Softpedia
 

NEWS CATEGORIES:



NEWS ARCHIVE >>
SOFTPEDIA REVIEWS >>
MEET THE EDITORS >>
TRENDING TODAY
Home > News > Telecoms

November 16th, 2009, 11:35 GMT · By

RIM to Launch App World Carrier Billing in 2010

SHARE:

Adjust text size:

RIM said to include carrier billing with the BlackBerry App World in 2010
Enlarge picture
Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is reported to plan launching carrier billing for its BlackBerry App World as soon as 2010 is here. The software solutions portal was released only several months ago, yet the handset vendor seems determined to add as many features to it as possible, so as to improve the user experience of any BlackBerry owner out there.

The announcement regarding the carrier billing feature comes from Jim Balsillies, RIM's co-CEO, and was made during a keynote at RIM's BlackBerry's Developer Conference, wirelessweek notes. As many of you might already know, the handset vendor already announced a great deal of new features for its BlackBerry App World, some of which are delivered for developers of BlackBerry applications, while others come for users.

Customers will certainly appreciate a lot having carrier billing available with the BlackBerry App World, as this would mean they can purchase software solutions for their handsets in a simpler manner. At the moment, BlackBerry owners need to use their PayPal credentials in order to make purchases from the storefront, which is not highly appreciated.

The software portal is said to include around 2,500 applications at the moment, a very small amount when compared to the number of apps offered by Apple through its App Store, or by Google via the Android Market. However, the newly announced features for developers should help them build apps for the OS much faster, as they now benefit from a new BlackBerry Theme Studio, as well as to earn more from their solutions through integrated ads.

RIM has been recently said to have been through some rough quarters, as its valuation dropped 35 percent since September, mainly due to the umber of Android-based handsets launched recently, and the latest measures it has announced are certainly expected to help it regain its position. Since it is aiming both at developers and users with the new features for the BlackBerry App World, one should expect it to turn its plans into reality.


2,208 hits · 2 comments
Link to this article · Print article · Send to friend

MUST-READ RELATED ARTICLES:


RIM Announces OpenGL ES Support on BlackBerry

Bold 9000 and Curve 8900 See Leaked OS 5.0.0.348

BlackBerry to Incorporate Adobe's Flash Platform

RIM Brings New Services to the BlackBerry App World

Rumor Mill: Microsoft to Takeover RIM

READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: Michael Andrew Thompson on 16 Nov 2009, 13:12 UTC reply to this comment

Ionut Arghire is wrong when writing that RIMM has been losing market share at all much less losing it to Android-based handsets. According to Canalys 3Q 2009 figures for the smart phone market RIMM is actually INCREASING market share (Up to a record 21%). Even Apple is having very little effect on its sales. According to IDC RIM posted a year-over-year sales increase of 35.7% compared to the relatively anemic iPhone YoY sales increase of only 7.1%. As for the Android-based handsets their have been very few released thus far and so its impact is unknown. However, based on what has been released thus far, though admittedly the info on Droid is not out yet, it would appear that the threat from Android to RIMM is only an empty one. In the future Ionut please check your facts a little bit better and try not being an unknowing patsy of the stock manipulators currently trying to beat RIMM down so they can buy it on the cheap. Beside this known inaccuracy it was a very good article. :)


Comment #2 by: Ionut Arghire on 16 Nov 2009, 13:47 UTC reply to this comment

Thanks for the info, Michael. I am not trying to bring RIM down, you know. I said there "reportedly losing market share," based on some of the reports on the web. National Bank analyst Richard Tse was recently cited in this article on the matter (http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/tradingdesk/archive/2009/11/03/a-takeover-and-four-more-reasons-to-like-research-in-motion.aspx), and he says that RIM is in decline, not to mention this post on Cnet (http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10392128-266.html), which shows that there are already some users considering DROID over BlackBerry. However, the final numbers on DROID are not out yet, as you say, and things might prove otherwise.

I must disagree with you on the Android releases. Most of the major handset makers either launched or are about to launch Android phones, which is of impact on the market. You might have heard already that Android is expected to account for the second position on the smartphone market by 2013 (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Android-Shippments-to-Top-32-Million-Units-in-2013-125136.shtml).

I have updated the "market share" part in my story, but I will still make reference there to what Richard Tse said.

Copyright © 2001-2013 Softpedia. Contact/Tip us at

WindowsGamesDriversMacLinuxScriptsMobileHandheldNews

SUBMIT PROGRAM   |   ADVERTISE   |   GET HELP   |   SEND US FEEDBACK   |   RSS FEEDS   |   UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE   |   ROMANIAN FORUM