US mobile phone maker Research in Motion (RIM) has begun accepting submissions to its upcoming BlackBerry application store.
This week, the company announced that developers could start submitting their software ideas to RIM. The firm will then decide whether the submission will be included in the store and notify developers of their decision.
The original idea for the BlackBerry application store was first announced in October 2008, in a move that many interpreted as RIM's bid to compete more fiercely with emerging rivals in the smartphone arena, such as the Apple iPhone and the HTC G1, the first Google Android handset. Apple's App Store announced last week that it hit the half billion download mark just six months after launching, so BlackBerry's App Store may have some catching up to do.
Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM, stressed the importance of introducing more "consumer-friendly" features to BlackBerry smartphones. He said: "The new BlackBerry application storefront and BlackBerry application centres will further support the growing BlackBerry ecosystem and help bridge consumers with developers and carriers as more and more innovative and applications arrive."
In order to submit their software, developers must register with RIM and provide both personal information and details of a valid PayPal account, after which they will be informed or whether or not their submission has been approved. Apple's App Store uses a similar approval process for iPhone and iPod Touch software, disallowing any software that replication existing functionality on these devices.
However, Google has pledged to keep its Android Market open to all submissions.
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