Blackberry holding company Research In Motion (RIM) today announced updates to its BlackBerry App World, the official application store for BlackBerry devices.
The changes are as follows:
New Payment Options
BlackBerry App World will now support new payment options in addition to PayPal. Customers will be able to purchase applications using major credit cards, including Visa and MasterCard, in various countries around the world. RIM is also working on integrated billing with various carriers to enable BlackBerry App World purchases to be applied directly to the customer’s monthly bill from those carriers.
Easier Application Discovery
BlackBerry App World adds new tabbed sections for various lists of applications. Users can horizontally swipe or scroll to quickly view the Top 25 Free Apps, Top 25 Paid Apps and Top 25 Themes, as well as lists of Newest Apps and Recently Updated Apps.
QR barcode scanning is also supported, allowing users to scan a QR code associated with an application from anywhere – the web, print ads, brochures, etc. BlackBerry App World will quickly find the related application and automatically open the application's information and download page.
BlackBerry ID
BlackBerry ID provides customers with a device-independent user identification (ID) used with BlackBerry App World. It enables new payment options, including credit cards and integrated carrier billing, and allows customers to seamlessly transfer their personal library of free and purchased apps when they switch to a new BlackBerry device.
“BlackBerry App World continues to grow with a rich catalog of personal and business oriented applications that further enhance the BlackBerry smartphone experience,” said Alan Brenner, senior vice president, BlackBerry Platform at Research In Motion. “The new features in BlackBerry App World make it even easier for customers to find, purchase and maintain applications for their BlackBerry smartphone.”
Nearly 30 million BlackBerry smartphone users have downloaded BlackBerry App World and an average of over one million applications are being downloaded each day.
