Just over a year ago, Rod Simmons from Simple Mobile Review, wrote a great guest post for us on his thoughts on moving to the BlackBerry Storm from and iPhone user point of view. Now he’d like to get something off his chest about BlackBerry App World.
Is it just me or is the Blackberry App World a train wreck. Navigating for apps in App World is like getting a grain of sand in your eyes at the beach. You can still see but it annoys the crap out of you the entire time. RIM needs to get a clue, looking to Apple for inspiration would get some benefits but their mobile store is only marginally better. Here are a couple minor changes that could greatly improve the user experience.
Browsing
1. Here is where you can take a page out of the Apple or Android playbook. Always use small icons and list views kill the fake cover flow. The problem that exists in most app stores is the categories are not granular enough. For example Social Networking should break out to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and other major players. Also provide an additional category such as “other” to list less popular social networks . A list with hundreds or thousands of apps is worthless when working on a device.
2. Based on the point above one would be thinking you should be searching not browsing. For that I agree but the search needs to have some level of relevance. Searching for Twitter and finding a ‘pull my finger’ app because it can post to twitter is not exactly showing power of search, thus the need to browse. This is where, as a user, I want to search for Twitter under Social Networking or search for WordPress under Utilities. Most important if I find an app, let me know what category it is in. There is no doubt I will search for something similar in the future, so understanding the thought process is useful.
Social Aspect
3. People always ask “what apps do you have installed?” Many would be happy to share their installed apps with others. I should be able to look at a friends by PIN, Twitter Account, EMail and see his/her installed apps. This assumes they opt into sharing. Ensure the user has an option to not share specific installed apps. Again your goal is to make it easier for users to buy apps.
4. When installing an app it would be nice to see upfront if any of the people I follow have it installed. Have they uninstalled this app? If they uninstalled, why? How frequently do they use it if possible: daily, weekly, monthly? Again knowing what the blackberry community does is nice but I may only care what my friends are doing. Why you wonder, we all know people game these comments systems so my friends are the perfect network I can trust.
On the computer or web
5. If nothing else let me browse on my computer and push apps to my blackberry. I don’t want the computer to be required but having an option to browse for apps on a more functional device seems to be a brilliant idea. Remember the list of hundreds or thousands of items. It is not much better to have large lists on a computer but I can deal with it better. On a computer of on the web I could sort lists or have additional columns for popularity and a variety of other criteria.
Install by default
6. I am sure Verizon, TMobile, AT&T and a host of international carriers can opt out of installing AppWorld by default. Please, for the benefit of the user, force the install of AppWorld by default. The majority of people I talk to have no clue what AppWorld is or how to get it. I cannot think of a good reason to build a store and fail to send out invites. Come on RIM, lay down the pimp hand. These carriers are killing your user experience.
If you want to better understand the lack of penetration of AppWorld next time your talking to a average user, one that does not visit Rimarkable or Simple Mobile Review on a daily or weekly basis, ask them what they think of AppWorld. I would bet they have not even heard of it. More important, take their phone and check if AppWorld is installed.
Performance
7. Images load too slow. This has happened on the best of 3G signals where my iPhone has been performing well. There is no way in heck the iPhone handles data better so whatever the issue is fix it. Reality is if performance sucks you have seconds before the user moves on.
I suspect the product managers over at RIM are actively working to make the next generation of AppWorld ground breaking. For now I will continue to find my apps on bing or google and buy directly at the developers sites. RIM has not done enough for 3rd party developers to get a 30% Vig.
I could not agree more; loading apps in so much easier and transparent on iPhone (and I’m a BB user); the average BB user I talk to has no clue how to get an app.
I agree that App World certainly needs better indexing and tighter search controls. There’s lots to see there, and I’ve tired of searching (while mobile) at times. And of course no sale is made when I leave the app.
Point #5, On the Computer or Web: It’s there, has been for months. Browse apps, and push a link to email address/device. http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/
Thanks for correcting that. I ditched AppWorld in favor of Bing and Google as it provided little value. I have to jump on and give that a shot. Thanks for the link
App World has gotten better since it first came out, but, it still has a long way to go. It makes no sense whatsoever that it doesn’t come pre-installed on new BlackBerry devices.
Now you CAN actually email apps to yourself or a friend, but, you can’t buy them via the website which is just plain dumb. All the other BlackBerry App Stores like the one here and the one on crackberry let you buy from your device or the web. They also have a lot of deals that make the same apps cheaper than on App World.
Why do you lackberry fanboys put yourself through this? Move on over to a real device that invented the App Store and you wouldn’t have to complain.
Is it just me, or, does someone who actually uses the name of the device they love as part of their own name, frequents blogs about the device which their own device is number two to, and refers to BlackBerry users that actually point out deficiencies and places where their device of choice, which happens to be number one by the way, can make improvements , as lackberry fanboys seem a bit like calling the pot calling the kettle black?
I am not the fanboy. You are the one using a device that you are not satisfied with and instead of switch to a device that is clearly a better alternative.
I have to disagree about forcing the installation of BlackBerry App World. Yes, I know what App World is and I have used it before, but I use an 8310 Curve that has limited space to install applications and App World uses up space that I could use to install other apps that I use. Initially it was a good tool to use to track the software updates of other software I have installed, but eventually it started telling me that I didn’t have enough space to install the updates and wouldn’t do the updates. Surprisingly enough, when I used the web browser to find the updates I was able to download and install the updates. In the end, to free up some extra space I uninstalled App World.
This actually a good point on older devices that came out before App World. I don’t know that I would force the install to anyone, however, I see no reason for BlackBerry App World not to be installed by default, or, at least come out of the box with a launcher icon like you have for the instant messaging clients from RIM.
I used an 8830 for 2 years and have had my Storm 1 for a full year now. My first BlackBerry experience was good; my Storm experience sucks; and my AppWorld experience is even worse.
Part of the issue may be that AppWorld works poorly on the Storm with its poor memory management, but aside from that: use cache. Seriously. I don’t want to download the pictures and other information from AppWorld from an App I’ve already installed – there’s an 8gig SD card there that came with the device.
Anyway, AppWorld itself: poor user experience. There’s little more to say. When I install a piece of software it loses it or puts the icon in a weird place on install. Then if I try to remove an app it ends up as an “archived” piece of software and I don’t want an archive I want to download the app clean. And updates – wow. How much more difficult can we make the update process? When I hit “update” I should see a screen that says, “Updating App” and not have to do anything else except choose to reboot or not.
I uninstalled AppWorld because of the horrendously large footprint that added a maddening user experience.
Between the flop of AppWorld and Storm 1 the chances of me going Nexus 1 as soon as Verizon will let me is a near certainty.
@ iPhonerulz
If are a kid, which it sounds like from the way that you write, then ignore the rest of this, but, if you are a grown ass man, who so identifies with a cell phone so that you not only named yourself after it, but , take it personally whenever others point out their issues with it as though it is a reflection on you personally, you really need to seek counseling.
Did you guys notice my news today?
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/01/05appstore.html
Why do so many people believe the numbers presented by Apple when the lack details? I have no doubt Apple is killing it but the true “download” numbers are not accurate. It would be like Firefox stating market share based on # of Browser downloads. Or DirecTV saying we have 3 Billion OnDemand shows downloaded when that accounts for time shifted DVR watching.
http://www.simplemobilereview.com/apple-suggest-3-billion-downloads/
They have a more accurate way to show the numbers. Ask yourself why are they not presented that way. I love Apple but I refuse to swallow the marketing stuff whole.
@Rod Simmons
you raise some valid points.
and your views on BOGO “free” BB’s ?