Paid Apps at BlackBerry App World start at $2.99

Research in Motion (RIM) has provided more information about its BlackBerry App World. Users can sign up to receive an e-mail notification when the store is ready to go live.

RIM has said that the app store will work with all BlackBerry smartphones running OS version 4.2.0 or higher, including the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Storm, and BlackBerry Bold. Devices with trackwheels are not supported.

The store will feature free apps, but paid apps start at $2.99. Users will also have access to a MyWorld feature, which will house all purchased applications.

"In the event a user runs low on storage space, wipes their device or moves to a new device, the user can use MyWorld to re-download the applications they've previously paid for without having to re-purchase them," RIM said.

There is no storage limit on how many apps you can place in MyWorld, or how many times you can re-download apps to the same device. However, if you're switching BlackBerries, you can only re-download MyWorld contents to a different phone three times per year. Applications cannot be stored or run from an SD card.

At launch, the app store will be available in the US, Canada, and the UK. It will initially only support English-language apps, but French, Italian, German, and Spanish will be available in future releases.

Developers from around the world are invited to submit applications to BlackBerry App World, except those located in the Belarus, Myanmar, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic.

There is a $200 application fee for developers to complete registration.

Blackberry Storm costlier to manufacture than iPhone 3G

According to an analysis by technology research firm iSuppli Corp, Research In Motion's touchscreen BlackBerry Storm costs almost $30 more to produce than rival Apple Inc's iPhone 3G. iSuppli said that the Blackberry Storm has a materials and manufacturing cost of about $203.

RIM launched the Blackberry Storm late last year to compete with the popular 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G. iSuppli Corp said the Storm's total component count stands at 1,177, while the iPhone's is 1,116.

iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis Service report said that the Storm's total per-unit cost includes all parts and manufacturing, but excludes intellectual property (IP), royalties, licensing fees, software, shipping, logistics marketing, and other channel costs. The Storm's exact $202.89 total consists of $186 for components and other materials, and $16.07 for manufacturing. The total is $27 more expensive than what it costs RIM to manufacture each BlackBerry Bold.

However, the bill of materials for the Blackberry Storm totals up to $202.89; the Storm has a suggested retail price of $250 and is currently being sold with a $50 rebate from Verizon store, while the iPhone 3G costs approx $174.33 in components despite a similar retail price.

It’s an interesting point that even though the Storm and iPhone seem at first blush to share most of the same parts- LCD touchscreen, camera, cell phone chips, flash memory, GPS- Apple seems to be in a position to reap more profit of each device than RIM.

Models like the Blackberry Storm, as well as the earlier BlackBerry Pearl are all laden with multimedia features to attract non-business users.

RIM announces BlackBerry Storm

The Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry, Research In Motion (RIM) has launched BlackBerry Storm and this is the first ever full touch-screen phone from RIM. The smartphone, the Blackberry Storm, will be available later this year through Verizon Wireless in the United States and Vodafone in Australia, Europe, India and New Zealand, the Canadian company said.

The Storm resembles the iPhone but its color touch screen differs in that it is "clickable" - the screen depresses slightly when touched like a typewriter key.

RIM president Mike Lazaridis described the touch screen as a "truly tactile touch interface" which "solves the longstanding problem associated with typing on traditional touch-screens".

Users navigate on the touch-screen by using their finger like a cursor, scrolling, highlighting, panning and zooming and clicking on selections.

It also features a media player, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a video camera and Global Positioning System (GPS) capability along with Blackberry Maps.

Mike Lazaridis, RIM’s president and co-CEO said, “We are proud to introduce the first touch-screen based BlackBerry smartphone together with Verizon Wireless and Vodafone. The BlackBerry Storm is a revolutionary touch-screen smartphone that meets both the communications and multimedia needs of customers and solves the longstanding problem associated with typing on traditional touch-screens. Consumers and business customers alike will appreciate this unique combination of a large and vibrant screen with a truly tactile touch interface.”