RIM presented the storefront on Wednesday. Although it was rumored it will be called App Center, the company changed the name to App World. It will offer both free and purchasable apps. RIM will most likely launch the App World this month in the United States, Canada and the UK, and then the whole world. 

 

RIM said the applications will be either free or cost at least $2.99 and $999.99 at most. My guess is that the BlackBerry will have a problem here considering the fact that iPhone owners are downloading apps at an average price of 99 cents through the iTunes App Store. Is it a good idea to charge more when the world is in economic recession and the competition is lowering prices?  It could lead to better applications, (maybe…) but could very well lead to fewer sales and nothing more. 

 

The apps will be priced by their developers in $1 increments from $2.99 to $999.99. 

 

Very important! The applications will only work on RIM phones that run the 4.2.0 version or a higher one of its operating system and the devices that feature a trackball or a SurePress touchscreen. I’m talking about the Bold 9000, Storm, Pearl and Pearl Flip series, Curve 8300 Series, Curve 8900, and the 8800 series. 

 

Oh, and another thing: downloaded apps can not be stored on a device’s SD card. But don’t worry. Users will have access to MyWorld, a feature that houses all the app a user downloads on his BlackBerry. This feature is very useful in case the user runs out of space on his BlackBerry, wipes the device or changes it for another one. In those cases he can re-download the apps housed in MyWorld, which by the way has no storage limit, without having to purchase the again. 

 

To purchase applications from App World, besides being a BlackBerry user, one must also have or open a PayPal account in order to be able pay for the app.

 

Initially, only English-language applications will be supported, but in the near future, French, Italian, German, and Spanish will also be available.  

 

RIM awaits application developers who are not from Belarus, Myanmar/Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and the Syrian Arab Republic, to submit applications. The application fee is of $200 for up to 10 apps and the fee is refundable if the apps are rejected. 

 

Third-party developers have been sending their application for submission since January so the App World is being populated as you read this article. If you are a BlackBerry owner and want to be notified when the App World opens its doors, then visit the App World Web site and sign up for notification.