Next month the BlackBerry Storm will go head to head with Apple’s iPhone App Store, the Android Marketplace and, potentially, an App Store from Nokia.
We’ve already caught fleeting glimpses of what RIM has in store, but it’s clear the competition is heating up. Here are five things the BlackBerry Application Centre needs to keep it ahead of the pack.
Free apps
Apple won’t let slip how many of its five-hundred-million-plus downloads were free apps, but we’re willing to bet it’s over half. Sure, it means Jobs and Co are taking a hit on serving up bandwidth, but it also entices “try before you buy” scenarios. Without a ton of free apps from day one, the BlackBerry Storm will struggle to get people through the door of its App Centre.
Rude apps!
Apple took a while to warm to the more risqué offerings on its App Store. If RIM takes a similarly prudish approach, the BlackBerry Storm will suffer. When the BlackBerry Application Centre goes live next month, we want to see smutty apps aplenty, even if they’re tucked away in a special section, behind a grotty beaded curtain.
Transparent approval process
The iPhone App Store has been live for over six months, but Apple’s process for approving apps is still shrouded in mystery. Some seem to fly through, while others take months. RIM needs to be much more open about its process, and instill confidence in developers and customers alike. After all, there’s no point crafting an app for months if the wait to have it rejected over a minor issue is even longer.
Sideloading
This is a biggie. Since the BlackBerry Storm doesn’t have Wi-Fi, we’re going to be waiting a while for it to download large apps over the mobile network. That won’t do our battery any favours, so we reckon a way to side-load large apps from a desktop PC is the solution. Imagine trying to download a monster 100MB app on your phone. Wouldn’t it be easier to leave the PC chugging away, and sling it onto the BlackBerry Storm using USB? We think so, and hope RIM agrees.
Music store
The iPhone showed the world that downloading music on the move should be simple. Then Amazon MP3 jumped onboard the Android OS to let T-Mobile G1 owners do the same. The BlackBerry Storm needs an equivalent, if only to make it seem less stuffy and businesslike. After all, it’s got a proper headphone socket (unlike the G1), and plenty of space on its microSD card. All downloads would need to be done over 3G, sure, but that hasn’t stopped Apple.
