BlackBerry App World edges past 10,000 applications

Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) announced its BlackBerry App World storefront now tops 10,000 mobile applications. RIM confirmed the benchmark via its Twitter account. BlackBerry App World, which launched in spring 2009, lags far behind Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) rival App Store--last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the store now boasts more than 250,000 iOS-based applications. BlackBerry App World also lags in comparison to Google's Android Market, which passed the 100,000 app milestone this summer.

RIM recently stated that more than 30 million BlackBerry smartphone users across 65 countries have downloaded BlackBerry App World since the store first opened, with consumers averaging more than a million app downloads each day. The BlackBerry platform now represents 18.2 percent of the worldwide smartphone market according to data issued earlier this month by research firm Gartner, behind Symbian at 41.2 percent.

RIM rolled out a revamped BlackBerry App World in late July--the store now supports credit card payments on top of PayPal, with a handful of carrier partners supporting operator billing options as well. BlackBerry App World also boasts new tabbed sections for various application lists: Users can horizontally swipe or scroll to view the Top 25 Free Apps, Top 25 Paid Apps and Top 25 Themes, along with checklists spotlighting the Newest Apps and Recently Updated Apps. In late August, RIM acquired mobile software developer Cellmania in an effort to bolster BlackBerry App World; Cellmania's integrated mFinder solution promises mobile operators an end-to-end delivery and ecosystem platform encompassing digital rights management, subscription billing and content management.

For more on the BlackBerry App World milestone:
- check out Research In Motion's Twitter account

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