Research In Motion launched a new website tonight, encouraging BlackBerry device owners to sign up for PayPal, so they will be ready to start downloading applications as soon as the handset-maker’s application storefront is open for business. The site, which went live at at 7 p.m. PST, said: “Coming soon! Find tons of great applications designed for your BlackBerry smartphone in one convenient place – BlackBerry App World.” The site had two main links: One that would notify users when the application storefront was available for download to their individual handset, and another that encouraged people to sign-up for PayPal. We knew that PayPal would be providing the billing mechanism for the BlackBerry app store, but in fine print, it looks like a PayPal account is required to even download the store to the phone. PayPal has been offering mobile payment services for some time, but this is definitely the most high-profile deal the company has to date.
RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) listed a wide range of applications that will be available at launch that definitely spans the spectrum from consumer to enterprise, such as games, social networks, stock market trackers and something they say will “channel your inner rock god.” It also provided a link for developers, who want to submit their application to the store. The name of the store is also new. Previously, the company was calling it the “BlackBerry Application Center.”
If all payments are going to be through PayPal, why do developers have to sign a Digital River agreement to proceed? That's going to be a showstopper for a lot of people.
Still trying to understand what element of this model is mobile. A user has to create a PayPal account presumably from a PC. Nothing mobile here.
@Confused – as both an iPhone & Blackberry Developer, I don't think the Digital River agreement will be much of a showstopper – The developer registration process Apple is pretty laborious, but doesn't seem to have slowed down developers from signing up.
@Confused as well – Presumably, if a consumer doesn't already have a paypal account, they will have to create one one time on their PC – then whenever they're on their Blackberry, they'll be able to purchase apps on the go.
@Confused as well – Blackberry will also have an application to sign up for PayPal account. Duh!