BlackBerry App World Launches

Research in Motion (RIM) just announced today that their application store for BlackBerry smartphones is now open for business! BlackBerry users can download the BlackBerry App World application by visiting www.blackberry.com/appworld from their smartphone. To access the App World, the BlackBerry device must have a trackball or touch-screen running BlackBerry device software 4.2 or higher.

• A mix of personal and business applications
• The ability to browse applications by a variety of categories and search by keyword
• User reviews, as well as a "recommend" feature that lets users suggest applications to others through e-mail, PIN, SMS message or BlackBerry Messenger
• My World – a personal storage space that keeps track of downloaded applications, allowing users to easily transfer purchased applications to a new BlackBerry smartphone
• A "Top Downloads" area that lists the most downloaded applications
• Weekly featured applications showcased on a front page carousel
• Access over Wi-Fi and cellular networks

RIM expects approximately 1,000 free and paid applications to be posted by partners this week.