UPDATE: See what the top 20 BlackBerry apps our in our feature!
BlackBerry App World has arrived, and if you’re a real BlackBerry addict you’ll have already read our first impressions and tested it out for yourselves.
Think you know everything about it already? Sorry, but you’re wrong. We sat down with RIM and got them to give up all of the BlackBerry App World’s hidden features and secrets. Read on for the inside knowledge!
BlackBerry Pearl 3G: Everything you need to know. Click here!
Featured apps are specific to you
When you load up BlackBerry App World, the first thing you’ll see is a slideshow of featured apps you can scroll through. Yes, RIM decides what goes on here based on what’s new and what partners it works with, but it’s a bit smarter than that. You’ll only see apps that are relevant to your country as well as the phone you’re using, so you wont be tricked into downloading a BlackBerry Storm touchscreen app on a Bold.
My World is a history tool with power
The fourth option across on the BlackBerry App World menu bar is My World. At a glance, it simply looks like a history of everything you’ve downloaded, but it’s much more useful than that. You’ve only got your phone’s internal memory to store apps, so should you run out you’ll have to remove some. Do it from here. Not only is it quick and easy to uninstall from within BlackBerry App World this way, it’ll let you reinstall again whenever you like, without having to pay. If you upgrade to a new BlackBerry, it’ll even migrate all your apps over so you don’t have to buy anything more than once.
The top downloads list is smart
BlackBerry App World’s top downloads menu doesn’t just list the most downloaded apps full stop, so you won’t just see Facebook at the top of it forever. RIM’s algorithm takes into account the number of downloads in your country, as well as user review ratings, to show the top downloads by quality as well as quantity.
Paying for purchases is safe
BlackBerry App World uses PayPal for moolah transactions, so it’s as safe as eBay. It’ll remember your username but never your password, so should your BlackBerry ever be stolen the crafty thief won’t be able to rinse your account. It’ll also ask for confirmation so you won’t slip up. Once you log in with PayPal for the first time, it’ll also begin converting prices into your currency.
The approval process is transparent
Divining how Apple approves apps for the App Store is a dark art to say the least, but RIM is slightly more transparent, not to mention easy going. The guidelines and resources are over at blackberry.com/developers, and they’re pretty loose, so you’ll be able to come up with pretty much anything. We’ll see about 3G Skype though.
