We were starting to wonder when the BlackBerry Beta Zone would start rolling out new betas. But wonder no more as a new BlackBerry App World beta has just been released. Getting bumped up to v3.1.1.15, it's noted to have the following changes:

• Alternate billing options shown in purchase confirmation screen
• Submitting Apps has new, easier-to-use confirmation screen 
• OS 7.1 Support
• Various Bug Fixes

If you're a member of the BlackBerry Beta Zone, you can log in right now and grab the latest release from there.

BlackBerry Beta Zone Login

During the general session keynote at BlackBerry DevCon Europe, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins took the stage for the first time and, along with VP of Developer Relations Alec Saunders, spoke a bit on the success of BlackBerry App World. We've seen some numbers before, but they just keep getting bigger every time. In addition to noting that 13% of BlackBerry developers make over $100,000 from their apps BlackBerry App World, RIM hit a milestone in January this year as they reached over 2 billion total downloads with 6 million coming daily. BlackBerry App World supports 26 currencies in 164 countries and currently has over 60,000 apps available for consumers. RIM stands by the fact that BlackBerry apps are still the most profitable for developers as well. Some interesting numbers here that will certainly keep growing as we move toward BlackBerry 10 devices later in the year. More to come from BlackBerry DevCon Europe so stay tuned!

A couple of interesting additions popped up in BlackBerry App World this week: categories for Ringtones and BlackBerry 7 themes. While there has always been a theme section, and there have been several themes for BB7 devices found in App World, until now they were not recognized in their own category. Now when you open App World on your BB7 device, you can see the Theme section and presumably find all sorts of free and paid themes for your BlackBerry. Does this mean that we are one step closer to Theme Builder being updated for Blackberry 7 devices? As soon as we know, you'll know.

In the new Ringtone section of BlackBerry App World, you can find hundreds of ringtones in all sorts of genres, brought to App World by a company named Spintones. The majority of the ringtones are $2.99, with a few packs priced a bit higher. At this time, the ringtones are only available in Canada and the United States, but word has it that more countries will have access in the near future. The compatible device list seems to be pretty short, though the minimum OS is listed at 5.0, and there doesn't seem to be a way to preview the ringtone before purchasing. There are also specific rules stating that each ringtone can only be installed on one BlackBerry device, so if you switch devices you have to repurchase the ringtones. Also, you can only re-install the ringtones you purchase up to 2 times within 72 hours of the initial installation on the original device.

While the new ringtone gallery isn't going to interest everyone, I'm sure there is a market for it, and it does seem they have a pretty varied selection of ringtones available. No word on whether you will be able to upload your own ringtones at any time in the future, though I'm guessing it's not going to be an option as there would likely be a lot of legal/copyright issues to deal with at that point. Don't forget, if you're looking for free ringtones, CrackBerry has a huge free ringtone gallery that's just a click away. (If you've never downloaded ringtones from our gallery before, make sure you scroll down the page at the link below and read the instructions.)

Download free ringtones in the CrackBerry Ringtone Gallery

On the eve of CES 2012, it was great to sit in on one of the RIM sessions at the ATT Developer Summit. Maurice White and John Mutter, RIM's Enterprise Mobility Architects, gave a presentation on Developing Super Apps for the BlackBerry OS and BB10 platform and what it means to be a Super App. One of the points they brought up though is the current stats of BlackBerry App World. When comparing to the other popular markets out there, it's cool to see exactly where App World stands in the global marketplace and how it stacks up against its competitors.

Key figures include:

• Over 2 BILLION apps downloaded
• Over 140 MILLION apps downloaded per month
• Industry-leading reach: App World available in 130 countries and growing
• 26 + currencies supported
• Carrier Billing with multiple major carriers such as AT&T, Vodafone, Rogers, etc. across 10 countries and expanding rapidly

The average BlackBerry app generates:

• 43% MORE daily downloads than the average iOS app*
• 48% MORE daily downloads than the average Android app*

The market is filled with tens of thousands of apps that cover a variety of needs ranging from social networking apps to utility apps and much more. What do you think about this important milestone and on the daily downloads stats? Sound off in the comments below.

*Source: Research2Guidance report, August 2011

If you updated to BlackBerry App World v3.1.0.56 then you're already aware of the new features RIM has buitl into the app such as wifi support, gifting of apps and more. However, a few things they didn't mention built into BlackBerry App World is the new support features. I suppose this may be because they'll only be used under certain circumstances but they're there and pretty cool. There is two that have been found but there may be even more:

• ALT + SSS  - If you open up BlackBerry App World and type those keys in, you're instantly producing not only a log for BlackBerry App World but a screenshot as well. As show above, you can then email that log fil, screen cap and even fill in some details about what is happening off to RIM. Once closed, all screenshots and log files disappear.
• ALT + LOGLOG - This key combo generates a new log file. In that log file will be some information about your device such as your locale, App World version, date & time and what wireless carrier and tower you are connected to as well as, your device model and PIN #.

It seems to work on all builds of 3.1 App World but again -- not sure how useful it may be to the everyday user. The more interesting part here is that RIM has actually included a screen cap utility. Seems to me they should take this feature and make it a native app within the OS. Plenty of screen cap utilities exist but hey, having it there out of the box would be nice.

Source: MacBerry

BlackBerry App World hit the beta zone not too long ago with some great new features including gifting/begging, wifi only support, content ratings and more. It has been updated a bit to verison 3.1.0.56 and is now officially available for download. Features include:

• Gifting/Begging - allows you to request that a friend or family member pay for any application within App World.
• Content Rating - allows content providers to rate the maturity level of their content and for you to filter content based on their desired level
• WiFi Only Support - will allow App World to still operate when a you only have a WiFi connection
• New Language Support - Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Dutch

You should be prompted to update if you have an earlier verison installed, or you can head to blackberry.com/appworld from your device to download.

More information/download of BlackBerry App World 

It wasn't long ago that emails to developers let us know that Handster Inc. would be submitting Android apps to BlackBerry App World on developers behalf to help build up the Android app selection for when the Android Player for the BlackBerry PlayBook is made available in February.

In fact, these apps have been on RIM's internal builds of BlackBerry App World for quite some time for testing and it's no small amount either -- over 7,000 apps have been tested and now, RIM has let quite a few of them go live for everyone provided you're on PlayBook OS 2.0.

Android apps aren't exactly new to App World, RIM has allowed a few in the past but this is the first time we're starting to see the Handster apps turn up. A lot of folks in the forums have grabbed a couple and tested them out, have you?

Discuss more in the CrackBerry Forums

The featured app carousel is the most coveted position to be seen from in BlackBerry App World. Even if you are visiting the store with a specific application in mind, the featured apps always seem to catch your eye. A few days ago, TriPlay announced their music streaming application, called MyMusicCloud, joined the ranks that a select few have had the opportunity to enjoy. Not too long ago, I gave an in-depth review of this media syncing product. Through MyMusicCloud you’ll be able to sync multiple media players, such as iTunes, with your BlackBerry smartphones or other devices.

“BlackBerry users should be able to simply enjoy their music collections on their devices of choice without having to be concerned with the technical complexity associated with getting those devices to talk with each other,” said Tamir Koch, CEO for TriPlay.

It’s fairly easy to set up your music library; you can do so by either using their Desktop Sync Agent or upload content to their website. They’re right about the simplicity you’ll experience while enjoying your music collection; create playlists, purchase songs, online/offline support and even create personalized ringtones. For more information about there services, head over to mymusiccloud.com. Press release after the jump.

More information/download MyMusicCloud from BlackBerry App World

Continue reading article

If you're on Verizon and you fire up BlackBerry App World any time soon, you may notice you now have a dedicated Verizon section to choose from. A lot of folks have reported it now showing up and of course -- as you would expect, there are apps listed in there, more specifically apps chosen by Verizon as good apps. Not a whole lot more to say about it really but we figured we'd mention it in case anyone was wondering why it's now there. Thanks, to everyone who sent it in!

While the previous version of BlackBerry App World brought us such goodies as Gifting/Begging and WiFi support, it also brought along some bugs for a people. The BlackBerry Identity issue was swiftly corrected but a few people out there remain with the issue so, if you fit into that crowd you'll want to give v3.1.0.42 a go as it appears to be mostly bug fixes in this release. The download is available now in the BlackBerry Beta Zone.

More info in the BlackBerry Beta Zone

The holiday gift-giving time is upon us. Whether you're preparing for Christmas, Hanukkah, or simply someone's birthday, finding that perfect gift can sometimes be difficult. Applications for your BlackBerry Smartphone should be an excellent choice, and we've always included apps in our CrackBerry Holiday Gift Guides. The trouble is, there's really no good way to get or send an application as a gift.

Hitting the BlackBerry Beta Zone today, BlackBerry App World 3.1 now offers that much-requested feature. Gifting and begging for applications from your BlackBerry Messenger contacts is but a few clicks away.

Continue reading article

*UPDATE* Another release has now been issued to address the BlackBerry ID issue. If you were experiencing that, go ahead and grab the newer download.

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, that new and improved BlackBerry App World experience we've all been waiting for is finally here... well, in the Beta Zone at least. This week, App World Version 3.1.0.38 hit the BlackBerry Beta Zone and is ready for you to try your hand at gifting and begging for apps.

What's New in 3.1

• Gifting/Begging - allows you to request that a friend or family member pay for any application within App World.
• Content Rating - allows content providers to rate the maturity level of their content and for you to filter content based on their desired level
• WiFi Only Support - will allow App World to still operate when a you only have a WiFi connection
• New Language Support - Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Dutch

Check out more in the BlackBerry Beta Zone

While this information may not mean a whole lot to the average user right now -- it certainly does give a little bit of insight as to when we can expect in the next version of BlackBerry App World and when it will roll out to end users. Plus, it serves as a reminder for BlackBerry developers out there to get this done up as soon as possible. Over at the BlackBerry Devleopers Blog today, RIM has let Devs know that from now until December 15th you'll need to login and rate your apps according to their content.

On Wednesday November 30th, 2011 we will be performing a server upgrade that will bring content rating to the storefront. Our content rating system has been planned out based on input from our carrier, consumer, and developer partners to make sure we’ve implemented a content rating system that helps parents control what types of content their children have access to.

After the upgrade is complete, all applications and themes in the BlackBerry App World storefront will receive a default rating. The majority of apps will be rated G (General). If your app or theme is in one of the categories listed below, it’ll receive a rating of T (Teen).

In addition to these categories, apps and themes with descriptions that contain the terms “BBM™”, “Facebook®”, “Twitter®”, “chat”, “dating”, “social networking” and “message” will also receive a default rating of T (Teen).

When the new BlackBerry App World rolls out on December 15th, BlackBerry users will be able to set a rating filter on devices and once that filter is set -- content within those filter boundries are all that will be able to be viewed in BlackBerry App World. So, for instance if you set the device to "G" rating, only "G" rated apps will be able to be viewed.

Source: BlackBerry Dev Blog

Research In Motion is pushing out all sorts of updates to native apps today. We saw both Twitter for BlackBerry and BlackBerry Traffic get updates in the Beta Zone, and now we see that BlackBerry App World has also been updated. Now sitting at v3.0.2.7, there is no word on what exactly was updated in the application, so we're guessing bug fixes and the like. If you notice anything different or updated, be sure to drop us a comment with your findings. You can download the update from the link below.

Download the new version of BlackBerry App World

For those of you who have ever been frustrated with the fact you can't download apps through BlackBerry App World without a data connection, the next update -- App World 3.1, is said to correct that. Being tested internally at the moment, BlackBerry App World 3.1 is also said to include 'gifting' of apps where you can purchase apps for others and also, what is referred to as 'begging' where you can request that another user pay for any application within BlackBerry App World. No time frame for release has been noted but it shouldn't be all that long before it shows up in the BlackBerry Beta Zone. Seems like it has been a long time coming but those features will be greatly appreciated once they arrive.