Unlike the iPhone App Store, which boasts over 50,000 apps and millions of downloads, the BlackBerry AppWorld has struggled with application adoption, downloads, and breadth; providing only a small slither of apps for download (approximately 2,000 apps).
RIM hopes to refresh its attempt at AppWorld by introducing an all new and official BlackBerry Social network, called MyBlackBerry – slated to launch this Tuesday – July 14th. MyBlackBerry is your community for everything BlackBerry. According to ReadWriteWeb, the community will feature three basic social features:
Individual Profiles
Personal profiles for MyBlackBerry users will apparently center on the device you own, differentiating the experience for those who carry a Storm or a Bold from others who’ve signed up. Beyond that, what level of detail and user profiling is up in the air at this point, though it’s likely to include a record of your personal contributions to the site.
App Ratings & Reviews
A key feature to MyBlackBerry will be ratings and reviews of applications, no doubt to try and bolster the excitement around RIM-specific apps, which has lagged behind significantly in comparison to the App Store. Once the site gets going, reviews should become an important outlet for BlackBerry apps developers.
Community Forums
If you watch the demo video, you can clearly see a forum-type function, whereby a threaded conversation can take place among BlackBerry owners for mutual support. In a success scenario for the community, this will become something like a more social version of the WordPress Codex.
You can CLICK HERE to view a more detailed image of the promising social network.
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