RIM revamps BlackBerry App World ahead of Torch smartphone launch

RIM has revamped its BlackBerry App World store, adding a number of features designed to make the service as easy to use as the Apple App Store and Android Market.

BlackBerry App World 3.0 comes with a redesigned interface and a rotating spotlight on the home page that showcases applications, while a search bar on the home screen can filter apps by name, price, rating, release date, best match and most popular.

Integration has also been improved to allow the sharing of app details directly via BBM, Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS, which could be useful for business users to share an app quickly with colleagues.

RIM has also introduced a feature called My Account which allows the management of app payment options from the home screen.

The My World menu, meanwhile, shows the status of applications and enables users to manage subscription content and services. Notifications can be sent via push technology for apps that require subscription renewals, for example.

The changes come as RIM prepares to launch the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and 9860 smartphones.

However, with only 35,000 apps available for BlackBerry devices compared to the hundreds of thousands for iPhone and Android, RIM still has a long way to go.

BlackBerry World 3.0 is available to download now and notifications recommending updates will be published in the coming days. App World is compatible with BlackBerry OS 5.0 and above.