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By Jon M. Cohen

Looks like the boys over at Research in Motion have finally jumped on the “App Store” bandwagon. Following in the footsteps of both Apple’s App Store on iTunes and Google’s App Store for the Android OS. Today RIM launched their very own branded App Store called App World. A move that is not totally surprising considering the great success that Apple has seen. But the Blackberry App World has a long way to go to catch up with Apple’s 35,000+ Applications. With the upcoming App Store for the Palm Pre being highly talked about, it was a smart move for Blackberry to get the ball rolling on this App World program. The only question is if it is not a bit too late? The App market has become over saturated in the last number of months and as evidence to that we see the ongoing discounting of Apps in the iTunes store. These discounted prices unfortunately destroy the basic value system for all other Apps on all other platforms. Therefore when we look at the 475 apps that Blackberry is offering we cringe at the idea of paying $11.99 for Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile or $9.99 for SplashMoney Personal Finance. What most Apple developers have realized over the past 10 months is that the correct pricing for Apps is in the sub $4.99 price point. It is to be assumed that like any free market economy that as soon as more Apps are made, and their is a greater competition that the prices will be lowered.

You can download your own copy of the Blackberry App World HERE.

System Requirements

To ensure that your BlackBerry® smartphone will support BlackBerry App World™, it must have the following system requirements:

BlackBerry® Device Software version 4.2 or higher

BlackBerry smartphones with trackballs or SurePress™ touch screen

BlackBerry App World is only available to customers in US, Canada and UK and may not be available on all networks

How to check your operating system from your BlackBerry smartphone:

Click “Options” from your BlackBerry smartphone

Select “About”, then click. Your BlackBerry smartphone operating system information will be displayed

The Blackberry has been evolving for many years. It started off as a clumsy, hard to use device in a world that was not ready for RIM’s level of communication. Now, RIM has captured a consumer market that was once held by Palm, and taken the cellular phone market share away from both Nokia and Motorola. I have tested and used over 7 different Blackberry models and by far the Blackberry Curve rates as one of my top choices. With its full QWERTY keyboard and pearl scroll wheel, this communication device is extraordinary. It does not hold the same “wow” factor that you would find with some other smart phones (such as the Apple iPhone), but it holds its own when it comes to functionality, ease of use and clarity of phone calls.

Blackberry Curve

Some changes that RIM has made over the years have greatly impacted this device and its function. The one that I noticed immediately was the weight of the unit. Unlike a lot of the older Blackberry models, the Curve really is light and adequately fits in the palm of my hand. As with all Blackberry devices, using your thumbs on the keypad is important to getting functionality from the device, whether it is typing or just navigating the Blackberry OS. This phone, which is also a PDA, digital camera, MP3 player, timer, alarm clock and web browsing unit has a great battery life and can be used on any GSM network (may need to unlock the phone). Bluetooth is built in and most models feature a GPS as well.

Some of the points to keep in mind when considering this device for yourself are; do you want to have WiFi in your handheld device? How important is video playback? Are you prepared to incur the sometimes-expensive service costs from your cell phone provider? The real test of a product is its longevity in the market place and its ability to create a constant demand from consumers. The Blackberry brand has successfully done both of these things for a number of years, and I expect this to continue in years to come. In closing, this Blackberry Curve is a great handheld! It would be best suited for the business user or the sharper then average consumer. It gives a lot of power in a small package, and leaves the user with a great experience. It gets a “buy” rating from us.