The Jan. 30 launch of BlackBerry 10 is just days away, and in preparation, Research in Motion unveiled a revamped BlackBerry App World on Monday.
Now merely dubbed BlackBerry World, the storefront will offer a wide variety of movies, television shows, and music all under one convenient umbrella.
Though physical BlackBerry 10 phones have yet to be actually revealed, making sure users can get all their media needs from one place is a smart move by RIM.
Several different BlackBerry 10 devices, like the L-series, have been leaked or spotted in FCC documents, but until the devices appear, those waiting will have to be content knowing merely what software awaits.
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RIM has claimed BlackBerry World will offer "the most robust music and video catalogs" available on a mobile device, and to stay competitive with Apple and Android, it had better be.
BlackBerry World will offer most movies the same day as the retail disc release, and will initially be partnering with a dozen studios like 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney Studios.
Additionally, fifteen different television networks will have content available on BlackBerry World, including the likes of NBC Universal, ABC, and Warner Bros.
The videos will be made available for purchase or rental, though the service will only be available in the U.S., U.K., and Canada to start.
Fortunately, the music selection will be prominent in many more countries, with eighteen different markets (U.S., U.K., Germany, France, India, etc.) available to begin with.
There's also a wider variety of publishers making their catalogs available DRM-free to BlackBerry World, giving users the opportunity to purchase Sony Music Entertainment, Matador Records, Warner Music Group, and more.
Dropping prices
Though RIM didn't disclose what it will be charging users for media in BlackBerry World, the company did just institute some new price reductions on the BBW store.
According to the BlackBerry Developer Blog, the changes are only being seen in countries that use the Euro and the U.K. at the moment, but should be rolling out to the rest of the world soon.
In the U.K. the minimum price has dropped from £1.00 to £0.75, with the Euro prices varying from country to country.
For any people with actual items already up for sale, the changes will take place automatically, with RIM notifying users in a country in advance.
That said, the price lowering will factor in currency exchange rates around the world to allow apps on BlackBerry World to remain competitively priced.
