Hasta La Gadget!

A BlackBerry app store has been long in coming and now it looks like BlackBerry users will have to pay more than their iPhone and G1-using friends, too.

The BlackBerry App store, App World, hasn’t launched yet, but maker Research in Motion has been slowly releasing details about how it will work. While developers will be able to give away apps for free, RIM has set a minimum price for the for-fee apps at $3. 

It’s a risky bet considering that the iPhone’s most popular paid applications are priced at just $1.

"There is likely to be a big difference in the demographic of Apple app store users and BlackBerry App World," says Rana Sobhany, vice-president of marketing for Medialets, a mobile advertising and analytics firm. "And the business users demographic of BlackBerry users could be a reason why the company has set a higher minimum price point."

RIM is the latest handset maker to launch its own app store. Since Apple introduced the iTunes App Store in July 2008, the idea of a simple distribution platform for third party smartphone software has taken off among handset makers. Google offers the Android Market for the HTC T-Mobile G1, while Palm has the Mobile Software Store. Even Microsoft is planning to introduce Skymarket, an app store for phones running Windows Mobile operating system.

So far Apple leads the pack. Apple iPhone app users tend to be young and they favor entertainment and games apps, for which the $1 price point is appropriate, says Sobhany. But in the BlackBerry App World,  productivity and utility applications are likely to be in higher demand, which could justify the $3 minimum price point.

Still, the pricing structure is a gamble for RIM. If the Apple store is any indicator, users prefer inexpensive apps. Pricing pressure in the iTunes App Store has driven developers to lower their app prices. Just two of the top ten paid apps downloads in the iTunes App Store are priced at $5 with the rest at either a $1 or $2, according to AppShopper which tracks the downloads.

Apple uses Apple’s iTunes payment gateway and G1 is tied to
Google Checkout. RIM is counting on PayPal to manage the paid apps.

The higher minimum price point also increases the risk for BlackBerry
users who are buying apps. Unlike the Android marketplace, which allows
users to return an app within 24 hours and offers a full refund,
BlackBerry App World will not process any returns. It’s similar to
Apple’s iPhone app store strategy.

But RIM is no Apple, says Sobhany. "RIM is probably thinking it wants to preserve the business focus in its App store but users are not likely to be happy with all the restrictions," she says. "Users want choice and they have that with all the different app store options."

BlackBerry App World FAQ

See also:

• Showdown: Mobile App Stores Duke it Out
• Android Market Allows App Store Returns
• BlackBerry App Store Gets a Name

Photo: (Vancityallie/Flickr)

Well, well, what have we here? Yet another entrant into the decidedly oversaturated netbook market, that’s what. While waltzing through OCZ Technology’s CeBIT booth today, we happened upon the company’s very first netbook: Neutrino. After chuckling for a few at the empty Beck’s bottle beside it (hey, we’re in Germany!), we scoped out the specs (and chatted with an on-hand rep) and found that it will be shipping Stateside within nine or so weeks in two variations. The first is a “DIY” model, which will be “priced competitively” compared to similar sized netbooks and enable buyers to select their own RAM, HDD, etc; the alternative is an OCZ‘d-out edition, which will cater to high-end users who won’t mind the undisclosed price premium. The 10.1-inch machine will come loaded with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 945GSE chipset, up to 2GB of RAM, an optional 250GB OCZ SSD, 1,024 x 600 resolution LCD, VGA output, Ethernet, twin USB 2.0 ports, a 4-cell (2,200mAh) battery, WiFi and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. It’ll weigh in at 2.86 pounds and come with Ubuntu or WinXP, and while we weren’t thrilled with the trackpad performance, the keyboard was one of the nicest we’ve touched on a netbook, even nicer than the well spaced one on ASUS’ Eee PC 1000HE. Check out the gallery below for more looks.

Filed under: Laptops

OCZ launches first netbook with Neutrino, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew the music of the Beatles was coming to the MTV video game Rock Band, but now we have a release date: September 9, 2009. That’s when you’ll be able to get The Beatles: Rock Band, a new edition of the game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation …

Originally posted at The Social

On Thursday, Amazon announced a new program for customers to trade in used video game titles in return for credit at Amazon.com. The program is launching with around 1,500 titles, all of which can be filtered and searched by platform. Once users have picked out the games they …

Originally posted at Webware

We’ve been keeping our eyes peeled for the snappy, handsome Samsung TL320 ever since we first spied it. Well, now it’s on hand at PMA 2009, and the fine folks at Pocket-Lint have gotten some time alone with the 12.2 megapixel digicam, and we have to say — it’s looking pretty sweet. If you’d forgotten, this baby boasts 5x optical zoom, a 3-inch HVGA AMOLED display, 720p video recording, an HDMI output, dual image stabilization, plus some really awesome twin analog gauges for checking out memory capacity and battery life. The TL320 is expected to be available in May of this year for about $380. Check out another shot after the break, and hit the read link for a full set.

Continue reading Samsung’s TL320 digital camera gets hands-on treatment

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung’s TL320 digital camera gets hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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