BlackBerry World expands to music, movies
2013-01-29 11:26
Cape Town - Research In Motion announced on Tuesday that BlackBerry World will feature a range of digital content beyond applications, as the company prepares to launch the anticipated BlackBerry 10.
RIM has been working to ensure a healthy ecosystem for its devices ahead of the launch on Wednesday.
The company announced that BlackBerry World, which replaced BlackBerry App World, will have videos and music tracks readily available for download.
"The new BlackBerry World will include an extensive catalogue of songs as well as movies and TV shows, with most movies coming to the store the same day they are released on DVD, and next day availability of many current TV series," RIM said.
Users will be able to download and pay for digital content with a BlackBerry ID.
"People want easy and convenient access to their favourite music, movies and TV shows wherever they are," said Frank Boulben, RIM chief marketing officer.
Users will be able to preview tracks and there is also a DRM-free music download section that features content from independent labels.
RIM is under pressure to deliver a successful product launch, widely seen as the company's comeback after losing market share to Apple's iPhone and Android-powered devices in developed markets.
In developing countries like SA, BlackBerry enjoys a dominant market position due, in part, to its BlackBerry Internet Service.
The company is determined to cement its smartphone market and reverse some of the losses in the developed markets of the US, Canada and Europe.
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