garmin navigation to be an Android exclusive for ASUS, headed to Apple and RIM app stores
Details of the Garmin-ASUS breakup are slowly being revealed. We now know that ASUS has obtained exclusive rights to license Garmin navigation and location based services on its Android smartphones with a Garmin navigation trademark slapped on the back -- other Android handset makers need not apply. ASUS will go back to selling its own-brand handsets in January, including models equipped with 3D for gaming and connectivity with ASUS ebook readers and tablets, according to DigiTimes. For its part, Garmin's official blog says that it will be expanding its mobile application handset development by offering navigation and other applications through "certain consumer application stores." According to DigiTimes, that means Apple's iTunes App Store and RIM's App World. So, in other words, Garmin and ASUS are still friends but are now free to date anyone they want, you know, except for anyone in eachother's families. How mature.
RIM promises to soothe BlackBerry app developers' woes, says 'we're so there'
There's no question that the BlackBerry App World hasn't been quite the runaway success RIM hoped it would be, but the company is far from ready to throw in the towel, and it's now promising some new measures to woo new developers and make the lives of current ones a bit easier. Some of those initiatives have already been rolled out -- like new payment options -- while others including a free analytics service will become available to developers in the coming weeks and months. As RIM's head of application development, Alan Brenner, explains to The Wall Street Journal, RIM has been working for the past two years to make BlackBerrys more developer friendly, and he now says that "we're so there." They may not be quite as close as they think, however, as the WSJ also spoke to a number of developers who used words like "horrible" to describe the current state of things, while leading mobile game developer PopCap Games even went so far as to say that "RIM today is not really on our radar."
BlackBerry App World crosses the 10,000 app mark
It's been over a year since it hit 2,000 apps, but it looks like BlackBerry App World has finally hit its biggest milestone yet -- RIM has announced via Twitter that it's now "10,000 apps strong and growing." For those keeping track, that still leaves it well behind Apple's App Store and the Android Market, which by some estimates boast roughly 250,000 and 70,000 to 100,000 apps, respectively, and each of which also took less time to hit the 10,000 app mark. Even still, the fact that a smartphone platform "only" has 10,000 apps speaks quite a bit to how far we've come in just a few short years.
BlackBerry App World 2.0 leaves beta, includes cheaper apps and new payment options
The latest version of BlackBerry App World is now available to all, and it includes a number of welcome additions. First off, RIM has dropped the $2.99 minimum from paid apps, so now BlackBerry developers can release $0.99 and $1.99 apps just like everybody else. It's also easier to buy those apps now, with credit card and carrier billing becoming available, and the new BlackBerry ID function lets you both perform those credit card payments and to easily move all your apps over to a new BlackBerry device when the time comes. RIM has also enacted a few new app discovery mechanisms for hunting down those "Super Apps" (BlackBerry users know what we're talking about), but it's not all gravy: the developer revenue split is down to 70 / 30 from RIM's original exception-to-the-rule 80 / 20. PR is after the break.
BlackBerry devs can now offer $1 and $2 apps
In conjunction with BlackBerry App World 2.0's emergence from beta today, RIM has announced that developers will now be able to charge 99 cents or $1.99 for their wares. Doesn't sound like news, right? Well, it is, because the company had previously set a minimum of $2.99, an attempt to keep... well, for lack of a better term, crap out of its official marketplace. What we assume RIM has since discovered is that lots of devs with great apps want to go for a volume play, not a margin one -- it's a strategy that has worked for plenty of folks in the iPhone App Store -- and they're looking at this as an easy, quick way to get more people interested in porting the good stuff to BlackBerry 6. Canabalt on the Torch, perhaps? Other notable improvements in 2.0 include non-PayPal credit card payments, new app browsing options, and a new BlackBerry ID that'll let folks move both free and paid apps between devices when they upgrade -- in other words, it's a worthwhile download.
Twitter for BlackBerry shakes the beta label
Though RIM's official Twitter client for BlackBerry devices has been slinking around in public beta form for a solid three months now, we understand -- not everyone is okay using software that's rough around the edges. And if anything, that probably applies more to BlackBerry users, many of whom are using their devices to do... you know, really important work-related things. On that note, you might be excited to learn that the company's official Twitter client has gone gold, meaning it's theoretically less likely to crash than any version that's come before it, which means you can go about your high-productivity business without fear that your secret addiction to social networking will bring your Bold 9700 crashing down in a spectacular ball of flame and molten circuitry. Not to say the beta was prone to do that, of course, but you can be extra sure of it now. If you're interested, looks like you should be able to find it in App World right away.
Was the Siri purchase about search?
Here's an interesting take from Searchblog's John Battelle about the Siri purchase by Apple yesterday: he believes that it's the first step towards the eventual Apple goal of conquering search for the app world. Google is, of course, the king of search on the Internet, but as the iPad 3G releases today, we're spending less and less of our time on these devices actually browsing the web, and more and more of it inside of apps. That's where search needs to go, says Battelle, and Siri could help exactly that happen for Apple. In other words, he gives the example of searching for a phrase like "Chicago rental car" in Siri, and properly configured, Apple's Siri could say back to the user, says Battelle, "Hey, you know what? You don't need to rent a car. You can use the Chicago Transit. Here's an app for it. You can get from the airport to everywhere you want to go without having to rent a car. Plus, you'll save $150 which we know is a goal of yours because you've been interacting with the Mint application," and so on. Siri would become a voice-activated search assistant, not for the Internet at large necessarily, but for all of the apps and functionality on your iPhone or iPad. It's certainly possible, although Apple has so much cash saved up right now that they don't really need good, focused reasons like that to pick up a strong piece of tech like Siri. But yes, Battelle's guess makes sense, especially considering the increased amount of time that people are spending in apps versus the browser on the iPad.
Dragon for Email hits BlackBerry, turns your voice into a QWERTY keyboard
Okay, your voice isn't literally turning into a keyboard, but you know what we mean -- Dragon for Email is exactly what it sounds like, an app that brings Nuance's well-known speech-to-text technology to the BlackBerry platform with a special emphasis on composing emails. That's a perfect fit considering that email has remained BlackBerry's main raison d'être over the years, and it sounds delightfully unobtrusive considering that you merely need to press and hold your phone's side key while composing an email to kick off the dictation. Even better, it's free from App World for a limited time, so you might want to get in on that while the getting's good.
Themes strike BlackBerry App World with a vengeance
RIM's earlier announcement that UI themes would be gracing App World has come to fruition today, with both free and paid skins available -- the company had started taking submissions about a month ago, giving them a nice little head start for beefing up the catalog. Then again, if you'd rather roll your own, this all dovetails nicely with another of RIM's recent introductions: the introduction of BlackBerry Theme Studio, a simplified and unified way for slapping together everything you need to turn your Bold into a Pip-Boy. Technically, shouldn't this go into... oh, we don't know, something called Theme World?
BlackBerry App World 1.1 unleashed, makes welcome improvements to store navigation
If you've been using your BlackBerry in the last 24 hours or so, you've probably noticed that red star plastered on the App World icon, signaling it's time for an upgrade. Yes, RIM's version of the app store has hit version 1.1, and the bulk of the update concerns better navigation options -- new categories, top downloads for free and premium apps, and the ability to sort search results by name, release date, rating, price, and developer. Outside of that, we've also got the option to now archive apps on SD card or other memory, but unfortunately there's no option to run those programs without reinstalling to internal memory. The update is available for all countries, including the recently-introduced group of ten. Full details after the break.
