[macberry33]

Blackberry Playbook App World is less than useful when it comes to find applications and offer a nice user experience.

As far as I understand the first rule for a nice User Interface is �Don�t Forget about the user� and they are totally forgetting it.

The lack of features is absurd for a mature software company (RIM).

A short, but important list of features for App World �in Playbook- for me are:

1. A link or a way that show other software made by the same developer.
2. What other users, that bought this application, have bought.
3. More info about the developer or a link that can take you to the developer�s page
4. Better quality and way to zoom in the screenshot previews
5. Other recommended software like the app you are looking in the screen

Number 1 and 2 can be done really quick by an advance programmer and delivered to users very soon. Now over a year with Playbook and App World still seems to be very primitive in terms of User Interface and usefulness.

[ignites]

1. A link or a way that show other software made by the same developer.

this is already in OS 2.1

2. What other users, that bought this application, have bought.

gd idea

3. More info about the developer or a link that can take you to the developer�s page

This is in the 'support URL' section

4. Better quality and way to zoom in the screenshot previews

not the best/most idea way but you can look via desktop browser on computer at appworld.blackberry.com but I get your frustrations on this one.

5. Other recommended software like the app you are looking in the screen

agreed

[BB_Bmore]

2.1 saves screen shots in png format now so it's up to the devs to update the pictures in appworld.

[joski]

I think along with preview shots, there should be the ability to add video. Play has this, and I haven't figured out why AppWorld doesn't.

[Bigmelwalter]

I think along with preview shots, there should be the ability to add video. Play has this, and I haven't figured out why AppWorld doesn't.

GReat idea. AppWorld needs to be completely redone with BB10 setting the bar. Make it interesting for developers to want to design products for app world. then maybe the design can be completely redone in HD

Sent from my BlackBerry 8530 using Tapatalk

[xACiD]

they also make contacting the dev kind of hard.. you can click the button and it shows their email, you have to then manually go to your email client and remember what the email was and enter it. their email address isn't a link, nor can you copy and paste it.

[kindacool101]

Yeah agreed. Also I'd love to see how many people have downloaded/purchased a certain app.

[ignites]

they also make contacting the dev kind of hard.. you can click the button and it shows their email, you have to then manually go to your email client and remember what the email was and enter it. their email address isn't a link, nor can you copy and paste it.

I believe it is for anti-spam reasons

[Spacemonkie]

Got to say I love the pun.

Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2

[macberry33]

Another set of features to add to the list.

No. 7. Date of last update. So you can know how old is the app.
No. 8. Number of downloads. In addition of reviews, this can be also a signal of a good or a bad app. At least it lets you see how popular it is in terms of downloads (already mentioned by kindacool101)
No. 9. A search engine that helps you hint the words or phrases to locate the right app (autocomplete).


With supposedly over 15 thousand apps, App World is very primitive to handle that amount in order to promote, better show and let the user browse easily over them.

I am sure that an update of App World in Playbok setting the bar high will trigger app sales.

Any other features to add?

[morlock_man]

Unless I'm mistaken, App World has been built using Adobe Air, like the browser, which would be the source of current limitations.

The Cascades version will likely be completely revamped.

[rupam95]

Unless I'm mistaken, App World has been built using Adobe Air, like the browser, which would be the source of current limitations.

The Cascades version will likely be completely revamped.

but it is taking forever!!!

App World really sucks. Maybe 8 or 10 new apps are added daily and of which 75% consists of audio books and e-books. If they want to sell e-books....make it like Google Play! (No wonder the # of apps in app world have increased dramatically, since it consists more of e-books)

Google Play lets you buy magazines, music, movies, games, apps, e-books and yes, even audio books within one single APP.

Instead of having different apps, just fuse them together!!! Just like Google and Apple.

[kdna]

those ebooks are really annoying. digi-media-apps ban them please

[morlock_man]

I think a few app developers are holding off on releasing or updating apps until the 2.1 update so they can take advantage of the new anti-piracy measures.

[Darlaten]

I've said it before, but it bares repeating. App World is a disaster at the moment due to either the limitations of AIR or just the inability for RIM to understand what is needed to make App World easy to navigate for consumers. Some of the changes I would hope to see:

(1) Increase the resolution of all images.

(2) Increase the physical size dimensions of the images.

(3) Images must be mandatory for all applications/games/books/etc.

(4) The description of the app must be mandatory whereby the developer is obligated to actually explain and outline what their app does. Note, a comment such "my app is cool - buy it" does not count.

(5a) Re-institute the "What's updated" section or;

(5b) If "What's updated" is now impossible, add the following into "My World" - a section called "Apps I'm Tracking" whereby the user could add apps that they want to keep an eye on to see if updates have been applied before the app is downloaded.

How is this different from the current My World settings? Well I'll tell you. I had installed RichPix, which worked fine for a few months and then stopped working; I deleted it. Some months later, I saw that it appeared in the "What's updated" section so I downloaded it again as the app now worked. I suppose I could have kept the app on my Playbook but for those people who delete non-functioning apps like myself, it would be helpful to be able to track them to see if an upgrade has arrived and fixed any problems that we had.

The other use for this would be as a way for the user to keep track of apps he/she may want to download/purchase sometime in the future as opposed to right now, i.e., like a "To buy" list.

6) Make it mandatory that Change Logs be included.

7) Make it even more mandatory that Change Logs be included when the app switches from a native app to an android app.

8) Make it even that much more mandatory that change logs be included when the app goes from a native app to an android app and loses functionality that the original native app had, e.g., iSpeechTranslator changed to Android and removed the ability to speak your text and have it translated.

9) Increase the number of apps shown as "What's New", "Top Paid", "Top Free", etc, to, at minimum, 50.

10) Increase the options to how a search can be performed.

11) Add a section to "My World" to which the user could put the name of the developer they happen to like that would actively monitor when the developer adds/updates apps in the store. If said developer has added a new app or updated an existing app, then a notification should occur so that the user is aware of the changes.

12) Provide an indication that an app is "native" vs "native-android".

13) And I haven't thought this one through too much, but allow the Playbook to have an option to search for apps that are compatible on your phone; be able to purchase the app; and then have the app automatically downloaded to my phone.

My main reason for this is that the current design of App World, while maybe working smoothly on the OS 7 phones, doesn't always work well on the OS 6 phones. Using a 9780, for example, I'm constantly scrolling right or left when I want to be scrolling down. I just find it very finicky to browse on a 9780. Navigating App World on the Playbook is substantially easier.

So that's my wish list. In essence, if App World is truly going to be competitive then it needs a complete overhaul from start to finish with attention given to the users experience. Oh, and lastly, please fix the darn errors in the store that are preventing users from purchasing in-app items, e.g., some games have an option to purchase an in-app item and there are far too many users who are reporting error messages when trying to do this.

[sportline]

get more news apps please. and get rid of all the tic tac toes and whatnot-books. so not professional grade

[rupam95]

Hey guys, great news!!!

New e-books and audio books are being been added daily!!! That should increase the number of apps we have on App World by 50%!!!!

Go and buy them, because you know we won't bring the kindle app to the Playbook any time soon

[look_alive]

Unless I'm mistaken, App World has been built using Adobe Air, like the browser, which would be the source of current limitations.

The Cascades version will likely be completely revamped.

Has nothing to do with AIR. Everything described in those wishlists can already be done with an AIR app, it just hasn't been done. All this entails is referencing a field in a database, just like everything else in App World is being done.

Granted, it probably doesn't make much sense to rework the AIR app when they are likely trying to get the Cascades app built, but in the meantime, their current customers have to suffer with this abomination for what will likely be two years.

[morlock_man]

Well, they could waste the time developing the AIR app or just concentrate on the Cascades version. App World functions pretty much as it is supposed, just doesn't have the flash that other App stores do.

What it also doesn't have is tons of malware.

And the new tagging system coming out with 2.1 should help cut down on piracy.

I'd rather they concentrate on core features that keep both the developers and the customers happy than spend their time just trying to make it look flashy.

(I wouldn't mind seeing all the ebooks shoved off into their own catergory rather than show up with the 'apps'. They do clutter up the place and that should be a relatively easy fix.)

[rupam95]

(I wouldn't mind seeing all the ebooks shoved off into their own catergory rather than show up with the 'apps'. They do clutter up the place and that should be a relatively easy fix.)

You know they can't do this now. RIM add those e-books and audio books to take the place of the 3rd party apps. They know that not enough apps are being submitted to App World and what they do with the space left under "New Arrivals"?

*Fill em up with e-books & audiobooks.

If look at the "New Arrivals" under the games section only four or five apps were added in the past week.

No Apps= No games.

[morlock_man]

There seems to have been a slow down in new releases and updates pending the release of PBOS 2.1.

I'd expect it to pick back up again once the OS update drops and developers have ensured app compatibility.

[macberry33]

App World functions pretty much as it is supposed, just doesn't have the flash that other App stores do.

You are right, that is why I titled this post "App World is yet to set the bar high". App World doesn't not stand out of the crowd. And I don't mean the "flash" or "bells and whistles". For me App World is very primitive compared to other app stores.

As a user I am not convinced with the current functions that do "pretty much as it is supposed". I would love to have a lot more. At least what other app stores do.

So RIM can do its best and start to rise the bar high or rest assure that competition will surpass them easily every time.

It is incomprehensible for me that after a year of its launch there has been no major, powerful or useful changes in App World.

Besides that, simple changes that would improve App World and that an advance programer can code in a couple of weeks seem no to be around the corner but rather next year with another OS. Unbelievable.

But it is just probably me that want a lot more from a company that used to be top of smartphones a while ago, until probably they started to believe that what they built and delivered was good enough and its functions did pretty much what they were supposed to do.

[morlock_man]

A different face for App World won't change the function of any apps you buy there. It would just make them easier to market.

So far they haven't allowed in any malware or hacks that allowed access to clear text BBIDs and passwords.

To me, thats better than marketing gimmicks.

[macberry33]

A different face for App World won't change the function of any apps you buy there.

Probably I am in the wrong page here, sorry . But I didn't say I would like change of functions of the apps I buy there.

I am talking about the functions of App World. The lack of functions!

For example, I ask for a link that shows you the apps made by the same developer. Sounds pretty obvious, right? Playbook's App World doesn't have that.

Or what was the date of last update for the App? That doesn't exist!

Or what other users, that bought this application, have bought. That doesn't exist

And I can go on with the list.

[rupam95]

Probably I am in the wrong page here, sorry . But I didn't say I would like change of functions of the apps I buy there.

I am talking about the functions of App World. The lack of functions!

For example, I ask for a link that shows you the apps made by the same developer. Sounds pretty obvious, right? Playbook's App World doesn't have that.

Or what was the date of last update for the App? That doesn't exist!

Or what other users, that bought this application, have bought. That doesn't exist

And I can go on with the list.

Add the crappy search engine on App World.

Useless as z.