One of about 150 themes available at launch in BlackBerry App World.
(Credit: DreamTheme)Starting Monday, BlackBerry devotees will have an easier time snazzing up their smartphones.
Themes are a new download category in the BlackBerry App World, both on the online catalog and on the App World app you can download to the BlackBerry. There were just shy of 150 free and premium visual themes at launch, including animated themes.
App World took a few extra seconds to update when we launched it this morning to check out the offerings. Otherwise, the minor application update was a smooth transition.
Finally, a polished Web gateway to the BlackBerry App World.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)No matter how much you enjoy perusing BlackBerry apps with your device in-hand, it's a likely bet you'd rather browse on the big screen when you're sitting in front of your computer. RIM, following Apple's iTunes App Store model, has created an online "Web store" for its applications.
Launched on Tuesday, the online version of RIM's BlackBerry App World mirrors the software catalog found in the mobile app, plus a few extras.
There's a spotlight on featured items, a search bar, and the ability to browse by category. You see pricing information and minimum requirements, star ratings, and can access user comments. A large carousel shows screenshots of the app, and there's a list of hyperlinked icons that you can use to virally share information about the app with e-mail contacts or with your social networks.
You can now start the installation process from the computer.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)Most notable of all (and also reminiscent of the iPhone's App Store), you're able to kick-start the application download process from RIM's online App World. At least in theory. The reality is, unfortunately, a tad less sensible.
First, it's not as easy as hooking up your device to the computer--there's no payment process from the Web site, and no direct file transfer to the phone. Here, you'll e-mail yourself a link. Follow it from the BlackBerry, and it opens up the BlackBerry browser, where you'll click yet another link to download the record in the BlackBerry App World app. It's a clumsy process, and you'll only be able to take advantage of it if the BlackBerry browser is the set default. (Check this by choosing Options from the Browser menu-->Browser Configuration-->Browser Identification.)
Click the e-mailed URL to get to this intermediary download page.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)I'll admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by the BlackBerry App World when it first emerged on the scene. While this online storefront doesn't materially change things, the option to search online adds a layer of richness to the offering and to the experience. For those with high-speed Internet and low-speed data connections for the phone, finding and comparing apps online will speed up the process.
Although polished and easy to use, there's room to grow. It would be better if RIM's online storefront integrated your payment account and downloaded files to the phone--just like iTunes for the iPhone. The download process should also be streamlined. In addition to screenshots, BlackBerry's online app store could support publisher's videos, which would take users on a more accurate and in-depth tour of the app. Regardless, the Web catalog is a strong start, and a welcome addition to BlackBerry's universe.
The BlackBerry App World application runs on BlackBerry phones with version 4.2.1 of the operating system, or higher.
You can now archive apps on your MicroSD card.
(Credit: RIM/BlackBerry)One of my biggest complaints when BlackBerry App World debuted this past April at CTIA 2009 was that applications installed to Flash memory, giving you no option to store more apps on a microSD card. On Friday, RIM, the company behind BlackBerry, began rolling out an update to the App World, version 1.1, that takes a few steps toward dealing with this. In addition, the update enhances the storefront's organizational features.
App World 1.1 features a new menu option called "Archive," which will temporarily dispose of your file to free up some space, until you decide to reactivate it. Select the archive option and App World will actually uninstall the application from your internal storage and reinstall it on your microSD card, after which you may need to reboot the BlackBerry, depending on the app.
How will you know when an app has been stowed? The bottom left corner of the application's icon will display a green arrow. Once archived, you can always restore it to the main device memory with a click (and possibly another reboot.)
The archive feature, while one way to get apps you rarely use to relinquish their hold on your device memory, is still only a workaround. It costs you extra steps to archive, restore, and possibly reboot (the greatest timesuck of all), and still doesn't offer the solution to install programs to the device memory in the first place, as does Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform.
Filters
Like the iPhone App Store, BlackBerry App World 1.1 will now display the top 25 paid and top 25 free apps in the catalog. The filtering metaphor also extends to the search results, where you can now sort software titles by date, rating, name, price, relevance, and developer name.
In addition, RIM has added a few more categories and subcategories to help you narrow down your browsing.
New users can download the app store from mobile.blackberry.com or blackberry.com/appworld from the mobile browser. If you've already got the app installed, keep an eye out for the red notification badge on the App World icon on your phone.
BlackBerry App World 1.1 comes in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and is available, for free, in the US and UK, Canada, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, and the Channel Islands.
BlackBerry App World is compatible with BlackBerry phones running operating system 4.2 or higher, that also have a track ball or touch screen. Read more details on the BlackBerry blog.
The rumors and speculations that Research In Motion would launch its anticipated BlackBerry App World application store at CTIA were dead on. On Wednesday, the Canadian smartphone and software maker will make BlackBerry App World available for download. RIM's application store seems to enjoy a logical layout, sharing some similarities with the iPhone App Store (mostly in the app discovery department), but also has a dark look all its own. Vicariously step into BlackBerry's App World through our gallery of screenshots: Introducing BlackBerry App World.
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RIM)
Updated 4:24 p.m. PST with RIM's response about a March launch and more information on the app store.
BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion announced that its upcoming application storefront will officially be called BlackBerry App World. The developer site will be updated Wednesday night to make appropriate changes but will be live again by 7 p.m. PST, according to RIM. In addition, anyone interested in finding out when the store goes live can sign up for alerts on the BlackBerry App World site.
RIM opened up application submissions in January, and the store is scheduled to launch sometime in March. We asked our contact at RIM if the store is still on track to open this month, and a representative from the company's press agency confirmed that BlackBerry App World is still set for a March debut.
Download.com associate editor Jessica Dolcourt also received this additional information about distribution:
Q: Will BlackBerry App World be a downloadable mobile app for existing BlackBerry owners and a preloaded app that will ship on forthcoming BlackBerrys?
RIM: BlackBerry App World will be a downloadable application at launch. Future versions and distribution models haven't really been decided yet.
Q: Will there be a desktop version, etc.?
RIM: There will be a Web-based catalog at launch, but for the first version BlackBerry App World is a mobile app.
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