Everything and everyone seems to be competing with Apple these days; obviously because their products and services are always so intuitive and unique. Thanks to Apple, once again Research In Motion (the Blackberry forefathers) have released a brand new application center called "Berrystore" to compete with the iPhone's own app store. Unlike the original Blackberry Application center which required you to purchase apps on a compatible PC and then transfer the files to your Blackberry; the "Berrystore" allows users to browse the entire store directly from a Blackberry device browser. This means that the store can now be accessed any time of day, no matter where you are, as long as a device connection is available.
More seasoned Blackberry users will praise this new program; as they know that browsing and purchasing apps on a pc could get frustrating and confining at times.
Another unique feature of the "Berrystore" is the fact that it will be carrier specific; meaning each cell phone provider will have their own version of applications available. This could become a problem in the foreseeable future however as most providers like some form of exclusive material,which means we may very well see useful and highly praised apps that can only be purchased through a single provider.
The "Berrystore" is so much better than the official Blackberry Application Center for several different reasons:
The first reason is attributed to the fact that the "Berrystore" will work on any model of Blackberry, old and new. This is great news for older device users because the app center won't just be limited to the new Blackberry Storm device or similar models. All Blackberry users are welcome to download and install the application while the the official list of currently supported devices include the Pearl, Curve, Bold, 8700, and 8800-series. The "Berrystore" download site also offers a warning that the new store may very well work on a Storm, but it has not been well tested.
The second reason, although minor, is due to the user interface and store layout. The "Berrystore" application center is much more user friendly and attractive than the official Blackberry app center. The interface is simple and neat, and navigation is extremely easy; like most cell phone app centers there aren't pages of boring text and menus to cycle through.
The app center also offers users a chance to review each application much like a product; not only will you be able to read about what the app offers, but you will be able to tell from other users reviews if the app works well and does what it's supposed to.
Quite frankly, I can't say how many times reading user reviews on a product or service saved me from wasting my money. In the case of cell phone applications this will play an integral role; even though most applications feature a free trial before you buy the program there are a lot of instances where a trial won't show off how the full application really works.