I understand that Apple sets the standard when it comes to a smartphone application store, however, Research in Motion (RIM) is fighting back with its BlackBerry App World! Store access itself is an app that can be downloaded and installed by pointing your phone browser to www.blackberry.com/appworld/download
There are already over 1,000 apps available to download and install since the site’s debut in early April. I realize that Apple has recently reported the existence of 50,000 apps for its iPhone and has recorded a billion sales from its app store in the last 12 months, but it is nice to see RIM getting into the game. It’s also nice to know that us BlackBerry users no longer have to think about switching to the iPhone - we can stick to our preferred BlackBerry smartphones and get almost the same applications.
The BlackBerry App World’s design makes screenshots and reviews easily accessible. You can download your favorite app immediately or download trial versions if you want to try before you buy. Prices range from FREE to $50.
My favorite app is Slacker, which provides instant free music (Pandora is available too). I also like MyMileageGenie, which allows me to quickly get reimbursed for business mileage by tracking my starting and ending points via GPS and then emailing the results to our accountant! There is also an application called QuickPull which simulates a battery reset reboot on a schedule, thus freeing up memory. This is much preferred over having to pull out and reinsert the battery to solve the BlackBerry’s memory leak problem.
I am looking forward to seeing a SageCRM BlackBerry app for download - CodePartners will have to work on that for us!
- Brian Terrell, CPA and Managing Partner