As we've known for a while now, BlackBerry App World 2.0 was set to arrive eventually. Today as it turns out, happens to be just that day. BlackBerry Beta Zone participants have been sent out invites to the all new BlackBerry App World 2.0 release and can now sign up for the download if you are indeed eligible.
Lots of new features have been built into version 2.0 as well, the layout of how things are displayed has also changed for users. We've outlined a lot of the changes previously in our "What's coming in BlackBerry App World 2.0" so that is certainly worth a look over. We'll get a better review up here in a bit for you all but, right now it seems as though the downloads have slowed Research In Motions servers to a crawl. Stay tuned folks. If you managed to get it downloaded, please feel free to leave your comments on what you think about it. Full press release now available after the jump.
New BlackBerry App World Features to be Available for Beta Testing in the United States and Canada This Week
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 29, 2010) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced updates to BlackBerry App World(TM), the official application store for BlackBerry(R) smartphones. BlackBerry App World provides BlackBerry smartphone customers with an intuitive, integrated service for discovering, downloading, recommending and managing mobile applications for personal or business use. BlackBerry App World now supports new payment options, includes enhanced discovery and search features, and introduces a new user identification system called BlackBerry(R) ID.
New Payment Options
BlackBerry App World will 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.(i)
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(i), and allows customers to seamlessly transfer their personal library of free and purchased apps when they switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone.
"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. Available in more than 65 countries, BlackBerry App World allows users to discover, download, recommend and manage the applications that help them get the most out of life while on the go.
The newest version of BlackBerry App World is available for beta preview to customers in the United States and Canada from BlackBerry(R) Beta Zone (www.blackberry.com/beta).
(i)Availability of integrated billing with specific carriers to be announced at later dates. Requires a carrier post-paid service plan.
Image Source: Al Sacco
