Unlike Apple's App Store, US$2.99 is the min. price per app on BlackBerry's App World. However, developers get a higher rev share on apps sold but pay more on annual subscription.

CORP TALK: BlackBerry smart phone users now have an app store to call their own as Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion (RIM) has just launched its much-awaited online store today. The App World store will include programs from popular networks like The New York Times, Facebook, MySpace, Bloomberg and so on. Unlike the iPhone with its popular 99 cents apps, the minimum price for App World is US$2.99 per app.

According to an InformationWeek.com report, developers will get to retain 80% of the revenue from any sold app, 10% more than what they would get from Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. However, they also have to pay US$200 a year to put up to 10 apps in the store, which is slightly more than what they would pay for Apple or Microsoft (its Marketplace for Mobile, slated for a year-end launch).

Of course, 3rd-party programs have long been available for BlackBerrys from various sources but with the launch of its App World, RIM is now officially following in the footsteps of Apple with its centralized store. It’s definitely going to be a trend as we see Microsoft (ie. Marketplace for Mobile), Nokia (who owns Symbian) and Google (for its Android platform) doing the same for their smart phone platforms. (more…)

Four major corporate brands came together to launch a contactless mobile phone payment pilot system in Singapore. The pilot starts in May and lasts for three months.

CORP TALK: That’s a lot of companies in one service but Citibank Singapore and Visa have announced the launch of the Citi M1 mobile Visa payWave payment pilot in Singapore — a first in Singapore where the mobile phone can also double up as a credit card.

While the idea isn’t new in other parts of the world, what’s unique here is that the Citi Visa pilot is supported by local telecom provider M1, where selected Citi M1 Platinum Visa cardholders can pay for purchases using a Nokia 6212 classic at more than 750 merchant locations across the country. Merchants include The Coffee Connoiseur (tcc), Ichiban Boshi, Popular book store, retail outlets and music shops like Gramophone.

The three-month pilot will involve up to 300 selected Citi M1 Platinum Visa cardholders starting from May, where each cardholder will be furnished with a Nokia 6212 classic. The phone itself is equipped with a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled chip. Purchasers simply need to pay for an item by waving the phone over a contactless reader at the point of sale counter.

The good thing about the pilot program is that it allows users to turn on one of three security payment options on their Nokia 6212 classics. They are Always (no confirmation or passcode required), By Confirmation (user acknowledgement required) and With Passcode (a 4-digit numeric passcode is needed before payment is approved).

For further information with regards to the Singapore government’s efforts to promote more NFC-related mobile services in the country, click here. (Editor opinions: 1)

Vijay Anand, Editor, HardwareZone.com

Vijay (HardwareZone.com): While the trial limits users to the use of just the NFC-enabled Nokia 6212 Classic phone, the scheme will only be adopted when the majority of mobile phones are NFC-enabled. But that’s a thought for another day when the infrastructure and mobile makers are ready to roll them out in full force.

The concept of payments via the mobile phone is a logical step forward as consumers rely more and more of their mobile phones than ever before. Just think about how many times you would have forgotten your wallet when leaving home versus forgetting your mobile phone. (more…)

PC makers like HP, ASUS and Dell might consider running Android on future mini-notebooks but will this move disrupt the mojos of dominant players like Microsoft and Intel?

T&A: Wall Street Journal online published a report today (could be an April Fool’s joke but you never know…so check the link for updates), where PC makers like Hewlett-Packard (HP) and others have considered using free software developed by Google to run smaller computers.

For instance, they have been testing Google’s Android operating system (OS), now accessible on mobile phones, in new versions of their mini-notebooks. The problem however is that the OS isn’t exactly compatible with most popular PC applications, which is one of the reasons why Microsoft’s Windows continues to dominate in this space, which according to research firm NPD Group, sits in more than 90% of new mini-notebooks.

Besides HP, Taiwan-based Asustek might be considering using Android in its mini-notebooks while Dell has been customizing Android software in a range of its devices which it plans to launch next year, including mobile phone, mobile Internet devices and so on. (Editor opinions: 1) (more…)

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