RIM rebrands its App Store
Research in Motion has dropped the “app” from its BlackBerry App World.
The Waterloo, Ont.-based firm has tweaked the name of its online store in preparation for the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 operating system and line of smartphones.
The change “reflects a shift in the type of things you can purchase from the store,” the company said in a blog post on Monday.
The service now also sells music and videos, putting RIM in more direct competition with the retail arms of its hardware rivals — Apple’s iTunes and Google Play.
“BlackBerry World is going to be the one-stop shop for all of your mobile entertainment needs,” said the company. The name change will roll out gradually on the web and across BlackBerry devices over the coming weeks.
The BlackBerry 10 comes out on Jan. 30 and looks to be fuelling enthusiasm among investors and consumers.
RIM stock was up almost eight per cent to $16.92 in mid-morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday, following a rally that has seen its price climb more than 170 per cent from a 52-week low of $6.10 last September.
