The long, frustrating wait for South African BlackBerry users is over, with RIM today announcing the immediate local availability of the BlackBerry App World.

BlackBerry now joins the ranks of Apple with their App Store, Android with the Android Market and even Windows Mobile with their Marketplace, by giving users access to a whole host of free and paid-for applications.

If you want to access the site you first need to download the BlackBerry App World application by visiting www.blackberry.com/za/appworld on your handset. The store will automatically detect the BlackBerry model you’re using and display the relevant catalogue of apps available for it.

“BlackBerry App World lets you personalize your BlackBerry smartphone with a wide range of applications that let you do more with your time while you’re on the go,” says Deon Liebenberg, Regional Director for sub Sahara Africa at RIM. "Consumers in South Africa can now easily discover and download a wide variety of free BlackBerry applications directly from their smartphone."

The BlackBerry App World (BAW) features:

• Front Page Carousel - BAW showcases several applications on its front page carousel, making it easy for users to browse through a select number of featured applications. Featured applications will vary from time to time, helping users discover new applications for practically every aspect of life.
   
• Top Downloads – The “Top Downloads” area on BAW lists the most downloaded applications on the store.
   
• Categories – BAW features a variety of application categories. Categories include games, entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more.
   
• Search/Filter – BAW includes a keyword search with filtering capabilities.
   
• Reviews – Applications on BAW can be reviewed by users and those reviews are reflected in star ratings. Users can easily access and read reviews, see screenshots and read a description of each application before they download it.
   
• Recommend – BAW users can recommend applications to other people through email, PIN, SMS message or BlackBerry Messenger.
   
• Application Storage – BAW includes a folder called My World, which keeps track of applications users have downloaded. It is a personal storage space that lets users uninstall and re-install applications.
  
  
• Application Archiving - Users can archive applications to a microSD card or built-in memory on their BlackBerry smartphone.
   
• Update Notifications - Users are notified of updates to applications they’ve downloaded on BAW.