BlackBerry App World
Encyclopedia
BlackBerry App World is an application distribution
service and application by Research In Motion
(RIM) for a majority of BlackBerry
devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications
. The service went live on April 1, 2009. Of the three major app providers, it has the largest revenue per app at $9,166.67 compared to $6,480.00 and $1,200.00 by the Apple App Store and Android Market, respectively.
services. On January 19, 2009, RIM began accepting submissions of applications from developers.
On March 4, 2009, RIM officially named the store "BlackBerry App World" (previously called the BlackBerry Application Storefront). It was also confirmed that the service would not initially be available for desktops, and only a web-based catalog would be accessible from non-BlackBerry devices.
On April 1, 2009, at CTIA's trade show, RIM announced that App World had gone live.
At the BlackBerry sponsored Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES), it was announced that an average of 1 million apps were being downloaded each day.
On August 19, 2010, BlackBerry App World 2.0 was released. This new version introduced BlackBerry ID - a single sign, account system that can be used on both the BlackBerry client and the BlackBerry App World desktop storefront. In addition to BlackBerry ID, BlackBerry App World 2.0 also introduced direct credit card billing and carrier billing for AT&T Wireless
subscribers.
On December 3, 2010, Research in Motion announced that daily downloads were 2 million apps per day.
On February 2, 2011, BlackBerry App World 2.1 was released. This version introduced in-app purchases of digital goods, allowing for add-ons to be purchased within applications.
, United Kingdom
, and Canada
.
As of September 9, 2010 - BlackBerry App World is available in 113 countries and accepts payment in all 113 using a combination of PayPal, credit card, and carrier billing.
List of countries where BlackBerry App World is available.
Applications are both free and paid from $0.99 to $999.99 USD in the U.S. The registration and app submission fees charged to developers are currently $0.
The service is available in English
, French
, Italian
, German
, Spanish
, and Brazilian Portuguese.
The store is available for the following BlackBerry devices that are updated to BlackBerry OS
version 4.5.0 or higher:
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
service and application by Research In Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
(RIM) for a majority of BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications
Mobile apps
Mobile apps, also called mobile applications, are software applications, usually designed to run on smartphones and tablet computers. They are available through application distribution platforms which are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system, such as the App Store,...
. The service went live on April 1, 2009. Of the three major app providers, it has the largest revenue per app at $9,166.67 compared to $6,480.00 and $1,200.00 by the Apple App Store and Android Market, respectively.
History
On October 21, 2008, RIM announced at the BlackBerry Developer Conference that the company would open an application store for their devices. It was also announced that the store was scheduled to be open in March 2009, and would work in conjunction with PayPal'sPayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
services. On January 19, 2009, RIM began accepting submissions of applications from developers.
On March 4, 2009, RIM officially named the store "BlackBerry App World" (previously called the BlackBerry Application Storefront). It was also confirmed that the service would not initially be available for desktops, and only a web-based catalog would be accessible from non-BlackBerry devices.
On April 1, 2009, at CTIA's trade show, RIM announced that App World had gone live.
At the BlackBerry sponsored Wireless Enterprise Symposium (WES), it was announced that an average of 1 million apps were being downloaded each day.
On August 19, 2010, BlackBerry App World 2.0 was released. This new version introduced BlackBerry ID - a single sign, account system that can be used on both the BlackBerry client and the BlackBerry App World desktop storefront. In addition to BlackBerry ID, BlackBerry App World 2.0 also introduced direct credit card billing and carrier billing for AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., founded in 1987 as McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc., and now legally known as New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc., formerly part of AT&T Corp., is a wireless telephone carrier in the United States, based in Redmond, Washington, and later traded on the New York...
subscribers.
On December 3, 2010, Research in Motion announced that daily downloads were 2 million apps per day.
On February 2, 2011, BlackBerry App World 2.1 was released. This version introduced in-app purchases of digital goods, allowing for add-ons to be purchased within applications.
Milestones
| Date | Downloads Per Day | Downloads to date |
|---|---|---|
| July 30, 2010 | 1,000,000 | |
| September 27, 2010 | 1,500,000 | |
| February 14, 2011 | 2,000,000 | |
| March 22, 2011 | 3,000,000 | |
| July 12, 2011 | 3,000,000 | 1,000,000,000 |
Pricing and availability
RIM announced that the store would initially be available in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
As of September 9, 2010 - BlackBerry App World is available in 113 countries and accepts payment in all 113 using a combination of PayPal, credit card, and carrier billing.
List of countries where BlackBerry App World is available.
Applications are both free and paid from $0.99 to $999.99 USD in the U.S. The registration and app submission fees charged to developers are currently $0.
The service is available in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and Brazilian Portuguese.
The store is available for the following BlackBerry devices that are updated to BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices...
version 4.5.0 or higher:
- BlackBerry TorchBlackBerry TorchBlackBerry Torch is a series of smartphones manufactured by Research In Motion. The lineup currently consists of the following:* BlackBerry Torch 9800, the first phone in the series, powered by BlackBerry OS 6...
9800 - Preloaded - BlackBerry StyleBlackBerry StyleThe BlackBerry Style 9670 is a mobile phone developed by Research In Motion. The Style is BlackBerry's first flip phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. It was BlackBerry's second phone to ship with the BlackBerry 6.0 operating system...
9670 - Preloaded - BlackBerry BoldBlackBerry BoldThe BlackBerry Bold 9000 is a line of smartphones developed by Research in Motion. The family includes the 9000 , the 9700 , the 9650 and 9780, both of which were released in 2010, 9788 released in 2011 and the 9900/9930, the first touchscreen Bold, released in August 2011...
9900/9000/9700/9780/9650 - BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Storm2 9500/9520/9530/9550
- BlackBerry TourBlackBerry TourThe BlackBerry Tour is a mobile phone developed by Research In Motion and is part of the 9600 device series. This high-end messaging phone combines the multimedia features of the Curve with the global roaming of the 8830 , plus a higher-resolution display, 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, 3G data...
9630 - BlackBerry PearlBlackBerry PearlThe BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by Research In Motion the first BlackBerry device with a camera and media player. It was originally released on September 12, 2006...
3G 9100/9105 - BlackBerry PearlBlackBerry PearlThe BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by Research In Motion the first BlackBerry device with a camera and media player. It was originally released on September 12, 2006...
8100/8110/8120/8130 - BlackBerry PearlBlackBerry PearlThe BlackBerry Pearl is a smartphone developed by Research In Motion the first BlackBerry device with a camera and media player. It was originally released on September 12, 2006...
Flip 8220/8230 - BlackBerry CurveBlackBerry CurveBlackBerry Curve is a brand of entry level smartphones manufactured by Research In Motion since 2007.-Curve 8300 Series:The BlackBerry Curve brand was introduced in 2007 with the Curve 8300 series...
3G 9300/9330 - BlackBerry Curve 8900
- BlackBerry CurveBlackBerry CurveBlackBerry Curve is a brand of entry level smartphones manufactured by Research In Motion since 2007.-Curve 8300 Series:The BlackBerry Curve brand was introduced in 2007 with the Curve 8300 series...
8520/8530 - BlackBerry Curve 8300 8300/8310/8320/8330
- BlackBerry 8800
- BlackBerry PlayBookBlackBerry PlayBookThe BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet computer by Research In Motion , best known for the BlackBerry smartphone. It competes against Apple's iPad and a slew of Android-powered tablets....
Storage
Apps can be archived on a MicroSD or on eMMC storage of certain BlackBerry smartphone models.External links
- App World official North American site
- App World official European site
- BlackBerry official site
- Jamie Murai (Feb 25, 2011), "You Win, RIM": An aspiring RIM developer's experience with RIM's application development environment's registration procedure Accessdate=2011-02-26 But see interview with a director, Blackberry Developer Relations, rationale and aspirations Accessdate=2011-02-26