They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but with BlackBerry rolling out its Application Center, it would be interesting to see how the sales figures there do compared to Apple’s iPhone App Store. The BlackBerry Application Center is due to launch on the BlackBerry Storm’s version 4.7 operating system, allowing users to find, browse and install/upgrade 3rd party BlackBerry apps hosted by carriers. Some of the other features include :-
- The Application Center will be available on 4.7 Storm devices and will be designed for the Storm touch screen UI
- Carriers will be responsible for hosting the application data and sending updates to the directory to RIM
- The main application screen will provide the user with a list of all applications that are available for install from the particular carrier for the specific device model and OS version. Incompatible applications will not be displayed
- The main screen will provide the user the ability to quickly browse the application list, then view the available information about each application in a detailed description screen which shows the logo and full description
- Installation will occur with one click (launches the web browser)
- The user will be able to access the Options > Applications screen from within the App Center (allowing the user to delete applications directly from within the App Center)
- The user will be provided with various status info: date the app list was most recently updated; notification that updates are available; option to reapplication list was completed, etc
- Since the download and installation will be handled by the browser in this first release, the Application Center will not be capable of restarting the application / download intelligently
- The Application Center will automatically check for updates daily
RIM’s approach is slightly different as it makes it easier for carriers to distribute their supported applications, and chances are this will be way more businesslike and less casual compared to Apple’s offering. Still, it is nice to see RIM go a great job to help it in its quest to remain relevant to today’s consumers.
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