Pimp My BlackBerry?

It looks like the people at Research in Motion, the creators of the BlackBerry Mobile devices, have taken a cue from Apple Computer and introduced the BlackBerry App World, a virtual destination for applications that will enhance your BlackBerry experience. As a long time Apple iPhone user, I was intrigued by this announcement and wanted to take a moment to look under the hood of this new service and check out applications I would love to have on my BlackBerry device, if I owned one.

The Scouting Report

I headed over to the BlackBerry App World website, thinking I would be able to view a littany of fresh applications, only to be surprised at the fact that you must first own a particular BlackBerry device to view the service. But not any old device will due. You must own a BlackBerry smartphone, running BlackBerry® Device Software version 4.2 or higher, to even be able to download the App World application to browse the wares. What do you do if you are a window shopper and not certain if you want to download this additional application? What if I am in a location where the network is overworked and my connection speed is not nominal or, like this never happens, you are in a dead zone?

I was immediately frustrated by this notion. Apple’s App store can be accessed via your iPhone, on the go, or through your iTunes application, when you are in front of your computer, and it works with both versions of the phone. Look, I understand that RIM is playing “catch up” in this field, but I would think they would’ve thought this one through. Limiting the ability to window shop for applications just to the device itself seemed antiquated and one dimensional. Plus, when I combine that with the number of online reveiws I’ve read regarding the instability of the App World application as a whole, I become even more perplexed.

Where are the apps?

But, I digress. I wanted to bring you a fresh list of noteable applications that would start you on your way. Unfortunately, I cannot. I did see that the usual suspects, such as Facebook and AOL Instant Messenger, have applications available that are free. But, I was more curious to see if there were any hidden gems by third party developers that you would find handy. The only two I have seen, so far, are a lite version of Skype, which will be availble May 2009, and Shazam, a song recognition application that I personally cannot live without on my iPhone.

If you are a music junkie who always want to know what song you are listening to, who the artist is and where you can purchase the track, this song recognition software is tailor made for you. Simply launch the application when you hear a track you would like more information on and let Shazam do the rest. And, within moments, you will have all of the information you need to grow that music collection. You can also share your information with your friends easily through the application. Head over to the official Shazam website for more information. There is a 60 day trial offer. After 60 days, the application is still free, but you will be limited to only certain functions within the application.

What to look forward to

There is a lot to be said for the ease of use and plug and play capabilities of the iPhone and the supporting application. Plus, the fact that the device can be used on either an Apple Computer or a PC makes it even more desireable. But ease of use has never been the case for the BlackBerry devices and the trend seems to be continuing with their App World application. I just get the feeling that not enough thought was put into how the end user would use, or would want to use, the software. And not being able to window shop for applications left me with a handicap. I am hoping there are handy apps for you to interact with your multitude of social networks like Twitter and Digg, or a great and stable RSS reader so you can stay up to date with vidagirl, but I just don’t know at this moment.

But, if you own a BlackBerry® smartphone, that meets the minimum system requirements, you simply need to download the BlackBerry App World application and you are on your way! Unfortunately, this is only available to customers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Posted in: Blackberry,Technology News